Tag Archives: GHSA Basketball

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Recaps, Recaps

Statewide Recap 1-2-18

BOYS

Class AAAAAAA

No. 6 Mountain View 67, Mt. Bethel 53: Naheim Alleyne led Mountain View with 20 points, followed by Jalen Hayes with 16, Spencer Rodgers with 15, and Miles Long with 8 at the Big South Shootout. Mt. Bethel was led by Jaquez Gilbert’s five three-pointers and 22 points.

No. 8 Wheeler 59, Duluth 57: Duluth surged late in the second half but it wasn’t enough as EJ Montgomery was fed the ball in the paint and slammed it home to give Wheeler the lead with 1.7 seconds remaining in the game at the Big South Shootout. EJ Montgomery scored 24 and Austin Johnson had 20 of his own for Wheeler. Christian Kelly scored 18 points and Adam Flagler added 17 points for Duluth.

No. 10 Meadowcreek 60, Lincoln (FL) 53: At the Big South Shootout, Jamir Chaplin led Meadowcreek in the winning effort, with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Emmanuel Collier went 4-for-5 from behind the arc to add 12 points, while Kedrick Green led Meadowcreek with 6 assists to bolster his 9 points on the day.

East Coweta 55, Milton 51: Fernandez Jones led East Coweta with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Chris Youngblood contributed 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals while Brandon Stroud added 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a solid AAAAAAA win for East Coweta at the Big South Shootout.

Class AAAAAA

No. 5 Gainesville 94, 5ANo. 2 Warner Robins 81: Jabo Bledson shoots 67% from the field (14-of-21) to lead Gainesville with 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kejuan Hale added 16 points, Jarred Rosser 15 points, and KJ Buffen 14 points. Warner Robins was led by Jacolbey Owens’s 23 points and Nelson Phillips’s 10 points at the Big South Shootout.

No. 6 Dacula 82, North Clayton 60: Brenden Tucker scored 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Quincy Ademokoya dropped 19 points, while Arusha Hunter had 14 points for the Falcons in the Big South Shootout. Xavier Valley led all scorers with 22 points, and Joseph Wimbley added 15 points for North Clayton.

Cass 54, Woodland-Cartersville 29: Carter Hedden led Cass with 14 points, while Justice Hayes had 12 points. Jaylen Ballard led Woodland with 9 points.

Class AAAAA

Paulding County 102, East Paulding 79: Tyron Summerour had 23 points and  9 rebounds, Elijah Brown had 12 points, and KJ Shade had 11 points and 5 rebounds. Kevin Brown’s 11 points, Mike Seymour 10 points, and Jalen Sowells 10 points round out the double-digits scorers for Paulding County’s offensive showcase.

Class AAAA

No. 3 Sandy Creek 76, 5ANo. 10 McIntosh 53: TJ Bickerstaff led all scorers with 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Xavier Brewer had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks; Jared Godfrey had 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Kam Miller stuffed the stat sheet with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals for Sandy Creek. Chaz Hardin led McIntosh with 17 points and 4 rebounds, Cole Guenther had 8 points, and Bruce Carpenter had 6 points.

No. 4 Mary Persons 88, Veterans 48: Tre Edge led the scoring with 24 points, while Cam Holden recorded 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Dee Morton added 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Desmond Williams added another 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Troup County 69, Chapel Hill 35: Jay Jefferson had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first half. Tristan Ware, King Mwikuita, and Andy Boykin had 8 points and a few rebounds apiece.  

Class AAA

No. 1 Morgan County 67, Franklin County 37: Tyrin Lawrence had 25 points and Alec Woodard scored 16 points in the win for Morgan County.

No. 5 GAC 82, Lumpkin County 22: Junior Hunter McIntosh scored 26 points to get him over the 1000-career point mark in the beatdown of Lumpkin County.

No. 6 Westside-Macon 60, Southwest-Macon 53: Westside-Macon was able to take care of business without Khavon Moore behind the 24 points and 11 rebounds of Greg Holloway and 14 points and 9 rebounds of Omar Jones.

No. 9 Central-Macon 67, Pike County 41: Kylan Hill led Central-Macon with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

East Jackson 73, Hart County 56: Kobe Haley led East Jackson with 22 points, Xavier Clark had 21 points, Makayl Rakestraw scored 15 points.

Long County 79, 2ANo. 8 Jeff Davis 56: Henry Blair led all scorers with 32 points, Terry Smith scored and even 10, and Stephan Hugley and Cristian Bass both contributed 9 points for Long County.

Class AA

No. 4 Banks County 81, Social Circle 63: Carl Cleveland and Dylan Orr led Banks County with 23 points apiece, the latter of whom also added 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. Darrius Bonds (12 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals) and Gabe Martin (12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) also had solid nights to help Banks County stay unbeaten in the region.

No. 9 Elbert County 54, Putnam County 42: AJ James and Ty Hill led the charge for Elbert with 20 and 13 points, respectively.

Monticello 74, Oglethorpe County 61: Ashton Bonner accounted for more than half of Monticello’s points with 41 on the night. Malik Crawford added 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Northeast-Macon 57, Dodge County 54: DeMarcus Caines accounted for 29 of Dodge County’s points in the losing effort, followed by Nick Cummings’s 10 points and RJ Carr’s 5 points.

Class A-Private

No. 2 Aquinas 57, Creekside 47: DaJuan Hill led Aquinas with a 13-11 double-double, while Trent Bowdre added 11 points and 6 assists.

Walker 40, No. 4 King’s Ridge 35: Drew Miller led Walker with 15 points, Omar Cooper scored 10 points, and Burke Chebuhar scored 8 points.

Lakeview Academy 80, Hebron Christian 54: Blake McIntyre led Lakeview with 25 points and 8 rebounds, Adam Cottrell had 15 points and 5 assists, and Evan Pitts added an even 10 points.  

Class A-Public

No. 1 Central-Talbotton 64, Hawkinsville 52: Javares Copeland scored 21 points, ZyTavian Hill scored 17 points, and JaQuavius Smith had 12 points for Central-Talbotton.

No. 2 Manchester 71, Taylor County 45: Jah’Nile Hill had 19 points and 7 assists while Kalil Brawner had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in the win for Manchester.

 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAAA

Class AAAAAA

No. 2 Lovejoy 55, 5ANo. 1 Buford 49: Lovejoy continues its streak of impressive play topping AAAAA favorite Buford behind Genesis Bryant’s 20 points and Anaya Boyd’s 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Cass 60, Woodland 24: Lyric Curtis led for Cass with 10 points, while the trio of Kyla Michienzi, Aaliyah Curtis, and Alexis Ware each had 9 points in the win.

Class AAAAA

Class AAAA

LaGrange 48, Central-Carrollton 44 OT: LaGrange opens up region play with a victory over the Central-Carrollton Lions. The Lions were led by the 17 points and 8 rebounds of Haley Fehring and Teonna Thomasson’s 10 points.

Sandy Creek 43, McIntosh 38: Da’ja Powell dominated the stat sheet with 22 points, 18 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Paris Thompson helped the winning effort with 11 points, 7 steals, and 2 blocks. Rylee Calhoun led McIntosh with 19 points while Kennedi Miller dropped 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Class AAA

No. 5 Central Macon 68, Pike County 25: The Lady Chargers kicked off 2018 the right way led by Jada Clowers’s 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Central Macon had three other players in double digits: ReNesha Goolsby (15 points), JeNya Wilder (14 points, 6 rebounds), and Nakayia Greene (10 points, 5 rebounds).

No. 7 Haralson County 72, Spring Garden (AL) 50: Alexis Boykin led the Lady Rebels with 20 points, while Indiya Smith and Claire Robinson each chipped in 17 points in the victory.

No. 8 Hart County 58, East Jackson 37: Torrion Starks led Hart County with 26 points, Taniya Alexander scored 12 points, and Shakendra Grove had 11 points. Marissa Thomas led East Jackson with 16 points.

Class AA

Elbert County 54, No. 2 Putnam County 52: Niya Shumaker scored 21 points, Miya Turman had 15 points, and Maggie Campbell scored 7 in the upset win for Elbert County.

No. 4 Rabun County 75, Stephens County 55: Georgia Stockton scored 26 points and 7 rebounds, Hanna Cannon had 10 points, and Destiny Deetz was a point shy of a double-double with 9 points and 12 boards for Rabun County. Tykia Thompson scored 10 points and Tiana Teasley scored 9 points for Stephens County in the loss.

No. 6 Josey 54, Westside 43: Ebony Clark led Josey with 16 points, and Deajah Houck contributed 12 points to the winning effort.

No. 8 Banks County 80, Social Circle 34: Jaycie Bowen led the Lady Leopards with 20 points, Maddie Thomas scored 15 points, Allison Smith had 15 points, and Amber Williams had 9 points.

Class A-Private

No. 7 Prince Avenue Christian 59, Athens Christian 42: The Lady Wolverines had three scorers in double digits: Madison Britt (15 points), Ansley Hall (14 points), and Janie Henderson (11 points).

Lakeview Academy 59, Hebron Christian 34: Sadie Thrailkill scored 18 for Lakeview, followed closely by teammates Savanna Kinsey (11) and Maddie Towles (10).

Class A-Public

No. 1 Telfair County 74, Clinch County 61: India Wells exploded for 27 points, while Brandy Mackey scored 13 points, NyAsia Howard had 9, and Shalan Nelson scored 8 points in the win for Telfair.

No. 10 Athens Academy 36, George Walton Academy 30: Freshman Rose Bone dropped a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Greer Moseley contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 7 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Westlake (11-1)
  2. Collins Hill (13-2)
  3. Norcross (12-3)
  4. Newton (11-2)
  5. Cherokee (12-2)
  6. North Forsyth (11-2)
  7. South Gwinnett (12-1)
  8. Colquitt County (11-3)
  9. North Cobb (11-2)
  10. McEachern (7-4) 

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (10-3)
  2. Lovejoy (13-1)
  3. Winder-Barrow (9-3)
  4. Sequoyah (10-1)
  5. Northview (10-3)
  6. Alpharetta (12-1)
  7. Forest Park (12-2)
  8. Lanier (10-3)
  9. River Ridge (10-3)
  10. Northside-Warner Robins (9-2)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (9-1)
  2. Flowery Branch (11-3)
  3. Dutchtown (14-2)
  4. Harris County (10-2)
  5. Bainbridge (15-2)
  6. Villa Rica (10-0)
  7. Arabia Mountain (11-1)
  8. Ware County (8-2)
  9. Rome (8-1)
  10. Carrollton (8-4) 

Class AAAA

  1. Carver-Columbus (15-1)
  2. Henry County (13-0)
  3. Spalding (11-2)
  4. Luella (11-3)
  5. Northwest Whitfield (11-2)
  6. Baldwin (11-0)
  7. Madison County (8-5)
  8. Marist (10-2)
  9. Americus-Sumter (12-1)
  10. Jefferson (10-4) 

Class AAA

  1. Greater Atlanta Christian (9-3)
  2. Beach (11-1)
  3. Johnson-Savannah (8-3)
  4. Franklin County (13-0)
  5. Central-Macon (10-2)
  6. Lovett (10-3)
  7. Haralson County (9-0)
  8. Hart County (8-4)
  9. Peach County (8-3)
  10. Tattnall County (9-4) 

Class AA

  1. Laney (13-0)
  2. Putnam County (11-0)
  3. Dodge County (10-1)
  4. Rabun County (10-2)
  5. Swainsboro (9-2)
  6. Josey (13-1)
  7. Model (10-3)
  8. Banks County (10-3)
  9. Washington County (9-3)
  10. Southwest-Macon (7-3) 

Class A-Private

  1. Holy Innocents’ (12-1)
  2. Wesleyan (11-1)
  3. St. Francis (8-3)
  4. Our Lady of Mercy (11-1)
  5. Calvary Day (12-1)
  6. Stratford Academy (9-2)
  7. Prince Avenue Christian (9-1)
  8. Landmark Christian (6-7)
  9. Christian Heritage (10-3)
  10. Athens Academy (9-2) 

Class A-Public

  1. Telfair County (11-1)
  2. Greenville (11-1)
  3. Pelham (9-1)
  4. Wheeler County (9-2)
  5. Macon County (8-2)
  6. Terrell County (9-2)
  7. Marion County (12-1)
  8. Georgia Military College (11-0)
  9. Turner County (7-3)
  10. Wilcox County (7-4)

 

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2018. With national schedules in play, a handful of teams in Class AAAAAAA lost, but there is no movement in amongst the poll. No. 1 Westlake suffered their first loss of the year to nationally ranked No. 10 Mercer County, KY 77-73. No. 2 Collins Hill lost to No. 4 Riverdale, TN 70-61. No. 5 Cherokee lost in the Deep South Classic Championship to Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ by 23 while No. 7 South Gwinnett cruised past Class 3A No. 8 Hart County 70-45.

Class AAAAAA No. 5 Northview sinks three spots after losing to Hillgrove in the opening round of the Deep South Classic, 58-47. The Lady Titans rebounded with wins over Dacula (57-49) and Class 4A No. 7 Madison County (53-50). No. 1 Harrison went 2-1 at the KSA Holiday Tournament while No. 2 Lovejoy swept through the FBI Classic, posting a 3-0 mark.  No. 7 Forest Park went 2-0 at the Ball N Prep Invitational. Centennial (8-5) exits the poll after a week following a 1-2 showing out of state. The Knights are replaced by No. 9 River Ridge, who cracks the rankings for the first time. Sophomore transfer Savannah Samuel has been one of Cherokee County’s best players, dumping in 19.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game from her swingman position. The 6-foot Collins Hill transfer is a game-changer in Region 6.

No. 2 Flowery Branch romped its way to another Lanierland championship in Class AAAAA, beating East Hall for the title 64-44. No. 3 Dutchtown went 2-1 at the Holiday Basketball Classic in Palm Beach, one win coming via forfeit. No. 10 Carrollton slides two spots after a 1-2 showing at the Boo Williams Christmas Classic. Cedar Shoals’ (9-5) time in the poll was short-lived. The Lady Jaguars are out after losses to Class 3A No. 5 Central-Macon and Class 2A No. 9 Washington County. No. 9 Rome debuts in the rankings, coming off an impressive 74-71 win over Class 4A No. 4 Luella at Philips Arena.

Class AAAA front-runner No. 1 Carver-Columbus took their first loss at the Ball N Prep Invitational, losing to Alabama power Ramsay 68-46. No. 2 Henry County won the Chuck Miller Classic by besting Parkview 66-36. No. 7 Madison County has played one of the hardest schedules in the classification. They went 1-2 at the Deep South Classic, losing to Brookwood in 3OT 96-93 and to Class 6A No. 5 Northview 53-50. No. 6 Baldwin is on the move, up two spots after beating Class 3A No. 5 Central-Macon 66-62. No. 9 Americus-Sumter is hot, moving to 12-1. The Lady Panthers took out a good Tift County team 37-30 at the Ronalda Pierce Classic.

In Class AAA, No. 1 GAC dropped two games in Naples to No. 10 Mercer County, KY 84-68 and to Male, KY 74-64. No. 4 Franklin County made easy work in Augusta, going 3-0 at the Monterrey Christmas Classic, drilling Grovetown (43-19) and Cross Creek (49-23). No. 5 Central-Macon survived its gauntlet, going 2-1. The Lady Chargers defeated Class 2A No. 9 Washington County for the second time this year 53-49 and beat previously ranked Cedar Shoals 49-45 before falling to Baldwin. Dawson County (8-5) falls out of the Top 10 as the Lady Tigers await for Kaylee Sticker’s return. They finished 1-2 at the Cherokee, NC Christmas Tournament. No. 10 Tattnall County moves back into the poll.

As each week passes by, No. 2 Putnam County looks more and more like a true state title contender in Class AA. The War Eagles had a great week, beating Class 6A No. 10 Northside-Warner Robins (57-56), Upson-Lee (64-48) and Griffin (59-50). No. 4 Rabun County slips one spot after losing to undefeated Mountain Heritage, NC, 71-53. No. 9 Washington County defeated Cedar Shoals 52-47. Dublin (7-2) departs from the rankings to make way for debutant No. 10 Southwest-Macon, who beat the Irish 68-41 at home. The Lady Patriots’ only losses this season have come against ranked opponents: Central-Macon 55-31, at Washington County 61-57 and at No. 5 Swainsboro 63-52.

Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ won the Deep South Classic by beating Dacula (68-35), Hillgrove (68-48) and in the championship game, Class 7A No. 5 Cherokee 58-35. No. 2 Wesleyan went 3-0 at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational. No. 9 Christian Heritage plummets four spots after losing to Pickens 50-45 and to Coahulla Creek 56-52.  No. 8 Landmark Christian had a tough week but holds firm at No. 8 after going 0-3 in their out-of-state tournament.  Lakeview Academy (6-6) disappointed at Lanierland, going 1-2, losing to North Hall (53-46) and Chestatee (56-38), forcing the Lady Lions out of the Top 10. They are replaced by returnee and Region 8 foe No. 10 Athens Academy. The Lady Spartans earned a nice 44-37 win over Galloway.

Not much is going on in Class A-Public other than Woodville-Tompkins’ (9-5) slide out of the Top 10 after being ranked No. 6 last week following their 46-44 win over No. 6 Terrell County on Dec 22. The Lady Wolverines were upset by Emanuel County Institute 48-40. They are replaced by familiar face No. 10 Wilcox County. Elsewhere in the poll, No. 9 Turner County is getting in a grove. Outside of a bad 75-57 loss to Crisp County, the Lady Rebels dispatched of Treutlen 58-45 and more impressively, Fitzgerald 61-60.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 7 Boys Rankings

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Class AAAAAAA

  1. McEachern (11-1)
  2. Norcross (12-2)
  3. Collins Hill (14-1)
  4. Pebblebrook (11-2)
  5. Grayson (10-2)
  6. Mountain View (12-2)
  7. Newton (10-3)
  8. Wheeler (8-5)
  9. Etowah (12-1)
  10. Meadowcreek (11-3)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Langston Hughes (11-3)
  2. Brunswick (13-1)
  3. Tri-Cities (12-3)
  4. Douglas County (10-2)
  5. Gainesville (7-6)
  6. Dacula (6-5)
  7. Bradwell Institute (10-4)
  8. Jonesboro (8-5)
  9. Cambridge (12-1)
  10. Glynn Academy (10-4)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (10-2)
  2. Warner Robins (11-1)
  3. Columbia (8-3)
  4. Lithonia (14-3)
  5. Statesboro (11-2)
  6. Miller Grove (8-6)
  7. Southwest DeKalb (10-5)
  8. Villa Rica (11-0)
  9. Maynard Jackson (13-1)
  10. McIntosh (8-1)

Class AAAA

  1. Upson-Lee (16-0)
  2. St. Pius X (11-2)
  3. Sandy Creek (8-2)
  4. Mary Persons (12-1)
  5. Americus-Sumter (12-1)
  6. Westover (8-4)
  7. Baldwin (8-4)
  8. Salem (10-4)
  9. Carver-Columbus (13-3)
  10. Cartersville (7-2)

Class AAA

  1. Morgan County (12-0)
  2. Jenkins (7-2)
  3. Johnson-Savannah (8-2)
  4. Cedar Grove (7-5)
  5. Greater Atlanta Christian (10-3)
  6. Westside-Macon (5-6)
  7. Windsor Forest (9-4)
  8. Dawson County (10-3)
  9. Central-Macon (8-3)
  10. Monroe Area (9-2)

Class AA

  1. Glenn Hills (11-0)
  2. South Atlanta (11-1)
  3. Dublin (10-1)
  4. Banks County (12-1)
  5. Thomasville (13-2)
  6. Laney (10-3)
  7. Swainsboro (8-3)
  8. Jeff Davis (9-3)
  9. Elbert County (11-2)
  10. Washington County (8-3)

Class A-Private

  1. St. Francis (11-2)
  2. Aquinas (10-3)
  3. Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (12-2)
  4. King’s Ridge Christian (9-2)
  5. Christian Heritage (12-0)
  6. Wesleyan (4-4)
  7. Landmark Christian (9-3)
  8. North Cobb Christian (7-4)
  9. WD Mohammed (6-1)
  10. Stratford Academy (6-4)

Class A-Public

  1. Central-Talbotton (11-0)
  2. Manchester (6-0)
  3. Lanier County (11-1)
  4. Woodville-Tompkins (12-2)
  5. Montgomery County (10-2)
  6. Pelham (8-2)
  7. Calhoun County (11-2)
  8. Wilkinson County (7-4)
  9. Macon County (8-2)
  10. Wilcox County (8-3)

 

2017 is in the books! There was nowhere to run and hide this Christmas as holiday tournaments across the state tested teams and separated the pretenders from the contenders. In Class AAAAAAA, No. 4 Pebblebrook springs up five spots after winning the Peach Bracket at the Tournament of Champions Classic (TOC) at Wheeler. The Falcons beat No. 5 Grayson 71-52 and Blanche Ely, FL in the championship 76-73. Canisius-commit Mervin James was a breakout star for the Falcons, hanging 24 points and 11 rebounds against the Rams. No. 2 Norcross finished 3-0 at the FBI Classic, No. 3 Collins Hill won the Cleveland County Christmas Tournament going 3-0, No. 6 Mountain View went 3-0 at the Go Southern Beach Blowout and No. 9 Etowah captured the TOC Blue Bracket Championship by beating Milton 57-33, Impact Christian, FL 54-36, Class 5A No. 7 Southwest DeKalb 58-42, and in the championship game, Class 5A No. 4 Lithonia 37-36.

Class AAAAAA No. 1 Langston Hughes went 2-1 at TOC, losing to Blanche Ely 60-55, but bouncing back with wins over Marshall, VA 54-51 and Sacred Heart, AL 94-73. No. 6 Dacula tumbles four spots after going 1-2 at the Lake City Classic. The Falcons’ inability to get stops on defense was glaring, even though they managed to put a tournament-best three players on the All-Tournament team, Brenden Tucker, Arusha Hunter and Quincy Ademokoya, all averaging over 16 points per game. They blew out Marianna, FL 68-51, but lost to Class A-Private No. 2 Aquinas 86-81 in 2OT and Class 3A No. 4 Cedar Grove 74-50. No. 2 Brunswick, the reigning state runner-up, reaches a new peak after going 3-0 at the McDonald’s Invitational at Tift County. The Pirates rallied to beat South Cobb 54-53 and defeated Lake Minneola, FL 54-47 and Tift County 61-55. No. 5 Gainesville steamrolled their way to the Lanierland championship for the second year in a row, beating East Hall 96-73 in the title game. No. 8 Jonesboro struggled at TOC, losing to Holy Spirit Prep 66-50, Class 7A No. 10 Meadowcreek 64-57 and Pace Academy 39-36 after beating Class 5A No. 6 Miller Grove in overtime 45-43. Coffee (5-6) falls out after losses to Leon, FL 55-46 and Colquitt County 72-62. The Trojans are replaced by debutant No. 10 Glynn Academy. The Terrors picked up a 74-49 win over Class 2A No. 7 Swainsboro at the Gentleman’s Classic.

No. 1 Buford regains control of Class AAAAA after sweeping their way to the Kingdom of the Sun Championship, beating Vanguard, FL 75-54 in the title game. The Wolves have not lost a game since Lipscomb-signee Alex Jones’ return to the lineup. No. 2 Warner Robins fell victim to the state’s hottest team, Class 4A No. 1 Upson-Lee in the Lake City Classic Championship, 84-73. The Demons finished 3-1 at the LCC, earning wins over Hillgrove (79-49), Class 3A No. 4 Cedar Grove (60-59) and Class A-Private No. 2 Aquinas (70-62). Jacolbey Owens and Georgia State-signee Nelson Phillips were phenomenal, Owens the biggest stock riser at the guard position at the event. The sure-fire D1 talent buried eight three-pointers against Aquinas – once a weakness in his arsenal. If the grades are there, Owens is a no-brainer at the Mid-Major level. No. 4 Lithonia rises two spots after getting revenge against Greenforest 70-48 and losing in the TOC Blue Bracket Championship to Etowah 37-36. No. 6 Miller Grove and No. 7 Southwest DeKalb had rollercoaster rides at TOC. The Wolverines lost in overtime to Jonesboro and got blown out by Class 7A No. 5 Grayson 68-48. The Panthers beat Class A-Private No. 3 ELCA 51-50 and Lambert 69-58, but lost to Class 7A No. 9 Etowah 58-42 and to Greenforest 52-44. No. 5 Statesboro leaps five spots thanks to the chaos above them. Eagle’s Landing (9-4) had a poor showing at the Lee County Roundball Classic, losing to Boyd Anderson, FL 46-42 and to Class 4A No. 9 Carver-Columbus 66-58, leading to the Eagles’ departure from the Top 10. They are replaced by undefeated No. 8 Villa Rica.

It’s now 48-straight wins for Class AAAA No. 1 Upson-Lee, as the Knights officially enter the state’s loft as one of the elites. Winning the Lake City Classic Championship is as good as it gets in holiday hoops, the Knights surviving a gauntlet, beating Millbrook, NC 66-62, Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis 80-65, Alabama’s Class 7A No. 1 Huffman 72-63 and Class 5A No. 2 Warner Robins in the title game, 84-73. MTSU-commit Tye Fagan was unstoppable throughout the tournament, garnering MVP honors after averaging 26.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.2 blocks. He collected 33 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 6 blocks in the championship game, outplaying Georgia State’s Nelson Phillips. Travon Walker was dominant inside as well, the 6-foot-6 junior making the All-Tournament team with averages of 16.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game including 18 points and 16 rebounds in the Middle Georgia championship. No. 2 St. Pius X won their Christmas Classic with an impressive 58-38 win over New York’s Canisius. No. 5 Americus-Sumter captured the Lee County Roundball Classic Championship by beating Jeff Davis, AL 60-59. No. 10 Cartersville sinks five spots after a 1-2 showing at the Lake City Classic. The Canes were held scoreless for the first 10:34 against Allatoona in an ugly 42-33 loss. They rebounded with a 77-64 win over Class A-Private No. 8 North Cobb Christian, but wasted a monstrous nine three-pointer effort from Furman’s Jaylon Pugh in their 70-63 loss to Millbrook.

Class AAA No. 4 Cedar Grove impressed at the Lake City Classic following an ugly 45-40 win over Alexander to open. The Saints lost 60-59 to Class 5A No. 2 Warner Robins, but beat Class 6A No. 6 Dacula 74-50 before dropping to Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis 69-61. Jamari Dean was the breakout player of the tournament, picking up multiple offers headlined by a James Madison bid, his first D1 school. Dean was fabulous inside, averaging 22.2 points and 11.9 rebounds. The unsigned 6-foot-6 senior forward rebounded everything in his area, using his electric second leap. He showed range extending to the three-point line and finished through contact inside on the low block. He solidified himself as a D1 recruit. As the Saints impressed, Region 5 rival Pace Academy (5-6) continued to struggle and dropped back out of the rankings. The Knights lost to Sacred Heart, AL, Wheeler and Shiloh before edging Class 6A No. 8 Jonesboro 39-36 at TOC. Pace is replaced by first-timer No. 9 Central-Macon. The Chargers had a challenging week, but managed to score a 49-47 win over Class 4A No. 7 Baldwin.

In Class AA, No. 1 Glenn Hills thumped Class 6A No. 10 Glynn Academy 75-41.  No. 2 South Atlanta finished 3-0 at the First State Bank Shootout. No. 3 Dublin got its revenge in an emotional 77-75 win at Class A-Public No. 8 Wilkinson County, Clarence Jackson’s official homecoming. No. 7 Swainsboro slips two spots as they were trounced again by a bigger school, Glynn Academy winning 74-49, highlighting a glaring divide between the Tigers and No. 1 Glenn Hills. Chattooga (10-2) and Metter (10-2) exit the Top 10. The Indians lost in their tournament championship to Cass 54-43 while Metter was drilled by Class 6A No. 7 Bradwell Institute 73-40. Into the poll is red-hot No. 9 Elbert County and returnee No. 10 Washington County. The Blue Devils have won 10-straight while the Golden Hawks beat Marist 69-56 and Class 3A No. 9 Central-Macon 63-54.

No. 1 St. Francis retains their spot atop Class A-Private after a 3-1 showing at the Lake City Classic. A 69-61 win over Class 3A No. 4 Cedar Grove is their best while grinding out a 57-55 win over Allatoona’s matchup zone is never easy. No. 3 ELCA rebounded from a 51-50 loss to Class 5A No. 7 Southwest DeKalb to win the Red Bracket Championship at TOC, beating Holy Innocents’ 75-35 in their rematch and handling Heritage School 52-44 and North Atlanta 52-45 in the title game. Greenforest (5-7) is out of the Top 10 again after a 70-48 loss to Class 5A No. 4 Lithonia. A 52-44 win against Southwest DeKalb shows promise however. The Eagles are replaced by No. 10 Stratford Academy. The Eagles finished 2-1 at the Tattnall Square Holiday Classic and are slowly starting to play better.

The only change in Class A-Public is No. 9 Macon County swapping places with No. 10 Wilcox County following the Bulldogs’ impressive 3-0 week at the Alvin Copeland Christmas Classic, beating Mundy’s Mill (73-60), First Presbyterian Day (74-41) and Northeast-Macon (80-56).

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 9 Pebblebrook’s 29-point third quarter surges Falcons past Shiloh at TOC Classic

Contributed by Cody Butler  (@CodeMan10x)

Sponsored by:   @sportalspace

 

No. 9 Pebblebrook 65, Shiloh 57

No. 9 Pebblebrook (8-2) rallied off a huge third quarter to capture a 65-57 win over Shiloh (3-6) at the Tournament of Champions Holiday Classic at Wheeler High School in Marietta. The Falcons exploded for 29 points in the third to take flight over the Generals. The balanced scoring attack of Mervin James, Josh Graham and Grant Howard pushed Pebblebrook out in front for good in the second half. Great ball movement with multiple scoring options left their opponent helpless in a tough third. The Falcons more than doubled their offensive output in the third quarter alone. Shiloh continued to struggle in the second half as their six-point halftime lead erased quickly out of the break.

Shiloh started the game off with a high level of intensity. In a game of this magnitude against the No. 9 team in Class AAAAAAA, Shiloh had to bring their best. Swingman Toneari Lane did just that, the game’s high-scorer with 19 points, set the early tone for a clicking General offense in the first half. Lane scored eight points in the first quarter to lead Shiloh to a 15-11 advantage after the first quarter. Lane was 8-of-10 from the field on the night and collected 8 rebounds.

A very competitive second quarter saw back and forth action the remainder of the half. Pebblebrook’s Grant Howard scored on back-to-back possessions to trim the Shiloh lead to 24-21 with two minutes left in the half. A timeout killed Falcon momentum though as Shiloh closed the first half strong capitalizing off Pebblebrook turnovers. Guard Eric Kinloch knocked down a three-pointer in the final minute to give Shiloh the 29-23 lead at halftime. Kinloch finished the first half with eight points.

Pebblebrook’s Mervin James started to take over in the third quarter. A 6-foot-6 senior forward committed to Canisius; James made the opening jumper of the second half. His And-1 three-point play tied the game 31-31 with 5:22 left in the third.  After only scoring 23 as a team in the first half, Pebblebrook exploded for 29 points in the third quarter. Pebblebrook took the lead 33-31 on a short field goal from guard Dwight Murray. The Falcons never looked back from that point as they outscored Shiloh by 18 in the period to enter the fourth quarter up 52-40. James finished the third quarter with 10 points and 17 total on the night.

The Falcons continued to move the ball well on offense and extended their lead out to 15 points at 57-42 with 3:46 in the game. Howard finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Josh Graham posted a double-double on the night 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Shiloh’s playmaker Elias King, a four-star recruit by 247sports who committed to UGA before the game, struggled to breakout. Pebblebrook limited him to 5-of-10 shooting from the field for a steady, yet unspectacular 16 points on the night. While King’s modest day is better than most, it wasn’t enough to pull off the upset over Pebblebrook.

Pebblebrook went 8-of-23 (34%) from the field in the first half. They rebounded well in the second half and shot 13-of-26 (50%) from the field in the final two quarters.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 1 McEachern captures third-place at City of Palms Classic

Contributed by Chris Kelly   (@C_KELLY99)

No. 1 McEachern 56, Simeon (IL) 54

https://twitter.com/C_KELLY99/status/944706512924172288

No. 1 McEachern lost a tough game against eventual champion University School (FL) on Friday but the Indians looked to defeat Simeon (IL) to capture third place in the City of Palms on Saturday. Simeon is a storied basketball program from the south side of Chicago who has produced a number of elite NBA players, such as Derrick Rose, Jahlil Okafor, Anthony Davis, and Nick Anderson to name just a few. Simeon, led by longtime coach Rob Smith, is always a top-notch basketball team looking to give any team a tough matchup. They played the consensus number one team in the nation, Memphis East (TN), and gave the Mustangs a game that went down to the wire. The Wolverines, led by versatile, senior wing Talen Horton-Tucker, looked to get some revenge and beat McEachern to end their trip to Florida with a third-place trophy.

The first quarter started with a slow offensive showing. Coach Mike Thompson dug into his bench early and put guards Alyn Breed and Devin Gordon onto the floor. The two juniors gave a stagnant McEachern offense some life and played with some energy. On the other end, Simeon guard KeJuan Clements controlled the pace of the game and finished well when he got into the lane. McEachern’s defense was great in the first quarter, holding the Wolverines to just 13.

The second quarter remained rather consistent with the first. Coach Thompson continued to utilize his bench. Guard Quinton McElroy got on to the floor as well to provide some fresh legs. Simeon, who lacked much size, couldn’t keep big men Babatunde Akingbola and Jared Jones off the boards. The two big men were swatting shots constantly and pulling down rebounds over the much smaller Simeon guards.

While the Wolverines lacked size, they made up for it with speed and intangibles. They were a blur in the open court and were able to adjust their defensive scheme to limit Jones’ and Akingbola’s offensive production. While Simeon was able to contain the big men, they struggled to guard the wings. Isaac Okoro and Sharife Cooper both put up good numbers in the first half, combing for 27 points. Cooper hit a few threes and had some great assists to his teammates, while Okoro got to the rim and finished over the small Simeon players. At the half, McEachern was up 35-30.

To start the second half, Okoro hit a jump shot from the right wing, but then the Wolverines blitzed the Indians and put up points in a hurry. Simeon went on a huge run fueled by guard Xavier Pinson and do-it-all wing Talen Horton-Tucker. Pinson, a senior guard, came off the bench for Coach Smith and provided a huge spark. The bouncy guard finished well above the rim and helped facilitate the ball to his open teammates. Horton-Tucker did everything on the offensive end from posting up to running pick-and-rolls.

After the initial offensive burst, the Indians settled in and Okoro started the heat up. He put constant pressure on the interior defense and got to the free throw line. He finished with seven points in the quarter and the Indians had an 8-point lead entering the fourth.

About a minute into the final quarter, Cooper picked up his fourth foul. Coach Thompson chose to keep him in and trust his savvy, young guard. Pinson continued to attack for Simeon until big man Jared Jones stepped in front of a driving Pinson and took a charge. This resulted in Pinson’s fifth and final foul as he had the watch the remainder of the game from the bench.

Simeon continued their game plan without Pinson and saw Drake-commit Messiah Jones step up. He hit some open shots to give the Wolverines a little momentum. Jones, who played out of position the entire tournament, had to battle with the posts down low.

As the game almost came to a close, Simeon fouled Okoro. He went to the line and he knocked down two free throws. The Wolverines rushed down the floor to get a shot but turned the ball over to Cooper with about 16 seconds left. Guard Devin Gordon missed the first of his two free throws but made the second one.

Simeon came down the floor and cleared out for Horton-Tucker. He got to the rim with ease but his layup rolled out.

https://twitter.com/C_KELLY99/status/944730745859379205

With two and a half seconds left and the ball under the hoop, Coach Smith drew up a great screen-the-screener play for Clements, using Horton-Tucker as a decoy, and Okoro lost his man. However, Clements wasn’t able to finish the layup, the Indians surviving 56-54.

https://twitter.com/C_KELLY99/status/944733102273855488

McEachern finished their first City of Palms appearance in 3rd place. The young team, according to Vice President of the tournament Donnie Wilkie, will be returning in 2018 and have a huge opportunity to develop over the summer and potentially win the entire tournament next year.

Chris’ Takeaways

Sharife Cooper is going to attract some national attention soon. The sophomore guard had a terrific run at the City of Palms including a 42-point outing against 5-star senior Jahvon Quinerly. 42 points is a record by any Georgia player at the City of Palms Classic. Considering some of the Georgians that have played in the tournament, MJ Walker, Collin Sexton, Lou Williams, Kobe Simmons and Malik Beasley to name a few, this is a huge accomplishment. Cooper’s play earned him a spot on the All-Tournament team, alongside some elite company.

Xavier Pinson is still a great available guard for any low or mid-major college. After decommitting from Kent State, the senior blew up on the AAU circuit. Pinson holds a handful of offers from smaller colleges, such as George Mason, Buffalo and Evansville. He is bouncy and is fearless attacking the rim and has a good-looking jump shot. Against Memphis East (TN), Pinson attacked the rim constantly and almost dunked over 7-footer, top recruit in the nation James Wiseman. No matter who’s in the middle, Pinson looks to rise up and slam it on them.

McEachern’s offense will need to improve before the playoffs start. While the Indians will not face a team that has anywhere near the talent that University (FL), Simeon, or Hudson Catholic (NJ), had, they will still face some tough teams in Class AAAAAAA. Against the last three teams McEachern faced in the City of Palms, their offense looked stagnant and struggled at times. Their first game against Ranney (NJ), McEachern’s offense looked smooth and efficient. The Indians only shot the ball 31 times against Simeon and had 21 team turnovers.

Top Performers

McEachern
Isaac Okoro – 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Sharife Cooper – 19 points (5-5 FG), 4 rebounds, 5 assists

Simeon (IL)
Talen Horton-Tucker – 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Xavier Pinson – 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Messiah Jones – 10 points, 10 rebounds