Tag Archives: GHSA

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Recaps

12-1 Recaps & Scores

Class AAAAAA

No. 3 Wheeler 50, Cherokee 36: The Wildcats rebounded from a sluggish first quarter in which they trailed 12-5 to knock off a pesky Warrior team. Romello White came on strong in the second half and finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with his four blocks. Cam Jordan added nine points and four rebounds while Darius Perry scored eight. The Warriors were led by Phillip Cirillo’s 14 points and nine rebounds. Kash Jackson chipped in 11 points and four boards.

No. 7 Pebblebrook 104, Campbell 101 OT: Down 15 in the fourth quarter, the Falcons stormed back to force overtime and knock off an explosive Campbell backcourt. Collin Sexton led the way for Pebblebrook with 39 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Jared Harper poured in 31 points and eight assists. JJ Smith posted a double-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while Dwight Murray chipped in nine points and three dimes. Campbell was powered by Laz Walker who went for 37 points and sank 17-of-19 free throws. Tyree Crankfield scored 26 and Mike Olmert pitched in 12 points.

No. 8 Lambert 76, North Forsyth 58: Connor Mannion proved once again why he is Navy-bound by posting 27 points and 12 boards. Ross Morkem joined him in the double-double parade with 16 points and 11 rebounds of his own. Andrew Melms scored 13 points and handed out nine helpers while Austin Deckard finished with 14 points. The Raiders were paced by Chad Bureau and Connor Stephenson who both finished with 15 points.

No. 10 Newton 88, Alcovy 42: JD Notae poured in 22 points, Jaquan Simms added 13 and freshman Ashton Hagans scored 10 points and handed out 10 assists to power the Rams in a blowout region win on the road. Dre Butler chipped in nine points and seven rebounds in limited action.

Grayson 79, Brookwood 63: Alphonso Willis and Austin Dukes combined for 43 points in the Rams win over the Broncos. Willis scored 22 and recorded nine rebounds and seven assists while Dukes had 21 points and six assists to pace Grayson. Trevian Sconiers added 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Hafeez Anifowoshe chipped in 12 points.

Langston Hughes 61, Newnan 60: The Panthers survived a scare on the road and escaped with a one-point win after leading by double digits in the first half. Derrick Cook scored a team-high 16 points and Khalil Cuffee added 15 to pace the Panthers. Isaiah Green, the quarterback of the Langston Hughes football team, came up big doing the dirty work inside with six points and 11 rebounds. Khalil McCoy led the way for Newnan with 17.

South Forsyth 73, Alpharetta 64: The War Eagles picked up a nice region win behind Tyler Elliott’s 23 points. Austin Childress, Joe Brandon and Santhosh Saravan all scored 12 points in the win.

Duluth 62, Mill Creek 47: Obinna Ofodile powered the Wildcats inside once again with 19 points and 12 rebounds to secure an important Region 7 victory.

Berkmar 72, Central Gwinnett 69: In throwback night, playing in front of a packed house with alumni aplenty, the Patriots sent the home crowd home happy in a tight match. Berkmar rallied from down 33-13 at the half. Al Durham led the way with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Jay Estime, back from a back injury, poured in 20 points. Darius Harrison also played well for Berkmar with 16 points.

Woodstock 48, Walton 45: The Wolverines clawed their way out of a 30-15 hole at the half to shock the Raiders. Woodstock took its first lead of the game with 4:19 remaining. Tied 45 all, Tyeke Johnson was fouled on a corner three attempt and coolly sank all three foul shots with 1.3 seconds left to complete the comeback. Johnson finished with a team-high 14 while Cameron Crowe sank three deep balls to finish with 13 points. Juanye Colon powered Walton with 19 points.

Douglas County 92, South Cobb 83: UNC signee Brandon Robinson scored 26 points to lead the Tigers to another high scoring victory.

Class AAAAA

No. 1 Miller Grove 83, Clarkston 47: Alterique Gilbert scored 21 points, added five assists and collected seven steals in the region blowout. Raylon Richardson had 20 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Collin Young added 12 points, while Joshua Jackmon and Aaron Augustin both scored nine. Jackmon posted six steals. Augustin flirted with a triple-double but settled with a double-double, collecting 10 assists and 10 steals.

No. 2 Gainesville 85, No. 5 Heritage 79: Gainesville rallied down 11 at the half on the road to defeat the Patriots. D’Marcus Simonds had 26 points and Bailey Minor notched 20 to pace the Elephant comeback. Jordan Thomas had another big game for Heritage with 24 points in the loss.

No. 3 McIntosh 69, Mundy’s Mill 57: The Tigers held a quick 8-0 lead, a recent trend McIntosh has fallen into, falling behind early in games, but the Chiefs were able to race past Mundy’s Mill in the end. Will Washington had 18 points and eight assists while Jordan Lyons scored a game-high 19. Dishon Lowery continued his torrid rebounding pace with 10 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks. Cartez Crane led the Tigers with 16 and Kaelon Harris, who entered averaging over 22 per game, was held to nine points.

No. 4 Allatoona 72, East Paulding 49: The Bucs were able to beat “the system” and stymied the up-tempo Raiders. Ephraim Tshimanga went for 20 points, eight rebounds and eight steals. Chima Ogboi played well and posted 12 points, six boards and two steals from his forward position.

No. 8 Cedar Shoals 69, Apalachee 53: Coach L’Dreco Thomas’ Jaguars used a balanced attack to defeat the Wildcats. Jerrick Mitchell scored 21, Phlan Flemins added 14 and Stavion Stevenson posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to grab the Region 8 victory.

No. 9 Riverwood 69, Forsyth Central 38: Riverwood’s strong start to the season continued with a blowout of region foe Forsyth Central. Kohl Roberts was too much inside, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Charnchai Chantha added 11 points and six assists in the win.

No. 10 LaGrange 74, Woodward Academy 58: Rico Smith picked up where he left off with another big game. After scoring 36 points against Mundy’s Mill, Smith went for another 31 tonight. He received help from Kenan Gray (7) and Alex Dantzler (8) in the scoring column. LaPerion Perry hopes to return soon after fracturing a toe while playing quarterback for the Grangers. Woodward was paced by Jake Nestlehutt’s 16 points.

Discovery 58, North Springs 54: The Titans picked up another win for the young program behind JeVonte Gordon and DJ Young’s 12 points.

Lanier 62, Loganville 54:  With the win, the Longhorns move to 3-1 on the season. Adrian Martin continued his strong play and scored a team-high 19 points. Juwuan Jones added 12 and Tyler Taylor chipped in 10 points.

South Paulding 58, Alexander 51: Ja’Cori Wilson went for 28 points and Kane Williams scored 13 points and handed out eight assists in the big region win for the Spartans.

Class AAAA

No. 1 Lithonia 78, Redan 52: Lithonia got back on the winning track with a blowout win on the road. Jacara Cross scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Rodney Chatman added 15 points and eight assists while Tylon Patterson netted 12 points and hauled in eight boards.

No. 7 Grady 51, No. 5 St. Pius 50: Christian Bryant and Bucknell-commit Avi Toomer’s big games helped the Knights stave off a talented Golden Lion team. Bryant  went for 17 points, four rebounds, seven assists and six steals while Toomer led the way with 19 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Tykwaan Bryant played well with eight points, six rebounds and two blocks. St. Pius received 15 points from Kerney Lane and 14 from Christian Merrill.

No. 6 Henry County 81, Mt. Zion 62: Mt. Zion had no answer for the Warhawks’ dynamic offense. Javon Greene scored a game-high 38 points while sinking six threes. Damion Rosser poured in 23 points as well.

No. 8 Sandy Creek 83, Lovejoy 44: Sandy Creek rolled behind a performance which saw 10 players score. Christian Turner led the Patriots with 22 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Elias Harden finished with 17 points and seven steals. Evan Jester added nine points while AJ Freeman and Keith Heard both chipped in eight apiece.

North Hall 54, Oconee County 53: The Trojans advanced to 3-0 with a narrow victory over Oconee. Evan Easton led North Hall with 20 points.

Class AAA

No. 1 Laney 77, ARC 72 OT: Trailing 23-7 in the first quarter and 40-24 in the second, the Wildcats rallied to force overtime.  Laney was down 40-31 at the half and down 61-47 entering the fourth before Christian Keeling and Zep Jasper turned it on. Jasper tied the game at 66-66 with 3.5 seconds left but Henry Brown was fouled and sent to the line for ARC. He missed the front end of the one-and-one and the game was sent to overtime. The Wildcats pulled away in OT and received 32 points from Keeling, who suffered an asthma attack during his heroics. Jasper added 22 points in the 18-point comeback.

No. 9 Blessed Trinity 62, McNair 44: John Michael Bertrand and Kyle Swade did the damage for the Titans, scoring 14 and 11 points respectively.

Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 53, Gordon Central 43:  Jordan Pickett paced LFO with 16 points. Jonathan Nesbitt and Seth Culpepper scored 11 and 10 points in the loss for Gordon Central.

West Hall 82, Greene County 59: Esteban Ulloa and Dylan Curry continued to click in the backcourt for the Spartans. Ulloa finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Curry posted 16 points and 12 rebounds in the win for first-year head coach Zac Swansey.

Southwest Macon 85, Rutland 76: Nick Hargrove Jr and Justin Slocum powered the Patriots to a 3-0 start. Hargrove finished with 28 points, five assists and four steals. Slocum was a force with 25 points and 17 rebounds inside. Freshman Jordan Slocum netted 17 points in the win as well.

Class AA

No. 1 Seminole County 101, Mitchell County 74: UGA-bound Jordan Harris picked up where he left off in the state championship, scoring 41 points, grabbing nine boards and dishing out seven assists. Anfernee King went for 20 points, 10 assists, six steals and five rebounds in the rout.

No. 5 Holy Innocents’ 61, 1ANo. 6 SWAC 46:  Brent Duncan was a force inside for the Golden Bears with 27 points and Ibrahim Shabazz added 13 to storm past the Warriors. De’Andre Ballard finished with 17 for SWAC.

No. 10 Lovett 59, North Atlanta 36: The Lions canned 11-of-16 three balls led by Henry Richardson’s 7-of-10 shooting to bombard North Atlanta. Richardson finished with 25 points. Freshman guard Ryan Greer posted 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the win.

Brooks County 56, Clinch County 48: The Panthers fell in their season opener to Brooks County. Jacques Holmes scored 12 points and had five assists while Zach Edmonds scored 14 in the loss.

Class A-Private

No. 2 St. Francis 88, Walker 53: Kobi Simmons pitched in 20 points and Anthony Showell scored nine points, collected nine assists and grabbed four rebounds in the blowout over Walker.

No. 3 North Cobb Christian 96, Mt. Zion 52: Demiere Brown rolled in a game-high 29 points and seven rebounds to help the Eagles soar. Nick Fleming added 20 points and seven assists. Chris Parent pulled down 10 rebounds and handed out six helpers in the win.

No. 4 Whitefield Academy 55, Houston County 50 OT: The Wolfpack escaped a very talented Houston County team in overtime. Isaiah Hart had 18 points, six steals and four rebounds. Brendon Myles finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Tyson Jackson also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Excel Christian 54, North Paulding 53: The Eagles hit a shot at the buzzer to stun the Wolfpack. A three point attempt was blocked but retrieved by Excel for a second opportunity and their prayer was answered. Darius Thrower scored 14 and Latrel Jones had 13 in the win.

Class A-Public

Taylor County 73, 1A-PrivateNo. 7 St. Anne-Pacelli 51: In a battle of the Vikings, John Corbin and Cordel Daniels were too much for St. Anne-Pacelli to contain. Corbin scored a game-high 25 points and Daniels netted 15. Pacelli closed the gap to eight in the fourth before Taylor County got hot and went on a run to put it out of reach. St. Anne-Pacelli received 21 points from Triston Wells and 11 points and five assists from Tre Sudberry.

 

GIRLS

Class AAAAAA

Lambert 53, North Forsyth 40: ME Craven scored 10 points to lead the Lady Longhorns over North Forsyth. Ashley Johnson added seven points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the win. The Lady Raiders were powered by Amber Jones who hit eight threes en route to 26 points.

Northview 45, Johns Creek 37: Freshman Ashlee Austin scored a career-high 19 points and Melissa Muench added 13 to lift the Lady Titans over Johns Creek.

Class AAAAA

No. 2 Sequoyah 50, Dalton 27: Sisters Kelley and Lauren Hartman wreaked havoc in the paint for the Lady Chiefs. Kelley scores 12 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out four assists and added three blocks while Lauren posted 11 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Peyton Satterfield tagged on 11 points in the win.

McIntosh 48, Mundy’s Mill 31: Sam Coffey poured in 17 and DeLanye Rotolo chipped in 15 to help the Lady Chiefs knock of Mundy’s Mill. Kiara Glenn led the Lady Tigers with 14 points.

Class AAAA

No. 8 Redan 97, Lithonia 18: With three players out, including two starters, Lithonia was no match for No. 8 Redan. Five Lady Raiders scored in double figures led by Dariyon Minor’s 20 points. Taylor Tucker posted 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

Heritage-Catoosa 52, Southeast Whitfield 43: Four players scored eight points or more to pace a balanced Lady Generals attack. Sydney Smith led the way with 10 points. Shayla Ludy, Ansley Bice and Emily Wiley all added eight points.

St. Pius 33, Grady 17: Hannah Jones and Kathryn McKenzie both scored nine points to pace the Golden Lions. Grady received four points apiece from Briona Jones and Kailyn Jackson. St. Pius scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and pushed the lead to 28-17 with a traditional three-point play by Jones with just under three minutes remaining to seal the game.

Henry County 68, Mt. Zion 60: Brooke Moore poured in a game-high 34 to boost the Warhawks to victory. Mt. Zion received 27 from Tyeisha Juhan and 18 from Jayda Holder.

 

BOYS FINALS (Courtesy of Score Atlanta)
Bainbridge 72, Colquitt County 62
Baldwin 66, Howard 63
Berrien 60, Cook 46
Blessed Trinity 62, McNair 44
Brookstone 48, Hardaway 47
Centennial 51, Chattahoochee 48
Central-Talbotton 58, Hawkinsville 53
Clarke Central 42, Flowery Branch 35
Commerce 81, Banks County 37
Coosa 72, Gordon Lee 68
Cross Creek 62, Burke County 42
Dodge County 71, Appling County 35
Dodge County 71, Appling County 35
Eastside 79, Riverdale 58
Gainesville 85, Heritage-Conyers 79
Grayson 79, Brookwood 63
Grovetown 84, Hephzibah 33
Hebron Christian 51, Mt. Paran Christian 38
Heritage-Catoosa 66, South Effingham 52
Holy Innocents’ 61, Southwest 46
Jonesboro 98, Locust Grove 52
King’s Ridge 53, Fellowship Christian 37
Lakeside-Evans 81, Harlem 43
Lambert 76, North Forsyth 58
Laney 77, Richmond Academy 72
Lassiter 56, Cambridge 45
Liberty County 64, Richmond Hill 56
Long County 71, Groves 66
Lovett 59, North Springs 36
Lumpkin County 52, Union County 51
Marist 43, Arabia Mountain 41
Model 57, Chattooga 37
Montgomery County 73, Portal 49
Mt. de Sales 72, Strong Rock Christian 56
New Manchester 91, Paulding County 56
Newton 88, Alcovy 42
North Clayton 51, Westminster 48
Northgate 70, Forest Park 67
Our Lady of Mercy 80, Heard County 60
Pope 42, Milton 35
Rabun County 46, Dawson County 36
Riverwood 69, Forsyth Central 38
Rockdale County 72, Carrollton 53
Rome 56, River Ridge 42
Roswell 43, Etowah 41
Screven County 71, Jenkins County 64
South Forsyth 73, Alpharetta 64
Southwest DeKalb 66, Dunwoody 47
St. Francis 88, Walker 52
Tallulah Falls 51, Riverside Military 49
Taylor County 73, St. Anne Pacelli 51
Thomson 84, Putnam County 36
Troup 70, Chattahoochee County 57
Vidalia 59, Swainsboro 58
Washington-Wilkes 69, Athens Academy 64
West Hall 82, Greene County 59
Wheeler 50, Cherokee 36
Whitefield Academy 55, Houston County 50

GIRLS FINALS
Archer 62, Shiloh 24
Banks County 82, Commerce 64
Banneker 46, Druid Hills 23
Bleckley County 52, West Laurens 48
Brookwood 32, Grayson 23
Buford 66, Jefferson 34
Cass 47, Woodland-Cartersville 27
Cherokee 44, Wheeler 27
Colquitt County 56, Bainbridge 49
Cross Creek 62, Burke County 42
Douglass 51, Towers 23
Duluth 56, Mill Creek 52
Effingham County 68, Bradwell Institute 35
Flowery Branch 67, Clarke Central 53
Grovetown 84, Hephzibah 33
Kendrick 62, Peach County 58
Lambert 53, North Forsyth 40
Laney 75, Richmond Academy 34
Loganville 51, Lanier 22
Marist 52, Arabia Mountain 29
Model 58, Chattooga 28
Monroe Area 40, East Jackson 36
Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 70, Providence Christian 35
North Cobb Christian 54, Mt. Zion, Carroll 38
North Springs 43, Discovery 35
Our Lady of Mercy 37, Heard County 32
Pace Academy 47, Landmark Christian 35
Pickens 59, LaFayette 34
Portal 45, Statesboro 35
Redan 97, Lithonia 18
Ringgold 68, Adairsville 54
Riverwood 56, Forsyth Central 42
Rockdale County 46, Morgan County 28
Rome 67, River Ridge 59
South Atlanta 68, Therrell 47
St. Francis 86, Walker 24
Starr’s Mill 54, Drew 27
Stone Mountain 49, Chamblee 37
Tattnall County 48, Brantley County 40
Tattnall Square 54, Eagles Landing Christian 51
Taylor County 65, St. Anne Pacelli 15
Union County 52, Lumpkin County 35
Vidalia 62, Swainsboro 56
Washington-Wilkes 31, Athens Academy 30
Wesleyan 67, Tucker 56
Westlake 56, East Coweta 41
Woodstock 54, Walton 15
Woodward Academy 58, LaGrange 55

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Sandy’s Spiel January Power Poll

1 Comment

*Regardless of position in respective class poll*

  1. Greenforest Christian
  2. Miller Grove
  3. Westlake
  4. Shiloh
  5. Norcross
  6. Wheeler
  7. Pebblebrook
  8. Laney
  9. McIntosh
  10. Jonesboro
  11. Seminole County
  12. Pace Academy
  13. St. Francis
  14. Lithonia
  15. Gainesville
  16. Collins Hill
  17. Heritage
  18. Milton
  19. Allatoona
  20. Tift County
  21. Liberty County
  22. Morgan County
  23. Henry County
  24. Bainbridge
  25. Sandy Creek

Breakdown by class:

6A – 8   (No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7, No. 16, No. 18, No. 20)

5A – 5   (No. 2, No. 9, No. 15, No. 17, No. 19)

4A – 6   (No. 10, No. 14, No. 21, No. 23, No. 24, No. 25)

3A – 2   (No. 8, No. 22)

2A – 2   (No. 11, No. 12)

1A – 2   (No. 1, No. 13)

Top Risers
No. 8 Laney up 6 spots
No. 15 Gainesville up 6 spots
No. 10 Jonesboro up 5 spots
No. 1 Greenforest up 4 spots
No. 17 Heritage (unranked)
No. 19 Allatoona (unranked)
No. 20 Tift County (unranked)
No. 23 Henry County (unranked)

Top Fallers
Jenkins unranked from No. 17
East Jackson unranked from No. 19
Crawford County unranked from No. 24
Brunswick unranked from No. 25
No. 18 Milton down 10 spots
No. 14 Lithonia down 4 spots
No. 22 Morgan County down 4 spots
No. 4 Shiloh down 3 spots

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Rankings

Week 2 Rankings

Class AAAAAA

  1. Westlake (4-0) [d. 3ANo. 5 East Jackson 94-70, IMG Academy (FL) 71-54, 2ANo. 2 Pace 79-72]
  2. Shiloh (2-1) [d. Grissom (AL) 66-33, Pebblebrook 68-63, L. Southwind (TN) 82-76]
  3. Wheeler (1-1)
  4. Norcross (3-1) [d. 4ANo. 2 Jonesboro 70-65, L. 1ANo. 1 Greenforest 77-48]
  5. Collins Hill (3-0) [d. Central Gwinnett 62-52, Olympic (NC) 73-52, Concord Academy (NC) 61-50]
  6. Tift County (4-0) [d. McEachern 56-48, Tucker 65-54]
  7. Pebblebrook (1-3) [L. 1ANo. 1 Greenforest 87-59, No. 1 Shiloh 68-63]
  8. Lambert (4-0) [d. North Gwinnett 63-60, Hardaway 79-41, Langston Hughes 72-65]
  9. Milton (2-2) [L. Arlington Country Day (FL) 80-68, 1ANo. 2 St. Francis 86-81]
  10. Newton (2-1) [d. Berkmar 62-58]

Class AAAAA

  1. Miller Grove (3-0) [d. Columbus (MS) 64-54]
  2. Gainesville (1-0) [d. 1ANo.2 St. Francis 70-58]
  3. McIntosh (2-1) [L. Douglas County 84-81, d. IMG Academy (FL) 61-53]
  4. Allatoona (1-0) [d. Americus-Sumter 67-55]
  5. Heritage (5-0) [d. Discovery 80-47]
  6. Brunswick (2-0) [d. Johnson-Savannah 57-54, Wayne County 72-59]
  7. Warner Robins (3-0) [d. Perry 85-55]
  8. Cedar Shoals (4-0) [d. Creekside 67-52, Tri-Cities 62-56]
  9. Riverwood (6-0) [d. West Forsyth 64-49, 2ANo. 6 GAC 51-40, 3ANo. 9 Blessed Trinity 58-50]
  10. LaGrange (2-0) [d. Newnan 63-59, Mundy’s Mill 87-72]

Class AAAA

  1. Lithonia (2-2) [L. Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) 72-53, 3ANo. 3 Morgan County 44-41]
  2. Jonesboro (0-2) [L. 6ANo. 4 Norcross 70-56, Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) 52-51]
  3. Liberty County (1-0)
  4. Bainbridge (0-0)
  5. St. Pius (3-0) [d. Decatur 54-56]
  6. Henry County (3-0)
  7. Grady (3-0) [d. No. 8 Sandy Creek 67-66, Mays 76-59]
  8. Sandy Creek (4-2) [d. Griffin 91-51, L. No. 7 Grady 67-66, Wasatch Academy (UT) 97-72]
  9. Fayette County (3-0) [d. Walton 67-60]
  10. Worth County (2-1)

Class AAA

  1. Laney (2-0) [d. Grovetown 102-71]
  2. Jenkins (1-0) [d. Creekview 74-67]
  3. Morgan County (3-1) [d. Hampton 71-27, Stone Mountain 71-54, 4ANo.1 Lithonia 44-41]
  4. South Atlanta (2-0)
  5. East Jackson (2-2) [L. 6ANo.1 Westlake 94-70, Grayson 72-68, d. Huntsville (AL) 83-78]
  6. Calhoun (0-0)
  7. Cedar Grove (1-0)
  8. Callaway (0-0)
  9. Blessed Trinity (3-1) [d. Chapel Hill 50-46, L. 5ANo.9 Riverwood 58-50]
  10. East Hall (2-1) [d. Rabun County 84-63, Paideia 68-54, L. 1ANo. 8 Lakeview Academy 87-69]

Class AA

  1. Seminole County (0-0)
  2. Pace Academy (0-1) [L. 6ANo.1 Westlake 79-72]
  3. Crawford County (0-0)
  4. Thomasville (5-0) [d. Lowndes 70-69, Bay (FL) 63-36, Cairo 70-24]
  5. Holy Innocents’ (2-1) [d. Duluth 61-60, Sacred Heart (AL) 64-62]
  6. GAC (3-2) [d. River Ridge 66-47, L. 5ANo. 9 Riverwood 51-40]
  7. Vidalia (2-0) [d. West Laurens 85-48]
  8. Early County (1-0) [d. Quitman County 80-46]
  9. Swainsboro (1-1) [d. Effingham County 66-65]
  10.  Lovett (2-0)

Class A-Private

  1. Greenforest (5-0) [d. Lee (AL) 87-46, 6ANo. 7 Pebblebrook 87-59, 6ANo. 4 Norcross 77-48]
  2. St. Francis (2-2) [L. 5ANo. 2 Gainesville 70-58, d. 6ANo. 9 Milton 86-81]
  3. North Cobb Christian (3-0) [d. Woodland 82-28, Coahulla Creek 68-44, Darlington 74-41]
  4. Whitefield Academy (1-1) [d. Hillgrove 64-54]
  5. Landmark Christian (4-0) [d. Jackson 84-57]
  6. SWAC (2-2)
  7. St. Anne-Pacelli (1-0) [d. Strong Rock 77-30]
  8. Lakeview Academy (2-1) [d. Stephens County 67-57, 3ANo.10 East Hall 87-69]
  9. Stratford Academy (0-0)
  10. Tattnall Square Academy (0-0)

Class A-Public

  1. Calhoun County (1-0) [d. Miller County 82-45]
  2. Hancock Central (3-0) [d. Putnam County 78-72, Baldwin 65-57]
  3. Treutlen (0-0)
  4. Wilkinson County (0-0)
  5. Turner County (0-0)
  6. Randolph-Clay (2-0)
  7. Greenville (0-0)
  8. Dooly County (0-0)
  9. Portal (0-0)
  10. Terrell County (1-2) 

The depth of quality teams in Class AAAAAA continues to make it tough. With only a handful of games played, each team is still trying to sort itself out and find its identity. One team that has had no problem so far has been No. 1 Westlake (4-0) who takes over the top spot over No. 2 Shiloh (2-1) by the slightest of margins. This past week the Lions have blown out 3ANo. 5 East Jackson, 94-70 and IMG Academy (FL), 71-54 before rallying to beat the No. 1 ranked prospect in the Class of 2017, Wendell Carter Jr. and his 2ANo. 2 Pace Academy Knights in the finale of Holiday Hoopsgiving, 79-72. Chuma Okeke and Jamie Lewis continued to be superstars for Coach Darron Rodgers’ team. Okeke went for 24 points, 11 rebounds and six steals while Lewis dropped in 22 points to complete the comeback after trailing 41-30 at the half.  Shiloh’s lone loss came to Southwind (TN) 82-76, but quickly rebounded at the On the Radar Hoops Showcase, downing No. 7 Pebblebrook 68-63 in a back and forth game. No. 4 Norcross (3-1) slips a spot after a 77-48 loss to 1ANo. 1 Greenforest Christian. Collins Hill (3-0) and Tift County (4-0) rise to No. 5 and No. 6 respectively after the Eagles picked up a pair of wins in North Carolina and Tift added quality notches to its belt, beating McEachern 56-48 and Tucker 65-54. No. 9 Milton (2-2) slips four spots after falling to Arlington Country Day (FL) 80-68 and 1ANo. 2 St. Francis, 86-81. No. 10 Newton (2-1) continues to cling onto a top ten spot after defeating Berkmar 62-58. Douglas County (3-1) looked like they would enter the polls after defeating 5ANo. 3 McIntosh 84-81, but Dacula (3-0), who might not be out of the top ten for much longer, turned them back with a 78-71 win behind Derek St. Hilaire’s 29 points and Kevon Tucker’s 22. Grayson (3-0) is also off to a hot start and came from behind to beat East Jackson 72-68. In the win Alphonso Willis scored 23 and Austin Dukes dropped 20 points, all in the second-half, to lead the charge.

In Class AAAAA, No. 1 Miller Grove (3-0) held on against Columbus (MS) in the Lighthouse Classic for a 64-54 win. No. 2 Gainesville (1-0) defeated 1ANo. 2 St. Francis 70-58 in the Jared Cook Classic while Kobi Simmons sat out with a bad ankle. No. 3 McIntosh (2-1) matches its loss total from all of last season after splitting in Holiday Hoopsgiving, losing to Douglas County by three, but rebounding to beat IMG Academy (FL), 61-53. Will Washington, Jordan Lyons and Dishon Lowery were all sensational for the Chiefs. Lowery pulled down 35 rebounds all together in the two-day stint while Lyons averaged 25 points and Washington 17.5 points. No. 5 Heritage (5-0) jumps No. 6 Brunswick (2-0) after an impressive start to the season. No. 9 Riverwood (6-0) forces its way into the rankings and jumps both No. 10 LaGrange (2-0) and Southwest DeKalb (4-0) after already knocking off three top ten teams. The Raiders have beaten 2ANo. 5 Holy Innocents’ 54-46, 2ANo. 6 GAC 51-40 and 3ANo. 9 Blessed Trinity 58-50.

The top of Class AAAA saw some vulnerability and shaky play, but No. 1 Lithonia (2-2) and No. 2 Jonesboro (0-2) hold serve and aren’t penalized for early losses. The Bulldogs were drilled by Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) 72-53 at ATL Hardwood Jam Fest and fell to 3ANo. 3 Morgan County, 44-41. Jonesboro also struggled at Jam Fest, but played well, losing to 6ANo. 4 Norcross 70-65 and Wesleyan Christian Academy 52-51. The Cardinals might be deserving of the No. 1 spot with how close they played both teams, especially WCA compared to how Lithonia played them, but I could not place a winless team over Lithonia just yet. Consider them 1A and 1B at this point of the season, while No. 3 Liberty County (1-0) and No. 4 Bainbridge (0-0) have yet to really kickoff their seasons and won’t face the quality of competition the Cardinals and Bulldogs will throughout the season. No. 5 St. Pius (3-0) remained undefeated against a much improved Decatur team. The Golden Lions rallied behind Kerney Lane’s career-high 31 points to secure the win at the X-Dome. No. 7 Grady (3-0) moves up two spots after knocking off No. 8 Sandy Creek (4-2), 67-66. Bucknell commit Avi Toomer has caught fire for the Knights and has posted three straight double-doubles. He went for 38 points and 12 rebounds to defeat the Patriots who were paced by Elias Harden’s 15. No. 9 Fayette County (3-0) debuts in the polls behind 6-foot-7 junior forward Noah Gurley, who leads the Tigers in scoring at 20 per game while grabbing 7.7 rebounds. He has improved by leaps and bounds after appearing in 22 games last season and when he averaged just 2.1 points.

The wake-up call served to Morgan County (3-1) a week ago must have worked. The Bulldogs opened the season ranked No. 3 in Class AAA before going unranked after a bad loss to Cherokee. Coach Jamond Sims’ group has rebounded and are back at No. 3 after drilling Hampton 71-27 and Stone Mountain 71-54. The big win came against 4ANo. 1 Lithonia 44-41 at ATL Jam Fest. Defense has turned the early season woes around as in their three wins the Bulldogs have allowed just 40.6 points per game. They face their toughest test yet on 12/4 as they visit No. 1 Laney (2-0). No. 2 Jenkins (1-0) struggled out of the gates by beating Creekview 74-67 in overtime in the Dai Jon Parker Classic. No. 5 East Jackson (2-2) falls two spots after losing to 6ANo.1 Westlake and Grayson. Central-Macon (0-0) was bounced out of the poll to make room for Morgan County’s reemergence.

Pace Academy (0-1) holds on to their No. 2 ranking in Class AA after falling 79-72 to 6A No. 1 Westlake. Wendell Carter Jr. fouled out in the fourth quarter which allowed the Lions to storm back for the victory on a 15-5 run with Carter out. He finished with 20 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks in the loss. No. 4 Thomasville (5-0) drilled Cairo 70-24 on Saturday. No. 10 Lovett (2-0) makes an appearance in the top ten.

Class A-Private might be home to the best team in the entire country. No. 1 Greenforest (5-0) left fans in awe at Holiday Hoopsgiving, destroying both 6ANo. 7 Pebblebrook 87-59 and 6ANo. 4 Norcross, 77-48. No. 2 St. Francis (2-2) holds onto their ranking thanks to an 86-81 win over 6ANo.9 Milton at the Dai Jon Parker Classic. The Knights’ 70-58 loss to 5ANo. 2 Gainesville at the Jared Cook Classic was without Kobi Simmons. In Class A-Public, No. 2 Hancock Central (3-0) defeated up-and-coming Baldwin 65-57. The Bulldogs face 2ANo. 3 Crawford County (0-0) on Tuesday.

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

No. 2 Norcross Gets Lost In No. 1 Greenforest’s Trees

1ANo. 1 Greenforest 77, 6ANo. 2 Norcross 48

No. 1 Greenforest put together one of the most impressive two days out of any team in the entire nation at Holiday Hoopsgiving as the Eagles pounded No. 2 Norcross, 77-48. The game was never in question. Greenforest raced out to an 18-5 lead after the first period while Norcross could find zero offense outside of Jordan Goldwire, who scored all five points in the opening frame and finished with 11 points all coming in the first half.

The size of Greenforest troubled the Blue Devils all game. Norcross would attack inside with forwards Rayshaun Hammonds and Lance Thomas but the interior defense of Ikey Obiagu (five blocks) and the rest of the Eagles would swallow their shots up. At one point in the first half the foul count was 7-0 in favor of the Eagles which had Norcross Head Coach Jesse McMillan steamed and rightfully so.

In the second quarter Norcross showed some fight and cut the lead to 29-16 using a full court press and some half court traps to temporarily slowdown the Eagles. McMillan finally got tagged with a technical foul after numerous drives to the basket ended with a shot being blocked or altered and no foul being called. When the half rolled around Greenforest held a 37-21 advantage while the majority of the half Coach McMillan was seen pacing back and forth on the sidelines trying to keep his composure and think of a way to help his team back into the game.

Hammonds finally scored his first bucket of the game in the third quarter off a free throw and finished with a season-low five points and eight rebounds. His partner down low, 6-foot-7 Lance Thomas, was shutout, not scoring a single point. With Norcross’ best two players and largest post presences being a non-factor, it turned into a rout for the Eagles. Greenforest out-rebounded Norcross 44-to-17 and bullied their way to second chance points while limiting Norcross’ opportunities at offensive rebounds.

Justin Forrest scored a game-high 21 for Greenforest and added four assists while New Hampshire-commit John Ogwuche pitched in 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

John Ogwuche had a great all-around game | Photo By Ty Freeman
John Ogwuche had a great all-around game | Photo By Ty Freeman

My Take: Domination. After watching Greenforest annihilate two of the very best programs in the state, I can’t envision this team losing a game. Take into account that Montverde (FL), the No. 2 ranked team in the entire nation, beat No. 6 Pebblebrook 76-70. What did the Eagles do to them yesterday? 87-59. They say transitive property doesn’t work in sports, but how can your jaw not drop when you see that? Back to Saturday’s game, it was just like watching grown men against boys. That is not a knock on Norcross. The Eagles literally look like grown men inside and even on the perimeter with John Ogwuche, Justin Forrest, Precious Ayah, Mohammed Abdulsalem and Victor Enoh looking like they live in the weight room. That doesn’t even include 7-footer Ikey Obiagu, who has a nice frame for a big man and Abayomi Iyiola, who is slender but has been all over the place this weekend. Iyiola’s stock has gone through the roof after a 17-point, 12-rebound performance on Friday and Saturday’s 13-point, 5-rebound game. It’s easy to talk about the Eagles’ size, but what I think truly makes this team elite is the guard play of Forrest and Ogwuche. They work extremely well together and are physical guards that aren’t afraid to use their body and fly in for rebounds and also, once they get their shoulders past you on a drive, the rest is history. I saw them feed each other for assists countless times this weekend and nearly never make a mistake.

Like I said earlier, the bigs inside were just physically too big for Rayshaun Hammonds and Lance Thomas. Both are great players but they could get nothing going at all. Holding that duo to five total points is astounding. Greenforest has now spanked a top backcourt in the state and a top frontcourt as well. Jordan Goldwire played well for Norcross and I thought freshman Kyle Sturdivant looked good also. Robert Sims battled hard for Coach McMillan and was up to the task to pick up the slack left by Thomas and Hammonds. He fought for seven points and blocked three shots.

 

Top Performers:

Greenforest
Justin Forrest – 21 points, 4 assists
Abayomi Iyiola – 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block
John Ogwuche – 12 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals
Mohammed Abdulsalem – 9 points
Victor Enoh – 7 points, 10 rebounds, 1 block
Ikey Obiagu – 6 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks
Precious Ayah – 3 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block

Norcross
Jordan Goldwire – 11 points
Kyle Sturdivant – 11 points, 2 assists
Chris Curlett – 8 points, 3 steals
Robert Sims – 7 points, 3 blocks
Rayshaun Hammonds – 5 points, 8 rebounds

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Will Washington Lifts No. 2 McIntosh Over IMG

5ANo. 2 McIntosh 61, IMG Academy (FL) 53

A game marred with questionable calls was eventually won by the play on the court. The fourth quarter belonged to Will Washington as the Chiefs rebounded from last night’s heartbreaking loss to down the internationally flavored Ascenders.

IMG Academy led 11-9 after one and rode star sophomore Emmitt Williams all game long. The big time athlete scored a game-high 24 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to keep the Ascenders in the game. He and guard Arseniy Andreev, who finished with 13 points, did most of the damage.

Emmitt Williams will only get better and that's scary
Emmitt Williams will only get better and that’s scary

The game was close throughout, but early in the third the momentum could have potentially swung all the way into IMG’s corner when Washington, for the second night in a row, ran into foul trouble as he picked up his third foul on a charge at the 7:17 mark of the third quarter. Just over two minutes later, he picked up his fourth foul on one of many controversial calls made by the officiating crew. On an inbounds, he and Andreev were jostling for position, not uncommon for guards, but for some reason the referee blew the whistle for a double foul and in the process saddled Washington with another foul causing him to sit at the 4:58 mark of the third and McIntosh up 33-32.

The Chiefs entered the fourth up 40-36 after Dishon Lowery cleaned up a miss and scored inside. The Wofford signee finished with five points and battled Williams inside all night and pulled down 15 rebounds of his own.

Minutes into the fourth with 5:08 left, Brendon Rowan took a big charge and Washington re-entered with the Chiefs trailing 43-42. From that point on, it was all Washington. He scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the final quarter, going 12-of-16 from the line. With both teams in the bonus from the 4:55 mark on, Washington knew what to do. He went on a personal 9-0 run to extend the lead to 51-43 before Williams hit a free throw to break the drought.

With 1:59 remaining in regulation, the Ascenders cut the lead to 53-49. Furman signee Jordan Lyons hit Cole Guenther inside who finished a huge layup inside over Williams to put the game out of reach.

My Take: Jordan Lyons got cooking in the second quarter and hit three three-pointers and played an all-around strong floor game. Will Washington’s performance proves just how valuable he is to Coach Jason Eisele’s team. He is always in control of the ball and rarely makes mistakes. When he turned it on in the fourth quarter, IMG had no answer. From my two games watching the Chiefs, it just solidifies my opinion of them being a major threat to challenge Miller Grove for the title. If they can establish their low post presences in Chase Walter and Dishon Lowery, they will be tough to beat.  Lowery gobbles up rebounds at a major rate and finished with 15 more after a 20-board night on Friday. Ulysses Brown only scored three points, but he did an outstanding job while Washington was on the bench. He played good defense and didn’t force anything on offense while keeping his head when the Ascenders tried to get physical. He, Brendon Rowan and Cole Guenther are nice role players off the bench that help the flow of the offense and defense stay intact while the starters sit. Emmitt Williams of IMG is still just a sophomore and that is scary. He’s an exceptional athlete who can hang and glide to the basket. He doesn’t have too much help around him, but that will just help him gain experience as being “the man” while he moves on to the college ranks.

Top Performers:

McIntosh
Will Washington – 18 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Jordan Lyons – 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Dishon Lowery – 5 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Chase Walter – 6 points, 6 rebounds

IMG
Emmitt Williams – 24 points, 16 rebounds
Arseniy Andreev – 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists