Tag Archives: girls rankings

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 12 Girls Rankings (Pre-Region Tournament)

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (23-0)
2. Collins Hill (24-1)
3. Cherokee (22-3)
4. North Cobb (23-2)
5. Grayson (23-2)
6. North Forsyth (21-4)
7. Norcross (16-9)
8. Brookwood (18-6)
9. McEachern (14-9)
10. Roswell (18-7)

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (22-3)
2. Forest Park (22-3)
3. Northview (21-4)
4. Douglas County (21-4)
5. Lanier (22-3)
6. Stephenson (15-10)
7. Creekview (21-4)
8. Glynn Academy (21-4)
9. New Manchester (22-3)
10. Valdosta (21-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (22-2)
2. Villa Rica (25-0)
3. Harris County (19-5)
4. Veterans (22-3)
5. Southwest DeKalb (19-6)
6. Eagle’s Landing (19-5)
7. Carrollton (19-6)
8. Wayne County (21-3)
9. Woodland-Stockbridge (19-6)
10. Statesboro (22-3)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (25-0)
2. Henry County (23-2)
3. Flowery Branch (22-3)
4. Spalding (19-4)
5. Madison County (22-2)
6. Luella (20-4)
7. Sandy Creek (21-4)
8. West Laurens (18-7)
9. Northwest Whitfield (21-4)
10. Baldwin (18-6)

Class AAA

1. Jefferson (22-2)
2. Beach (21-4)
3. Johnson-Savannah (16-7)
4. Hart County (19-6)
5. Peach County (19-4)
6. Morgan County (18-6)
7. Dawson County (18-7)
8. GAC (14-11)
9. Tattnall County (20-5)
10. Ringgold (18-7) 

Class AA

1. Fitzgerald (23-0)
2. Dodge County (22-2)
3. Douglass (19-6)
4. Rabun County (23-1)
5. Bryan County (24-1)
6. Laney (23-2)
7. Swainsboro (21-3)
8. Early County (22-3)
9. Woodville-Tompkins (20-5)
10. Washington County (18-6)

Class A-Private

1. Holy Innocents’ (18-7)
2. St. Francis (20-3)
3. Wesleyan (23-2)
4. ELCA (19-3)
5. Lakeview Academy (21-4)
6. Stratford Academy (23-1)
7. Mt. Paran (21-2)
8. Paideia (19-4)
9. Calvary Day (22-3)
10. Greenforest (17-5)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (23-0)
2. Georgia Military College (17-1)
3. Wheeler County (20-4)
4. Greenville (22-2)
5. Telfair County (19-5)
6. Calhoun County (23-2)
7. Mitchell County (20-4)
8. Clinch County (18-5)
9. Bowdon (20-4)
10. Central-Talbotton (14-6)

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 11 Girls Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (21-0)
2. Collins Hill (22-1)
3. Cherokee (21-3)
4. North Cobb (21-2)
5. Grayson (21-2)
6. North Forsyth (19-4)
7. Norcross (15-9)
8. Brookwood (16-6)
9. Pebblebrook (19-3)
10. Colquitt County (19-2)

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (20-3)
2. Forest Park (21-2)
3. Northview (19-4)
4. Douglas County (19-4)
5. Stephenson (15-9)
6. Valdosta (20-2)
7. Glynn Academy (20-3)
8. Lanier (20-3)
9. Creekview (19-4)
10. New Manchester (21-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (20-2)
2. Villa Rica (23-0)
3. Veterans (22-2)
4. Southwest DeKalb (17-6)
5. Jones County (19-4)
6. Harris County (17-5)
7. Eagle’s Landing (17-5)
8. Wayne County (19-3)
9. Carrollton (17-6)
10. Arabia Mountain (17-3) 

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (24-0)
2. Henry County (22-2)
3. Flowery Branch (21-3)
4. Spalding (17-4)
5. Madison County (21-2)
6. West Laurens (17-5)
7. Luella (18-4)
8. Sandy Creek (18-4)
9. Northwest Whitfield (20-4)
10. Baldwin (17-6)

Class AAA

1. Jefferson (20-2)
2. Beach (20-4)
3. Johnson-Savannah (14-7)
4. Hart County (18-5)
5. Peach County (17-4)
6. Morgan County (17-6)
7. Dawson County (16-7)
8. GAC (12-11)
9. Tattnall County (18-5)
10. North Murray (17-7)

Class AA

1. Dodge County (21-1)
2. Douglass (18-5)
3. Fitzgerald (21-0)
4. Bryan County (22-0)
5. Rabun County (21-1)
6. Laney (21-2)
7. Swainsboro (19-3)
8. Banks County (19-4)
9. Early County (19-3)
10. Southwest-Macon (16-4)

Class A-Private

1. Holy Innocents’ (16-7)
2. St. Francis (18-3)
3. Wesleyan (22-2)
4. ELCA (17-3)
5. Lakeview Academy (19-4)
6. Stratford Academy (21-1)
7. Mt. Paran (18-2)
8. Paideia (18-3)
9. Calvary Day (20-3)
10. Greenforest (16-4)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (22-0)
2. Georgia Military College (15-1)
3. Wheeler County (17-4)
4. Telfair County (17-4)
5. Greenville (21-2)
6. Calhoun County (20-2)
7. Mitchell County (17-4)
8. Dooly County (17-4)
9. Bowdon (19-4)
10. Central-Talbotton (13-6)
 

Don’t look now, but unranked McEachern (12-9) is starting to climb the Region 3-AAAAAAA standings with five-straight wins highlighted by a 36-30 grudge match victory over Marietta then stunning No. 4 North Cobb 63-40, giving the Warriors their first region loss of the season after winning at Marietta 54-47 and dropping one spot. The Indians can rise all the way to the number two seed if they knock off Kennesaw Mountain and Hillgrove (15-7) this week. The Hawks lost 73-61 to North Cobb and fall from the poll. They are replaced by No. 10 Colquitt County who has won 12-straight.

The long-awaited Class AAAAAA showdown between No. 1 Lovejoy and No. 2 Forest Park takes place this Tuesday at Lovejoy. The Panthers dominated the second half to rally from down 35-13 at the half to force overtime before falling 58-56 back on December 8th. No. 3 Northview held off Pope 67-56 and went to Savannah to edge defending state champion Class 3A No. 3 Johnson-Savannah 50-44 as Rice-signee Ashlee Austin led the way with 18 points. No. 7 Glynn Academy tumbles three spots after a bad 44-37 loss to rival Brunswick (11-10). No. 6 Valdosta survived Northside-Warner Robins 50-49 while No. 8 Lanier clinched a state playoff berth by sweeping Dacula 53-42, Kalen Surles scoring 17 points and Nala Lawrence adding 16.

There is a changing of the guard in Class AAAAA. It is just too difficult to ignore what No. 1 Buford has done this season without a star player after graduating Class 5A Player of the Year Tory Ozment (Michigan State) and Audrey Weiner (Air Force). The Wolves replace undefeated No. 2 Villa Rica atop the poll after beating last week’s Class A-Private No. 1 Wesleyan 54-52 on Sara Viti’s put-back with seconds left to hold off a Wesleyan comeback. Viti scored 15 points followed by Ebony Grant’s 10 and 8 apiece from Tate Walters and Tatum Ozment. The Wolves now have wins over Class 6A No. 6 Valdosta (70-46), Class 7A No. 5 Grayson (67-58), Class 3A No. 6 Morgan County (62-36), Class 6A No. 3 Northview (58-40), Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ (48-45) and Class 2A No. 8 Banks County (63-33). Villa Rica has mauled opponents for the most part behind Kentucky-signee Deasia Merrill, but they just haven’t seen the same level of competition. The Wildcats have a respectable resume with wins over Class 3A No. 3 Johnson-Savannah (53-43), No. 9 Carrollton (58-51; 66-58), Class 6A No. 10 New Manchester (57-37) and Rome (51-45), who has been in and out of the Top 10 this season and will travel to play Villa Rica this week. At the bottom of the poll, No. 7 Eagle’s Landing sinks four spots after losing 59-52 against Class 4A No. 8 Sandy Creek and failing to impress in a 53-48 win in OT against St. Pius X. Statesboro (21-3) and Woodland-Stockbridge (17-6) drop out. Ranked No. 6 last week, Statesboro lost 52-48 to returnee No. 8 Wayne County and at Ware County 49-47 while the Wolfpack stumbled at Locust Grove 61-52. No. 10 Arabia Mountain cracks back into the rankings and hosts No. 4 Southwest DeKalb on Tuesday looking to avenge a 50-36 loss.

No. 1 Carver-Columbus finally met some resistance in Class AAAA, but eventually put away Westover 72-61, their closest win since a 48-46 victory over Bishop O’Connell (VA) in December. The Tigers now host the Patriots on Friday. No. 4 Spalding defeated No. 6 West Laurens 50-44 while No. 8 Sandy Creek climbs four spots after beating Class 5A No. 7 Eagle’s Landing 59-52 and running their winning streak up to 13 after three subsequent wins. No. 10 Baldwin is down two spots after beating Warner Robins 63-56 but losing 55-46 at Burke County. No. 3 Flowery Branch blasted Marist (16-6) out of the poll, 77-48. The War Eagles are replaced by No. 9 Northwest Whitfield who resurfaces after a 65-34 win over Pickens. The Bruins will try to clinch the number one seed in Region 6 as they host 19-5 Gilmer sometime this week depending on the weather (initially scheduled for Tuesday).

Region 8-AAA provided more interesting results as a Lou Reid-less No. 6 Morgan County lost at No. 1 Jefferson 68-55 and to No. 4 Hart County 71-64. The same merry-go-round of wins and losses in Region 7 raged on as unranked Lumpkin County (17-7) finally got their signature win, 61-57 over No. 8 GAC, but the Indians couldn’t crack the Top 10 after losing 56-53 to No. 7 Dawson County and 41-31 to Gilmer. GAC ended their week with a 70-27 loss at Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ while Dawson County earned a 68-59 win over North Hall on Tuesday and have trimmed the Spartans’ lead in the region to a single game heading into the final week. Coahulla Creek (17-6) departs after two weeks in the Top 10, beating Sonoraville 56-52 but getting flattened by Ringgold 54-31. Fellow Region 6’er No. 10 North Murray debuts in the poll riding a seven-game winning streak which has seen the Mountaineers score wins over Coahulla Creek (51-46), Darlington (47-43) and most recently, at Ringgold 34-32 as Korbin Tipton finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds and the following night, senior guard Sarah Plemons committing to Georgia College.

There finally is some movement in the stalemate of Class AA. No. 6 Laney slips two spots after a 60-55 loss to Grovetown, giving way to undefeated No. 4 Bryan County and No. 5 Rabun County. The Redskins won at No. 7 Swainsboro 66-63 as junior Olonna Rawls obliterated the Tigers with 35 points which led to Kennesaw State trekking down south to watch Rawls’ encore performance of 30 points, 6 assists and 4 steals in a 66-43 win over Vidalia. Bryan County’s final hurdle to a perfect regular season comes this Tuesday at 18-5 Woodville-Tompkins. Rabun County won their 19th straight game thanks to two Destiny Deetz free throws with a second left to survive Monticello 61-59. Brooke Henricks led the way with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while Presbyterian-signee Georgia Stockton returned to action working her way back into shape for a playoff push. No. 3 Fitzgerald swept No. 9 Early County 75-65 as Hayleigh Ross (23), Trinity Jones (21) and Kyah Crook (15) combined for 59 points and helped ignite an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Washington County (16-6) drops out of the poll after getting whipped by No. 1 Dodge County 74-48 and losing to debutant No. 10 Southwest-Macon 54-44. For the Patriots to stick in the rankings, they will have to win at East Laurens on Tuesday, the Falcons beating Southwest-Macon 72-58 in their first meeting.

Following a rocky 1-3 start to the season and uncharacteristic disappointing losses to Top 10 competition throughout the year, No. 1 Holy Innocents’ has finally found its groove and has taken over the top spot in Class A-Private. Already holding a win over former No. 1 Wesleyan 68-63, the Golden Bears went back to work and destroyed Class 3A No. 8 GAC 70-37 on Saturday. No. 3 Wesleyan falls two spots after losing 54-52 to Class 5A No. 1 Buford. No. 2 St. Francis earned wins over Auburn (AL) 59-51, King’s Ridge Christian 65-56 and No. 7 Mt. Paran 72-56. No. 6 Stratford Academy is up a spot after beating Elite Scholars Academy 60-43 to atone for their lone 56-49 loss back on December 4th. No. 10 Greenforest ran over Strong Rock Christian 52-27.

Class A-Public belongs to No. 1 Marion County as the Eagles swept No. 5 Greenville 73-63 and dispatched of No. 8 Dooly County 62-39. No. 3 Wheeler County busts into the Top 3 thanks to a 64-54 win at No. 4 Telfair County. No. 7 Mitchell County beat rival Pelham in two nail-biters, 61-50 in OT and 45-44. Clinch County (15-5) and Wilcox County (14-7) exit the poll after the Panthers lost 40-32 to 8-15 Brooks County while the Patriots fell 47-45 to 6-12 Monroe. No. 9 Bowdon and No. 10 Central-Talbotton reappear. Bowdon completed a 3-0 week with wins over Christian Heritage 61-36, at Darlington 61-58 and at Gordon Lee 52-30 while Central-Talbotton’s week was highlighted by a 56-42 win over Kendrick.

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 10 Girls Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (19-0)
2. Collins Hill (19-1)
3. North Cobb (19-1)
4. Cherokee (19-3)
5. Grayson (19-2)
6. North Forsyth (15-4)
7. Norcross (14-9)
8. Brookwood (15-6)
9. Hillgrove (14-6)
10. Pebblebrook (17-3)

 Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (19-3)
2. Forest Park (20-2)
3. Northview (16-4)
4. Glynn Academy (18-2)
5. Douglas County (17-4)
6. Stephenson (13-9)
7. Valdosta (18-2)
8. Lanier (17-3)
9. Creekview (16-4)
10. New Manchester (19-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (20-0)
2. Buford (17-2)
3. Eagle’s Landing (14-4)
4. Veterans (20-2)
5. Southwest DeKalb (16-6)
6. Statesboro (21-1)
7. Jones County (17-4)
8. Harris County (16-5)
9. Woodland-Stockbridge (15-5)
10. Carrollton (15-6)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (21-0)
2. Henry County (21-2)
3. Flowery Branch (19-3)
4. Spalding (15-4)
5. Madison County (19-2)
6. West Laurens (16-4)
7. Luella (16-4)
8. Baldwin (15-5)
9. Marist (15-5)
10. Sandy Creek (14-4)

Class AAA

1. Jefferson (18-2)
2. Johnson-Savannah (12-6)
3. Beach (18-4)
4. Morgan County (16-4)
5. Hart County (15-5)
6. GAC (11-9)
7. Peach County (14-4)
8. Tattnall County (16-5)
9. Dawson County (14-7)
10. Coahulla Creek (16-5)

Class AA

1. Dodge County (18-1)
2. Douglass (17-5)
3. Fitzgerald (19-0)
4. Laney (19-1)
5. Bryan County (20-0)
6. Rabun County (18-1)
7. Swainsboro (16-2)
8. Early County (17-2)
9. Banks County (16-4)
10. Washington County (15-4)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (21-1)
2. St. Francis (14-3)
3. Holy Innocents’ (13-7)
4. ELCA (14-3)
5. Lakeview Academy (17-4)
6. Mt. Paran (17-1)
7. Stratford Academy (18-1)
8. Paideia (16-3)
9. Calvary Day (17-3)
10. Greenforest (15-4)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (19-0)
2. Georgia Military College (13-1)
3. Telfair County (16-3)
4. Greenville (20-1)
5. Wheeler County (14-4)
6. Calhoun County (18-2)
7. Dooly County (15-3)
8. Mitchell County (15-4)
9. Clinch County (12-4)
10. Wilcox County (13-6)

Region play affords us some crucial Top 10 showdowns across all classifications as region tournament seeding is up for grabs. A handful of rematches will make us re-think what we thought we knew about the landscape of Georgia.

In Class AAAAAAA, No. 1 Westlake remained unbeaten, rallying from down 36-24 at the half to knockoff Class 5A No. 2 Buford on the road 58-51. Raven Johnson attacked the glass in the second half and led the Lions with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals and 2 blocks while 6-foot-3 junior center Lydia Freeman proved to be the ultimate difference maker, dumping in 17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks as Buford had no answer for her size and girth inside. No. 7 Norcross fell to No. 8 Brookwood 54-44 as both teams continue their see-saw seasons. The Broncos return to the Top 10 riding a six-game winning streak and will try to avoid anymore trap games. They replace tough-luck Colquitt County (16-2) who outlasted Camden County 46-45 on the road. No. 5 Grayson held off Class 6A No. 6 Stephenson 70-69 behind freshman Catherine Alben’s game-winning free throw and 19 points and 6 assists. No. 9 Hillgrove edged archnemesis McEachern 57-55.

Outside of No. 6 Stephenson dropping one spot after a 70-69 loss to Class 7A No. 5 Grayson and Dacula (16-5) falling out of the poll following a 66-61 loss to Winder-Barrow, everything in Class AAAAAA was status quo. The Falcons are replaced by returnee No. 10 New Manchester who went a perfect 4-0 last week with wins over Alexander (57-48), Starr’s Mill (42-32), Tri-Cities (78-22) and South Paulding (79-17).

There is no movement in Class AAAAA. No. 1 Villa Rica pumped Cass 71-47 while No. 10 Carrollton sneaked out of White with a 50-47 win. No. 3 Eagle’s Landing turned back No. 7 Jones County 40-37. No. 4 Veterans defeated Class 3A No. 7 Peach County 63-56. No. 8 Harris County handled Warner Robins 74-51.

Westover (15-3) and Perry (10-7) are casualties in Class AAAA. The Patriots were upset by 8-11 Cairo 44-35 while Perry went 0-3 last week, losing to No. 4 Spalding (62-40), No. 6 West Laurens (42-32) and Class A-Public No. 7 Dooly County (47-34). No. 8 Baldwin rises above the wreckage even after a 50-38 loss to Cross Creek. The Braves rebounded with a big 60-56 win over Class 2A No. 10 Washington County. Returning to the Top 10 is No. 9 Marist. The War Eagles beat White County 61-48 and Chestatee 61-42 before losing to No. 3 Flowery Branch 64-48. No. 10 Sandy Creek debuts in the poll and are on a nine-game winning streak. The Patriots have beat up on a weak Region 5, their latest win coming at Central-Carrollton 49-34, who has sunk to 13-5 and 3-4 in region play after a 10-0 start to the season. 6-foot-1 junior post Daija Powell is powering the Patriots with 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

The gauntlet known as Region 8 in Class AAA claimed another victim as No. 4 Morgan County slips three spots from their top ranking after losing 77-63 to No. 5 Hart County. Western Kentucky-signee Torrion Starks controlled the game with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists while Taniya Alexander added 23 points and 15 rebounds inside. Rising to the perch for the first time is the third Region 8 team in the Top 5, No. 1 Jefferson. They came out of Carnesville with a 40-33 win over Franklin County and now have a rematch this Tuesday against visiting Morgan County, who slayed the Dragons 60-52 back on December 14th. No. 6 GAC has gained breathing room in Region 7, beating No. 9 Dawson County 53-41 and dispatching of North Hall 61-46. No. 10 Coahulla Creek narrowly survives their first week in the poll in a topsy-turvy Region 6. The Colts lost to North Murray 51-46, splitting the season series, but bounced back with a 55-42 win at Adairsville. The Region 6 standings are a logjam up top: Ringgold (15-6, 11-1), Coahulla Creek (16-5, 10-2), North Murray (15-7, 10-3) and Sonoraville (15-6, 9-3) are the leaders. The Colts get the nod over the rest of the pack due to their crucial 47-44 win at Ringgold. North Murray is close on their tail with five-straight wins. Ringgold could have gotten the final spot this week, but they lost 54-51 to Class 4A Heritage-Catoosa and are 2-3 in their last five games.

For a second consecutive week there are no changes to the Class AA poll, though major shakeup could be on the horizon. No. 1 Dodge County travels to No. 10 Washington County on Tuesday looking to complete a season sweep of the Golden Hawks, who they beat 73-64 last month. No. 3 Fitzgerald travels to No. 8 Early County. The host Bobcats will look to avenge their 62-60 loss the Purple Hurricanes two weeks ago. No. 7 Swainsboro welcomes No. 5 Bryan County on Tuesday, the Redskins beat Swainsboro 68-64 in their first meeting. This past week, No. 4 Laney swept 9-8 Burke County 59-54. No. 6 Rabun County, winners of 16-straight, did the same against rival No. 9 Banks County, winning 59-53 with Brooke Henricks’ 19 points leading the way.

Class A-Private’s hated rivals wrote another chapter in their storied history as No. 3 Holy Innocents’ handed No. 1 Wesleyan their first loss of the year 68-63 as freshman Marya Hudgins had a career night with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Starting point guard Paige Lyons did not play in the loss. Wesleyan retains their number one position. Dating back to 2016-17, the Golden Bears have gone 6-1 in the regular season/region tournament, winning four-straight against the Wolves but have lost the last two state championships to Wesleyan. No. 2 St. Francis welcomes No. 6 Mt. Paran on Friday as the Lady Knights look to sweep the Eagles after beating them 59-42 in their first contest. No. 10 Greenforest clings onto their spot in the poll following a 67-65 loss at Landmark Christian.

Class A-Public sees Bowdon (16-4) and Central-Talbotton (10-6) fall from the Top 10. The Red Devils were upset 45-42 at Trion while the Hawks were drilled by No. 1 Marion County 76-44 and lost 60-59 to No. 4 Greenville. Continuing the statewide theme of rematches, the defending state champion Greenville Patriots travel to Marion County on Tuesday. The Eagles handed them their only loss of the season back in December, 71-70. No. 3 Telfair County blasted No. 9 Clinch County 76-47, India Wells posting 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. The Panthers fall two spots after also getting torched by Gracie Brunel in a 59-51 loss to Lanier County, the unsigned senior who leads the state in scoring dropping in 38 points. No. 5 Wheeler County heads to No. 3 Telfair County for a rematch of their season-opening 65-60 loss to the Trojans. No. 7 Dooly County is up a spot after a big 47-34 win against last week’s Class 4A No. 10 Perry. Returning to the poll is No. 8 Mitchell County and No. 10 Wilcox County. The Eagles battle with rival Pelham this week while the Patriots try to ride momentum from their 73-59 win over Echols County. Wilcox County is led by freshman Destiny Tisdol’s 14.5 points per game and Coach Santita Coon boasts the state’s leading rebounder, 5-foot-10 sophomore Alayshia Dixon who averages 14.1 points, 16.7 rebounds, 4.4 steals and 1.8 blocks.

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 9 Girls Rankings

The Sidelines

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (16-0)
2. Collins Hill (19-1)
3. North Cobb (17-1)
4. Cherokee (16-3)
5. Grayson (16-2)
6. Norcross (13-8)
7. North Forsyth (13-4)
8. Colquitt County (14-2)
9. Hillgrove (12-6)
10. Pebblebrook (15-3)

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (17-3)
2. Forest Park (18-2)
3. Northview (13-4)
4. Glynn Academy (16-2)
5. Stephenson (12-8)
6. Douglas County (15-4)
7. Valdosta (16-2)
8. Lanier (15-3)
9. Dacula (15-4)
10. Creekview (15-4)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (17-0)
2. Buford (15-1)
3. Eagle’s Landing (12-4)
4. Veterans (17-2)
5. Southwest DeKalb (14-6)
6. Statesboro (19-1)
7. Jones County (17-3)
8. Harris County (13-5)
9. Woodland-Stockbridge (14-5)
10. Carrollton (14-6)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (18-0)
2. Henry County (18-2)
3. Flowery Branch (16-3)
4. Spalding (13-4)
5. Madison County (17-2)
6. West Laurens (13-4)
7. Luella (14-4)
8. Westover (13-2)
9. Baldwin (13-4)
10. Perry (10-4) 

Class AAA

1. Morgan County (14-3)
2. Jefferson (17-2)
3. Johnson-Savannah (11-6)
4. Beach (16-4)
5. Peach County (12-3)
6. GAC (9-9)
7. Hart County (13-5)
8. Tattnall County (13-5)
9. Dawson County (13-6)
10. Coahulla Creek (15-4)

Class AA

1. Dodge County (16-1)
2. Douglass (14-5)
3. Fitzgerald (17-0)
4. Laney (17-1)
5. Bryan County (18-0)
6. Rabun County (16-1)
7. Swainsboro (13-2)
8. Early County (14-2)
9. Banks County (15-3)
10. Washington County (13-3)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (19-0)
2. St. Francis (10-3)
3. ELCA (12-3)
4. Holy Innocents’ (9-7)
5. Lakeview Academy (15-4)
6. Mt. Paran (15-1)
7. Stratford Academy (16-1)
8. Paideia (14-3)
9. Calvary Day (14-3)
10. Greenforest (14-3)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (16-0)
2. Georgia Military College (10-1)
3. Telfair County (14-3)
4. Greenville (18-1)
5. Wheeler County (13-4)
6. Calhoun County (16-2)
7. Clinch County (11-2)
8. Dooly County (12-3)
9. Bowdon (15-3)
10. Central-Talbotton (9-4)

A little separation was gained in Class AAAAAAA as No. 1 Westlake romped No. 10 Pebblebrook 75-50 to drop the Falcons three spots while No. 2 Collins Hill earned wins over Mill Creek 64-53 and Center Point (AL) 65-23. No. 3 North Cobb sticks at number three after dropping their first game of the season to undefeated Class A-Private No. 1 Wesleyan 59-38, the Wolves pulling away in the second half. No. 4 Cherokee is up a spot after defeating Roswell 61-34 and dispatching of Class A-Private No. 4 Holy Innocents’ 66-58 behind North Georgia-signee Lacie McCoy’s 17 points. Dropping out of the poll is Marietta (12-6). The Blue Devils were the latest Cobb County team to knock off McEachern 54-50 in overtime, Marietta’s first win against the Lady Indians since the 2009 Region 5-AAAAA Championship, but subsequently fell to re-entry No. 9 Hillgrove 51-45. The Hawks nearly beat North Cobb on Tuesday 46-44 and have taken over second-place in Region 3 with a date with rival McEachern looming this Tuesday.

Class AAAAAA No. 2 Forest Park pounded No. 5 Stephenson 65-31, but the Jaguars turned around and finished the weekend with a strong 46-45 win over Class 5A No. 5 Southwest DeKalb to hold onto their spot. No. 6 Douglas County blasted New Manchester (15-3) from the rankings with a 65-33 blowout. Following New Manchester out of the poll is Pope (14-4). The Greyhounds were upset at Johns Creek 60-47. Resurfacing is No. 8 Lanier, who rebounded nicely after getting hit hard by suspensions to take down No. 9 Dacula 51-42, dropping the Falcons two spots. Debuting in the rankings is No. 10 Creekview, the Grizzlies scoring wins at Sequoyah 59-46 and at Harrison 45-26. 5-foot-10 senior forward Josie Johnson leads Creekview with 11.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

There was plenty of flipping and flopping in Class AAAAA as No. 1 Villa Rica held off No. 10 Carrollton 66-58. The Trojans trade places with No. 7 Jones County who climbs three spots after wins over Union Grove 48-35, Ola 71-36 and Upson-Lee 71-55. No. 4 Veterans shoots up two spots after taking down No. 8 Harris County 58-49 and winning at Warner Robins 71-65. 6-foot junior Stacie Jones ate away at Harris County’s imposing frontline posting 27 points, 16 rebounds and 2 blocks in the win. The Tigers also fell in overtime at Campbell 59-54. No. 6 Statesboro climbs three positions following a statement week in Region 2, beating Wayne County 59-51, Ware County 47-39 and Southeast Bulloch 54-27. The Blue Devils are powered by 6-foot-1 guard Lacy Robins, the junior piling in 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5 assists, 4.7 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. No. 3 Eagle’s Landing bounced Locust Grove (14-5) from the Top 10 quickly, 64-35. Replacing the Wildcats is another Region 4 team, No. 9 Woodland-Stockbridge who makes their first appearance since Week 2, clawing back in after upsetting Eagle’s Landing in overtime 67-59. Junior guard Amia Brown exploded for a career-high 42 points, blowing past her 12.2 point-per-game average.

Class AAAA sees some shuffling among the Top 5 as No. 2 Henry County moves up two spots thanks to a 61-41 win at No. 7 Luella. No. 3 Flowery Branch moves up two places as well following a perfect week that was highlighted by a 68-61 win over Class 3A No. 6 GAC. No. 4 Spalding sinks two positions after a 54-49 loss at returnee No. 6 West Laurens. The win over the defending state champs springboards the Raiders back into the poll for the first time since Week 5. Calmela Mack erupted for 28 points in the win over the Jaguars while MaKayla Murray added 11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks. Rounding out the Top 5 is No. 5 Madison County, sinking two spots after a letdown against North Oconee 56-50. With West Laurens’ rise into the Top 10, Marist (13-4) gets squeezed out of the poll after a 2-0 week. They have a chance to get right back into the rankings and take a huge leap like the Raiders did if they can beat No. 3 Flowery Branch at home this Saturday.

The power struggle down on the coast in Class AAA continued as No. 3 Johnson-Savannah got revenge against No. 4 Beach 55-42 to hop over the Bulldogs. No. 5 Peach County rises four spots after a 3-0 week while No. 7 Hart County sinks two places after a 62-56 loss at Franklin County. Things don’t get easier as the Bulldogs now host No. 1 Morgan County on Tuesday in the unforgiving Region 8. North Hall (13-6) was in the driver’s seat in Region 7 but back-to-back road losses to East Hall 48-45 and Chestatee 68-60 drop the Trojans from the rankings. Surging into the poll is debutant No. 10 Coahulla Creek. 1,000-point scorer Lily Snyder guided the Colts last week to wins over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 54-42 and more impressively at Ringgold 47-44 to crack the poll.

The Class AA poll is rock solid with no movement with everyone winning except for No. 8 Early County who fell to No. 3 Fitzgerald 62-60. No. 1 Dodge County turned back Southwest-Macon 67-63, No. 4 Laney still mentally owns Josey after winning 60-57, No. 5 Bryan County smoked Woodville-Tompkins 68-48 while No. 6 Rabun County did the same to Putnam County 74-54.

No. 1 Wesleyan ran its record up to 19-0 in Class A-Private, hammering No. 8 Paideia down two spots 58-33 before pulling away from previously unbeaten Class 7A No. 3 North Cobb 59-38, AC Carter hanging 27 points and 9 rebounds while Nicole Azar drilled 6 threes to finish with 22 points. It was a rough week for the Pythons as they also lost to No. 3 ELCA 66-49. The Chargers got 27 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks from Rice-signee India Bellamy while Weronika Hipp pumped in 24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. The dynamic duo leads ELCA into uncharted territory, breaking through the glass ceiling and passing up No. 4 Holy Innocents’ for a spot in the Top 3. The Golden Bears lost 66-58 to Class 7A No. 4 Cherokee to make way for the Chargers. Darlington (11-4) drops out after getting blown out by newly ranked Class A-Public No. 9 Bowdon 54-35. No. 10 Greenforest makes their first appearance in the Top 10. The Eagles don’t have too many resume wins, but they have been solid, most recently smacking Elite Scholars Academy 85-24, who handed No. 7 Stratford Academy their only loss of the season back in early December 56-49.

In Class A-Public, No. 1 Marion County went 4-0 highlighted by a 59-49 win at No. 10 Central-Talbotton, dropping the Hawks two spots. No. 3 Telfair County looked good with wins over Turner County 68-37, Lanier County 77-54 and Wilcox County 71-55. Wilcox County (11-6) falls from the Top 10 after also losing at Lanier County 59-57. Returning to the poll is No. 9 Bowdon. The Red Devils overwhelmed Darlington 54-35.

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 8 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. Westlake (14-0)
2. Collins Hill (16-1)
3. North Cobb (15-0)
4. Norcross (11-7)
5. Cherokee (13-3)
6. Grayson (13-2)
7. Marietta (10-5)
8. Pebblebrook (14-2)
9. North Forsyth (11-4)
10. Colquitt County (11-2)

Class AAAAAA

1. Lovejoy (15-3)
2. Forest Park (15-2)
3. Northview (12-3)
4. Glynn Academy (14-2)
5. Stephenson (10-7)
6. Douglas County (13-4)
7. Dacula (13-3)
8. Valdosta (14-2)
9. New Manchester (14-2)
10. Pope (13-3)

Class AAAAA

1. Villa Rica (15-0)
2. Buford (13-1)
3. Eagle’s Landing (11-3)
4. Harris County (12-3)
5. Southwest DeKalb (13-5)
6. Veterans (14-2)
7. Carrollton (12-5)
8. Locust Grove (12-4)
9. Statesboro (16-1)
10. Jones County (14-3)

Class AAAA

1. Carver-Columbus (15-0)
2. Spalding (12-3)
3. Madison County (16-1)
4. Henry County (16-2)
5. Flowery Branch (13-3)
6. Luella (14-3)
7. Westover (10-2)
8. Marist (11-4)
9. Baldwin (10-4)
10. Perry (8-4)

Class AAA

1. Morgan County (12-3)
2. Beach (14-3)
3. Jefferson (14-2)
4. Johnson-Savannah (9-6)
5. Hart County (12-4)
6. GAC (8-8)
7. North Hall (12-4)
8. Tattnall County (11-5)
9. Peach County (9-3)
10. Dawson County (11-6) 

Class AA

1. Dodge County (15-1)
2. Douglass (12-5)
3. Fitzgerald (15-0)
4. Laney (14-1)
5. Bryan County (15-0)
6. Rabun County (13-1)
7. Swainsboro (10-2)
8. Early County (12-1)
9. Banks County (13-3)
10. Washington County (12-3)

Class A-Private

1. Wesleyan (16-0)
2. St. Francis (9-3)
3. Holy Innocents’ (8-6)
4. ELCA (10-3)
5. Lakeview Academy (12-4)
6. Paideia (13-1)
7. Mt. Paran (12-1)
8. Stratford Academy (14-1)
9. Calvary Day (12-3)
10. Darlington (10-3)

Class A-Public

1. Marion County (12-0)
2. Georgia Military College (8-1)
3. Telfair County (11-3)
4. Greenville (16-1)
5. Wheeler County (10-4)
6. Calhoun County (13-2)
7. Clinch County (7-2)
8. Central-Talbotton (8-3)
9. Dooly County (10-3)
10. Wilcox County (10-4)

 

There are some changes near the bottom of the poll in Class AAAAAAA. No. 8 Pebblebrook falls three spots after a 60-51 loss at Rockdale. No. 5 Cherokee benefits the most this week, rising four spots after scoring two road wins against Walton 79-45 and River Ridge 63-29. No. 7 Marietta moves up three spots behind Cherokee thanks to a No. 9 North Forsyth loss to Roswell 55-52, dropping the Raiders two spots as they couldn’t overcome the absence of leading scorer Ansley Allen. Mill Creek (12-5) exits the Top 10 with losses on the road against Duluth 47-42 and Class 4A No. 5 Flowery Branch 62-47. Debuting in the poll is No. 10 Colquitt County, who survived Camden County 62-58 in double overtime. Junior Janiah Ellis has taken over the reins of the offense, upping her production from 7.8 points and 3.5 rebounds a year ago to 22.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game.

Class AAAAAA sees no movement as the state’s best team and best backcourt made a statement at the She Got Game Classic as No. 1 Lovejoy pounded Class A-Private No. 3 Holy Innocents’ 64-46. The Wildcats drilled 11 threes and the Golden Bears had no answers for juniors Genesis Bryant (16 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals) and Anaya Boyd (15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 5 blocks). At the bottom of the poll, No. 9 New Manchester avoided a trap game at Langston Hughes, pulling out a 52-48 victory.

No. 1 Villa Rica holds tight in Class AAAAA after a 51-45 win at Rome. No. 3 Eagle’s Landing crawls ahead of No. 5 Southwest DeKalb after the Panthers dropped to Dillard (FL) 57-45 and Class 4A No. 2 Spalding 54-45. No. 9 Statesboro is down three spots following a 69-62 loss at Class 2A No. 7 Swainsboro, the Blue Devils’ first defeat of the season. No. 4 Harris County knocked Warner Robins (9-5) from the Top 10 with a 45-42 win. Also out of the poll is Wayne County (11-2) who lost 49-32 at Ware County. Two new teams debut in No. 8 Locust Grove and No. 10 Jones County. The Wildcats have won six-straight with their latest triumph coming at Union Grove 52-51, but more impressively Locust Grove won the Mary Persons Christmas Tournament by beating Class 2A No. 1 at the time Douglass 69-62, Upson-Lee 70-57 and Monticello 63-58. Star senior point guard Zamiya Passmore is averaging 23.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 4.1 steals. Jones County enters the rankings with wins over Dutchtown 56-31 and at Upson-Lee 45-33 last week.

The best player in Georgia regardless of classification, grade or position is Class AAAA No. 3 Madison County’s sophomore point guard Kayla McPherson. She is the best girls player I’ve watched over the past four years; she is a mini-Asia Durr and she will be in the WNBA if she continues to improve at the rate she is going. The 5-foot-7 dynamo torched Class 3A No. 5 Hart County for 64 points – a school-record – in the Red Raiders’ 93-68 victory. McPherson didn’t rack up the points against a nobody school, she did it against one of the best in their respective classification with a D-I point guard in Torrion Starks (Western Kentucky) and it wasn’t a layup line blow out. It was a 63-52 game before McPherson unleashed the knockout blow with 20 points in the fourth quarter. She finished with 64 points (11 threes), 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. And-1s, step-back threes, impossible finishes, slick dribbling and great court vision, McPherson is mixtape lore and must-watch entertainment before she heads to college. Offensively, the Red Raiders are a two-man show with McPherson and Old Dominion-signee Jordan Bailey who dumped in 17 points and 16 rebounds, but having the best player in the state on their team makes Madison County a legitimate title contender if McPherson stays hot come February and March. Elsewhere in the state, No. 2 Spalding beat Josey 51-40 and Class 5A No. 5 Southwest DeKalb 54-45. No. 5 Flowery Branch took care of last week’s Class 7A No. 8 Mill Creek 62-47. Northwest Whitfield (14-3) drops out of the rankings after losing at the buzzer to Coahulla Creek 46-44. They are replaced by No. 9 Baldwin, who finally resurfaces after a 70-40 win at Richmond Academy. Unsigned senior guard Crystal Corley is averaging 16.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.

No. 3 Jefferson rallied from down 28-14 in the second quarter to eventually score a crucial Region 8-AAA victory over No. 5 Hart County 66-61 as both teams chase No. 1 Morgan County in the classification’s toughest region. The Bulldogs couldn’t bounce back from their loss to the Dragons as they fell on the road against Class 4A No. 3 Madison County 93-68, nearly outscored by sophomore sensation Kayla McPherson who dropped 64 points. In the loss, Western Kentucky-signee Torrion Starks played well with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals while 6-foot sophomore Taniya Alexander gobbled up 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. No. 4 Johnson-Savannah hosts No. 2 Beach this Tuesday with a chance to get some revenge for their 55-53 overtime defeat back in late November. No. 10 Dawson County sinks four spots following a 63-56 loss at Cherokee Bluff. Rutland (11-5) wasn’t as lucky, as their third straight loss drops them from the poll. The Hurricanes were beat by returnee No. 9 Peach County 48-43 and fell at Kendrick 54-51.

In Class AA, No. 1 Dodge County finally got the monkey off their back by beating East Laurens 88-80 after the Falcons swept the Squaws last season. No. 7 Swainsboro handed Class 5A No. 9 Statesboro their first loss of the season, 69-62. No. 8 Early County spanked Class A-Public No. 6 Calhoun County 52-25. No. 10 Washington County slips one spot after losing 46-35 to Southwest-Macon who now gets a crack at Dodge County to prove their legitimacy in not only Region 3, but statewide. The Patriots were blasted at home by the Squaws in their first meeting 63-27.

There is no movement in Class A-Private. No. 1 Wesleyan defeated Dillard (FL) 63-57 at the She Got Game Classic. No. 2 St. Francis turned back No. 7 Mt. Paran 59-42 on the road. No. 3 Holy Innocents’ lost 64-46 to Class 6A No. 1 Lovejoy at the She Got Game Classic. No. 6 Paideia survived at Galloway 58-56. No. 10 Darlington held off North Murray 41-36.

Turner County (10-5) couldn’t survive a week in the Class A-Public poll, losing to falling No. 10 Wilcox County 66-63 and rising No. 7 Clinch County 64-52. Wilcox County is down three spots after suffering a 61-26 beatdown at the hands of debutant No. 9 Dooly County, who is streaking, winners of nine-straight. The Bobcats avenged their 37-32 season-opening loss at Wilcox County in dominating fashion.