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Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (21-2)
2. McEachern (16-6)
3. Collins Hill (20-2)
4. Archer (18-4)
5. Brookwood (18-5)
6. Lambert (20-2)
7. Mill Creek (19-3)
8. Colquitt County (18-4)
9. Newton (18-4)
10. South Forsyth (16-7) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Harrison (19-4)
2. Winder-Barrow (17-5)
3. Douglas County (21-3)
4. Grovetown (17-6)
5. Northview (19-3)
6. Lovejoy (20-3)
7. Mays (12-8)
8. Tucker (16-6)
9. Stephenson (16-7)
10. Creekview (16-7) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (20-2)
2. Southwest DeKalb (20-4)
3. Flowery Branch (16-5)
4. Carrollton (21-1)
5. Warner Robins (21-1)
6. Griffin (20-1)
7. Villa Rica (20-2)
8. Eagle’s Landing (19-3)
9. Wayne County (16-3)
10. Maynard Jackson (18-2) 

Class AAAA

1. Cross Creek (19-4)
2. Americus-Sumter (19-3)
3. West Hall (18-5)
4. Jefferson (17-5)
5. North Oconee (18-3)
6. Columbus (17-4)
7. Heritage-Catoosa (21-2)
8. Carver-Columbus (18-4)
9. Henry County (17-5)
10. Northwest Whitfield (17-5) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (20-1)
2. Greater Atlanta Christian (16-6)
3. Johnson-Savannah (19-2)
4. Franklin County (18-4)
5. Calhoun (18-4)
6. Ringgold (17-5)
7. Cook (17-6)
8. Peach County (17-3)
9. Haralson County (20-4)
10. Monroe (15-4)

Class AA

1. Laney (21-1)
2. Dodge County (20-2)
3. Model (17-5)
4. Fitzgerald (16-2)
5. Rabun County (21-2)
6. Banks County (15-6)
7. Bryan County (16-4)
8. Swainsboro (15-6)
9. Vidalia (18-4)
10. Dade County (17-6) 

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (18-4)
2. Holy Innocents’ (23-1)
3. Wesleyan (19-4)
4. Lakeview Academy (19-4)
5. Calvary Day (18-3)
6. Pinecrest Academy (14-3)
7. Landmark Christian (18-3)
8. Darlington (18-5)
9. Aquinas (17-5)
10. Fellowship Christian (13-7) 

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (20-1)
2. Telfair County (19-2)
3. Woodville-Tompkins (19-4)
4. Greenville (20-3)
5. Wheeler County (18-3)
6. Marion County (18-4)
7. Hancock Central (16-4)
8. Macon County (16-6)
9. Wilcox County (17-5)
10. Taylor County (15-5)

It was a status quo week in Class AAAAAAA with everyone winning out except for Marietta (18-5), who drops from the poll. The Blue Devils beat North Cobb 57-51 and 42-29, but sandwiched in between was an ugly 76-40 loss to rival No. 2 McEachern. The Lady Indians also blew out North Paulding 87-48. Replacing Marietta is No. 10 South Forsyth. The War Eagles have won four straight games entering their Region 5 showdown with No. 6 Lambert on Tuesday. The Longhorns clipped the War Eagles 67-58 in their first meeting. Down in South Georgia, No. 8 Colquitt County looks determined to stay in the rankings and is officially the cream of the crop out of Region 1. The Packers crushed Tift County 62-27 after losing 56-53 in overtime on the road in their first meeting and drilled Camden County 66-35.

Things are starting to get sticky in Class AAAAAA but Harrison still holds onto their No. 1 ranking after suffering a 64-45 loss at Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis. Without guards Sydne Wiggins (Rice) and Harper Vick, the Hoyas held their own against the Knights and their pair of McDonald’s All-Americans (Maya Dodson – Stanford, Kasi Kushkituah – Tennessee). A 15-3 second quarter put the game out of reach, but Harrison remained competitive behind Avery Jordan’s 12 points off four threes. The top five teams in Region 4 all lost this week, leading to some shuffling. Lovejoy was upset by Mundy’s Mill 49-41 after beating No. 8 Tucker on the road 42-37. The loss sees the Wildcats slip three spots to No. 6. Tucker rebounded with a 62-50 win over No. 9 Stephenson, but proceeded to lose against Class AAAAA No. 2 Southwest DeKalb 46-41. Over in Region 5, No. 3 Douglas County turned back No. 7 Mays for the second time this season, 63-54. Even with the loss the Raiders creep up two spots. Don’t sleep on Mays. Out of their 8 losses, five have come out of state, two have come against Douglas County and one came against Class AA No. 1 Laney.  No. 5 Northview broke the school record in wins with a dominant 76-52 win over Region 7 foe Johns Creek. Gainesville (15-6) was the lone casualty this week after losing to Lanier 64-58. They are replaced by No. 10 Creekview.

In Class AAAAA, No. 1 Buford took care of No. 3 Flowery Branch for the second time this year 51-46, but were blown out at home by Class A-Private No. 3 Wesleyan 73-50. Even with their lopsided loss, the Wolves retain the top ranking. No. 2 Southwest DeKalb climbs over the Falcons after Flowery Branch fell to Class AAA No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian 66-58. Griffin suffered their first loss of the season at Columbia, 52-48, dropping the Bears two spots to No. 6. Carrollton is on the rise, moving up to No. 4 with their second victory over No. 7 Villa Rica 58-52 in Region 7. Harris County (16-4) drops out after losing at No. 5 Warner Robins 53-46. Something stinks in the state of Denmark as Maynard Jackson sinks from No. 5 to No. 10. The Jaguars had some peculiar results this week. They beat Carver-Atlanta 63-59 and Lithia Springs 56-53 before falling to Decatur 47-44. Though the loss to Decatur is a bit shocking, the two wins are interesting as well considering in their first meetings they beat Carver 76-39 and Lithia Springs 70-28. Maynard Jackson visits Decatur in a rematch on Tuesday with first-place on the line in Region 6.

There is a changing of the guard in Class AAAA as North Oconee relinquishes their hold on the No. 1 spot and slips to No. 5 after suffering a 56-48 loss to Jefferson, who skyrockets back into the poll at No. 4 after grabbing ahold of first-place in Region 8. It is now Cross Creek’s turn to have the No. 1 ranking target on their back. The Razorbacks, powered by 6-foot-2 power post and Memphis-signee Alana Davis, have lost just one game in the state of Georgia. They were defeated by Class AAAAAA No. 4 Grovetown 65-63 on the road in overtime before getting their revenge 57-51 on Dec. 30. Davis averages 17.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 4.1 blocks as one of the state’s premier low block scorers. The next highest riser aside from Jefferson is No. 2 Americus-Sumter. The defending state champion Panthers beat No. 6 Columbus in overtime 49-46 to move up four spots. Senior Timia Swanson dropped in 17 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 1 block. On the year, the 5-foot-9 forward is averaging team-bests of 18.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.7 steals. Near the bottom of the poll, No. 7 Heritage-Catoosa took down No. 10 Northwest Whitfield 65-51. Sandy Creek (15-6) lost at Chapel Hill 59-46 and at last-place Cartersville 34-32, leading to the Patriots to drop out.

The best rivalry in the entire state lived up to its billing as No. 1 Beach won the season series against No. 3 Johnson-Savannah, scoring a 52-49 road win in Region 3-AAA. The Atomsmashers lose their grip on the No. 2 spot and are overtaken by Greater Atlanta Christian, who defeated Class AAAAA No. 3 Flowery Branch 66-58 after handling East Hall 71-49 on the road. No. 5 Calhoun defeated visiting No. 9 Haralson County 74-65, dropping the Rebels five spots. Monroe sinks five spots as well to No. 10 after they were beaten by poll debutant No. 7 Cook, 68-43. Cook now grabs ahold of first-place in Region 1. With the Hornets’ arrival in the Top 10, Hart County (19-4) drops out after a 49-48 loss to Morgan County.

Class AA No. 2 Dodge County dispatched of Class A-Public No. 2 Telfair County on the road 58-48 to make up for an early season 66-64 loss. Rabun County was edged by No. 6 Banks County 49-45, dropping the Wildcats to No. 5. Region 2 is getting messy as Bryan County (9-3), Swainsboro (10-2) and Vidalia (9-2) go 7-8-9 in the poll with Swainsboro holding a slim lead for first-place. The Tigers beat Bryan County 54-51 before the Redskins pounded Vidalia 60-35.  Heard County (16-6) and Hapeville Charter (14-6) depart from the poll. The Braves lost 19-18 to Temple and 44-42 at Jordan while the Hornets were upset at South Atlanta 70-65. Swainsboro and No. 10 Dade County return to the Top 10.

Class A-Private’s top three schools are the best top three out of any classification. No. 1 St. Francis beat Class AAAAAA No. 1 Harrison 64-45, No. 2 Holy Innocents’ beat No. 3 Wesleyan for the second time 81-74 before the Wolves took a bite out of Class AAAAA No. 1 Buford 73-50 at the Buford City Schools Arena. No. 5 Calvary Day finally solved Class A-Public No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins 64-63. Stratford Academy (14-5) and First Presbyterian Day (14-5) fall out. The Eagles beat the Vikings in overtime 45-39 but lost at Tattnall Square Academy 52-46. Into the poll for the first time is No. 9 Aquinas (17-5) and returnee No. 10 Fellowship Christian.

Mitchell County (15-5) was knocked from the Class A-Public Top 10 after a 54-41 loss to No. 1 Pelham and a 36-32 loss to Worth County. Greenville moves ahead of Wheeler County for the No. 4 spot following the Bulldogs’ tough 62-51 loss at No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins. No. 6 Marion County rides a 10-game winning streak into Tuesday’s showdown with Greenville. Treutlen (15-6) was defeated by No. 2 Telfair County 70-46, dropping the Vikings from the rankings. Back into the statewide picture is No. 9 Wilcox County and No. 10 Taylor County.

Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (19-2)
2. McEachern (14-6)
3. Collins Hill (16-2)
4. Archer (16-4)
5. Brookwood (15-5)
6. Lambert (18-2)
7. Mill Creek (17-3)
8. Colquitt County (15-4)
9. Marietta (16-4)
10. Newton (16-4) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Harrison (17-3)
2. Winder-Barrow (14-5)
3. Lovejoy (18-2)
4. Douglas County (19-3)
5. Grovetown (15-6)
6. Northview (17-3)
7. Tucker (15-4)
8. Stephenson (14-6)
9. Mays (10-7)
10. Gainesville (13-5) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (17-1)
2. Flowery Branch (16-3)
3. Southwest DeKalb (18-4)
4. Griffin (19-0)
5. Maynard Jackson (16-1)
6. Carrollton (18-1)
7. Warner Robins (18-1)
8. Villa Rica (19-1)
9. Eagle’s Landing (18-3)
10. Harris County (16-3) 

Class AAAA

1. North Oconee (17-2)
2. Cross Creek (17-4)
3. Columbus (15-3)
4. West Hall (16-5)
5. Northwest Whitfield (16-4)
6. Americus-Sumter (16-3)
7. Heritage-Catoosa (19-2)
8. Carver-Columbus (15-4)
9. Sandy Creek (14-4)
10. Henry County (15-5) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (18-1)
2. Johnson-Savannah (19-1)
3. Greater Atlanta Christian (12-6)
4. Haralson County (18-3)
5. Monroe (15-3)
6. Franklin County (15-4)
7. Hart County (17-3)
8. Calhoun (16-4)
9. Ringgold (15-5)
10. Peach County (14-3) 

Class AA

1. Laney (19-1)
2. Dodge County (17-2)
3. Rabun County (19-1)
4. Model (15-5)
5. Vidalia (17-3)
6. Fitzgerald (13-2)
7. Bryan County (14-3)
8. Heard County (16-4)
9. Hapeville Charter (14-5)
10. Banks County (13-6) 

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (16-4)
2. Holy Innocents’ (21-1)
3. Wesleyan (17-3)
4. Lakeview Academy (16-4)
5. Calvary Day (16-3)
6. Pinecrest Academy (14-3)
7. Landmark Christian (15-3)
8. Darlington (14-5)
9. Stratford Academy (13-4)
10. First Presbyterian Day (13-4)

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (16-1)
2. Telfair County (17-1)
3. Woodville-Tompkins (17-3)
4. Wheeler County (17-2)
5. Greenville (17-3)
6. Mitchell County (15-3)
7. Hancock Central (13-3)
8. Marion County (16-4)
9. Treutlen (13-5)
10. Macon County (13-6)

The top three in Class AAAAAAA remains unchanged, but under them there has been major movement. Archer climbs to No. 4 after beating South Gwinnett 55-42, who beat No. 10 Newton 64-58. The Rams slide five spots following their loss to the Comets and a 72-59 MLK Day loss to Fayette County. Mill Creek slips three spots to No. 7 after losing 54-47 to No. 5 Brookwood and 64-42 to No. 3 Collins Hill. Westlake and Tift County both fall out. The Lions (15-6) were upset by North Clayton 50-49 while the Blue Devils (15-6) beat Class AA No. 6 Fitzgerald 55-42, but were part of Lowndes’ boys-girls sweep at the Palace, 46-41. Reentering the Top 10 is No. 8 Colquitt County and No. 9 Marietta. The Packers were road warriors in South Georgia, beating Lowndes in 2OT 78-71 and Camden County 53-36. The Blue Devils stopped North Paulding 69-59 and will run into buzz-saw No. 2 McEachern this Friday. The Indians knocked Marietta from the poll two weeks ago when they beat the Blue Devils 70-38.

In Class AAAAAA, Douglas County slips to No. 4 after a bad 50-46 loss against Columbia at the MLK Classic. Lovejoy rises to No. 3 after beating No. 8 Stephenson 40-37 and Jonesboro 50-46. The Wildcats get a chance to score another resume building win as they visit No. 7 Tucker on Tuesday. The Tigers earned a 43-40 victory over Jonesboro and won at Forest Park 62-52 this past week. No. 6 Northview crushed Chattahoochee (14-5) in a Region 7 showdown 68-43. The Cougars exit the poll after their loss to the Titans and a 48-45 loss to Johns Creek. In just his first year on the job, head coach Kirk Call has successfully turned the Gladiators program around. The former Parkview leader has seen Johns Creek improve from 6-19 to 15-6 this year. Along with Chattahoochee, Creekview (15-7) also exits the poll after a 52-46 loss at Woodstock. No. 10 Gainesville reappears while No. 9 Mays is back in the poll after a long hiatus. The Raiders are gearing up for another postseason run and are now 10-7 riding a five game winning streak.

Buford suffered their first loss of the year against Class A-Private No. 1 St. Francis 53-45, but the Wolves still retain their No. 1 ranking in Class AAAAA. They scored wins at Loganville 47-35 and against Class AAAA No. 4 West Hall, 61-33. No. 3 Southwest DeKalb destroyed a good Arabia Mountain team in Region 5 action, 63-29. No. 7 Warner Robins held off No. 10 Harris County 51-49 on the road. After the loss, Harris County rebounded with a 44-42 victory over Bainbridge, knocking the Bearcats from the poll. Bainbridge also lost to Veterans 52-38. No. 6 Carrollton hosts No. 8 Villa Rica on Tuesday with first-place in Region 7 on the line. Cracking the poll, finally, is No. 9 Eagle’s Landing.

Cross Creek climbs up to No. 2 in Class AAAA after Carver-Columbus sinks all the way to No. 8. The Tigers lost to No. 3 Columbus 77-53 and at No. 6 Americus-Sumter 62-52. No. 5 Northwest Whitfield looks to stay perfect in Region 6 as they visit No. 7 Heritage-Catoosa. No. 1 North Oconee will have their hands full as they host Jefferson. Both teams are 5-0 in Region 8.

The stage is set in Class AAA as No. 1 Beach visits No. 2 Johnson-Savannah on Friday with the No. 1 ranking up for grabs in Round 3. It is the rubber match after the Atomsmashers beat Beach 45-42 on the road before losing in overtime to the Bulldogs 62-56 in the Memorial Health Holiday Classic Championship. Haralson County jumps up to No. 4 after handling No. 8 Calhoun 74-55 to pick up their 13^th straight win. Franklin County survived Morgan County 66-61 and now sits at No. 6. Redan (13-4) was blown out at Lovett 49-28 and goes from No. 4 to unranked. The Raiders are replaced by No. 10 Peach County who has won 11-straight and is currently 8-0 in Region 4.

A pair of Wildcats are streaking in Class AA. No. 1 Laney has won 18 in a row while No. 3 Rabun County has reeled off 17-straight. No. 4 Model was drilled at Class A-Private No. 3 Wesleyan 81-46 and No. 6 Fitzgerald fell at Tift County 55-42, but both teams hold onto their rankings and are not punished for going out and playing premier competition. Swainsboro (12-6) drops out of the rankings after a 38-34 loss at Statesboro. The Tigers are replaced by the Leopards of No. 10 Banks County.

There is a new No. 1 in Class A-Private, even though none of the top nine teams in the state lost a game. No. 1 St. Francis edges past No. 2 Holy Innocents’ as the two match quality win for quality win. The Golden Bears went on the road and beat Class AAA No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian 86-70 while the Knights handed Class AAAAA No. 1 Buford their first loss of the year at the ginormous Buford City Schools Arena, 53-45. The Knights take over the top spot thanks to their Buford win but more importantly, their undefeated record in the state of Georgia. The Golden Bears’ lone loss came against Class AAAAAAA No. 2 McEachern at Holiday Hoopsgiving, 78-71. Even though the result was months ago, the win at Buford does just enough to push the Knights ahead with their unblemished GHSA record also in mind. While it is a three team race with St. Francis, Holy Innocents’ and No. 3 Wesleyan, one of the best-of-the-rest teams, No. 6 Pinecrest Academy rode star Margaret Metz to a few more wins. Metz, the new all-time leading scorer in Paladin history, poured in 42 points in a 59-47 win at Fellowship Christian on Tuesday. No. 8 Darlington and their all-time leading scorer, Wofford-signee Anna Claire Atha, knocked Christian Heritage from the rankings with a 60-56 victory. Atha poured in 33 points and now has 2,015 for her career. Replacing Christian Heritage is No. 10 First Presbyterian Day, who returns after outscoring Tattnall Square Academy 23-4 in the fourth quarter to win 50-41 on the road. Kate Patterson dropped in 27 points.

If there was any doubt who the best team in Class A-Public is, there shouldn’t be anymore. No. 1 Pelham pummeled defending state runner-up Terrell County 70-19. No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins will attempt to beat Class A-Private No. 5 Calvary Day for a third time this Friday at Calvary. No. 4 Wheeler County went to No. 9 Treutlen and drilled the Vikings 55-38. Treutlen falls four spots. Taylor County (13-5) is replaced by No. 10 Macon County after the Bulldogs crushed the Vikings for the second time this season. Macon County won at home 67-35 on Dec. 22 and won this past week at Taylor County 57-39. The Bulldogs are now 11-2 in Region 4.

Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (17-2)
2. McEachern (11-6)
3. Collins Hill (15-2)
4. Mill Creek (16-1)
5. Newton (14-2)
6. Archer (13-4)
7. Westlake (13-5)
8. Brookwood (12-5)
9. Lambert (15-2)
10. Tift County (14-5)

Class AAAAAA

1. Harrison (15-3)
2. Douglas County (16-2)
3. Winder-Barrow (11-5)
4. Lovejoy (15-2)
5. Stephenson (12-5)
6. Grovetown (12-6)
7. Northview (16-3)
8. Creekview (12-6)
9. Tucker (12-4)
10. Chattahoochee (12-3) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (15-0)
2. Flowery Branch (14-3)
3. Southwest DeKalb (15-4)
4. Griffin (16-0)
5. Maynard Jackson (15-1)
6. Carrollton (15-1)
7. Warner Robins (15-1)
8. Villa Rica (16-1)
9. Harris County (14-2)
10. Bainbridge (12-4)

Class AAAA

1. North Oconee (14-2)
2. Carver-Columbus (15-2)
3. West Hall (14-4)
4. Cross Creek (15-4)
5. Columbus (13-3)
6. Northwest Whitfield (13-4)
7. Heritage-Catoosa (17-2)
8. Americus-Sumter (14-3)
9. Sandy Creek (11-4)
10. Henry County (13-5) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (16-1)
2. Johnson-Savannah (16-1)
3. Greater Atlanta Christian (11-4)
4. Redan (11-3)
5. Calhoun (15-3)
6. Haralson County (14-3)
7. Monroe (14-3)
8. Franklin County (14-4)
9. Hart County (15-3)
10. Ringgold (13-5) 

Class AA

1. Laney (16-1)
2. Dodge County (14-2)
3. Rabun County (17-1)
4. Model (13-4)
5. Vidalia (14-3)
6. Fitzgerald (11-1)
7. Bryan County (12-3)
8. Heard County (14-4)
9. Swainsboro (10-5)
10. Hapeville Charter (11-5)

Class A-Private

1. Holy Innocents’ (16-1)
2. St. Francis (13-4)
3. Wesleyan (14-3)
4. Lakeview Academy (14-4)
5. Calvary Day (13-3)
6. Pinecrest Academy (10-3)
7. Landmark Christian (13-3)
8. Darlington (11-5)
9. Stratford Academy (11-4)
10. Christian Heritage (9-5)

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (14-1)
2. Telfair County (15-1)
3. Woodville-Tompkins (15-3)
4. Wheeler County (15-2)
5. Treutlen (11-4)
6. Greenville (14-3)
7. Mitchell County (14-3)
8. Hancock Central (12-3)
9. Taylor County (12-4)
10. Marion County (13-4)

Each of the top three teams in Class AAAAAAA lost, but there is no change as Norcross, McEachern and Collins Hill go 1-2-3. The Blue Devils defeated No. 8 Brookwood on the road 48-40, but dropped to national power Riverdale, TN 69-50 at the Krossover Classic. McEachern blew out Marietta 70-38 and in the process knocked the Blue Devils from the Top 10. The Indians proceeded to lose to National Christian Academy, MD 57-48. Collins Hill’s loss came to Class A-Private No. 2 St. Francis 45-33. No. 5 Newton swaps places with No. 6 Archer after defeating the Tigers 56-53 on the road. New to the rankings is No. 10 Tift County. Another set of Blue Devils, Tift County beat Colquitt County in overtime 56-53 and won at Camden County 40-37.

Class AAAAAA No. 1 Harrison lost to Class AAAAA No. 1 Buford 49-43, but retains their hold atop of the state. Before their non-region loss, the Hoyas defeated No. 8 Creekview 56-41. The Grizzlies debut in the poll this week after knocking rival Sequoyah from the rankings with a 62-39 victory over the Chiefs. Also out of the Top 10 is Forest Park and Gainesville. Forest Park was crushed by No. 4 Lovejoy 57-16 while the Red Elephants lost at No. 3 Winder-Barrow 66-59 and to Class AAAAAAA No. 7 Westlake 57-43. Winder-Barrow drops a spot after they were crushed by Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ 68-33. New to the rankings this week is No. 9 Tucker and No. 10 Chattahoochee. The Cougars are in the statewide picture for the first time this season. They visit No. 7 Northview this Friday with a chance to cement themselves in the poll.

Buford’s victory over Harrison is as good as it gets right now in Class AAAAA. The Wolves are continuing to roll and have a firm hold on the No. 1 ranking. No. 7 Warner Robins suffered its first loss of the season and slips two spots. No. 10 Bainbridge defeated the Demonettes 48-43 and their victory propels them back into the Top 10. They replace McIntosh who was beat by No. 4 Griffin, 66-46. Villa Rica has been stuck at the No. 8 position, but the Wildcats are playing extremely well. They trounced Cass on the road 75-37. Region 7 will come down to Villa Rica’s rematch January 7 rematch at No. 6 Carrollton.

Class AAAA No. 1 North Oconee survived a scare from St. Pius, edging the Golden Lions 59-53. No. 2 Carver-Columbus turned back a tough No. 8 Americus-Sumter 50-47.  No. 7 Heritage-Catoosa spanked rival Class AAA No. 10 Ringgold 69-53.  No. 3 West Hall had a sluggish 35-32 victory over Chestatee.

No. 1 Beach over in Class AAA escaped a potential upset, winning at Glynn Academy 39-29. Hart County falls five spots after a 70-54 loss at home to Franklin County, who reenters the poll at No. 8. Ringgold tumbles four spots to No. 10 after their loss to Heritage-Catoosa and the fact that everyone behind them won out except for Central-Macon. The Chargers lost 42-40 to a surging Peach County. The Trojans are knocking at the door of busting into the Top 10.

The race for the No. 2 ranking in Class AA rages on. This week its Dodge County moving ahead of No. 3 Rabun County. The Indians have impressed out of Region 3. They went on the road and hammered Washington County 58-37, knocking the Golden Hawks from the poll. Dodge County also took it to Dublin on the road, 67-41. Fitzgerald was upset by Berrien 71-57 and falls two spots to No. 6. No. 4 Model is starting to regain their form, getting revenge against Class A-Private No. 10 Christian Heritage, beating the Lions 68-42 on the road after losing 63-52 earlier in the season. Dade County exits the poll after Model clipped them 63-48. Replacing the Wolverines is No. 9 Swainsboro. The Tigers have been playing sneaky good basketball and could play spoiler down the road in Region 2 as they are housed with No. 5 Vidalia who they split with and also No. 7 Bryan County who beat them by 12.

Both No. 1 Holy Innocents’ and No. 2 St. Francis made statements to not only the rest of Class A-Private, but the entire state. The Golden Bears crushed Winder-Barrow 68-33 while the Knights handled No. 6 Pinecrest Academy 71-53 and dispatched of host Collins Hill 45-33. First Presbyterian Day drops out of the rankings after a 37-29 loss to Wilkinson County. No. 9 Stratford Academy is back in the poll. The Eagles have rebounded from their ugly 24-13 loss to First Presbyterian Day which knocked them out of the poll. Stratford Academy defeated rival Tattnall Square Academy 42-32 and followed up with a road win over Wilkinson County 52-31.

Class A-Public No. 1 Pelham suffered its first loss of the year at Lowndes 71-70, but still remains the team to beat. No. 2 Telfair County boosted its resume with a 58-43 victory over Wilcox County, dropping the Patriots from the poll. Greenville slips two spots to No. 6 after a 56-49 loss at new No. 10 Marion County. Treutlen benefits from Greenville, Wilcox County and Taylor County all losing ahead of them and rise to No. 5.

Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (16-1)
2. McEachern (9-5)
3. Collins Hill (13-1)
4. Mill Creek (14-1)
5. Archer (11-3)
6. Newton (10-2)
7. Brookwood (11-4)
8. Westlake (10-5)
9. Lambert (13-2)
10. Marietta (13-3) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Harrison (13-2)
2. Winder-Barrow (9-4)
3. Douglas County (13-2)
4. Lovejoy (12-2)
5. Grovetown (10-5)
6. Stephenson (11-5)
7. Northview (13-3)
8. Forest Park (11-4)
9. Sequoyah (12-3)
10. Gainesville (8-3) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (13-0)
2. Flowery Branch (12-3)
3. Southwest DeKalb (12-4)
4. Griffin (14-0)
5. Warner Robins (14-0)
6. Maynard Jackson (12-1)
7. Carrollton (13-1)
8. Villa Rica (12-1)
9. Harris County (11-2)
10. McIntosh (11-2) 

Class AAAA

1. North Oconee (12-2)
2. Carver-Columbus (13-1)
3. West Hall (12-4)
4. Cross Creek (13-4)
5. Columbus (9-3)
6. Northwest Whitfield (11-4)
7. Americus-Sumter (12-2)
8. Heritage-Catoosa (14-2)
9. Sandy Creek (8-4)
10. Henry County (11-5) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (13-1)
2. Johnson-Savannah (14-1)
3. Greater Atlanta Christian (10-4)
4. Hart County (14-2)
5. Redan (9-3)
6. Ringgold (11-4)
7. Calhoun (13-3)
8. Haralson County (13-3)
9. Monroe (11-3)
10. Central-Macon (10-3) 

Class AA

1. Laney (14-1)
2. Rabun County (14-1)
3. Dodge County (12-2)
4. Fitzgerald (9-0)
5. Model (10-4)
6. Vidalia (11-3)
7. Dade County (11-4)
8. Bryan County (9-2)
9. Hapeville Charter (9-4)
10. Washington County (6-3) 

Class A-Private

1. Holy Innocents’ (14-1)
2. St. Francis (9-4)
3. Wesleyan (11-3)
4. Pinecrest Academy (9-2)
5. Lakeview Academy (12-4)
6. Calvary Day (11-3)
7. Landmark Christian (10-3)
8. Christian Heritage (7-4)
9. First Presbyterian Day (9-3)
10. Darlington (8-5) 

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (12-0)
2. Telfair County (12-1)
3. Woodville-Tompkins (14-3)
4. Greenville (12-2)
5. Wheeler County (12-2)
6. Wilcox County (10-4)
7. Taylor County (9-3)
8. Treutlen (9-4)
9. Mitchell County (10-3)
10. Hancock Central (9-3)

Due to the lack of games played because of the snow and ice, and a dearth of upsets this week, three classifications see no changes at all. There was no movement in Class AAAAAAA and hardly any action on the court. No. 1 Norcross managed to build its resume with a 55-38 win over Parkview. No. 9 Lambert is dangerous at the bottom of the poll, defeating West Forsyth 63-38. No. 10 Marietta edged Mountain View 68-56.

Region 6-AAAAAA’s Top 10 showdown didn’t disappoint as No. 1 Harrison was able to hold off a pesky No. 9 Sequoyah team. The Hoyas survived not having Sydne Wiggins (Rice) and 10 Sequoyah threes – six from Peyton Satterfield (20 points) – to win 73-60. The Lady Chiefs lost star point guard Alyssa Cagle to a broken nose in the second quarter, but still were in striking distance heading into the fourth quarter on the road down 58-51. The third time was a charm for No. 2 Winder-Barrow as the Lady Doggs finally found a way to solve Class AAAAA No. 2 Flowery Branch, 53-45. Olivia Nelson-Ododa carried the load with 17 points and 11 rebounds. No. 7 Northview evaded a late Alpharetta rally to win 42-41 and take a commanding two-game lead in Region 7. Shannon Titus scored 24 points.

Even with their loss to Winder-Barrow, Flowery Branch holds onto No. 2 in Class AAAAA, meaning there is no change in the polls this week. The Falcons stay ahead of No. 3 Southwest DeKalb due to strength of schedule and a whopping six wins over ranked opponents. Junior forward Taniyah Worth continued to cement herself as one of the best junior forwards in the state, posting 30 points, eight rebounds and three steals against Winder-Barrow’s frontline anchored by the No. 1 ranked junior in the nation. No. 4 Griffin had a nice 60-36 win over Spalding while No. 7 Carrollton handed Rome just their second loss of the season, 74-51. No. 10 McIntosh took care of business in their rivalry game with Class AAAA No. 9 Sandy Creek, 49-44 led by Rylee Calhoun’s 17 points.

No. 4 Cross Creek is getting hot in Class AAAA, drilling Burke County 59-37 and Hephzibah 71-46, both games on the road.  No. 6 Northwest Whitfield dumped Dalton and Gilmer while No. 7 Americus-Sumter drilled Cairo. Sandy Creek slips a spot to No. 9 after losing to McIntosh.

Everything remained status quo in Class AAA with no shuffling. No. 1 Beach went on the road and defeated Brunswick 60-51 and Jenkins 67-33. No. 2 Johnson-Savannah crushed Islands and pounded away at Brunswick 55-39 on the road. No. 4 Hart County dispatched of East Jackson 79-48 and Morgan County 56-53, who is now 4-11 overall.

Class AA sees Dublin tumbled out of the Top 10 after taking a 75-45 loss to new No. 10 Washington County. Region 3 has been very competitive this season and the Golden Hawks will put their new ranking to the test right away as they host No. 3 Dodge County on Tuesday. Elsewhere, No. 4 Fitzgerald remains unblemished behind their balanced scoring attack. In their 70-59 road win over Brooks County, T’kayshza King finished with 20 points, five rebounds, six assists and six steals. Shalynn Thornton added 18 points and 10 rebounds while Kirstin Crook (14) and Briana Richardson (11) both cracked double figures.

No. 1 Holy Innocents’ received 16 points apiece from Khayla Pointer (LSU) and Kaila Hubbard to knocked off No. 3 Wesleyan 61-54 in a crucial Region 5 A-Private tilt. No. 2 St. Francis drilled Fellowship Christian 70-17 and will now host No. 4 Pinecrest Academy on Tuesday. Calvary Day moves up a spot to No. 6 after shaking off a loss to Class A-Public’s No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins and beating No. 5 Wheeler County (70-55) and No. 8 Treutlen (54-38). Tattnall Square Academy and Stratford Academy both exit after underwhelming performances. The Trojans lost to Wilkinson County 43-38 while the Eagles were held scoreless in the first quarter and to just three points at the half in an ugly 24-13 loss at new No. 9 First Presbyterian Day. Darlington rejoins the party at No. 10 and remains dangerous with Wofford-signee Anna Claire Atha able to take over a game at the blink of an eye.

Class A-Public sees Telfair County take over No. 2 after Wheeler County slips three spots to No. 5 after a loss to Calvary Day. No. 3 Woodville-Tompkins is surging, enjoying their best season in school history. The Wolverines swept Calvary Day with a 62-58 win this week. Macon County and Marion County don’t survive the week after the Bulldogs lost to the Eagles 60-57 and to No. 4 Greenville 60-52. The Eagles dropped to Central, AL 67-54 and barely lose out on a Top 10 spot. Replacing the two are No. 9 Mitchell County and No. 10 Hancock Central. Mitchell County hung a 52-41 loss on Terrell County on the road. The Bulldogs are 7-0 in Region 7 with their only losses coming to ranked opponents. Class AAAA’s Baldwin beat them twice while Class AA Washington County edged them once.

Class AAAAAAA

1. Norcross (15-1)
2. McEachern (9-5)
3. Collins Hill (13-1)
4. Mill Creek (14-1)
5. Archer (11-3)
6. Newton (10-2)
7. Brookwood (11-4)
8. Westlake (10-5)
9. Lambert (12-2)
10. Marietta (12-3) 

Class AAAAAA

1. Harrison (11-2)
2. Winder-Barrow (8-4)
3. Douglas County (13-2)
4. Lovejoy (12-2)
5. Grovetown (10-5)
6. Stephenson (10-5)
7. Sequoyah (11-2)
8. Northview (12-3)
9. Forest Park (11-4)
10. Gainesville (8-3) 

Class AAAAA

1. Buford (11-0)
2. Flowery Branch (12-2)
3. Southwest DeKalb (12-4)
4. Griffin (13-0)
5. Warner Robins (13-0)
6. Maynard Jackson (11-1)
7. Carrollton (11-1)
8. Villa Rica (12-1)
9. Harris County (10-2)
10. McIntosh (10-2) 

Class AAAA

1. North Oconee (12-2)
2. Carver-Columbus (13-1)
3. West Hall (11-4)
4. Cross Creek (11-4)
5. Columbus (9-3)
6. Northwest Whitfield (9-4)
7. Americus-Sumter (11-2)
8. Sandy Creek (8-3)
9. Heritage-Catoosa (14-2)
10. Henry County (11-5) 

Class AAA

1. Beach (11-1)
2. Johnson-Savannah (12-1)
3. Greater Atlanta Christian (10-4)
4. Hart County (12-2)
5. Redan (9-2)
6. Ringgold (11-4)
7. Calhoun (12-3)
8. Haralson County (10-3)
9. Monroe (9-3)
10. Central-Macon (8-3) 

Class AA

1. Laney (12-1)
2. Rabun County (13-1)
3. Dodge County (10-2)
4. Fitzgerald (7-0)
5. Model (9-4)
6. Vidalia (9-3)
7. Dublin (7-3)
8. Dade County (10-4)
9. Bryan County (9-2)
10. Hapeville Charter (9-4) 

Class A-Private

1. Holy Innocents’ (12-1)
2. St. Francis (8-4)
3. Wesleyan (10-2)
4. Pinecrest Academy (8-2)
5. Lakeview Academy (11-4)
6. Landmark Christian (9-3)
7. Calvary Day (9-2)
8. Tattnall Square Academy (8-4)
9. Stratford Academy (8-3)
10. Christian Heritage (6-4) 

Class A-Public

1. Pelham (10-0)
2. Wheeler County (12-1)
3. Telfair County (10-1)
4. Greenville (10-2)
5. Woodville-Tompkins (11-3)
6. Treutlen (8-3)
7. Wilcox County (8-4)
8. Taylor County (8-3)
9. Macon County (6-3)
10. Marion County (8-3) 

As they did on the boys side, holiday tournaments have tested some of the state’s best girls programs and in the process have both helped and hurt teams’ momentum heading into the heart of region play as the calendar year flips over to January 2017. In Class AAAAAAA, No. 2 McEachern overtakes No. 3 Collins Hill after the Indians went 4-1 in the Sandra Meadows Classic while the Eagles were blown out by national powerhouse Riverdale, TN 73-35 at the State Farm Classic. Mill Creek holds strong at No. 4 and looks like the best non-national team in the state behind the top three who travel all over the country. The Hawks continued to dominate in Georgia, winning the Sweet South Classic with victories over Hapeville Charter 61-49 and Spalding 56-43. Brookwood closed 2016 with authority, winning the Deep South Classic beating three teams that have been ranked over the course of the year in North Forsyth (47-44), Franklin County (66-49) and No. 9 Lambert (55-42). Hillgrove and Colquitt County fall out and are replaced by the Longhorns and first time entry into the Top 10, Marietta. Hillgrove lost to Lambert 53-50 at the Deep South Classic while Colquitt County lost to both Valdosta and Monroe. Marietta scored a 49-39 win over Creekview at the Campbell Holiday Classic before falling to Douglas County 77-58.

Mays has lost five straight games and now sits at 5-7 an unranked in Class AAAAAA. The Raiders have played a difficult schedule, going 0-3 at the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic and will need to regain their footing once they return to Georgia which is more than doable. Lovejoy rises to No. 4 as No. 5 Grovetown slipped against Cross Creek 57-51 at the Monterrey Christmas Classic. No. 3 Douglas County defeated No. 7 Sequoyah at the Campbell Holliday Classic 56-45. The Lady Chiefs also dropped to Creekview 36-33. Joining Mays on the unranked circuit is Jonesboro. The Cardinals finished 1-2 at the Grayson Ram Classic, losing 64-44 to Buford and 37-36 to Rockdale County. No. 9 Forest Park and No. 10 Gainesville crack the poll. Forest Park debuts after a 2-1 showing at the Balln Prep Invitational. The Red Elephants opened the year ranked but quickly fell out. They are back in after a 2-1 Lanierland, beating Chestatee 56-44, losing to West Hall 59-50 and defeating Lakeview Academy 65-55.

Region 8-AAAAA cruised in their respective tournaments with No. 1 Buford going 3-0 at the Grayson Ram Classic and No. 2 Flowery Branch winning Lanierland for the second straight season, beating West Hall 59-50 in the title game. Arabia Mountain stumbled against Spalding 47-37 and beat Hapeville Charter 41-35 but it wasn’t enough to hold off No. 10 McIntosh who makes a Top 10 appearance after winning the Mary Persons Tournament Championship and beating Perry 47-37.

Carver-Columbus is up to No. 2 in Class AAAA after a strong showing at the Balln Prep Invitational, but North Oconee still clings onto No. 1 with a 2-1 trip at the Carolina Invitational. No. 4 Cross Creek knocked off Grovetown 57-51, but West Hall still has the slight advantage over the Razorbacks for the No. 3 spot after beating East Hall (51-39) and Gainesville at Lanierland. Perry and Jefferson don’t survive the final week of 2016. Perry lost to McIntosh while Jefferson went 1-2 at the Carolina Invitational. No. 9 Heritage-Catoosa and No. 10 Henry County climb back into the poll. The Warhawks finished 2-1 at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational. Keep an eye on unranked Burke County (7-4). The Bears picked up wins over ranked Class A-Private programs Tattnall Square Academy and Stratford Academy at the Tattnall Christmas Tournament. Burke County hosts Cross Creek tomorrow in both teams’ first Region 3 contest of the season.

In AAA, No. 6 Ringgold went 1-2 at the Beech Christmas Tournament while No. 4 Hart County earned two wins at the 9^th annual McDonald’s Shootout before falling to Greenville, SC 75-44. Monroe slips three spots following losses to Rickards, FL (51-39) and Colquitt County (67-45). Central-Macon debuts at No. 10. The Lady Chargers are 8-3 coming off a Greenville Classic Championship, beating Class A-Public No. 4 Greenville 48-42.

Class AA has seen No. 5 Model not fully hit their stride yet. They went 1-2 at the Disney KSA event, losing to Pope 49-43 in the process. Dodge County hangs tight at No. 3 after a strong showing at the Volume Hyundai Classic at GSCU, losing in the championship to Class AAAAA No. 6 Maynard Jackson 54-50. No. 4 Fitzgerald moves up two spots and No. 7 Dublin moves up three spots while Heard County drops out after losses to LaGrange 43-37 and Troup County 44-24. No. 9 Bryan County sneaks back in the Top 10 at 9-2.

Holy Innocents’ claims No. 1 in Class A-Private as No. 2 St. Francis hasn’t been as dominant on the national circuit as they were last year, this time losing to Mercer County, KY 77-72. No. 5 Lakeview Academy disappointed at Lanierland going 1-2. They beat North Hall in the opening round 68-54, but were beat by Flowery Branch 70-48 and Gainesville 65-55. Fellowship Christian departs from the rankings after losing to Pickens and Gilmer at the Fannin County Christmas Tournament. No. 9 Stratford Academy jumps into the picture following a 50-34 win over Macon County.

Speaking of Macon County, after skyrocketing up to No. 6 last week in Class A-Public, their first week in the poll, the Bulldogs have dropped three straight and now find themselves at No. 9. They went 0-3 at the Tattnall Square tournament losing to Stratford, Fairview Christian Academy, TN and Carver-Atlanta. No. 2 Wheeler County went to Vidalia and won their tournament, beating the Class AA No. 6 in the process 68-56. Terrell County falls out after a 54-51 loss to Westover. Marion County takes a hold of No. 10.