Tag Archives: Girls

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Game Stories

Explosive fourth quarter powers No. 2 Wesleyan past Fayette County at Queens of the Hardwood Classic

1 Comment

Contributed by Rob Grubbs  (@RCGJr226070)

Sponsored by:   @sportalspace

No. 2 Wesleyan 83, Fayette County 58

https://twitter.com/RCGJr226070/status/942122229759987713

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga – In girls high school basketball, the holiday tournaments give teams the opportunity to play against competition from other classifications and parts of the state, it is a good gauge of where they are and what they need to work on before region games heat up in January.  The Fayette County Lady Tigers, who advanced to the Sweet 16 last year in Class AAAAA, have gotten off to a strong start and got the chance to face one of the most storied ladies’ programs in the state, the No. 2 Wesleyan Lady Wolves. Under the leadership of Head Coach Jan Azar, Wesleyan has won 12 state championships in the past 16 years.  The current edition is led by the talented senior duo of point guard Amaya Register who is signed to Old Dominion and Furman-signee Sutton West, but an otherwise young supporting cast. While the Lady Tigers (8-2) played Wesleyan even through the first quarter, emerging star sophomore AC Carter dominated on the offensive and defensive sides of the court and led the Lady Wolves (6-1) to an impressive 83-58 win.

The opening tip of the game gave a glimpse what was to transpire as West easily tipped the ball out to Carter who had an easy lay-up for the opening score. West would score on their next possession to go up 4-0 less than one minute in and a sudden feeling of a blow-out wafted overhead, but Lady Tiger senior forward Rikkelle Miller knocked down a three to answer, which seemed to settle her team down. Miller hit another three-pointer at the end of the first quarter to tie things up at 20. An otherwise impressive first quarter by the Lady Tigers did have one negative, the sharpshooting Miller picked up two quick fouls, the second one only three minutes into the game, it would significantly affect the way Fayette County Head Coach John Strickland rotated her in and out to protect her.

The Wolves struck quickly to start the second half, they went on a 9-0 run over the first 3 minutes. Register and Carter scored during the run that put the Lady Wolves up for good. The Lady Wolves may have stars, but their roster is strong from top to bottom and minutes are spread out.  When West sat down in the second quarter, Sophomore Izzy Larsen got productive time and scored off an offensive rebound and put back. Another sophomore, Lauren Hill, hit a three from the top of the key and Register followed suit. Fayette County senior guard Trinity Brown, who had the task of answering the Wesleyan press all game, kept the Lady Tigers within striking distance, she slashed to the basket on two occasions for lay-ups to keep her team close. At the half, the Lady Wolves were up 40-31.  After the 9-0 run to start the quarter, the Lady Tigers matched points the rest of the half.

The third started like the first, Carter hit a triple on the first play. It was the start of a surgically precise third quarter where the Lady Wolves operated at will. They hit six three-pointers in the quarter alone, Carter and Register with two each, and Nicole Azar and Hill also getting one. Maegan Barkley was a bright spot in the second half for the Lady Tigers, she made an athletic steal at mid-court and a drive for the basket plus the foul to keep Fayette County within reach at 58-45.

By the fourth quarter, the game was decided. It was an opportunity to showcase some skillsets and get some younger players some playing time. Carter impressed the crowd with a strong defensive rebound and then drove the length of the floor for the lay-up. She was almost unguardable throughout the game.  Miller would add one more three with 6 minutes remaining, but the Lady Wolves closed out strong for the 25-point win.

https://twitter.com/RCGJr226070/status/942148694345965568

Coach Azar was proud of the effort afterwards, “We have not played in 11 days, so I was really impressed at our shooting, we shot the ball really well. And made shots on the offensive end allow us to set up the press. Fayette County is a good team, we just hit the shots that let us jump out to a big lead and put it away.”

The Lady Wolves are going to be sending a lot of good teams home with 25-point losses as the season progresses.

Rob’s Takeaways

  1. The Wesleyan Lady Wolves arrived at the gym 25 minutes prior to game time, they literally walked off their bus, put on tournament tee-shirts and started their warm-up routine.
  2. Senior Sutton West is a state championship machine, she currently has 7 (two in basketball, once in soccer and four in track). She has the chance to get four more this year. She is their best defender and usually draws the opponent’s best player. She can bring the ball up court, effectively maneuver the press and score off the dribble.
  3. The Lady Wolves offense runs through AC Carter, Amaya Register typically makes an entry pass to her at the free-throw line and she either drives to the hoop from a spin move, passes to a cutter headed to the basket, or back out to Register who resets the play.
  4. Early foul trouble on Fayette County’s Rikkelle Miller hurt the Lady Tiger game plan. Her ability to score from beyond the three-point line was paramount to keeping the Tigers in the game.
  5. Fayette County’s senior guard combo of Trinity Brown and Meagan Barkley have been in Coach Strickland’s system since freshman year and are athletic and physical.  Their play and leadership make them the favorite in Region 3-AAAAA.
  6. Wesleyan freshman Alyssa Phillip has been getting increased playing time in Coach Azar’s system. There is a lot of depth in front of her, but you can see her potential. Great size and physical around the basket.
  7. Coach Azar’s daughter, freshman Nicole is a three-point sharpshooter and another weapon off the bench for the Lady Wolves. She had two in the game.
  8. At one point during the game, Coach Azar and Register were having a strategy conversation during a Fayette County free throw about the technical aspects of the upcoming possession. The discussion sounded like a graduate level class lecture. The Wesleyan basketball IQ is off the charts.
  9. Fayette County has two post players that are getting their first significant playing time, sophomore Naomi Franco and junior Celine Akande. They have great potential to improve and give the guard-laden team more options as the season progresses.
  10. Regardless of what the PA announcer said – it’s Wesleyan – not Wesley-Anne.
  11. The Players of the Game, as determined by the teams’ head coaches were Maegan Barkley for Fayette County and Amaya Register for Wesleyan.
  12. Up next – for Wesleyan, they face Miller Grove on Tuesday at the War Eagle Classic @ Woodward Academy. Fayette County travels to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the Crescom Invitational.

Top Performers

Wesleyan
AC Carter – 27 points, 15 rebounds
Sutton West – 10 points, 10 rebounds
Amaya Register – 18 points, 6 assists

Fayette County
Maegan Barkley – 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Rikkelle Miller – 16 points, 4 rebounds
Trinity Brown – 10 points, 6 assists
Sydney Sims – 4 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 4 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Westlake (5-0)
  2. Collins Hill (6-1)
  3. Norcross (7-1)
  4. McEachern (5-2)
  5. Colquitt County (6-1)
  6. Newton (7-1)
  7. Cherokee (6-1)
  8. North Forsyth (6-1)
  9. Brookwood (4-1)
  10. South Gwinnett (7-1) 

Class AAAAAA

  1. Lovejoy (7-0)
  2. Harrison (5-1)
  3. Winder-Barrow (6-0)
  4. Alpharetta (6-0)
  5. Northview (5-2)
  6. Sequoyah (5-1)
  7. Forest Park (4-2)
  8. Stephenson (4-3)
  9. Tucker (4-1)
  10. Northside-Warner Robins (5-1) 

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (6-0)
  2. Flowery Branch (5-1)
  3. Carrollton (3-1)
  4. Dutchtown (6-1)
  5. Eagle’s Landing (6-3)
  6. Harris County (6-0)
  7. Bainbridge (8-2)
  8. Villa Rica (5-0)
  9. Southwest DeKalb (3-3)
  10. Maynard Jackson (5-0) 

Class AAAA

  1. Carver-Columbus (6-0)
  2. Henry County (7-0)
  3. Spalding (7-0)
  4. Luella (7-1)
  5. Jefferson (4-2)
  6. Northwest Whitfield (5-1)
  7. Madison County (2-2)
  8. West Hall (5-2)
  9. Baldwin (6-0)
  10. Marist (6-0) 

Class AAA

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

Class AA

  1. Laney (4-0)
  2. Rabun County (6-0)
  3. Fitzgerald (2-0)
  4. Swainsboro (5-0)
  5. Model (6-2)
  6. Putnam County (5-0)
  7. Banks County (3-1)
  8. Dodge County (6-1)
  9. Dublin (6-1)
  10. Berrien (7-2) 

Class A-Private

  1. Holy Innocents’ (6-1)
  2. Wesleyan (5-1)
  3. St. Francis (5-1)
  4. Our Lady of Mercy (5-1)
  5. Landmark Christian (5-3)
  6. Fellowship Christian (2-2)
  7. Stratford Academy (4-2)
  8. Christian Heritage (5-1)
  9. Athens Academy (5-1)
  10. Pinecrest Academy (2-3) 

Class A-Public

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

 

Due to the lack of games because of the snow storm, there are no changes in Class AAAAAAA. No. 3 Norcross picked up a 70-46 win over Marietta and No. 8 North Forsyth beat Archer 50-46 to highlight last week’s notable results.

No. 2 Harrison knocked Creekview (3-4) back out of the Class AAAAAA Top 10 with a 66-51 win in Region 6. Also exiting the poll is Bradwell Institute (6-2); the Lady Tigers were beat at Brunswick 65-64. Replacing the Grizzlies and Tigers are debutants No. 9 Tucker and No. 10 Northside-Warner Robins. The Tigers are no stranger to the state rankings but make their first appearance in Week 4. They have won four straight games following a season opening loss to Class 7A No. 3 Norcross, 63-52. The Lady Eagles enter the rankings following a 47-33 win at Bleckley County, dropping the Royals from the Top 10 in Class AA. Northside-Warner Robins also holds a 60-49 victory over Brunswick coming at the Jag Challenge at Spalding. 6-foot senior post Tamia Sapp anchors the Eagles inside averaging 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

Arabia Mountain (5-1) gets squeezed out of the Class AAAAA rankings to make way for No. 6 Harris County. The Lady Tigers bust into the Top 10 thanks to a dominant 75-57 win over No. 7 Bainbridge, who slides three spots. The Tigers have the best inside duo in the state between Mississippi State-signee Jessika Carter (23.5 ppg, 15.8 rpg, 5.5 bpg) and junior Taziha Fanning (15.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg). Carter’s younger sisters are beginning to blossom, giving Coach Steffanie Ramsey an embarrassment of size and length. 5-foot-11 junior Ny’Azjha Carter-Ransom is averaging 10 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3 assists while 6-foot-4 sophomore ZiKeyah Carter-Ransom is fourth on the team in both scoring and rebounding. Outside shooting and guard play will determine how deep the Tigers will go this season.

The only movement in Class AAAA comes at the bottom of the poll with No. 8 West Hall jumping two spots following their 52-46 win over Class 2A No. 7 Banks County. Anna McKendree dropped 31 points to pace the Lady Spartans followed by Aashyah White’s 10.

Class AAA sees no shuffling. No. 2 Beach defeated Brunswick 38-32 and now travels to rival No. 6 Johnson-Savannah for a state championship rematch. The Atomsmashers have won five-straight including avenging a season-opening 46-41 loss to Camden County by edging the Wildcats 50-49 on the road. No. 7 Dawson County held on for a 56-52 win at Blessed Trinity without star Kaylee Sticker who sprained her ankle in the third quarter. Sticker finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists before subbing out; it is likely she will miss some time.

To no surprise, No. 1 Laney is rolling in Class AA. Alabama-signee De’Sha Benjamin is averaging 28 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.3 blocks to power the aggressive Wildcats. Jhessyka Williams is posting 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists per game as an athletic wing while junior Jaiden Hamilton is collecting 18 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists on average. No. 7 Banks County is down two spots following their loss to Class 4A No. 8 West Hall. The Lady Leopards see No. 5 Model and Region 8 opposition No. 6 Putnam County climb ahead of them for now. The Squaws of No. 8 Dodge County were inline for a major jump after wins against Class A-Public No. 7 Wilcox County 59-42 and Bleckley County 63-60, helping knock the Royals from the rankings at 2-3, but Dodge County was upset on a buzzer beater at East Laurens 52-51, keeping them locked at No. 8. Replacing Bleckley County is No. 9 Dublin. The Irish thrashed Treutlen 53-35 in Soperton.

There’s more madness in the middle of the rankings in Class A-Private. No. 4 Our Lady of Mercy has won five in a row and now is ranked for the first time following their 59-48 win over No. 5 Landmark Christian. Reigning Class A-Private Player of the Year Morgan Jones has been unstoppable again this season, averaging 36.2 points and 11.7 rebounds. The Florida State-signee torched Landmark Christian for 47 points and 20 rebounds. There will be more fireworks this week as Jones leads her Lady Bobcats against No. 6 Fellowship Christian. The Lady Paladins beat No. 10 Pinecrest Academy for the second time this season, 53-50, behind Cameron Swartz’ 36 points. The Colorado-signee is averaging 33.5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3.7 steals per game. Dropping out to make way for Our Lady of Mercy is Greenforest (1-3)

No. 2 Telfair County defeated No. 7 Wilcox County 53-49 in Class A-Public. No. 9 Woodville-Tompkins is teetering on falling out of the Top 10 along with Region 3 rival Treutlen (1-4). The Wolverines lost in overtime to Savannah Country Day 46-41, but rebounded with a 40-37 overtime win against Savannah Christian. Treutlen was blown out 53-22 by No. 3 Wheeler County and by Class 2A No. 9 Dublin 53-35.

Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 3 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Westlake (5-0)
  2. Collins Hill (6-1)
  3. Norcross (6-1)
  4. McEachern (5-2)
  5. Colquitt County (5-1)
  6. Newton (6-1)
  7. Cherokee (5-1)
  8. North Forsyth (5-1)
  9. Brookwood (3-1)
  10. South Gwinnett (6-1) 

Class AAAAAA

  1. Lovejoy (7-0)
  2. Harrison (4-1)
  3. Winder-Barrow (5-0)
  4. Alpharetta (5-0)
  5. Northview (4-2)
  6. Bradwell Institute (5-1)
  7. Sequoyah (4-1)
  8. Forest Park (3-2)
  9. Stephenson (3-3)
  10. Creekview (3-3) 

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (5-0)
  2. Flowery Branch (4-1)
  3. Carrollton (2-1)
  4. Bainbridge (6-1)
  5. Dutchtown (5-1)
  6. Eagle’s Landing (4-3)
  7. Villa Rica (4-0)
  8. Southwest DeKalb (2-3)
  9. Maynard Jackson (4-0)
  10. Arabia Mountain (4-1) 

Class AAAA

  1. Carver-Columbus (4-0)
  2. Henry County (7-0)
  3. Spalding (5-0)
  4. Luella (7-1)
  5. Jefferson (2-2)
  6. Northwest Whitfield (4-1)
  7. Madison County (2-2)
  8. Baldwin (5-0)
  9. Marist (5-0)
  10. West Hall (4-2) 

Class AAA

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

Class AA

  1. Laney (2-0)
  2. Rabun County (4-0)
  3. Fitzgerald (2-0)
  4. Swainsboro (4-0)
  5. Banks County (3-0)
  6. Model (5-2)
  7. Putnam County (4-0)
  8. Dodge County (4-0)
  9. Berrien (5-1)
  10. Bleckley County (2-0)

Class A-Private

  1. Holy Innocents’ (5-1)
  2. Wesleyan (4-1)
  3. St. Francis (4-1)
  4. Landmark Christian (5-2)
  5. Stratford Academy (3-1)
  6. Fellowship Christian (1-2)
  7. Christian Heritage (4-1)
  8. Pinecrest Academy (2-2)
  9. Greenforest (1-3)
  10. Athens Academy (4-1)

Class A-Public

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

 

The only movement in Class AAAAAAA is No. 3 Norcross swapping places with No. 4 McEachern. The Lady Indians lost to Class 3A No. 1 GAC 61-50. No. 2 Collins Hill beat GAC by the same score, 61-50. No. 6 Newton fended off No. 10 South Gwinnett 61-58. The Lady Comets proved they belong in the rankings and will stay in another week even after the loss. No. 7 Cherokee picked up quality wins over North Cobb (58-44) and Class 6A No. 10 Creekview (54-30). No. 8 North Forsyth’s Caroline Shope nailed a Raider-record 11 three-pointers in their 77-39 win over Chestatee. The King’s Academy transfer finished with 39 points, proving her scoring prowess can cross over competition levels.

Class AAAAAA sees more movement in the middle of the rankings and a couple new faces. No. 1 Lovejoy knocked off No. 8 Forest Park 60-48 in their first true test of the season. Sophomores Genesis Bryant (20 points) and Anaya Boyd (16 points 10 rebounds) led the way. No. 3 Winder-Barrow looked much better, beating Class 5A No. 2 Flowery Branch 50-48 on a late Chellia Watson layup.  No. 4 Alpharetta surges ahead of Region 7 frontrunner No. 5 Northview following the Lady Titans’ 56-41 loss to Class 5A No. 2 Flowery Branch at the Wesleyan Showcase. The addition of Sydnie Ward changes the entire dynamic of the Alpharetta backcourt. Transferring in from Tennessee, the Mississippi Valley State-commit has already put the state on notice, winning Roswell Rotary Air Invitational Tournament MVP a few weeks back. No. 7 Sequoyah is down two spots after losing to rival No. 10 Creekview 60-45, helping the Grizzlies climb back into the poll. Debuting is No. 6 Bradwell Institute. The Lady Tigers have already secured wins over Class A-Public No. 8 Woodville-Tompkins (57-40) and last week’s Class AAA No. 10 Tattnall County (54-39). Their only loss came against defending Class AAA state champion No. 2 Beach 50-48. Junior guard Jasmine Blevins is averaging 23.2 points, 5.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Valdosta (1-3) and Lanier (5-2) both exit the rankings. The Wildcats lost to Tift County 47-46 while the Longhorns faltered at South Forsyth 50-46.

No. 1 Buford and No. 2 Flowery Branch are beginning to stack up the wins in Class AAAAA. The Lady Wolves beat Morgan County 70-23 before sneaking past Class A-Private No. 2 Wesleyan in overtime at the Wesleyan Showcase, 48-46. The Lady Falcons regrouped after their loss to Winder-Barrow to beat Northview 56-41 behind Caroline Wysocki’s 18 points. No. 6 Eagle’s Landing drops three spots following their 49-41 loss to No. 5 Dutchtown, who skyrockets back into the Top 10. The Bulldogs take the place of Fayette County (5-1) who dropped a close one to red-hot Henry County.

In Class AAAA, No. 2 Henry County jumps undefeated No. 3 Spalding thanks to two wins against ranked opponents. The Warhawks beat Fayette County 59-50 and followed up with a 57-48 win over No. 4 Luella, who doesn’t lose any ground in the poll. No. 10 West Hall falls three spots after losing to Class AAA No. 7 Dawson County 60-47. Burke County (3-1) tumbles out of the Top 10 after a 61-51 loss to Josey. They are replaced by undefeated No. 9 Marist.

No. 1 Greater Atlanta Christian suffered their first loss to Class 7A No. 2 Collins Hill at the Wesleyan Showcase 61-50, but still remains in the top spot in Class AAA. Before their loss, the Spartans earned a 61-50 win over Class 7A No. 4 McEachern. No. 5 Lovett scored a 45-43 victory against Region 5 rival Cedar Grove. No. 7 Dawson County rises a spot after their 60-47 win over West Hall while Hart County stays put at No. 9 after another loss to Banks County. Tattnall County (4-1) slips out following a loss to Bradwell Institute, making way for No. 10 North Murray, who holds wins over Heritage-Catoosa (59-50) and Dalton (56-29).

Class AA’s No. 2 Rabun County survived a scare against Union County 48-45. No. 6 Model wasn’t as fortunate as the Lady Blue Devils are down two slots after getting blown out by Class 6A No. 7 Sequoyah 78-48 at the Wesleyan Showcase. No. 5 Banks County rises one position thanks to their second early season victory against Class AAA No. 9 Hart County, 57-53. No. 7 Putnam County now has a playmaker to pair with Rykia Pennamon. Sophomore guard Jashanti Simmons is averaging 21.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. No. 8 Dodge County disposed of Class A-Public No. 2 Telfair County 62-57.

Things are getting hectic in Class A-Private below the Top 3. No. 2 Wesleyan hammered No. 4 Landmark Christian 81-41, exemplifying just how wide the gap is from No. 1 Holy Innocents’, Wesleyan and No. 3 St. Francis from the rest of the classification. No. 5 Stratford Academy is up a spot after knocking off No. 8 Pinecrest Academy 70-50, but then were defeated by Landmark Christian 59-56. Region 8 teams Prince Avenue Christian (1-1) and Lakeview Academy (1-3) exit the poll. The Wolverines took a 47-44 loss at Elbert County while the Lady Lions were blitzed by St. Francis. No. 7 Christian Heritage and No. 10 Athens Academy get their first crack at the Top 10. The Lions have wins over Galloway (52-51) and Mt. Paran (49-26) with their only loss coming to Class 3A No. 5 Lovett 64-41. The Lady Spartans are the latest Region 8 team to make an appearance. Their best win is a 38-35 defensive battle against Tattnall Square Academy. They also have a 63-37 loss at Stratford Academy.

No. 10 Treutlen is down five spots in Class A-Public after losses to No. 8 Woodville-Tompkins 57-51 and to Dublin 57-27. No. 2 Telfair County was defeated by Dodge County 62-57 but rebounded with a 68-37 thumping of Turner County (0-1) who falls out of the Top 10. Into the rankings is No. 9 Terrell County.

GHSA, Girls Basketball

Peach State Stops of the Week (11/26-12/2)

People always ask me, “What’s the best game in town this week?” 

Peach State Stops of the Week will highlight some of the best basketball being played in Georgia for the current week. Whether it’s a tournament/showcase, a region rivalry, a Top 10 showdown, or a seldom heard sleeper, Peach State Stops of the Week will let you know what gym you need to get into.

Wesleyan Showcase

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Eight state-ranked teams head to Norcross, GA this Saturday for the Wesleyan Showcase. If you’re searching for elite level girls basketball, look no further. Future D-1 players litter the floor.

1 PM: Class 2A No. 4 Model vs. Class 6A No. 5 Sequoyah

The guard-heavy Lady Chiefs will have to slow down South Carolina-signee Victaria Saxton of Model. The 6-foot-1 post is an elite rebounder and shot blocker and a gazelle in the open floor. She has carried the Blue Devil program since her freshman season. The double-double machine will have a major size advantage against the Lady Chiefs, but Sequoyah will throw an experienced backcourt that knows how to win back at Model. Alyssa Cagle is one of the state’s best unsigned point guards, that has completely healed from last year’s ACL tear. Peyton Satterfield is the school’s single-game recorder holder for most three-pointers made and Colby Carden is a feisty scorer and defender.

2:30 PM: Class 6A No. 4 Northview vs. Class 5A No. 2 Flowery Branch

The Lady Titans of Northview took their lumps against Wesleyan at the Johns Creek Gladiator Showcase and now gets a chance to see if they are better for it as they meet North Georgia power, Flowery Branch. The Taniyah Worth (Alabama) vs. Ashlee Austin matchup might be one of the best in the event. Worth is a do-everything small forward that can carry the Lady Falcons while Austin is a physical stretch-four that plays with a mean streak. The supporting casts will be the deciding factor. Junior guard Caroline Wysocki has taken her game to the next level for Coach Courtney Gonzalez and gives Flowery Branch a reliable second scoring option next to Worth. Her and veteran Lexie Sengkhammee have seen the best of the best while at Flowery Branch. They matchup against Northview’s young and dynamic backcourt of sophomore point guard Asjah Inniss and freshman shooting guard Eden Sample, who is coming off a career-high 24 points. Inside, 6-foot-3 freshman Ashlee Locke locks horns with bruiser Maya Richards. Foul trouble has crippled the Lady Titans in big games in the past; if Inniss and Richards get tagged quickly, Flowery Branch might soar past them.

4 PM: Class 7A No. 2 Collins Hill vs. Class 3A No. 1 GAC

This star-studded matchup features two teams with sky-high expectations that will consider their seasons a failure if they don’t win their respective state titles. Collins Hill’s Bria Harmon (Purdue), Javyn Nicholson (UGA), Jada Rice (NC State) and Jaron Stallworth (Mercer) go to war with GAC’s Robyn Benton (Auburn), Caria Reynolds (Hofstra), Taylor Sutton (MTSU) and MaryMartha Turner (Wofford). The Spartans have smoked everyone they’ve played, including beating Class 7A No. 4 Norcross (64-51), Class 5A No. 7 Southwest DeKalb (81-37) and four-time defending state champion Class 7A No. 3 McEachern (61-50). The Eagles haven’t quite played the schedule GAC has, with their best win coming over Class 7A No. 7 Cherokee (69-53) and losing to Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ (64-57). With four D-1 players on each side going toe-to-toe, keep an eye on GAC junior point guard Kennedi Williams and Collins Hill three-point specialist junior Katherine Fourie to make shots when called upon.

5:30 PM: Class 5A No. 1 Buford vs. Class A-Private No. 2 Wesleyan

A true heavyweight showdown between a pack of Wolves. Wesleyan blew past Buford last year 73-50 at Buford; expect the Lady Wolves to play with a chip on their shoulder. Buford will have the size advantage with their powerful big guards led by 6-foot Michigan State-signee Tory Ozment. She creates with the ball in her hands and can get two feet in the paint whenever she wants. The Wolves like to drive behind drives which leads to layups or kick outs to open three-point shooters like Air Force-signee Audrey Weiner. Kya Styles and Tate Walter are threats to score the ball while 6-foot-3 post Jessica Nelson (UMass) is a space eater that can turn back shots. Nelson did not play in the Craig Sager Memorial Championship game last week. Wesleyan doesn’t have the size that Buford boasts, but the Wolves play fast and share the ball extremely well. Their press causes turnovers which lead to easy breakaways. Offensively, Amaya Register (Old Dominion) orchestrates the offense with elite ball movement. Sutton West (Furman) is a pesky long-armed 6-footer that rebounds, alters shots with her length and always seems to be at the right place at the right time. Nearly the entire roster is a threat from deep including playmaking freshman point guard Paige Lyons and physical yet deftly agile versatile post AC Carter.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 2 Girls Rankings

 Class AAAAAAA

  1. Westlake (3-0)
  2. Collins Hill (3-1)
  3. McEachern (4-1)
  4. Norcross (4-1)
  5. Colquitt County (3-1)
  6. Newton (4-1)
  7. Cherokee (3-1)
  8. North Forsyth (4-1)
  9. Brookwood (2-1)
  10. South Gwinnett (5-0)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Lovejoy (4-0)
  2. Harrison (2-1)
  3. Winder-Barrow (3-0)
  4. Northview (2-1)
  5. Sequoyah (2-0)
  6. Alpharetta (3-0)
  7. Forest Park (2-1)
  8. Lanier (5-1)
  9. Valdosta (1-2)
  10. Stephenson (1-3)

Class AAAAA

  1. Buford (3-0)
  2. Flowery Branch (3-0)
  3. Eagle’s Landing (3-2)
  4. Carrollton (1-1)
  5. Bainbridge (4-0)
  6. Villa Rica (1-0)
  7. Southwest DeKalb (0-3)
  8. Maynard Jackson (1-0)
  9. Arabia Mountain (2-1)
  10. Fayette County (4-0)

Class AAAA

  1. Carver-Columbus (2-0)
  2. Spalding (4-0)
  3. Henry County (4-0)
  4. Luella (5-0)
  5. Jefferson (1-2)
  6. Northwest Whitfield (2-1)
  7. West Hall (4-0)
  8. Madison County (0-2)
  9. Baldwin (3-0)
  10. Burke County (2-0)

Class AAA

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

Class AA

  1. Laney (2-0)
  2. Rabun County (3-0)
  3. Fitzgerald (2-0)
  4. Model (3-1)
  5. Swainsboro (1-0)
  6. Banks County (2-0)
  7. Putnam County (2-0)
  8. Dodge County (3-0)
  9. Berrien (2-1)
  10. Bleckley County (1-0)

Class A-Private

  1. Holy Innocents’ (4-1)
  2. Wesleyan (3-0)
  3. St. Francis (2-1)
  4. Fellowship Christian (1-0)
  5. Landmark Christian (3-1)
  6. Stratford Academy (2-0)
  7. Greenforest (1-1)
  8. Prince Avenue Christian (1-0)
  9. Pinecrest Academy (1-1)
  10. Lakeview Academy (0-2)

Class A-Public

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

Class AAAAAAA No. 1 Westlake has been impressive. They stifled No. 9 Brookwood at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic 64-48 behind Texas Tech-signee Taylor Hosendove’s 18 points, 5 rebound, 5 assists and 2 steals. The Lions went on to beat Ramsay, AL 63-58 for good measure at the Henry County Girl’s Night Out. No. 3 McEachern hasn’t played their best basketball this year. Indiana-signee Chanel Wilson was unavailable for the Lady Indians in their 61-56 come from behind victory over newly ranked Class 6A No. 10 Stephenson. Victoria Agyin came up big with 15 points while Georgia Tech-signee scored all 11 of her points in the second half. Against the nation’s No. 1 ranked team, Riverdale, TN, McEachern was blown out 82-38. No. 2 Collins Hill moves ahead of the Indians after crushing Hillgrove 86-37 and beating No. 7 Cherokee 69-53 before falling to Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ at Holiday Hoopsgiving, 64-57. The Lady Warriors of Cherokee defeated No. 8 North Forsyth 57-46. The Lady Raiders rebounded with a 56-46 win over Class 3A No. 6 Johnson-Savannah.

No. 1 Lovejoy takes over the top spot in Class AAAAAA after No. 4 Northview wilted against Class A-Private No. 2 Wesleyan, 78-59 after opening up down 15-0. Ashlee Austin had a career-day with 31 points and 13 rebounds in the loss. Before the Wesleyan defeat, the Lady Titans scored a 49-43 win over Class 5A No. 3 Eagle’s Landing at the Johns Creek Gladiator Showcase. Lovejoy has been firing on all cylinders behind 2020 guards Anaya Boyd and Genesis Bryant. They helped the Wildcats to a 79-69 win over Ramsay, AL. Bryant led the way with 26 points while Boyd added 25. No. 3 Winder-Barrow slides down a spot instead of rising to No. 1. The Lady Doggs have not imposed their will on opponents yet. They slipped by Mill Creek 52-48 and rallied to knock off Class 4A No. 6 Jefferson in overtime 63-55 to win the Tabo’s Tip-Off Classic Championship. UConn-signee Olivia Nelson-Ododa dumped in 22 points while College of Charleston-signee Latrice Perkins chipped in 18. No. 2 Harrison rises two spots after beating Class 7A No. 6 Newton 48-40 and Class 5A No. 7 Southwest DeKalb 60-54 at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic. Douglas County (1-3), Creekview (1-2) and defending state-champion Mays (0-1) all drop out of the Top 10. The Lady Tigers lost to Lowndes 58-53, Class 7A No. 4 Norcross 69-39 and Woodland-Stockbridge 54-50. The Grizzlies lost to a pair of Tennessee schools in McMinn Central (48-43) and William Blount (54-47).  The Lady Raiders were drilled by Brittany Davis and her Class A-Public No. 4 Greenville Patriots, 72-54. No. 6 Alpharetta benefits from the chaos and jumps four spots after beating Pebblebrook 68-43 to win the Roswell Rotary Air Invitational Championship. No. 8 Lanier, No. 9 Valdosta and No. 10 Stephenson all debut. Lanier has a 68-52 win over Class 3A No. 8 Dawson County under their belt while Valdosta has beaten Dacula 56-54 and lost in close fashion at the Craig Sager Memorial Tournament to Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ 58-55 and Grayson 65-58. Stephenson has lost to McEachern twice and to Brookwood 70-44. They have beaten Woodland-Stockbridge 64-38.

Right now, Class AAAAA No. 1 Buford might be the best team in the state. They drilled Grayson 64-33 before winning the Craig Sager Memorial with a 57-45 win over Holy Innocents’. No. 5 Bainbridge moves up two spots with wins over Tift County 72-61 and at Lowndes 53-47. No. 7 Southwest DeKalb has played a difficult schedule and still is looking for its first win. Dutchtown (2-1) falls out of the poll following a tough loss to Class 3A No. 5 Lovett, 58-52. No. 10 Fayette County takes over with a 4-0 mark. The Lady Tigers defeated Pope 61-43 last week.

No. 2 Spalding and No. 4 Luella are quietly handling their business in Class AAAA. The Jaguars took out Eagle’s Landing at their Jag Challenge 45-37 while the Lions beat Jonesboro 75-65. No. 5 Jefferson ran out of gas against Winder-Barrow, losing in overtime 63-55. Jazmin Allen poured in 17 points to lead the way. No. 6 Northwest Whitfield beat Rome 62-56 but lost to East Hamilton, TN 47-31. LaGrange (0-2) exits the Top 10 following a winless start. The Grangers fell to Newnan 62-47 and to Morgan County 51-43. No. 10 Burke County makes an appearance in the rankings. Led by high scoring guard Quin’DeJa Hamilton and Cross Creek-transfer, shot blocker Kianni Westbrook, the Lady Bears have taken down Statesboro 61-33 and Calvary Day 50-37.

If there was any doubt as to whether No. 1 Greater Atlanta Christian deserved to jump No. 2 Beach for the top spot in Class AAA, doubt no more. The Spartans poured it on with their 81-37 win over Class 5A No. 7 Southwest DeKalb while Beach narrowly defeated Bradwell Institute 50-48. GAC is playing as good of basketball as anyone in the state and they get to test their mettle on Tuesday as they host four-time defending state champion McEachern. No. 5 Lovett is on the move, leaping five spots after knocking off Dutchtown 58-52. Stanford-signee Jenna Brown is back to her five-star form. No. 6 Johnson-Savannah falls two spots after losing to Camden County 46-41 and to Class 7A No. 8 North Forsyth 56-46. The Atomsmashers finished 27-3 last season with all their losses coming to Beach including in the state title game; they open 2017-18 at 0-2. Monroe (1-1) falls from the rankings after a 51-28 loss to Americus-Sumter. 2017 quarterfinalist No. 10 Tattnall County makes their debut. The Warriors are coming off a 60-41 win over Richmond Hill.

There is no movement in Class AA. No. 2 Rabun County scored a 62-52 win over Class A-Private No. 10 Lakeview Academy at the Piedmont College Hardwood Classic. No. 6 Banks County, Rabun’s Region 8 rival, earned a quality 79-63 win against Class 3A No. 9 Hart County. No. 3 Model lost 41-38 to Page, TN and No. 9 Berrien fell to Lowndes 64-58, but both maintain their respective spots in the rankings.

Class A-Private saw its top dogs knock heads with elite competition. No. 1 Holy Innocents’ lost to Class 5A No. 1 Buford 57-45, but their wins over Class 6A No. 9 Valdosta (58-55), Class 7A No. 2 Collins Hill (64-57) and No. 3 St. Francis (60-48) are enough for the Golden Bears to hold tight over No. 2 Wesleyan who blitzed former Class 6A No. 1 Northview 78-59, while also adding a 62-49 win over Lambert. The only change in Class A-Private is No. 10 Lakeview Academy moving down one spot. The Lions have challenged themselves this year, losing to Class 2A No. 2 Rabun County and Class 7A No. 4 Norcross, 67-31.

Class A-Public’s No. 4 Greenville has shot up four spots. The one-man show of reigning Class A-Public Player of the Year and Mississippi State-signee Brittany Davis has already beaten defending Class 6A state champ Mays (72-54) and Bowdon (78-55), Davis collecting her sixth career 50-point game along the way against the Red Devils. No. 10 Woodville-Tompkins is down six slots following an 0-2 start. The Wolverines lost to Bradwell Institute 57-40 and East Hall 69-51, both quality opponents. The loss of Jazmin Grayson hurts Woodville-Tompkins. The Preseason All-State Second Team pick has transferred out of state. The Wolverines have a major test Tuesday as they host No. 5 Treutlen.