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GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Game Stories

No. 7 Sequoyah holds off pesky Wolverines

No. 7 Sequoyah 57, Woodstock 54

Cherokee County powers met at the War Lodge in Hickory Flat, Sequoyah entering at a perfect 7-0 and ranked No. 7 in Class AAAAAA while Woodstock, limping in with injuries at 4-4 without South Alabama-signee Devyn Lowe.

On a rare Monday night showdown, the Lady Chiefs and Wolverines went back and forth with both sides trading runs. Sequoyah led 12-11 after one behind Alyssa Cagle’s five points. The Lady Chiefs were on the verge of a taking an commanding early double digit lead if it wasn’t for the hot shooting of senior Taylor Reed. The long ball threat scored seven of her 10 points in the first quarter and drained three threes on the night while using a flare screen to get open on the opposite wing.

In the second quarter, Cagle picked up a hockey assist as she dished to Emily Seres who found AnnaLynne Bennett on a nice interior pass to go up 19-13.

Sequoyah opened up a quick 24-13 lead on a 12-2 run and looked like they were about to put the banged up Wolverines away, but athletic senior slasher Bralise Reese got free and powered a 13-4 run with six of her game-high 16 points in the frame, leading the Wolverines into the half trailing 28-26.

The Lady Chiefs sprung out of the half quickly using five points from Colby Carden. The junior combo guard sank her seventh point of the quarter to give Sequoyah a 40-31 lead with 1:37 left in the third. Sequoyah finished out the period using a Lauren Schletty basket to maintain a 44-33 lead heading into the fourth.

In the blink of an eye, Woodstock crawled its way back into the game riding a 10-2 surge to cut the Sequoyah lead to 46-43. Senior point guard Kamryn Forrester was the catalyst, scoring six of her 10 points in the final 8 minutes and finishing the game with four rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block.

The Wolverines finally tied the game on freshman Sophia Singer’s three-pointer but Carden quickly got the ball up the court and found Schletty to regain a 48-46 lead at the 2:49 mark. Schletty got hot and scored six of her 10 points in the fourth including sinking two free throws to go ahead 52-46 with 2:11 left, the Lady Chiefs seemingly regaining control of the game.

Instead, Forrester came away with a steal underneath the basket and while tumbling down, kicked the ball behind her to Reese for two of her eight fourth quarter points to make it 56-54 with 42.6 seconds remaining.

Sequoyah’s Bennett was sent to the line with 27 seconds and missed her first free throw, prompting Woodstock head coach Julie Crowe to call timeout and organize a plan for the Wolverines. Bennett coolly knocked down her second attempt, setting up a final possession with 18.5 seconds left for Woodstock after advancing the ball and moving past half court.

Woodstock swung the ball around the perimeter but the best look they could get was a contested Reese heave from the top of the key that clanked off the rim.

My Take

Though she missed two free throws in the fourth quarter and didn’t have as many “wow” plays as usual, junior point guard Alyssa Cagle is still the real deal for Sequoyah. Every time she touches the ball good things happen whether she’s slashing through the lane, finding open shooters or pulling the trigger from deep herself. Coach Derrick DeWitt praised her for even her post defense when getting stuck on bigger Wolverines. As long as she’s in Black and Gold, the Lady Chiefs will be an issue statewide come February and March. She is the leader of a potent 7-man junior class which sees Colby Carden and Peyton Satterfield flank her as dangerous shooters. Carden moves in from Sprayberry, following father Allen Carden who is head coach of the boys team. She played very well with Cagle and provides a versatile scoring punch and high IQ alongside floor general Cagle. Lauren Schletty, one of two seniors on the roster, really came up big in the fourth quarter; she does some nice things around the basket. Without any Hartmans on the roster, Sequoyah’s one bugaboo when it comes to contending for a state title might be their lack of size.

Woodstock has been stung with injuries but that didn’t stop the Wolverines from fighting to the very end. Kamryn Forrester was excellent as an energizer bunny all over the floor, affecting the game in multiple ways. Taylor Reed used Coach Crowe’s flare screen offense to perfection in the first half with three threes. I loved Bralise Reese’s athleticism and tenacity. She was cat-quick getting to the rim and had a great second leap to clean up misses. Her 16-point 10-rebound double-double was a strong effort. A name to stow away in the memory bank is freshman Sophia Singer. The 5-foot-10 youngster resembles Olivia Nelson-Ododa with her long and lanky frame but of course, not at her height or skill set. She knocked down a big three in the fourth quarter and rebounded well.

Top Performers

Sequoyah
Colby Carden – 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals
Alyssa Cagle – 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
Lauren Schletty – 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals 1 block
Peyton Satterfield – 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Emily Seres – 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

Woodstock
Bralise Reese – 16 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block
Kamryn Forrester – 10 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Taylor Reed – 10 points, 4 rebounds
Brittany Burnett – 7 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 4 Girls Rankings

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Class AAAAAAA

  1. Norcross (10-0)
  2. Collins Hill (7-0)
  3. McEachern (4-4)
  4. Mill Creek (8-1)
  5. Westlake (6-1)
  6. Archer (6-2)
  7. Newton (6-1)
  8. Colquitt County (7-0)
  9. Lambert (7-0)
  10. North Forsyth (8-1)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (7-1)
  2. Mays (3-2)
  3. Winder-Barrow (5-3)
  4. Douglas County (8-2)
  5. Lovejoy (8-0)
  6. Grovetown (6-3)
  7. Sequoyah (7-0)
  8. Tucker (8-1)
  9. Northview (8-1)
  10. Jonesboro (6-3)

Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

  1. North Oconee (7-1)
  2. Columbus (6-1)
  3. Cross Creek (4-3)
  4. Carver-Columbus (7-0)
  5. West Hall (4-3)
  6. Sandy Creek (6-0)
  7. Jefferson (5-2)
  8. Northwest Whitfield (5-3)
  9. Baldwin (5-1)
  10. Heritage-Catoosa (8-0)

Class AAA

  1. Johnson-Savannah (9-0)
  2. Beach (8-0)
  3. Greater Atlanta Christian (6-4)
  4. Hart County (7-0)
  5. Redan (7-1)
  6. Monroe (6-0)
  7. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (8-1)
  8. Calhoun (7-2)
  9. Ringgold (6-2)
  10. Haralson County (5-2) 

Class AA

  1. Model (5-1)
  2. Laney (3-1)
  3. Rabun County (7-1)
  4. Fitzgerald (2-0)
  5. Dodge County (4-1)
  6. Vidalia (4-1)
  7. Heard County (8-2)
  8. Dade County (7-3)
  9. Putnam County (3-3)
  10. Bryan County (7-0) 

Class A-Private

  1. Wesleyan (8-0)
  2. St. Francis (6-1)
  3. Holy Innocents’ (7-1)
  4. Calvary Day (5-0)
  5. Lakeview Academy (7-2)
  6. Pinecrest Academy (6-1)
  7. Landmark Christian (5-3)
  8. Our Lady of Mercy (6-2)
  9. Darlington (4-2)
  10. Stratford Academy (5-1)

Class A-Public

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

Three straight losses, all coming out of state, forces McEachern down to No. 3 in Class AAAAAAA. The Indians went 0-2 in the She Got Game Classic in Washington, D.C. Usually playing such good competition the Indians wouldn’t be punished, but No. 2 Collins Hill looks like the real deal and will just sneak ahead of the Indians for their in-state work. Newton falls to No. 7 after a 49-42 loss to Duluth, meaning Mill Creek is now in the Top 4. Archer rebounded from a rough week by shaking off an early deficit and beating No. 10 North Forsyth 55-43.

Harrison looked dominant as the No. 1 team in Class AAAAAA blitzed Creekview 63-37 and Hillgrove, 72-55. No. 3 Winder-Barrow got revenge against Loganville, 31-27 in another defensive struggle. Jonesboro had a week to forget in Region 4, losing to Tucker 57-43 and to Lovejoy 33-31. No. 8 Tucker lost to Lovejoy 39-32, slipping two spots while the Wildcats skyrocket five spots to No. 5 after a huge week. No. 7 Sequoyah jumps No. 9 Northview after scoring wins over county rivals River Ridge (54-45) and Cherokee (46-32).

Class AAAAA’s No. 2 Buford took down Loganville 56-44, and in the process dropped the Red Devils from the Top 10. Replacing Loganville is No. 10 Maynard Jackson who is undefeated to open the year. No one else in the rankings lost, but that will change this week as No. 6 Villa Rica hosts No. 7 Carrollton in a clash of Region 7 unbeatens on Tuesday.

Americus-Sumter and Henry County both depart the Class AAAA poll following Americus-Sumter’s 58-41 loss to No. 2 Columbus and the Warhawks’ losses to Woodward Academy (55-48) and Salem (69-63). Debuting this week are No. 9 Baldwin and No. 10 Heritage-Catoosa. The Braves defeated Putnam County on the road 50-38, and their only loss came to Warner Robins in overtime 72-62. Courtney Butts has led the charge, averaging 14.2 points, 7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 4.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Heritage’s statement win came at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, 61-39 handing the Warriors their lone loss of the season. The top mover in this week’s rankings is No. 6 Sandy Creek. The Patriots defeated 7-2 Greenville, SC 66-64.

South Georgia dominates the top of the poll in Class AAA while North Georgia fills the bottom as four teams from Region 6 go spots 7 through 10. Even with a loss to Heritage-Catoosa, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe continues its rise to No. 7 after defeating region foe No. 10 Haralson County 61-54. Back into the Top 10 is No. 8 Calhoun, who handed No. 9 Ringgold a region loss, 75-67. The Tigers held fast to their No. 9 spot however thanks to a 51-48 win against Northwest Whitfield. Defending state champion Morgan County drops out after a 3-4 start.

Putnam County’s slide in Class AA continues as the Eagles fall from No. 4 to No. 9 after a loss to Baldwin. Pepperell exits after being ranked No. 10. No. 1 Model beat the Dragons 58-38. Into the poll for the first time this year is No. 10 Bryan County.

Wesleyan has cruised so far this season in Class A-Private. The top-ranked Wolves crushed Morgan County 81-46 and took it to St. Pius X, 56-18. Two surprises take over the No. 6 and No. 7 spots in Pinecrest Academy and Landmark Christian. The Paladins are 6-1 while Landmark has won five straight after an 0-3 start, with their latest win coming against No. 8 Our Lady of Mercy, 58-53. Savannah Country Day was blown out by No. 4 Calvary Day 60-23 and lost to Woodville-Tompkins 52-27. Replacing the Hornets is No. 9 Darlington.

Four players are averaging double figures for Class A-Public No. 1 Pelham. The Hornets are powered by junior Mahogany Randall’s 19.8 points per game. Terrell County slips to No. 4 after a strong showing loss to Monroe, 57-51. No. 2 Greenville and No. 3 Telfair County get the nod over the Greenwave due to quality wins. The Trojan’s scored a 54-38 win over No. 8 Wilcox County this past week. Hancock Central falls from the Top 10 after losing to Washington County and Baldwin. Treutlen sinks five spots to No. 10 after losses at No. 5 Wheeler County (66-41) and Dublin, 61-53. Woodville-Tompkins resurfaces in the poll thanks to a shellacking of Savannah Country Day.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 3 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Norcross (8-0)
  2. McEachern (4-2)
  3. Collins Hill (5-0)
  4. Newton (5-0)
  5. Mill Creek (6-1)
  6. Westlake (5-1)
  7. North Forsyth (8-0)
  8. Archer (4-2)
  9. Colquitt County (5-0)
  10. Lambert (5-0) 

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (4-1)
  2. Mays (1-2)
  3. Winder-Barrow (2-3)
  4. Douglas County (5-2)
  5. Jonesboro (5-1)
  6. Tucker (7-0)
  7. Grovetown (4-3)
  8. Northview (5-1)
  9. Sequoyah (4-0)
  10. Lovejoy (6-0) 

Class AAAAA

  1. Flowery Branch (6-1)
  2. Buford (2-0)
  3. Griffin (5-0)
  4. Southwest DeKalb (4-2)
  5. Warner Robins (5-0)
  6. Villa Rica (4-0)
  7. Carrollton (3-0)
  8. Harris County (7-0)
  9. Arabia Mountain (6-0)
  10. Loganville (4-3) 

Class AAAA

  1. North Oconee (5-1)
  2. Cross Creek (3-2)
  3. Columbus (4-1)
  4. Carver-Columbus (5-0)
  5. West Hall (2-3)
  6. Jefferson (4-1)
  7. Americus-Sumter (2-1)
  8. Henry County (5-2)
  9. Northwest Whitfield (3-2)
  10. Sandy Creek (5-0) 

Class AAA

  1. Johnson-Savannah (6-0)
  2. Beach (5-0)
  3. Greater Atlanta Christian (3-4)
  4. Hart County (5-0)
  5. Morgan County (3-3)
  6. Haralson County (4-1)
  7. Redan (5-1)
  8. Monroe (4-0)
  9. Ringgold (4-1)
  10. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (6-0) 

Class AA

  1. Model (3-1)
  2. Laney (1-1)
  3. Rabun County (4-1)
  4. Putnam County (2-2)
  5. Fitzgerald (2-0)
  6. Dodge County (1-1)
  7. Vidalia (3-1)
  8. Dade County (5-2)
  9. Heard County (5-2)
  10. Pepperell (2-0) 

Class A-Private

  1. Wesleyan (5-0)
  2. St. Francis (4-1)
  3. Holy Innocents’ (6-1)
  4. Our Lady of Mercy (5-1)
  5. Calvary Day (2-0)
  6. Lakeview Academy (5-2)
  7. Stratford Academy (5-0)
  8. Savannah Country Day (4-2)
  9. Pinecrest Academy (4-1)
  10. Landmark Christian (4-3)

Class A-Public

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

Archer falls from No. 3 in Class AAAAAAA to No. 8 after losing 46-39 to North Oconee and 61-51 at No. 5 Mill Creek, who rises two spots even after a loss to Wesleyan. Archer will attempt to stop their slide as they visit No. 7 North Forsyth on Tuesday. Collins Hill is the state’s new No. 3 after crushing Woodstock 82-37. No. 9 Colquitt County picked up a nice 58-54 win over Bainbridge. Cherokee has lost three straight games and falls out of the Top 10. The Warriors fell to North Cobb (45-41), Marietta (57-43) and Creekview (51-32) who are a combined 16-4. Entering the poll is Lambert. The Longhorns edge the likes of North Cobb and Marietta thanks to their two latest wins coming against a slumping East Hall team 45-36 and a previously undefeated McIntosh, 62-48.

Class AAAAAA Preseason No. 1 Winder-Barrow slips to No. 3 after Flowery Branch beats them for the second time this season, 50-43. No. 9 Sequoyah won an ugly game against rival Creekview, 35-32 in overtime. Glynn Academy drops out after a 3-2 start to the season. Replacing them is No. 10 Lovejoy. They face their biggest test of the early season on Friday against No. 5 Jonesboro. The Cardinals host No. 6 Tucker on Tuesday, as it’s a big week in Region 4.

No. 2 Buford took it to North Oconee on the road 54-36 as the Wolves begin their march to a Class AAAAA title. No. 3 Griffin survived two close games to remain undefeated, beating Luella 67-66 and Fayette County 49-47. No. 5 Warner Robins escaped their meeting with Perry, 60-58 in overtime. No teams in the Top 10 lost this past week.

Even with their loss to Buford, North Oconee remains No. 1 in Class AAAA thanks to their 46-39 victory at Archer. Cross Creek jumps Columbus for No. 2 in the state. The Razorbacks beat Grovetown 64-53 behind Memphis-signee Alana Davis’ 27 points. Cross Creek gets a rematch with North Augusta, SC, a powerhouse that has gone 4-0 vs. GHSA competition this season. Columbus meets No. 7 Americus-Sumter on Tuesday with a chance to build their resume. No. 6 Jefferson dispatched of Morgan County 64-60 in an impressive win over the defending Class AAA champs. No. 9 Northwest Whitfield jumps Sandy Creek after a 52-30 rout of Ringgold.

In Class AAA, Morgan County tumbles three spots to No. 5. They lost to Jefferson and were then upset by Cedar Shoals 53-52 before righting the ship with a 66-35 win over Putnam County. Beach claims the No. 2 spot as No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian struggled against its brutal schedule, losing to McEachern 86-55 and St. Francis 59-38, possibly the two best teams in the state when all is said and done. Calhoun was knocked out of the Top 10 by No. 10 Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. The Warriors are off to a hot start thanks to senior Jazzmyn Elston and sophomore Macey Gregg. Elston is averaging 17.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.2 steals while Gregg, who has upped her scoring by nine points in Year 2, is pitching in 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals. The duo combined for 53 points in their 60-50 win over the Yellow Jackets.

Banks County and Dublin have fallen out of the Class AA rankings. The Leopards lost to Hart County 53-28 while Dublin dropped a heartbreaker to Treutlen 64-63. Replacing them for the moment is No. 9 Heard County and No. 10 Pepperell.  Heard County picked up a 50-44 win at Our Lady of Mercy while the Dragons knocked off No. 8 Dade County 42-39 at home. Putnam County suffered losses to Baldwin (51-24) and Morgan County (66-35) to drop two spots.

Class A-Private sees Greenforest drop from No. 4 to unranked after an eye opening 49-44 loss to No. 10 Landmark Christian, who squeaks into the bottom of the poll. Also gone are Tattnall Square and Southwest Atlanta Christian. Tattnall lost to Landmark 54-44 and to Westside-Macon 49-40. The Warriors were blown out by No. 3 Holy Innocents’ 68-20. SACA’s strong schedule should bode well down the stretch in region play. No. 8 Savannah Country Day and No. 9 Pinecrest Academy enter the rankings and will try to stick around.

Pelham laid the boom in their Class A-Public opening week, scoring two wins including a thumping of Mitchell County 73-31, knocking the Eagles out of the Top 10. No. 3 Greenville is being powered by Brittany Davis, who is flirting with averaging a triple-double over her first three games of the season. The Patriots humbled Taylor County 66-51, sinking the Vikings four spots to No. 7. Treutlen picked up wins over Woodville-Tompkins (61-59) and Dublin 64-63, knocking both teams out of their respective rankings. With Woodville-Tompkins and Mitchell County gone from the poll, No. 9 Marion County and No. 10 Hancock Central jump in.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 2 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

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

Class AAAAAA

  1. Harrison (3-1)
  2. Winder-Barrow (1-2)
  3. Mays (0-2)
  4. Douglas County (3-2)
  5. Grovetown (3-1)
  6. Jonesboro (2-1)
  7. Tucker (4-0)
  8. Northview (3-1)
  9. Sequoyah (2-0)
  10. Glynn Academy (3-1) 

Class AAAAA

  1. Flowery Branch (5-1)
  2. Buford (0-0)
  3. Griffin (3-0)
  4. Southwest DeKalb (2-2)
  5. Warner Robins (3-0)
  6. Villa Rica (1-0)
  7. Carrollton (1-0)
  8. Harris County (5-0)
  9. Arabia Mountain (3-0)
  10. Loganville (2-3) 

Class AAAA

  1. North Oconee (4-0)
  2. Columbus (2-1)
  3. Cross Creek (2-1)
  4. Carver-Columbus (3-0)
  5. West Hall (1-3)
  6. Americus-Sumter (1-1)
  7. Jefferson (3-1)
  8. Henry County (2-2)
  9. Sandy Creek (3-0)
  10. Northwest Whitfield (1-2)

Class AAA

  1. Johnson-Savannah (4-0)
  2. Morgan County (2-1)
  3. Greater Atlanta Christian (3-2)
  4. Beach (2-0)
  5. Ringgold (2-0)
  6. Redan (3-0)
  7. Calhoun (2-1)
  8. Hart County (2-0)
  9. Haralson County (2-1)
  10. Monroe (2-0)

Class AA

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

Class A-Private

  1. Wesleyan (3-0)
  2. St. Francis (2-1)
  3. Holy Innocents’ (3-1)
  4. Greenforest (0-0)
  5. Our Lady of Mercy (3-0)
  6. Calvary Day (2-0)
  7. Tattnall Square (2-0)
  8. Lakeview Academy (3-2)
  9. Stratford Academy (2-0)
  10. Southwest Atlanta Christian (0-2)

Class A-Public

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


No. 1 Norcross holds onto the top spot in Class AAAAAAA after going 2-0 at Turkey Jamm. McEachern supplants Archer for the No. 2 ranking after the Indians dropped Holy Innocents’ 78-71 at Holiday Hoopsgiving and beforehand, drilled Southwest DeKalb 62-35. No. 4 Collins Hill showed Columbus what 7A basketball is all about, beating the Class 4A Preseason No. 1 Blue Devils 57-32, holding Tatyana Wyatt to just nine points.  Brookwood drops out after a 66-53 loss to Hillgrove and a 60-44 defeat at the hands of Southwest DeKalb. Surging into the Top 10 is No. 8 North Forsyth, a young group with five freshmen and one sophomore. The Raiders won their Progressive Lightning Thanksgiving Tournament, beating Northview in the semifinals and No. 10 Cherokee in the championship, 45-39 riding the hot hand of forward Cassie Markle.

Class AAAAAA sees Harrison jump from No. 5 to No. 1 following a 64-48 win over No. 4 Douglas County and two No. 2 Winder-Barrow losses at the Tabo Tip-Off Classic. Flowery Branch edged the Bulldoggs 55-46 and Winder lost to Loganville 30-29. Winder-Barrow will need to get healthy as starting sophomore guard Chellia Watson was injured against Flowery Branch and did not return and did not play against Loganville the following day. Brunswick exits the Top 10 with losses to Johnson-Savannah 49-37 and Camden County 57-30. Another coastal area team replaces the Pirates in No. 10 Glynn Academy, who opens 3-1 with their lone loss coming to Calvary Day 41-36.

Idle Buford gets bounced from Class AAAAA No. 1 by Flowery Branch. The Falcons are 5-1 with signature wins over Winder-Barrow and Jefferson (61-40). Their only loss came to Bradley Central, TN 63-53 at the Holiday Inn Express Tournament. Bradley Central finished 34-4 last season and is regarded as one of the top programs in Tennessee. No. 8 Harris County pounded Kendrick into submission 46-33 at the Columbus Classic. Bainbridge opens the season 1-1 and falls from No. 5 to unranked. The Bearcats lost to Monroe 52-46 and beat Dougherty 44-38. It’s an early exit for Bainbridge but don’t expect them to be out of the statewide picture for long. Replacing them is No. 9 Arabia Mountain. No. 10 Loganville holds tight at the bottom of the poll thanks to their resume building win over Winder-Barrow.

Columbus’ poor showing on the big stage at Holiday Hoopsgiving against Collins Hill drops them to No. 2. Rising to the occasion in Class AAAA is No. 1 North Oconee. The Lady Titans are 4-0 with their latest victory coming over Clarke Central 50-47. North Oconee faces a gauntlet ahead of them highlighted with hosting Buford on Tuesday and visiting Archer on Friday. Buford has become a rival, as the Titans ended the Wolves’ region dominance by beating them 54-51 in the Region 8-AAAA title game last season after losing 55-31 in the regular season.

Jacksonville-signee Alexis Pierce is averaging 21.5 points and 5.8 rebounds for Class AAA No. 1 Johnson-Savannah. The Atomsmashers beat Grovetown in overtime 79-78. The Warriors were without point guard Savannah Giles and College of Charleston-signee Destiny Marshall. No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian flashed its potential and rises back into the Top 3 after beating Stephenson 66-57 and pummeling Henry County 85-52. Kendrick exits the poll with a loss to Harris County and Fayette County (45-33). Monroe slides in at No. 10 after beating Bainbridge.

Even with a loss to South Carolina power North Augusta 62-56, Laney moves up to No. 3 in Class AA. De’Sha Benjamin is back in red and white and is a game-changer on the wing. She holds High Major offers and instantly becomes one of the best players in the state with her return to the GHSA. Dade County appears in the poll at No. 6 after a 4-0 start beating River Ridge (57-54), Northwest Whitfield (53-50) and Armuchee (68-53), winning the Northwest Whitfield Thanksgiving Classic in the process. Swainsboro, Armuchee and Heard County relinquish their spots in the Top 10. Entering is the aforementioned Dade County, No. 9 Fitzgerald and No. 10 Dublin.

St. Francis, a national power, loses its grip of No. 1 in Class A-Private with a 49-42 loss to Homewood-Flossmor, who Norcross beat 55-43. Wesleyan takes over the top spot. No. 3 Holy Innocents’ lost to McEachern but rebounded by routing Hoover, AL 67-37 at Holiday Hoopsgiving. Savannah Country Day is replaced by No. 9 Stratford Academy. No. 8 Lakeview Academy scored a win over Rabun County 67-60 to win the Piedmont College Hardwood Classic. Southwest Atlanta Christian’s dynasty of top level competitiveness across the state might be coming to an end. With low player turnout each and every year, the complications might finally be catching up to the Warriors. They fall to No. 10 after getting blown out by Newton (66-31) and Morgan County (58-31).

In Class A-Public, Hancock Central drops out after losing to Baldwin 50-41. No. 10 Woodville-Tompkins makes its debut at 2-1, their only loss coming to Beach.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Rankings

Week 1 Girls Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

  1. Norcross (3-0)
  2. Archer (4-0)
  3. McEachern (0-1)
  4. Collins Hill (0-0)
  5. Newton (2-0)
  6. Westlake (0-1)
  7. Cherokee (1-0)
  8. Brookwood (1-0)
  9. Mill Creek (2-0)
  10. Colquitt County (1-0)

Class AAAAAA

  1. Winder-Barrow (1-0)
  2. Douglas County (2-1)
  3. Mays (0-0)
  4. Grovetown (3-0)
  5. Harrison (1-1)
  6. Northview (2-0)
  7. Jonesboro (2-1)
  8. Sequoyah (2-0)
  9. Brunswick (0-0)
  10. Tucker (2-0)

 Class AAAAA

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

Class AAAA

  1. Columbus (1-0)
  2. Cross Creek (0-0)
  3. North Oconee (3-0)
  4. Henry County (1-1)
  5. West Hall (0-2)
  6. Carver-Columbus (2-0)
  7. Americus-Sumter (1-1)
  8. Northwest Whitfield (0-0)
  9. Jefferson (2-0)
  10. Sandy Creek (2-0)

Class AAA

  1. Johnson-Savannah (2-0)
  2. Morgan County (0-1)
  3. Beach (0-0)
  4. Calhoun (0-0)
  5. Greater Atlanta Christian (1-2)
  6. Ringgold (0-0)
  7. Kendrick (1-0)
  8. Redan (3-0)
  9. Haralson County (1-0)
  10. Hart County (1-0)

Class AA

  1. Model (0-1)
  2. Putnam County (0-0)
  3. Rabun County (1-0)
  4. Vidalia (0-0)
  5. Laney (0-0)
  6. Dodge County (0-0)
  7. Banks County (2-0)
  8. Swainsboro (0-1)
  9. Armuchee (1-1)
  10. Heard County (2-1)

Class A-Private

  1. St. Francis (2-0)
  2. Wesleyan (3-0)
  3. Holy Innocents’ (2-0)
  4. Greenforest (0-0)
  5. Our Lady of Mercy (2-0)
  6. Calvary Day (0-0)
  7. Southwest Atlanta Christian (0-1)
  8. Tattnall Square (0-0)
  9. Lakeview Academy (1-0)
  10. Savannah Country Day (1-0)

Class A-Public

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

 

In search of a four-peat in the state’s highest classification, No. 3 McEachern was stopped by No. 1 Norcross in a star-studded early season matchup, 57-53. No. 2 Archer moves up a spot after a 4-0 start with wins over Class AAAAA No. 9 Loganville (38-29), Class AAAAAA No. 7 Jonesboro (48-36) and Class AAA No. 2 Morgan County (64-49). Woodstock and Duluth both drop out of the Top 10. The Wolverines were beat by Class AAAAAA’s No. 6 Northview 57-44 and No. 10  Tucker 48-41 while sandwiching a nice victory over Class AAA No. 5 Greater Atlanta Christian, 61-56, in between. Duluth picked up two blow out wins but fell to South Gwinnett 54-46. Into the rankings are No. 9 Mill Creek and No. 10 Colquitt County. Mill Creek drilled Fayette County and then beat Class AAAA No. 5 West Hall 43-35. Colquitt will be a tough out in South Georgia. They beat Crisp County 73-41 behind Za’Nautica Downs’ 29 points, eight rebounds and five steals.

Class AAAAAA’s No. 1 Winder-Barrow demolished Berkmar 89-14. No. 2 Douglas County holds onto their spot after an overtime loss to Greater Atlanta Christian 78-75. The Tigers beat Class AAAAAAA No. 6 Westlake 60-57 and slipped by Stephenson 63-57. No. 5 Harrison moves up a spot after a 74-64 loss to Norcross and a 56-50 win over Class AAAAA No. 3 Southwest DeKalb. No. 10 Tucker debuts following wins over Parkview (45-39) and Woodstock (48-41). The biggest mover so far? No. 6 Northview. The Titans pounded away at Woodstock and held a 20-point lead for the majority of the game and then took down previously ranked St. Pius, 48-28. Not many teams can match Northview’s quality size inside, making them a dangerous team come tournament time if they can keep it all together.

It was pretty much status quo in Class AAAAA outside of No. 3 Southwest DeKalb dropping to Harrison by six. The Panthers did however, earn a 59-48 win over Stephenson beforehand. Loganville drops a spot to No. 9 after tough losses to ranked opponents Archer (38-29) and North Oconee (49-42).

Preseason Class AAAA No. 3 West Hall falls to No. 5 after losing to Mill Creek 43-35 and P.K. Yonge, FL 60-47. A tough early season schedule should pay dividends later in the season. North Oconee takes over at No. 3 with wins over Loganville, Central Gwinnett (58-39) and Cedar Shoals (50-32). St. Pius drops out but also does Marist, who opened the year ranked No. 5. The War Eagles lost to Centennial 36-32 and will need to regroup. No. 9 Jefferson and No. 10 Sandy Creek will try to cement themselves as Top 10 teams.

With No. 2 Morgan County’s loss to Archer, Johnson-Savannah takes the reigns as top dog in Class AAA. Greater Atlanta Christian slips two spots after seeing mixed results against a tough schedule, losing to Woodstock and Hillgrove but beating Douglas County in overtime. Preseason No. 8 Lovett, No. 9 East Hall and No. 10 Franklin County all exit the poll. In is No. 8 Redan, No. 9 Haralson County and No. 10 Hart County. Haralson County won a defensive battle with Class AA No. 10 Heard County, 34-16.

Class AA No. 1 Model lost to Class A-Private No. 3 Holy Innocents’ (68-61), but their strong showing is enough for the Blue Devils to retain their No. 1 ranking. No. 3 Rabun County rises a spot after drilling Dawson County 76-51. Swainsboro plummets three spots to No. 8 after a 46-41 loss to Coffee. Armuchee moves up to No. 9. Their win over Class A-Private Preseason No. 10 Darlington 43-32 outweighs their 43-38 loss to Cass just enough to stay ranked. No. 7 Banks County is new to the poll after Jeff Davis exits following a 49-37 loss to Class A-Public No. 5 Telfair County. Banks County picked up wins in Hall County beating North Hall 56-43 and Class AAA Preseason No. 9 East Hall, 60-48.

It was ho-hum for Class A-Private’s top three teams, each of them picking up wildly impressive victories. No. 1 St. Francis crushed Class AAAA No. 7 Americus-Sumer 63-26. No. 2 Wesleyan beat Hillgrove 66-53 and blew out Effingham County (93-28) and Tattnall County (90-38). No. 3 Holy Innocents’ beat Model and thumped rival Riverwood 77-15. No. 10 Savannah Country Day replaces Darlington.

Not much happened in Class A-Public but No. 5 Telfair County has already moved up two spots, beating Jeff Davis 49-37 and No. 7 Wheeler County 66-59. No. 4 Greenville looked good in their 68-35 rout of Calhoun County.