2019 is here and we have reached the midway point of the GHSA basketball season. It’s time for some mid-season awards and storylines to track the rest of the year.
Biggest Surprise
Boys: Currently ranked No. 8 in Class 7A, East Coweta (14-1) has emerged as a Region 2 title contender and a legitimate threat to take a deep run in state. The Indians will be battle-tested if they make the state tournament which will be no cakewalk as No. 5 Wheeler, No. 9 Pebblebrook, Westlake and Campbell all loom. The Indians have already surpassed last year’s 13-win mark and have seen major contributions from 2019 6-0 G Mandez Jones (18.3 ppg), 2020 6-6 W Brandon Stroud (17.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.2 bpg) and 2020 6-4 G Christopher Youngblood (15.4 ppg, 8 rpg). The addition of 2019 6-5 PF Zac Hill (9 ppg, 10.1 rpg) and the play of set-up man 2019 PG 5-9 Derrick Emory (3.7 ppg, 6.8 apg, 3.6 spg) make East Coweta tough to slow down.
Girls: Following a 9-15 season in Year 1 under Coach David Dowse, Lumpkin County has compiled a 13-3 record with just eight girls on the roster. While they haven’t quite secured their signature win in Region 7-AAA yet, the Lady Indians have proven to be able to hang in with some of the state’s best, losing to No. 7 GAC 48-42 and No. 6 Dawson County 58-55. Sophomore Isabel Davenport and senior Mackenzie Pulley have carried the load offensively.
Don’t Sleep On…
Boys: There have been a handful of teams that have taken their L’s in non-region play, trying to prepare for the bigger picture. All of the defending Class A-Public state champ Wilkinson County’s losses have come against teams that have spent time in the Top 10. Sitting at 3-8, don’t count out Region 7-A’s most feared team. The talent is there but the wins haven’t been for Cedar Shoals (6-7) who is closing in on last year’s 10-win total. Juniors 6-foot-6 Quincy Canty and 6-foot-1 Tyler Johnson look like future D-I players while Demetrius Glenn, another 2020 guard, is a three-point marksman. The Jaguars will not be an easy out come February.
Girls: Once the class of Cobb County and the state’s most dominant program, McEachern (4-7) has come back to earth. They Indians are better than what their record suggests, going 2-4 against out of state competition but they still have a lot of work to do to crawl back into the Top 10 in Class 7A. A 50-40 loss to No. 3 North Cobb was a sobering reality that the Indians are no longer the best team in their own region or county, but with most of their speed bumps in the rearview mirror, don’t count out McEachern as they gear up for another playoff run.
Knock, Knock
Boys: The Top 10 is a crowded picture in each classification and Pope (11-3) might be first in line to barge down the door in Class 6A. The Greyhounds sit at 5-1 in an improved Region 7 and hold wins over No. 5 Chattahoochee (81-70) and No. 7 Sequoyah (97-54), one of Region 6’s frontrunners. Ugly losses to 4-11 Lassiter (66-63) and Cambridge (70-45) have held the Greyhounds back. Seniors Micah Paulk and Ryan Billig pace a senior-laden group.
Girls: Jones County (12-3) holds two wins over No. 10 Warner Robins and has beaten previously ranked Woodland-Stockbridge and Baldwin along with a tough Locust Grove group. Another clean week could propel the Greyhounds into the Top 10 if anyone falters in Class 5A. Down in Class 2A, Model (11-3) has transitioned to life after Victaria Saxton quite well. The Blue Devils won the Rome News-Tribune Christmas Tournament by beating Class A-Private No. 10 Darlington 50-39 and previously ranked in Class 5A Rome 55-48.
Mid-Season Statistical Leaders
*Reported to MaxPreps
BOYS
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | POINTS PER GAME |
| JR Keundre Campbell | Webster County | 29.4 |
| SR Chris Parker | Bowdon | 27.0 |
| SR Malik Foston | GMC | 26.5 |
| SR Terrell Burden | Campbell | 25.1 |
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | REBOUNDS PER |
| SR Justin Jackson | Dougherty | 13.4 |
| JR Shontavian Manuel | Bleckley County | 13.1 |
| SR Zeff Felton | Dooly County | 12.9 |
| SR Zac Cole | Southeast Whitfield | 12.4 |
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | ASSISTS PER GAME |
| SR Jordan Brown | Westover | 7.9 |
| JR Donovan Shipp | Sequoyah | 7.8 |
| JR Omar Cooper | Walker | 7.8 |
| JR Dwon Odom | St. Francis | 7.1 |
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | STEALS PER GAME |
| JR Terrele Barnes | Jordan | 6.4 |
| JR KD Johnson | Southwest DeKalb | 4.7 |
| JR Tailique Williams | Harris County | 4.5 |
| JR CJ Johnson | Lanier County | 4.5 |
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | BLOCKS PER GAME |
| JR Walker Kessler | Woodward Academy | 5.4 |
| SO Omarion Smith | Douglas County | 4.3 |
| SR Jahleel Roundtree | Burke County | 3.7 |
| FR TJ Grant | Veterans | 3.1 |
GIRLS
*Reported to MaxPreps
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | POINTS PER GAME |
| SR Gracie Brunel | Lanier County | 26.8 |
| JR Olonna Rawls | Bryan County | 24.7 |
| FR Sydney Bowles | Woodward Academy | 24.4 |
| SR Tomiyah Alford | Lamar County | 24.0 |
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | REBOUNDS PER |
| SO Alayshia Dixon | Wilcox County | 16.1 |
| SO Sacha Washington | Parkview | 15.4 |
| SO Nuriyah Slaton | Greenville | 13.7 |
| FR Layla Hood | Elite Scholars Academy | 13.6 |
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | ASSISTS PER GAME |
| SR Zamiya Passmore | Locust Grove | 7.4 |
| JR Mya Byrd | Turner County | 6.2 |
| SO Ty’Shemia Bunkley | Central-Talbotton | 5.5 |
| JR Lacy Robins | Statesboro | 4.8 |
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | STEALS PER GAME |
| SR Tomiyah Alford | Lamar County | 7.8 |
| SR Denetra Sneed | North Clayton | 7.6 |
| JR Jada Showers | North Clayton | 6.5 |
| JR Deasia Ford | Americus-Sumter | 6.5 |
| GRADE/NAME | SCHOOL | BLOCKS PER GAME |
| SO Nuriyah Slaton | Greenville | 5.3 |
| SR Emily Greek | Thomas County Central | 4.9 |
| SO Sania Feagin | Forest Park | 4.3 |
| JR Ke’mya Whitlock | Berkmar | 4.1 |