Week 1 GHSA Boys Basketball State Rankings

Week 1 Boys Rankings

Class AAAAAAA

1. Grayson (2-0)
2. McEachern (2-0)
3. Norcross (2-0)
4. East Coweta (3-1)
5. Wheeler (2-1)
6. Milton (0-0)
7. Pebblebrook (1-2)
8. Archer (3-0)
9. Lambert (2-0)
10. Newton (2-1)

Class AAAAAA

1. Tri-Cities (2-0)
2. Tucker (3-0)
3. South Cobb (1-1)
4. Chattahoochee (2-0)
5. Sequoyah (0-0)
6. Langston Hughes (0-1)
7. Lanier (2-1)
8. Douglas County (0-0)
9. Allatoona (1-0)
10. Evans (1-0)

Class AAAAA

1. Eagle’s Landing (2-0)
2. Kell (3-0)
3. Dutchtown (0-1)
4. Lithonia (2-0)
5. Carrollton (0-0)
6. Southwest DeKalb (0-2)
7. Fayette County (1-1)
8. Hiram (2-0)
9. Lithia Springs (0-0)
10. Cedar Shoals (1-0)

Class AAAA

1. Woodward Academy (2-0)
2. Denmark (2-0)
3. Sandy Creek (1-1)
4. Eastside (2-0)
5. North Clayton (1-0)
6. Cross Creek (1-0)
7. Americus-Sumter (0-0)
8. Dougherty (0-1)
9. Baldwin (1-1)
10. Chapel Hill (1-1)

Class AAA

1. Pace Academy (1-1)
2. Westside-Macon (0-1)
3. Central-Macon (0-0)
4. Dawson County (1-0)
5. Johnson-Savannah (1-0)
6. Monroe (1-0)
7. Hart County (0-0)
8. Windsor Forest (1-0)
9. Franklin County (1-1)
10. Jefferson (0-1)

Class AA

1. Therrell (2-1)
2. Vidalia (1-0)
3. Spencer (2-0)
4. Swainsboro (0-0)
5. Glenn Hills (1-1)
6. Laney (0-0)
7. South Atlanta (0-0)
8. Banks County (2-0)
9. Woodville-Tompkins (1-0)
10. KIPP Atlanta (2-1)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (1-0)
2. Greenforest (2-0)
3. Walker (1-0)
4. Trinity Christian (2-0)
5. Mt. Bethel (0-1)
6. Mt. Pisgah (1-0)
7. Holy Innocents’ (0-2)
8. Wesleyan (0-0)
9. Galloway (4-0)
10. Christian Heritage (0-0)

Class A-Public

1. Treutlen (0-0)
2. Wilcox County (0-0)
3. Calhoun County (0-0)
4. Wilkinson County (0-0)
5. Irwin County (0-0)
6. Pelham (0-0)
7. Clinch County (0-0)
8. Lanier County (2-0)
9. Macon County (0-0)
10. Greene County (0-0)

The constant shuffling and jockeying for position known as the GHSA State Rankings has plenty of movement already in Week 1 after tournaments Georgia’s Elite 8 Tip-Off Classic, OTR Tip-Off Classic and the Hawks Naismith Classic pitted Top 10 teams across classifications against one another providing us with some shakeup.

In Class 7A, some teams handled their targets better than others. No. 1 Grayson rocked Maynard Jackson 88-33 before their biggest test of the young season, Berkmar (0-3). The Rams clobbered the Patriots 74-53 and sent the transfer-laden group out of the Top 10 after they suffered losses to No. 2 McEachern 74-70 and to Class 6A No. 4 Chattahoochee 67-42. After holding off Berkmar to open the season, McEachern scored a 90-80 win over Class 6A No. 3 South Cobb behind Cameron McDowell’s 32 points and Auburn-signee Sharife Cooper’s 30. No. 3 Norcross handled Class 4A No. 3 Sandy Creek with ease 74-44. No. 7 Pebblebrook sinks three spots after losses to Class A-Private No. 2 Greenforest 49-40 and South Cobb 65-62 before rebounding with a 62-58 win over Class 5A No. 6 Southwest DeKalb. No. 4 East Coweta is up three spots while No. 5 Wheeler climbs one position while they wait for 6-foot-7 Ja’Hiem Hudson to join the team. The Indians beat Class 2A No. 1 Therrell 82-70 before falling to Class 6A No. 7 Lanier 56-53. The Wildcats took down Preseason Class 5A No. 1 Dutchtown 63-53, but were edged by Campbell 87-82 after beating The Heritage School 52-40. Cracking the Top 10 to replace Berkmar is the antithesis, No. 8 Archer. Void of high-profile stars and many move-ins, the Tigers have taken on the persona of Coach Joel Lecoeuvre as a hungry, hard-playing, selfless bunch with something to prove. Archer is averaging 92.3 points per game and have had at least four players score double figures in each game. The Tigers have ripped Mountain View (80-40), Mill Creek (89-67) and Collins Hill (108-62). Seniors CJ Hines, Justin Edmondson, Aeryon Johnson and Brent Smith have all taken turns carrying the load in Archer’s balanced offense. 6-foot-3 sophomore Christian Drummer is averaging 17 points per game.

The top six in Class 6A remain unchanged. No. 1 Tri-Cities knocked off Westlake 87-72 at the Hawks Naismith Classic as Peyton Daniels (23) and Demetrius Rives (21) combined for 44 points. No. 3 South Cobb won at Class 7A No. 7 Pebblebrook 65-62 before falling short against Class 7A No. 2 McEachern 90-80. No. 4 Chattahoochee hammered Berkmar 67-42 and took care of The Heritage School 66-52. No. 7 Lanier moves up two spots after beating Class 7A No. 4 East Coweta 56-53 as Andrew McConnell scored 19 points and Tulane-signee Sion James added 14. Alexander (0-1) falls out of the Top 10 after an inauspicious start. The Cougars lost to Dalton in a scrimmage and the hangover lingered into the regular season as they were upset at Westminster 69-62. The return of 6-foot-7 Bryce Robinson and point guard Jaylon Brown will show Alexander’s true colors. Into the rankings is No. 10 Evans. The Knights spanked Richmond Academy 79-45 behind Christian Chambers’ 24 points and Josh Mincey’s 16.

We said heading into the season Class 5A was going to be a carousel at the top. No. 3 Dutchtown couldn’t last a single game at No. 1, falling two spots after losing to Class 7A No. 5 Wheeler 63-53. No. 1 Eagle’s Landing takes the perch. They survived Jonesboro 56-53 then dismantled Locust Grove 86-42 as Presbyterian-signee Kirshon Thrash tallied 18 points, 4 assists and 4 steals while freshman David Thomas netted 17 points. No. 2 Kell moves up a spot with wins over Westlake (70-68), Sprayberry (68-53) and North Cobb (68-56). Scoota Henderson has had a heavy workload thus far averaging 30.3 points. Najhae Colon has been a trusty sidekick, pitching in 16 points a night. No. 4 Lithonia creeps up two spots after blitzing Class 2A No. 5 Glenn Hills 68-37 while No. 6 Southwest DeKalb moves up two places after showing well in two tough losses to Class 2A No. 1 Therrell (54-50) and Class 7A No. 7 Pebblebrook (62-58). Out of the poll is Statesboro (1-1) and defending state champion Buford (1-1). Statesboro sinks all the way from No. 5 after a thrashing at the hands of Richmond Hill 66-31. Returning second-leading scorer 6-foot-7 Devin Mikell (12.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg) is no longer with the program. Buford departs after a 63-49 loss at Cambridge. Entering the poll is No. 8 Hiram and No. 10 Cedar Shoals. The Hornets are off to a hot start, winning at Hillgrove 55-34 and upsetting Campbell 59-54. The backcourt of Arshad Crepsac (17.5 ppg), JaVyen Brown (16 ppg) and Deandre Brown (14 ppg) powers Keyon Boyd’s offense. The dynamic duo of Tyler Johnson and Quincy Canty led Cedar Shoals past Parkview in overtime, 85-80. Johnson had 28 points and 9 rebounds while Canty posted 26 points and 8 rebounds. Kashik Brown finished with 20 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.

Class 4A saw No. 1 Woodward Academy solidify its ranking even without Jacorrei Turner. The War Eagles fended off Class 3A No. 1 Pace Academy on their home floor at the Hawks Naismith Classic 56-52. UNC-signee Walker Kessler had 17 points and 8 rebounds while Will Richard posted 15 points and 12 rebounds. Michael Whitmore hit a timely baseline jumper late in the game and finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Woodward Academy held Matthew Cleveland scoreless in the second half. No. 2 Denmark defeated Class 6A No. 7 Lanier 72-67 to open the year before escaping Maynard Jackson 55-52 at the Hawks Naismith Classic. Holy Spirit Prep transfer Robert Cowherd is averaging 22.5 points per game. No. 8 Dougherty slips four spots after a 68-63 loss to Lee County while No. 9 Baldwin is down three positions following a 78-72 loss to Grovetown. Benefiting from the middle of the poll’s unsteadiness is No. 5 North Clayton and debutant No. 6 Cross Creek. The Eagles rise five places after surviving at Class 2A No. 10 KIPP Atlanta 69-68 while Cross Creek creamed Butler 81-59 as Corey Trotter (17), Mahki Climons (13), Devin Pope (13), Presbyterian-signee Kobe Stewart (12) and Josh Dorsey (10) all scored in double figures. Blessed Trinity (1-2) departs from the poll after a blowout loss to Forsyth Central 77-43 and a close 46-44 loss against Class A-Private No. 6 Mt. Pisgah.

The top two teams in Class 3A fell, but remain atop the heap. No. 1 Pace Academy won at Miller Grove 64-47 as the court was named after Coach Sharman White. The Knights lost a tough one to Class 4A No. 1 Woodward Academy 56-52. No. 2 Westside-Macon is awaiting the return of Javian Mosley. Class 2A No. 1 Therrell pounded the Seminoles 72-48 as Kowacie Reeves Jr. poured in 31 points in the loss. No. 5 Johnson-Savannah and No. 6 Monroe move up two and three spots, respectively. The Atomsmashers beat Heritage-Conyers 65-58 while the Golden Tornadoes dispatched of Westover 57-48. No. 9 Franklin County falls four spots while fellow Region 8’er No. 10 Jefferson is down two. The Lions lost 67-58 against Mill Creek before beating Habersham Central 58-52 while Jefferson lost to Class 2A No. 8 Banks County 71-67.

No. 1 Therrell is the team to beat in Class 2A. They won at Class 5A No. 6 Southwest DeKalb 54-50 and hammered Class 3A No. 2 Westside-Macon 72-48, but sandwiched in between, lost to Class 7A No. 4 East Coweta 82-70. No. 7 South Atlanta plummets five spots without even playing a game. Why? All-State guard JaQuavian Florence is in a boot with a severe ankle sprain and is expected out until January. No. 2 Vidalia and No. 3 Spencer both climb three spots after blow out wins. No. 5 Glenn Hills is down two places after an ugly 68-37 loss to Class 5A No. 4 Lithonia before rallying against a Jordan Meka-less Class A-Private No. 5 Mt. Bethel to win 49-47 in overtime at the Hawks Naismith Classic after trailing 28-10 at the half. Jeff Davis (0-0) is the hard luck departure this week due to inactivity. Surging into the poll is one of the brightest surprises of the season, No. 10 KIPP Atlanta. After finishing 12-13 without making the playoffs a year ago, Coach Emmanuel Mathis has the Warriors looking dangerous. KIPP defeated Salem 73-71, who just knocked off Class 7A No. 10 Newton 58-56, after leading by a large margin the majority of the game. The Warriors fell a point shy to Class 4A No. 5 North Clayton 69-68 but redeemed themselves by winning at Class A-Private No. 7 Holy Innocents’ 62-59, outlasting the Golden Bears’ D-I backcourt. 6-foot-3 Righteous Chester and Kaulin Reynolds have been driving forces to their early season success.

In Class A-Private, No. 1 St. Francis defeated Class 6A No. 6 Langston Hughes 62-57 at the Hawks Naismith Classic as Xavier-signee Dwon Odom crafted together 20 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. No. 2 Greenforest usurps No. 3 Walker for the second position after beating Class 7A No. 7 Pebblebrook 49-40 and a pesky St. Pius X team, 69-55 as sophomore Jalen Forrest scored 22 points. ELCA (0-1) is out of the poll for now after losing a shorthanded matchup against newly ranked No. 9 Galloway 54-51 in overtime. The Scots are ranked for the first time ever behind sophomores Anthony Arrington (18 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Quentin Alterman (12.3 ppg, 4 rpg, 5.3 apg). Senior Will Winn is pitching in 12.3 points per game.

Not much happened in Class A-Public other than No. 8 Lanier County sweeping Worth County. 6-foot-8 senior Amaree McGriff posted 14 points, 14 rebounds and 8 blocks in their 76-45 win.