Class AAAAAAA
1. Newton (4-0)
2. Milton (1-0)
3. Pebblebrook (4-1)
4. Grayson (4-1)
5. North Gwinnett (3-1)
6. Norcross (5-1)
7. Berkmar (0-1)
8. Parkview (4-0)
9. Archer (5-1)
10. East Coweta (4-0)
Class AAAAAA
1. Wheeler (1-2)
2. Buford (3-1)
3. Kell (0-1)
4. Osborne (3-0)
5. Westlake (1-3)
6. Shiloh (4-0)
7. Statesboro (2-0)
8. Centennial (5-0)
9. Lanier (1-2)
10. Tucker (4-1)
Class AAAAA
1. Eagle’s Landing (0-0)
2. Tri-Cities (2-1)
3. St. Pius X (2-1)
4. Jonesboro (0-2)
5. Calhoun (0-0)
6. Southwest DeKalb (2-0)
7. Chapel Hill (4-1)
8. Mundy’s Mill (3-1)
9. Jones County (3-2)
10. Walnut Grove (1-2)
Class AAAA
1. Baldwin (2-0)
2. McDonough (3-0)
3. Fayette County (1-1)
4. Mays (4-1)
5. Jefferson (4-0)
6. Monroe (2-1)
7. Spencer (2-2)
8. North Oconee (3-0)
9. Westover (2-0)
10. Cedar Shoals (1-2)
Class AAA
1. Sandy Creek (3-0)
2. Windsor Forest (2-1)
3. Salem (1-1)
4. LaFayette (0-0)
5. Thomson (2-0)
6. Cross Creek (4-0)
7. Peach County (0-1)
8. Johnson-Savannah (1-1)
9. GAC (3-1)
10. Monroe Area (0-0)
Class AA
1. Pace Academy (2-1)
2. Westside-Augusta (3-0)
3. Columbia (1-1)
4. Butler (1-2)
5. Thomasville (2-1)
6. Woodville-Tompkins (2-3)
7. Chattooga (0-1)
8. Northeast-Macon (0-2)
9. Washington County (0-0)
10. Rabun County (2-2)
Class A-Private
1. Greenforest (2-3)
2. Providence Christian (4-1)
3. Galloway (5-1)
4. North Cobb Christian (2-1)
5. Christian Heritage (3-1)
6. WD Mohammed (3-1)
7. King’s Ridge (2-1)
8. Darlington (0-0)
9. Mt. Pisgah (1-1)
10. Mt. Vernon Presbyterian (2-1)
Class A-Public
1. Drew Charter (2-1)
2. Social Circle (1-0)
3. Portal (1-0)
4. Chattahoochee County (0-0)
5. Dublin (1-0)
6. Warren County (0-0)
7. Lanier County (2-0)
8. Bowdon (2-0)
9. Manchester (0-0)
10. Turner County (0-0)
High-level tournaments across the state of Georgia have helped shake up the rankings with Holiday Hoopsgiving, Hard in the Paint, HypeSouth Hardwood Invitational, Jared Cook Classic and North Georgia Showcase all providing Top 10 matchups that have started to sort the pretenders from the contenders heading into the final month of 2021.
No. 1 Newton survived their first week having the target on their back in Class 7A, beating last week’s Class 6A No. 2 Westlake 73-59 and McEachern 82-77 at Hard in the Paint. No one is quite sure what will happen with No. 2 Milton. We will have to see if they play this Saturday in their scheduled matchup at Wheeler against Pebblebrook. No. 7 Berkmar plumets four spots after a thud of a debut, losing 56-55 to Class A-Private No. 1 Greenforest at Holiday Hoopsgiving. No. 4 Grayson and No. 5 North Gwinnett had no issue beating Greenforest earlier in the week, the Rams winning 57-49 and the Bulldogs picking up a 68-58 win without Clemson-signee RJ Godfrey at the Jared Cook Classic, Dylan Gary stepping up with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Grayson is up two spots after securing three Top 10 wins. Aside from beating Greenforest at Holiday Hoopsgiving, the Rams edged Etowah (2-2) 62-55 at the Jared Cook Classic and finished their week with a 72-61 win against Class A-Public No. 1 Drew Charter at Hard in the Paint. North Gwinnett stays put at number five after losing 69-57 to No. 3 Pebblebrook earlier in the week at the Jared Cook Classic. The Falcons split a pair at Holiday Hoopsgiving to close the week, falling 62-55 to Wasatch Academy, UT before beating Real Salt Lake, UT 80-61. No. 6 Norcross climbs two positions after getting back on track with a busy four-win week. The Blue Devils swept their Peachtree Corners Thanksgiving Round-Robin with their best win coming against last week’s Class 6A No. 8 Effingham County 67-55. The Blue Devils capped the week with a dominant 75-57 whipping of Class 2A No. 1 Pace Academy at Holiday Hoopsgiving, London Johnson putting on a show with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, burying 6 three-pointers. No. 8 Parkview moves up two places with a 70-67 win over Class 6A No. 10 Tucker while No. 10 East Coweta is bumped down a spot even though they beat last week’s Class 4A No. 3 Spencer 66-52. No. 9 Archer is back in the Top 10, replacing Etowah who had two hard-fought losses including a 50-49 defeat to the Tigers at the Jared Cook Classic. Archer overpowered Class 6A No. 9 Lanier 76-52 at the North Georgia Showcase, the Tigers drilling 10 threes and getting a game-high 22 points from Damoni Harrison.
No. 1 Wheeler remains atop Class 6A following an 0-2 week which saw the Wildcats lose to national powers Duncanville, TX (80-58) and Montverde Academy, FL (70-55). No. 2 Buford lost 65-62 to South Gwinnett but was without key pieces including Jaylon Taylor. The Wolves bounced back at full strength, destroying last week’s Class 3A No. 6 Hart County 82-48 at the North Georgia Showcase, pushing Buford up two spots. Alahn Sumler led a balanced attack with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Buford’s full court press, athleticism, length and outside shooting will cause issues in Class 6A. No. 3 Kell lost 72-50 to Carmel Christian, NC at Holiday Hoopsgiving but clings onto their spot after seeing No. 5 Westlake tumble three positions. The new-look Lions have struggled, losing 73-59 to Class 7A No. 1 Newton at Hard in the Paint before falling 68-62 to Hillgrove at Holiday Hoopsgiving. No. 4 Osborne inches up a spot following a 63-56 win over University School, FL at Hard in the Paint. No. 6 Shiloh notched two wins on their home floor at Holiday Hoopsgiving, beating McEachern 66-59 and Langston Hughes 52-40. Trevon Payton is off to a hot start, dumping in 26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in the Generals’ win against McEachern. No. 8 Centennial lost Brian Baylor to an ACL tear but continues to roll. The Knights drubbed Pope 59-23 at the Wolverine Classic led by Mansir Williamson’s 16 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals followed by Wade Kahl’s 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. No. 9 Lanier slips three spots with a 76-52 loss to Class 7A No. 9 Archer at the North Georgia Showcase. Jayce Nathaniel was a bright spot with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Out of the Top 10 is Effingham County (0-3). The Rebels tried to challenge themselves at the Peachtree Corners Thanksgiving Round-Robin but fell flat, losing to Woodward Academy (54-50), Class 7A No. 6 Norcross (67-55) and Stephenson (54-49). They are replaced by No. 10 Tucker who outlasted Collins Hill 76-73 at the North Georgia Showcase, Raylan Barrion tallying 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks while Josiah Lawson chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds.
In a Top 5 showdown, Class 5A saw No. 3 St. Pius X defeat No. 4 Jonesboro 51-41 at the North Georgia Showcase, flip-flopping the two teams in this week’s poll. It was an ugly disjointed game offensively that featured St. Pius’ full court press and Jonesboro’s 2-3 zone stymying each other. The Cardinals were without an injured AJ Horton. The Golden Lions were powered by 6-foot-9 junior Spencer Elliott who had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 8 blocks, shutting down the interior. Devon Rainey scored a game-high 17 points to pace Jonesboro. No. 2 Tri-Cities fared well at the Florida Get Down, beating Jones, FL 55-47 before losing 79-69 to nationally ranked Dr. Phillips, FL. Kennesaw State-signee Simeon Cottle had 22 points and 7 assists in the loss while Kory Mincy provided 16 points, 7 assists and 4 steals in the Bulldog win. There are moving pieces in the bottom of the Top 10. No. 6 Southwest DeKalb climbs above the wreckage four spots while No. 9 Jones County slides three places following losses to Augusta Christian (68-52), Class 2A No. 2 Westside-Augusta (70-56) and a win over shorthanded Class 3A No. 8 Johnson-Savannah (61-60) at the HypeSouth Hardwood Invitational. No. 10 Walnut Grove witnessed a 15-point third quarter lead disappear at home to Class A-Public No. 2 Social Circle, losing 73-61 and sinking three places in the process. Out of the poll completely are Clarke Central (0-3) and Decatur (1-2). The Gladiators couldn’t hang on without their football players, losing twice at the Andy Landers Classic to Alcovy (72-56) and Class 4A No. 8 North Oconee (48-42). Decatur lost two tight games at Hard in the Paint, 59-55 to Class 4A No. 4 Mays and 53-49 to University School, FL. Cracking into the rankings are No. 7 Chapel Hill and No. 8 Mundy’s Mill, two explosively athletic teams. Chapel Hill earned two wins at the Union Grove Thanksgiving Showcase highlighted by their 60-59 result against Mays, Chi Shannon scoring 17 points. Mundy’s Mill picked up a 59-55 win in overtime at Holiday Hoopsgiving against Class A-Private No. 4 North Cobb Christian, Bryson Ogletree racking up 21 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
The top of Class 4A is figuring itself out thanks to the HypeSouth Hardwood Invitational which showcased four Top 10 teams. No. 1 Baldwin blasted Veterans 76-52, Rudolph Satcher (15), Shatavious Hogan (13) and Christian Burnett (10) leading a balanced attack. No. 2 McDonough bludgeoned host Warner Robins 85-45 as Da’Avion Thomas erupted with 24 points, 6 assists and 9 steals. No. 7 Spencer disappointed in Warner Robins, losing 59-54 to Dutchtown, dropping the Greenwave four spots in the poll. Spencer also lost 66-52 to Class 7A No. 10 East Coweta earlier in the week. The other ranked 4A school to play at the HypeSouth Hardwood Invitational was Dougherty (2-2) who earned a 65-59 win over Class 2A No. 8 Northeast-Macon, but the Raiders were missing up to five players due to football including All-State guard Travion Solomon. The Trojans are out of the Top 10 due to a 54-38 loss to Episcopal School of Jacksonville, FL at the Lowndes Thanksgiving Classic earlier in the week. Dougherty went 1-1 at the event with a 57-37 win over Flagler Palm Coast, FL, but their inability to impress against Northeast-Macon helps force the Trojans from the rankings. Outside of Warner Robins, No. 6 Monroe slipped a spot with a 56-52 loss to South Cobb. No. 8 North Oconee went 2-0 at the Andy Landers Classic, beating Athens Academy 81-60 and last week’s Class 5A No. 8 Clarke Central 48-42. Jake Chandler netted a career-high 36 against Athens Academy while Brodie Scott double-doubled with 18 points and 17 rebounds vs. skeleton crew Clarke Central who was missing multiple football players. No. 10 Cedar Shoals is back on track with a 56-50 win over Valdosta at the Andy Landers Classic, Kashik Brown pouring in 27 points. Pushing down North Oconee and Cedar Shoals is the arrival of Region 8 foe No. 5 Jefferson in the Top 10. The high-octane Dragons have been clicking on all cylinders, playing fast and shooting lights out from beyond the arc. Jefferson won their Jackson EMC Classic by clobbering Franklin County 77-58 and Winder-Barrow 82-55 in the title game. JT Fulkrod won tournament MVP, scoring 24 against Franklin County and 23 in the championship, combining for eight made threes over the two games. Bruising forward Kadin Bailey scored 15 apiece in the semifinals and finals.
Class 3A is a work in progress, especially at the bottom of the poll where chaos has ensued large in part due to disappointing play out of Region 8. Let’s start at the top first. No. 1 Sandy Creek beat winless Meadowcreek 62-56 at Holiday Hoopsgiving before kicking it into high gear at Hard in the Paint, notching a nice 74-64 victory over a talented Cumberland Christian team. Micah Smith scored 18 to hold off the Patriots. No. 2 Windsor Forest suffered a 75-73 loss to Keystone Academy, PA at Holiday Hoopsgiving but bounced back with a laugher over Holy Spirit Prep 81-39. No. 3 Salem lost 64-60 to Augusta Christian at Hoopsgiving but inactivity from No. 4 LaFayette helps the Seminoles maintain their position for at least another week. Below the idle buffer, No. 5 Thomson crushed Oglethorpe County 87-56. Defending state champion No. 6 Cross Creek debuts after winning the Tip-Off at the Dam championship in South Carolina, beating local schools Dutch Fork (51-38), Wando (57-55) and River Bluff (80-53). Antoine Lorick scored 21 points in the title game against River Bluff while Jaquez Ellison had 20 and Dontrel Smith chipped in 16. No. 8 Johnson-Savannah lost 61-60 to Class 5A No. 9 Jones County at the HypeSouth Hardwood Invitational but actually rises two spots taking into account that leading scorer Antonio Baker did not play due to an ankle injury. Ted Hurst stepped up in his absence with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. No. 9 GAC makes their first appearance in the poll following wins over Mill Creek (54-38) and Franklin County (61-41). Bucknell-signee Josh Fulton scored 16 against the Hawks and 20 vs. the Lions. Now let’s get into the mayhem. This week’s casualties are Region 8’s Hart County (2-3) and Oconee County (3-2). The Bulldogs earned sluggish wins over football player-less First Presbyterian Day 67-60 before edging Habersham Central 54-52. Hart County lost 60-52 to Valdosta to start the week and closed the weekend getting drug by Class 6A No. 2 Buford 82-48 at the North Georgia Showcase, trailing by 30 points in the first half. The Warriors finished a disappointing 1-2 at the Jackson EMC Classic squandering a lead against T.L. Hanna, SC to lose 61-56 and beating a lifeless Cross Keys 62-8 to end the event. No. 10 Monroe Area slides one spot due to inactivity but opens their season on Thursday against Class 4A No. 8 North Oconee looking to refurbish Region 8’s image following a tough start that has seen the talented six-team grouping go a combined 7-14.
There’s some movement in the Top 3 in Class 2A. No. 1 Pace Academy was blown out by Class 7A No. 6 Norcross at Holiday Hoopsgiving 75-57, but the Knights hold tight atop the poll, however No. 2 Westside-Augusta is hard charging. The Patriots move up a spot following their third-straight Top 10 win, this time beating last week’s Class 5A No. 6 Jones County 70-56 at the 100 Black Men Thanksgiving Classic. No. 3 Columbia slips one position after going 1-1 in Alabama, surviving Plainsview, AL 72-66 in overtime but dropping 76-69 to Grissom, AL. No. 4 Butler lost in overtime 67-64 to Grovetown but bounced back at the 100 Black Men Thanksgiving Classic with a 68-44 win over Josey, Kedar Bodie scoring 17 points. No. 6 Woodville-Tompkins is down one place following a 60-46 loss to Beach at the Joe Greene Classic. No. 5 Thomasville picked up a pair of wins at the Florida Get Down over PK Yonge, FL (65-38) and Lake Nona, FL (69-29). No. 8 Northeast-Macon lost 65-59 to last week’s Class 4A No. 10 Dougherty at the HypeSouth Hardwood Invitational, but maintains their position as they were missing five key football players including All-State point guard Travion Solomon. No. 10 Rabun County had a busy 2-2 week, losing in the Piedmont Invitational championship to Habersham Central 82-67 following an 80-60 win over Lakeview Academy. The Wildcats fell 71-65 to Starr’s Mill at the North Georgia Showcase, wasting a classic 47-point 21-rebound effort by Lander-signee Connor McKay. Rabun County finished the week on a high note, drilling Landmark Christian 69-38 at the Truett McConnell Showcase and will now have their football players back full-time moving forward.
The record isn’t pretty, but there’s something to be said about strength of schedule. That’s why No. 1 Greenforest is now in the driver’s seat in Class A-Private. Greenforest is unlike any other private school in the state for a multitude of reasons. One of those reasons is the schedule they manufacture. Sitting at 2-3, the Eagles have played five Class 7A schools, four of them in the Top 10. Greenforest fell 68-58 to No. 5 North Gwinnett at the Jared Cook Classic and lost 57-49 to No. 4 Grayson at Holiday Hoopsgiving, but bookended their grueling week with a 56-55 statement win over last week’s No. 3 Berkmar as Florian Tenebay tallied 18 points and 6 rebounds. No. 2 Providence Christian had to rally to beat Gainesville 66-58 at the Truett McConnell Showcase while No. 3 Galloway cruised at the Jared Cook Classic against Miller Grove 73-54, Anthony Arrington recording 18 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists. No. 4 North Cobb Christian defeated No. 7 King’s Ridge 71-67 to climb a spot before falling 59-55 in overtime to Class 5A No. 8 Mundy’s Mill at Holiday Hoopsgiving. No. 5 Christian Heritage slips one position following a 47-41 loss to Boyd-Buchanan, TN. No. 6 WD Mohammed rises two spots with a 62-58 win against Huntsville, AL at Holiday Hoopsgiving, freshman Ibrahim Hassan and 6-foot-8 junior Amir Boyce scoring 18 apiece. No. 9 Mt. Pisgah edged Winder-Barrow 76-71 at the North Georgia Showcase behind MJ Winter’s 29 points and freshman Micah Tucker’s 28. Udochi Osuji double-doubled with 13 points and 18 rebounds. First Presbyterian Day (0-2) is out of the poll losing 79-71 to SACA and 67-60 to Hart County, missing their football players. Jay King did the best he could to keep the Vikings competitive, averaging 34 points per game. Into the rankings for the first time is No. 10 Mt. Vernon Presbyterian. Syncere Harris leads the Mustangs averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. 6-foot-8 junior Keith Williams is posting 11.5 points and 11.5 rebounds while 6-foot-9 sophomore Dennis Scott III is pitching in 10.7 points and 8.7 rebounds.
There is no movement in Class A-Public, but there were some interesting results headlined by the top two teams in the state. No. 1 Drew Charter challenged themselves at Hard in the Paint but lost 72-61 to Class 7A No. 4 Grayson. No. 2 Social Circle looked dead in the water in front of a packed house on the road against Walton County rival Walnut Grove, last week’s Class 5A No. 7. The Redskins trailed 36-21 midway through the third quarter before igniting a hellacious 27-9 run sparked by Social Circle’s full court press to stun the Warriors 73-61 in a physical game. KJ Reid scored 17 points while Lamarius Jackson netted 15. The Jackson twins, Lamarius and Quindarius paid immediate dividends. After sitting out last season due to COVID precautions, the juniors combined for 27 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist and 5 steals. Both Drew Charter and Social Circle will be on display this Saturday at Archer High School in the Sandy’s Spiel Showcase in A-Public vs. A-Private Top 10 showdowns, the Eagles playing No. 2 Providence Christian while the Redskins take on No. 5 Christian Heritage. In the middle of the rankings, No. 5 Dublin opened up their year with a 67-52 win at Wilkinson County, the Irish seeing four players reach double figures led by Justin Willis’ 14 points. No. 7 Lanier County went to Cook and picked up a 74-52 win.