Week 3 GHSA Girls Basketball State Rankings
Girls Rankings

Week 3 GHSA Girls Basketball State Rankings


PRO Movement

Class AAAAAAA

1. Campbell (6-1)
2. Brookwood (5-1)
3. Archer (4-1)
4. Grayson (4-1)
5. North Forsyth (5-0)
6. Cherokee (4-2)
7. South Forsyth (3-1)
8. Woodstock (4-1)
9. Norcross (4-0)
10. West Forsyth (4-0)

Class AAAAAA

1. Kell (3-0)
2. River Ridge (3-0)
3. Buford (4-1)
4. Carrollton (3-0)
5. Lovejoy (1-1)
6. Langston Hughes (3-1)
7. Statesboro (5-0)
8. Sequoyah (2-1)
9. Rockdale County (3-2)
10. Grovetown (3-0)

Class AAAAA

1. Forest Park (3-0)
2. Maynard Jackson (2-1)
3. Woodward Academy (3-1)
4. Griffin (3-2)
5. Greenbrier (3-1)
6. McIntosh (4-0)
7. Union Grove (5-1)
8. New Manchester (2-2)
9. Cass (3-1)
10. St. Pius X (1-3)

Class AAAA

1. Luella (4-1)
2. Jefferson (5-0)
3. Baldwin (2-1)
4. Carver-Columbus (2-1)
5. Troup County (0-4)
6. Marist (2-2)
7. Bainbridge (3-0)
8. Arabia Mountain (3-2)
9. North Oconee (3-1)
10. Pickens (2-1)

Class AAA

1. Lumpkin County (3-1)
2. GAC (4-1)
3. Pierce County (3-0)
4. Cross Creek (2-0)
5. Redan (3-1)
6. Tattnall County (1-0)
7. Beach (2-0)
8. Murray County (4-0)
9. Burke County (2-0)
10. Central-Macon (1-0)

Class AA

1. Elbert County (2-1)
2. Josey (1-1)
3. Fannin County (4-0)
4. Rabun County (1-2)
5. Washington County (1-0)
6. Heard County (3-0)
7. Union County (4-1)
8. Lamar County (1-2)
9. Laney (0-1)
10. Woodville-Tompkins (2-3)

Class A-Private

1. Holy Innocents’ (5-0)
2. Mt. Paran (4-1)
3. St. Francis (3-1)
4. Galloway (3-2)
5. Wesleyan (1-2)
6. Hebron Christian (4-0)
7. Trinity Christian (2-2)
8. Calvary Day (1-0)
9. Deerfield-Windsor (1-1)
10. Tallulah Falls (3-2)

Class A-Public

1. Montgomery County (1-0)
2. Mt. Zion-Carrollton (5-1)
3. Claxton (1-0)
4. Pelham (0-0)
5. Lake Oconee Academy (4-0)
6. Central-Talbotton (0-0)
7. Trion (1-0)
8. Commerce (1-1)
9. Dublin (1-1)
10. Telfair County (0-0)

It was a busy week as the Jackson EMC Tip-Off Classic, Raider Classic, North Georgia Showcase, Hoops 4 Hunger and Insider Exposure Thanksgiving Classic down in Florida helped rearrange the state rankings as two classifications see new number ones and five classifications saw last week’s top team suffer a loss.

It has been a gridlock in Class 7A but there is a little shifting as No. 5 North Forsyth swaps places with No. 6 Cherokee after beating the Warriors in their annual meeting in the Raider Classic Championship. The Raiders blew past Cherokee 61-44 behind tournament MVP Erin Whalen’s 15 points and Alabama-Huntsville-signee Haelim Adle’s 12. North Forsyth also beat Class 4A No. 6 Marist 50-34 in the semifinals and now has three Top 10 wins early in the season. Cherokee defeated county rival Sequoyah 52-38 to set up the title bout. No. 1 Campbell went 3-0 at Insider Exposure beating Fayette Ware, TN (44-39), Spruce Creek, FL (47-42) and Oakleaf, FL (53-45) before falling 56-48 to Meridian, MS at Hoops 4 Hunger. No. 2 Brookwood split a pair at Insider Exposure beating Bishop Kenny, FL 45-44 and losing to Cardinal Mooney, FL 65-56. The Broncos got back on track at Hoops 4 Hunger with a 61-56 win over Marietta, Diana Collins finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds. No. 3 Archer got 15 points and 5 steals from Taniya McGowan in their 72-66 win over Class 5A No. 8 New Manchester at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic while No. 4 Grayson cruised to the Dacula Tip-Off Classic Championship, hammering Dacula 58-21. No. 7 South Forsyth beat Greenforest 59-38 at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic while No. 8 Woodstock went 2-0 at Insider Exposure highlighted by a 60-59 win over Pine Forest, FL where Casey Miller poured in 27 points. No. 9 Norcross enjoyed a 3-0 week bookended by a 51-34 win against Peachtree Ridge. No. 10 West Forsyth captured the Roger Slaton Memorial Classic Championship 71-52 over host Dawson County.

The dominoes have started to fall in Class 6A as the Top 5 looks very different now that No. 5 Lovejoy sinks three spots following a 72-65 loss to last week’s Class 5A No. 1 Woodward Academy at Hoops 4 Hunger. No. 1 Kell clings onto the top spot after a 2-0 showing at Hoops 4 Hunger beating last week’s Class 4A No. 2 Troup County 69-60 and Florida State University 51-36. No. 2 River Ridge jumps two spots leapfrogging No. 3 Buford in the process who beat Class 3A No. 1 Lumpkin County 56-39 behind Ava Grace Watson’s 19 points before falling to Class 4A No. 2 Jefferson on a buzzer-beater in the Jackson EMC Tip-Off Classic Championship 54-51. The Wolves closed the week on a high note, beating Class 5A No. 4 Griffin 68-63 at Hoops 4 Hunger and blasting Class 2A No. 1 Elbert County 64-55, up 62-32 heading into the fourth quarter before emptying the bench. No. 4 Carrollton rises with a 65-42 win over last week’s Class 5A No. 5 Warner Robins at the Union Grove Tip-Off Classic and gets the nod over Lovejoy considering the Trojans boat raced Class 5A No. 2 Maynard Jackson 71-43, who turned around and beat Woodward Academy who beat Lovejoy. No. 6 Langston Hughes opened the season with three wins at the Marietta Thanksgiving Showcase highlighted by a 49-42 win over the host Blue Devils. The Panthers lost 55-46 to Class 4A No. 1 Luella at Hoops 4 Hunger. No. 7 Statesboro survived a long bus ride to North Cobb Christian 53-48 while No. 8 Sequoyah lost 52-38 to Class 7A No. 6 Cherokee but bounced back with a 50-42 win vs. Class 4A No. 6 Marist at the Raider Classic. Sprayberry (0-2) departs following a 68-45 loss at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic to Class A-Private No. 5 Wesleyan. No. 10 Grovetown emerges in the rankings. The Warriors haven’t played a tough schedule but are anchored by leading scorers D’Mya Griffin (12.7 ppg) and 6-foot-1 North Carolina A&T-signee Keona Cutris (12 ppg).

Class 5A was stunned at Hoops 4 Hunger as No. 2 Maynard Jackson knocked off No. 3 Woodward Academy 54-50, jolting the Jaguars up six spots while the War Eagles slip two places. Georgia State-signee Xaviera Dyer was named game MVP in the win. Maynard Jackson held UGA-signee Sydney Bowles to 17 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists. The War Eagles bounced back by beating last week’s Class 6A No. 2 Lovejoy 72-65, Bowles flirting with a triple-double with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Up to the top is No. 1 Forest Park who beat Landmark Christian 71-50 at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic. No. 4 Griffin split at Hoops 4 Hunger, dropping 68-63 to Class 6A No. 3 Buford before romping last week’s Class 4A No. 2 Troup County 63-36. No. 8 New Manchester lost 72-66 to Class 7A No. 3 Archer at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic. India Johnson stepped up with 21 points and 5 assists while Auburn-signee Kharyssa Richardson got banged up and scored 10 points. No. 9 Cass fell 61-44 to Class A-Private No. 6 Hebron Christian at the Apalachee Thanksgiving Classic. No. 10 St. Pius X falls four spots but hangs onto the final position in the rankings due to their strength of schedule. All three of the Golden Lions’ losses have come against top programs in the state: Class A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’ (51-42), Class 4A No. 2 Jefferson (57-47) and Class 3A No. 1 Lumpkin County (63-44). Tumbling from the Top 5 to unranked is Warner Robins (3-3). The Demonettes went 0-2 at the Union Grove Tip-Off Classic losing 65-42 to Class 6A No. 4 Carrollton and beat by No. 7 Union Grove 73-65, who replaces them in the poll. Jordan Brooks (20), Julia Baker (19) and Nadea Smith (15) combined for 54 points in the Wolverine win. Union Grove now has two Top 10 wins, the other a 67-57 win over current Class 4A No. 8 Arabia Mountain two weeks ago. The Wolverines’ only loss came on November 19 to No. 6 McIntosh 45-37.

In Class 4A, No. 1 Luella scored a pair of blow out wins at Insider Exposure and returned home to beat Class 6A No. 6 Langston Hughes 55-46 at Hoops 4 Hunger, Ariana Dyson recording 14 points and 12 rebounds. No. 2 Jefferson climbs two spots after winning their Jackson EMC Tip-Off Classic. The Dragons beat last week’s Class 5A No. 6 St. Pius X 57-47 behind Natalia Bolden’s 18 points and Ellie Kinlaw’s 16. In the title game, Jefferson finally got over the hump beating Class 6A No. 3 Buford 54-51, Kinlaw dropping 23 points and Bolden, who missed the past two seasons with an ACL tear and a ruptured Achilles, finally having her signature moment after much adversity, draining the buzzer-beating three to win the game and finish with 17 points. No. 3 Baldwin crushed Class 2A No. 9 Laney 70-44 as Madison Ruff ran roughshod with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. No. 4 Carver-Columbus edged East Coweta 71-68 then overpowered a young Mt. Vernon Presbyterian at Hoops 4 Hunger 81-59, Ashlyn Mesidor collecting 29 points and 12 rebounds. No. 5 Troup County is lucky to only sink three spots. They went 0-4 in their opening week, going 0-2 at Insider Exposure and getting beat 69-60 by Class 6A No. 1 Kell and 63-36 by Class 5A No. 4 Griffin at Hoops 4 Hunger. No. 6 Marist stays put after a pair of ranked losses at the Raider Classic, beat 50-34 by Class 7A No. 5 North Forsyth and 50-42 by Class 6A No. 8 Sequoyah. No. 7 Bainbridge is up three spots with a 33-30 win over last week’s Class 3A No. 8 Sumter County at the Charles Cooper Classic. No. 8 Arabia Mountain has lost their luster, losing ground with a 50-47 loss at Gainesville. No. 9 North Oconee hangs onto their position thanks to a 54-31 win over Athens Academy. The Titans fell 59-49 to Class 2A No. 3 Fannin County at the North Georgia Showcase but were without sophomore Aiyanna Peavy. Annika Bonds rose to the occasion with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the loss. No. 10 Pickens slips two positions following a 42-39 loss at Fannin County in the ETC Championship.

The Class 3A rankings are a disaster right now. There were plenty of distractions surrounding No. 1 Lumpkin County but the Indians managed to recover at the Jackson EMC Tip-Off, losing 56-39 to Class 6A No. 3 Buford but beating last week’s Class 5A No. 6 St. Pius X 63-44, Lexi Pierce netting 18 points followed by Averie Jones (17), Mary Mullinax (16) and Kate Jackson (12). No. 2 GAC had a golden opportunity to seize the coveted number one ranking, but fumbled it away with a poor showing at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic, drilled by Class A-Private No. 3 St. Francis 46-19. No. 3 Pierce County earned wins over Camden County (42-39) and Wayne County (34-26). Outside of the Top 3, the rest of the state went to hell in a handbasket as four teams are booted from the Top 10. Johnson-Savannah (0-1) was annihilated by Class A-Private No. 8 Calvary Day 86-36. Albeit they were without star Amani Hamilton, the wing was not going to make a 50-point difference. White County (2-3) is having déjà vu as injuries haven’t allowed the Warriors to get in a groove just yet. White County has played a respectable schedule but a 1-3 week bumps them out of the Top 10 after losing to Habersham Central (41-31), Hart County (47-45) and Class 4A No. 2 Jefferson (70-51). Westminster (0-4) doesn’t have enough firepower without Stanford-commit Courtney Ogden. They went 0-2 at Insider Exposure. Sumter County (1-2) barely drops out after a 33-30 loss to Class 4A No. 7 Bainbridge. The Panthers closed the week with a 64-51 win over Turner County and their only other loss came against undefeated Class 6A Lee County 54-41. Sumter County will have ample opportunity to jump back in quickly. With all the wreckage, No. 4 Cross Creek is up two spots, No. 5 Redan jumps four and No. 6 Tattnall County climbs four following a 74-71 season-opening win over Glynn Academy. The new look bottom of the poll starts with No. 7 Beach who earned two wins at the Joe Greene Tournament: 38-37 over South Effingham and 40-33 against Class 2A No. 10 Woodville-Tompkins. No. 8 Murray County is 4-0 and is coming off a 54-37 win vs. Northwest Whitfield. Juniors Ella Dotson (16) and Mattie Nuckolls (15) combined for 31 points. No. 9 Burke County beat Screven County 73-53 while No. 10 Central-Macon enjoyed a Bye week following a 46-43 win over Dougherty at the HypeSouth Hardwood Invitational. The Lady Chargers will be tested right away as they host Sumter County on Wednesday.

No. 1 Elbert County got to see first hand the difference between a 6A juggernaut and a Class 2A powerhouse as the Blue Devils were throttled by No. 3 Buford 64-55 at the North Georgia Showcase, down 62-32 heading into the fourth quarter before Buford emptied the bench. Aaniyah Allen was a bright spot with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. No. 2 Josey demolished Evans 70-16 at the 100 Black Men Classic. No. 3 Fannin County is playing great basketball. The Rebels are up one spot after winning the ETC Championship by beating Gilmer 63-39 and Class 4A No. 10 Pickens 42-39. At the North Georgia Showcase Fannin County took advantage of a shorthanded Class 4A No. 9 North Oconee and won 59-49 led by 12 points apiece from West Georgia-signee Becca Ledford and Reagan York. No. 4 Rabun County hasn’t run away from competition. They breezed by Lakeview Academy 75-41 at the Piedmont Invitational but lost in the championship to Habersham Central 46-38, held to 10 points in the second half. The LadyCats’ two losses have come against Class 7A No. 7 South Forsyth and the 6A Raiders. No. 6 Heard County rolled over LaGrange 80-23 and moves up two spots while No. 9 Laney sinks three spaces after failing to put up a fight against Class 4A No. 3 Baldwin at the 100 Black Men Classic, losing 70-44. No. 8 Lamar County slips a place due to a second consecutive forfeit due to their crowd clearing fight with Spalding. No. 10 Woodville-Tompkins outlasted Dougherty 52-51 in overtime before falling to Class 3A No. 7 Beach 40-33 in the Joe Greene Tournament. Callaway (0-0) briefly departs due to inactivity, replaced by No. 7 Union County, the third team from Region 8 (Elbert, Rabun). Anchored by North Georgia-signee Ava Hunter, the Panthers are powerful in the paint. They beat Cherokee Bluff twice this week, 72-57 and 57-46, Hunter posting 30 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks at the North Georgia Showcase. The Panthers’ best showing is an impressive 61-49 win over Habersham Central. Their lone loss came to Rabun Gap 64-40.

There is a new number one in Class A-Private thanks to the Insider Exposure Thanksgiving Classic in Florida. No. 1 Holy Innocents’ ascends following two blow out wins over Charlotte, FL (68-27) and Pine Forest, FL (55-37). No. 2 Mt. Paran beat Cardinal Mooney, FL 49-29 but lost 55-51 to Charlotte, FL. No. 3 St. Francis beat up Class 3A No. 2 GAC 46-19 at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic before losing 62-54 to Hoover, AL at Hoops 4 Hunger. No. 4 Galloway is the third team that went down to Insider Exposure and provides us with another like-opponent score. The Scots beat Oakleaf, FL 61-44 but fell 62-49 to Cardinal Mooney, FL. No. 5 Wesleyan defeated last week’s Class 6A No. 10 Sprayberry 68-45 at the Parkview Tip-Off Classic. No. 6 Hebron Christian took care of Class 5A No. 9 Cass 61-44 behind Amiya Porter’s 17 points. No. 8 Calvary Day creamed last week’s Class 3A No. 4 Johnson-Savannah 86-36 as Hannah Cail (27) and Mahkayla Premo (21) combined for 48 points. No. 9 Deerfield-Windsor is down a spot with a 50-40 loss to Covington, TN. Prince Avenue (3-1) exits the Top 10 after losing 68-51 to East Jackson. The revolving door of Region 8 teams now swings No. 10 Tallulah Falls into the poll. The Indians cruised to wins over Monroe Area (72-44) and Hart County (58-38). Veronaye Charlton netted 21 points in the win over the Bulldogs.

There is no movement in Class A-Public. No. 2 Mt. Zion-Carrollton earned a trio of easy wins over Woodland-Cartersville (61-36), Walker (60-14) and Dalton Academy (62-4). No. 5 Lake Oconee Academy went 2-0 at the AIS Thanksgiving Feast, beating Fellowship Christian 36-26 and Atlanta International 53-18. No. 8 Commerce trounced Madison County 84-58 and No. 9 Dublin secured a 38-22 win at the Palace at Wilkinson County.