Class AAAAAAA
1. Milton (5-2)
2. Grayson (6-2)
3. Pebblebrook (9-1)
4. McEachern (5-2)
5. Berkmar (5-3)
6. Cherokee (7-2)
7. Newton (5-3)
8. North Gwinnett (5-2)
9. Denmark (6-1)
10. Norcross (5-3)
Class AAAAAA
1. Wheeler (5-1)
2. Kell (5-1)
3. Chattahoochee (6-0)
4. Lanier (3-1)
5. Shiloh (6-0)
6. South Cobb (6-2)
7. Heritage-Conyers (5-2)
8. Richmond Hill (6-0)
9. Evans (5-0)
10. Centennial (6-1)
Class AAAAA
1. Tri-Cities (4-2)
2. St. Pius X (6-0)
3. Veterans (5-0)
4. Woodward Academy (5-0)
5. Eagle’s Landing (5-0)
6. Warner Robins (5-1)
7. Forest Park (4-0)
8. Dutchtown (4-2)
9. Woodland-Stockbridge (7-2)
10. Blessed Trinity (4-2)
Class AAAA
1. Spencer (3-0)
2. Westover (2-0)
3. Baldwin (3-0)
4. Miller Grove (0-1)
5. Fayette County (4-4)
6. Monroe (3-1)
7. Luella (8-1)
8. Stephenson (0-0)
9. Jenkins (5-3)
10. Hardaway (2-2)
Class AAA
1. Sandy Creek (5-2)
2. Windsor Forest (2-0)
3. Johnson-Savannah (4-0)
4. Hart County (3-1)
5. Salem (3-1)
6. LaFayette (4-0)
7. Cross Creek (5-2)
8. GAC (2-4)
9. Southeast Bulloch (3-2)
10. Morgan County (3-2)
Class AA
1. Pace Academy (6-1)
2. Columbia (2-0)
3. Swainsboro (4-1)
4. Lovett (4-2)
5. Washington County (2-0)
6. Woodville-Tompkins (7-1)
7. Thomasville (3-1)
8. Laney (2-2)
9. Westside-Augusta (7-1)
10. Banks County (4-3)
Class A-Private
1. Greenforest (2-2)
2. Mt. Pisgah (6-2)
3. St. Francis (4-3)
4. Providence Christian (6-2)
5. Galloway (5-0)
6. Trinity Christian (5-3)
7. St. Anne-Pacelli (1-1)
8. Holy Innocents’ (3-1)
9. Walker (5-0)
10. Tallulah Falls (5-2)
Class A-Public
1. Drew Charter (7-0)
2. Hancock Central (0-0)
3. Terrell County (0-0)
4. Dublin (5-1)
5. Manchester (2-1)
6. Calhoun County (1-0)
7. Lanier County (2-2)
8. Turner County (4-1)
9. Towns County (3-0)
10. Social Circle (4-0)
COVID has continued to hit programs hard as teams have been in and out of quarantine throughout the season. DeKalb County is finally returning to action, but will the entire state be able to power through the holiday season and the inevitable spike in cases? I hope so.
No. 1 Milton is starting to round into form in Class 7A as they still await the return of their football players. The Eagles caught fire from beyond the arc this week, going 14-24 against Etowah in a 75-43 blowout before sinking 10-23 in a 68-43 win over No. 10 Norcross at the GBCA Showcase. Ohio State-commit Bruce Thornton recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while Campbell-signee Broc Bidwell netted 19 points to lead five players in double figures as Coach Allen Whitehart captured his 300th career victory. No. 2 Grayson grinded out a 49-40 win over Archer at the Gwinnett Daily Post Metro Atlanta Challenge as Robert Cowherd finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds while Clemson-signee Ian Schieffelin tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds. No. 3 Pebblebrook scored a 74-54 win over Class 5A No. 1 Tri-Cities. No. 4 McEachern outlasted No. 5 Berkmar 88-81 in triple overtime at the GBCA Classic. No. 9 Denmark is down two spots following a 56-40 loss to Gainesville.
Class 6A saw No. 1 Wheeler suffer their first loss of the season in the brutal Region 6 as No. 6 South Cobb clipped the Wildcats 81-74 and now resurface in the Top 10 after six-straight wins. Daquan Riggins’ return to the floor has made an immediate impact. The 6-foot-4 senior poured in 27 points in the win while 6-foot-5 senior Baqi Lecky exploded for 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. No. 3 Chattahoochee picked up wins over Cambridge 68-43 and Johns Creek 86-71 and saw AJ White break the all-time scoring record as he surpassed the 2,000-point mark in his career. Dacula (4-3) falls out of the poll after a 75-55 loss to Class 7A No. 8 North Gwinnett. As expected, there is a current logjam at the bottom of the poll as a handful of teams are waiting their turn to break in.
No. 1 Tri-Cities lost 74-64 at Class 7A No. 3 Pebblebrook before rebounding with a 70-59 win over Class 4A No. 4 Miller Grove at the Southern States Classic. The Bulldogs hold onto the top spot in Class 5A thanks to their strength of schedule, but No. 2 St. Pius X is closing the gap. The Golden Lions routed Lakeside-DeKalb 77-39 and ML King 84-53. No. 3 Veterans hammered Perry (85-38) and Bleckley County (68-46). 6-foot-6 junior TJ Grant is off to a hot start, averaging 19.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 3 steals. Speaking of hot starts, its possible that no one in Middle Georgia has been more consistent than 6-foot-5 senior Greg Jones of No. 6 Warner Robins. He piled in 25 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals in a 58-48 win over Jones County. No. 8 Dutchtown rises two spots even though they were upset by Lithia Springs 47-39. The Bulldogs started their week with a 64-49 win over No. 9 Woodland-Stockbridge and finished the week with a 65-52 win over Camp Jewell House. No. 10 Blessed Trinity sinks three spots following a 53-50 overtime loss to Walton.
The long-awaited debut of Class 4A preseason No. 1 Miller Grove resulted in a hard-fought 70-59 loss to Class 5A No. 1 Tri-Cities, dropping the Wolverines three spots. No. 3 Baldwin defeated Class A-Public No. 4 Dublin 57-49 behind Will Freeman’s 18 points. No. 5 Fayette County climbs a spot after winning their third-straight game, beating Hapeville Charter 89-70. 6-foot-8 junior Kaleb Banks looks like a clear frontrunner for Class 4A Player of the Year, averaging 25.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks. On the verge of falling out of the rankings, No. 8 Stephenson finally debuts this week on Tuesday against Mays. No. 10 Hardaway lost in overtime 74-68 to Central, AL.
Class 3A No. 1 Sandy Creek pounded No. 8 GAC 80-46. The highly anticipated showdown between No. 2 Windsor Forest and No. 3 Johnson-Savannah was cancelled on game day as the Knights had to shut down the school for two weeks due to a positive COVID test. Before the quarantine, Windsor Forest held off No. 9 Southeast Bulloch 75-64. It’s been a long time coming for the Yellow Jackets as they break into the poll after seeing slow but steady growth under Head Coach Matt Kuykendall who is in Year 2 on the job. The Jackets finished 9-16 last season, but have a strong junior nucleus that looks ready to compete for a playoff berth. Loaded with two-sport standouts, 6-foot-5 Tyler Griffin has powered the offense averaging 19.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. 5-foot-10 AJ Williams is tallying 17.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists while 6-foot-3 Khristian Clark is contributing 11.7 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Southeast Bulloch debuts after Murray County (4-2) was blitzed by No. 6 LaFayette 69-43. Also out of the poll is Monroe Area (3-3). They lost 50-47 at Winder-Barrow before losing to newly ranked No. 10 Morgan County 61-49. The Bulldogs have won three in a row.
No. 2 Columbia broke off the rust as they returned to the court in Class 2A for the first time this season. The Eagles blew out South Atlanta 68-36 and Towers 81-51. Mason Lockhart collected 19 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks followed by Julius Coleman’s 17 points and Kawasiki Ricks’ 16 points, 6 assists and 3 steals in the win over Towers. No. 3 Swainsboro is up two spots after edging No. 6 Woodville-Tompkins 57-55 and beating Statesboro 64-50. No. 4 Lovett falls a slot after a 62-59 win against KIPP Atlanta. Shooting up to No. 5 is Washington County. The Golden Hawks debut after beating Burke County 68-53 and winning at No. 8 Laney 54-51 behind Kejuan Bloodsaw’s 24 points. Laney rebounded with a 59-57 win over Class 3A No. 7 Cross Creek who helped knock Butler (2-2) from the rankings. Butler also lost 76-69 to North Augusta, SC. Following the Bulldogs out of the poll is Vidalia (4-2). The Indians fell to Woodville-Tompkins 65-55. Sinking three spots is No. 7 Thomasville after a 76-72 loss at Bainbridge. Returning to the bottom of the Top 10 is No. 10 Banks County. The Leopards have been hot and cold this season. They fell 50-34 to Jefferson but bounced back with a 74-64 overtime victory against Cherokee Bluff, erasing a 10-point fourth quarter deficit. Pierce Martin led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds while 6-foot-8 Dakota Orr collected 18 points and 16 rebounds. Garrett Presley double-doubled with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Clay Gosnell balanced the scoring with 10 points.
For the first time in a long time – since March 11, 2018 following the conclusion of the 2018 season to be exact – St. Francis is not ranked number one in Class A-Private. The Knights fall all the way to No. 3 after losing 68-61 at No. 2 Mt. Pisgah. The Patriots finally got over the hump and rode their momentum to a 65-54 win against Mt. Vernon Presbyterian to close the week. Ascending to the top spot is No. 1 Greenforest. They get the narrow nod over Mt. Pisgah due to strength of schedule. They hold wins over Class 5A No. 1 Tri-Cities (84-77) and Class 7A No. 10 Norcross (60-56) with their only losses coming to Class 7A No. 1 Milton (69-53) and 8-1 North Carolina power Carmel Christian (72-54). No. 5 Galloway defeated No. 6 Trinity Christian 55-46 with Anthony Arrington going for 25 points, 13 rebounds and 2 steals. Exiting the Top 10 is Hebron Christian (4-3). The Lions fell 81-54 to Buford before being knocked off by debutant No. 10 Tallulah Falls 65-54. The Indians have been sneaky good in Year 2 under Head Coach Cody Coleman. They blasted Wesleyan last Saturday 56-38 and have been led by the trio of 6-foot-6 junior Gabe Keene, sophomore Anfernee Hanna and 6-foot-3 senior Sammy Davis with help from senior Julian Gober as well.
Due to inactivity and their first game not scheduled till after the New Year, No. 2 Hancock Central has to give way to No. 1 Drew Charter in Class A-Public. The unfair slaughter of Region 6 continued with wins over Trion 94-34 and Gordon Lee 87-50. The junior backcourt tandem of JaKobe Strozier and JaQuez Thornton has simply been unstoppable so far this season. No. 4 Dublin fell 57-49 at Class 4A No. 3 Baldwin. No. 6 Calhoun County started their year with a 64-54 win over Shaw. No. 8 Turner County survived Hawkinsville 58-55 in overtime before beating Worth County 57-41. Lincoln County (0-0) drops out of the poll for now. Their season is scheduled to begin on Tuesday against Thomson. Breaking into the Top 10 is No. 10 Social Circle. The Redskins defeated Alcovy 70-60 behind the 2022 backcourt of 5-foot-9 Tyrhell Branch (23), 6-foot-1 KJ Reid (18) and 6-foot-2 Amarion Russell (16). They have a crucial Region 8 showdown with No. 9 Towns County in Hiawassee this Saturday. The Indians saw their lone game cancelled due to COVID this past week.