Week 4 GHSA Boys Basketball State Rankings
Rankings

Week 4 GHSA Boys Basketball State Rankings


PRO Movement

Class AAAAAAA

1. Newton (6-0)
2. Pebblebrook (5-1)
3. Milton (1-1)
4. Grayson (4-1)
5. North Gwinnett (5-2)
6. Norcross (5-1)
7. Berkmar (0-1)
8. Archer (7-2)
9. Etowah (4-2)
10. South Gwinnett (8-0)

Class AAAAAA

1. Buford (4-1)
2. Wheeler (3-3)
3. Osborne (6-0)
4. Westlake (4-3)
5. Shiloh (4-0)
6. Centennial (7-0)
7. Kell (1-3)
8. Statesboro (4-0)
9. Lanier (2-2)
10. Alexander (3-0)

Class AAAAA

1. Eagle’s Landing (3-0)
2. Tri-Cities (3-1)
3. St. Pius X (4-1)
4. Chapel Hill (5-1)
5. Jonesboro (1-3)
6. Southwest DeKalb (3-1)
7. Walnut Grove (2-2)
8. Jones County (6-2)
9. Mundy’s Mill (5-1)
10. Calhoun (1-1)

Class AAAA

1. Baldwin (4-0)
2. McDonough (5-1)
3. Mays (5-1)
4. Jefferson (6-0)
5. Fayette County (1-3)
6. Monroe (3-1)
7. Spencer (3-2)
8. North Oconee (5-0)
9. Westover (4-0)
10. Cedar Shoals (1-2)

Class AAA

1. Sandy Creek (5-0)
2. Windsor Forest (2-1)
3. Salem (2-1)
4. LaFayette (2-0)
5. Thomson (3-0)
6. Cross Creek (5-1)
7. Johnson-Savannah (1-1)
8. GAC (4-1)
9. Groves (4-1)
10. Monroe Area (1-1)

Class AA

1. Pace Academy (5-1)
2. Westside-Augusta (5-0)
3. Columbia (4-1)
4. Butler (2-3)
5. Thomasville (4-1)
6. Woodville-Tompkins (3-4)
7. Putnam County (2-1)
8. Northeast-Macon (1-3)
9. Washington County (0-0)
10. Rabun County (3-3)

Class A-Private

1. Greenforest (3-3)
2. North Cobb Christian (4-1)
3. Galloway (6-2)
4. Providence Christian (4-3)
5. WD Mohammed (4-2)
6. Christian Heritage (5-2)
7. King’s Ridge (5-1)
8. Darlington (3-0)
9. Mt. Pisgah (3-1)
10. George Walton Academy (4-1)

Class A-Public

1. Drew Charter (5-1)
2. Social Circle (4-0)
3. Portal (2-0)
4. Chattahoochee County (1-0)
5. Dublin (3-0)
6. Lanier County (5-0)
7. Warren County (1-1)
8. Bowdon (5-0)
9. Manchester (1-0)
10. Turner County (3-0)

Shifting in the rankings has begun as events like the Sandy’s Spiel Showcase and Tournament of Champions featured multiple Top 10 matchups.

No. 3 Milton returned to action in Class 7A after lengthy layoff and the rust showed, losing 64-47 to No. 2 Pebblebrook at the Tournament of Champions, the Falcons jumping the Eagles in the rankings. Rider-signee Kami Young scored 21 points while Jaiun Simon and Jordan Brown scored 17 and 16, respectively. No. 1 Newton held off No. 8 Archer 61-60 behind Marcus Whitlock’s 18 points and UConn-commit Stephon Castle’s 17. The Tigers received 15 points apiece from Christian Drummer and Carl Anderson, but lost Drummer to an injury on the final play forcing him to sit out in wins over Mountain View (64-52) and at the Sandy’s Spiel Showcase against Dacula (58-49). Damoni Harrison’s statement senior season continued with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the win over Dacula. No. 5 North Gwinnett went 1-1 at the Marshall County Hoopfest, losing 90-77 to Blazer, KY and beating Male, KY 60-54. Out of the Top 10 drop Parkview (5-1) and East Coweta (6-1). The Panthers were blasted by new Class 6A No. 1 Buford 92-52 before outlasting 1-5 Mill Creek 65-64 in overtime. East Coweta was blown out by Class 2A No. 1 Pace Academy 73-46 at the Tournament of Champions after wins over Carrollton (66-54) and Langston Hughes (57-45). No. 9 Etowah resurfaces following a 71-45 rout of Class A-Private No. 3 Galloway, four players in double figures led by Dimitri Angelakos’ 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. No. 10 South Gwinnett debuts marking the fourth team out of the five-team Region 8 to crack the poll. After an impressive offseason, the Comets have carried over their momentum into the regular season and earned wins over Chattahoochee (51-42) and Arabia Mountain (55-42) this past week. Though they were shorthanded, South Gwinnett does hold a 65-62 win over Buford, the Wolves’ only loss of the season. The Comets will need to avoid a repeat of last season when they started hot at 9-1 but finished the year 1-8.

There’s a new top-ranked team in Class 6A after No. 2 Wheeler lost 86-63 to McEachern at Tournament of Champions, missing Isaiah Collier who was ejected in the Wildcats’ 63-41 win at Allatoona. No. 1 Buford crushed last week’s Class 7A No. 8 Parkview 92-52, knocking the Panthers from the ranks of the unbeaten and the Top 10. Jaylon Taylor scored 22 points and Alahn Sumler tallied 19 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. No. 3 Osborne held off Pope in overtime 81-74 before beating No. 7 Kell 62-53 to drop the Longhorns four spots. The Cardinals closed the week with a 74-71 win at Tournament of Champions against Class 5A No. 5 Jonesboro, Appalachian State-signee Zocko Littleton scoring 22 of his 24 points in the second half. Sliding Kell also lost to Cumberland Christian at Tournament of Champions, 63-59. No. 4 Westlake beat Stephenson twice (60-46, 80-61) and sandwiched in a 52-49 win at Tucker (5-2) who drops out. The Tigers are replaced by No. 10 Alexander. The Cougars have size, athleticism and guard play. They pounded Cass 66-37 and are on the verge of returning 6-foot-5 junior guard Noah Melson who had to sit out last season. The long playmaker holds offers from Kennesaw State, Florida A&M and Western Carolina.

Class 5A defending champion No. 1 Eagle’s Landing tipped off their season with wins over Locust Grove (84-38) and Woodland-Stockbridge (62-46) before passing an early test at home against Class 4A No. 2 McDonough 60-54. No. 3 St. Pius X survived Lithonia 51-49 thanks to Spencer Elliott’s 15 points and Eamonn Kenah’s late-game heroics. The Golden Lions finished the week with a decisive 55-36 win at Decatur, Kenah scoring 17. No. 4 Chapel Hill climbs three spots after a 70-50 win at Douglas County but more so in part due to losses by No. 5 Jonesboro, No. 6 Southwest DeKalb and No. 10 Calhoun. The Cardinals earned their first win of the season by beating Creekside 77-71 but lost 74-71 to Class 6A No. 3 Osborne at Tournament of Champions to drop a spot. Southwest DeKalb holds tight at No. 6, but squandered a chance to move up after losing 49-48 to North Atlanta at Tournament of Champions. Calhoun is still awaiting their football players as they play for a state title on Saturday against Warner Robins. The Yellow Jackets lost 68-64 at Harrison but bounced back with a 74-51 win over Woodstock with Dylan Faulkner posting 34 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks. With tough games looming against Chattooga, Paulding County and Class A-Private No. 8 Darlington, the Yellow Jackets may fall out of the Top 10 with a loss this week, but could likely reemerge quickly once at full strength. No. 7 Walnut Grove hammered South Paulding 71-61 at the Sandy’s Spiel Showcase, up 64-35 after three quarters before emptying the bench. Tyler Jewell scored 13 points and handed out 5 assists as five Warriors reached double digits. No. 9 Mundy’s Mill went 2-0 but slips a spot after unimpressive victories over 0-3 Cedar Grove (65-60) and 0-4 Forest Park (48-46). Outside of their upset win over Class A-Private No. 2 North Cobb Christian, Mundy’s Mill’s four wins have come against opponents with a combined 1-19 record.

Class 4A No. 2 McDonough beat No. 5 Fayette County 63-49 on the road behind Da’Avion Thomas’ 22 points and Demauriye Gasque’s 15. The Warhawks fell 60-54 at Class 5A No. 1 Eagle’s Landing as Howard Fagan led the way with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Fayette County is down two places after also losing 77-45 to Class 3A No. 1 Sandy Creek. Saulamon Evans collected 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists as No. 3 Mays climbs a spot after beating Southwest Atlanta Christian 77-55. No. 4 Jefferson is up a position, surviving Loganville 52-50 in overtime on a Jayden Butts buzzer beater. Dalen Gales scored 18 points and JT Fulkrod had 14. No. 8 North Oconee scored only seven field goals the entire game and made just one bucket in the second half but somehow outlasted Class 3A No. 10 Monroe Area 37-34 in an ugly physical game. Brodie Scott provided 19 points and 9 rebounds.

No. 1 Sandy Creek has handled their business thus far as Class 3A’s top team. The Patriots earned rivalry wins over McIntosh (63-48) and Class 4A No. 5 Fayette County (77-45). No. 3 Salem defeated Chattahoochee 65-55 at Tournament of Champions, Brandon Kincaid leading four players in double figures with 16 points. No. 4 LaFayette opened up their season mauling weak North Georgia competition, highlighted by an 89-52 win over Ridgeland which saw Ohio-signee Aidan Hadaway pour in a school-record 48 points to break his previous record of 44. No. 6 Cross Creek lost 46-40 to Class 2A No. 4 Butler but hangs onto their spot with a 66-55 win over Laney, Antoine Lorick scoring 23 points. No. 8 GAC is up a spot with a 59-51 win against Lovett, Bucknell-signee Josh Fulton netting 21 points. No. 10 Monroe Area clings onto their position following a 37-34 loss at Class 4A No. 8 North Oconee which saw the Hurricanes limit the Titans to one second half field goal but a 26-4 free throw differential too much to overcome as North Oconee cashed in 21 points at the line. Monroe Area bounced back and shot much better against East Forsyth winning 79-55 behind Damareon Whitner’s 20 points and 12 rebounds. Peach County (0-3) is booted from the Top 10 as an early disappointment. The Trojans lost 61-55 at Mary Persons and 91-81 at Sumter County. No. 9 Groves gets their first crack at the rankings and is the third team out of Savannah’s Region 3 to fill the Top 10. The Rebels suffered their first loss of the season to Effingham County 60-53 but rebounded with a 71-49 win over May River, SC. 6-foot-7 Chipola-signee Jerald Colonel represents the state’s best shot blocker. He recorded 10 points, 18 rebounds and 11 blocks in the win over May River while Kenya Williams and Tremaine Johnson scored 18 and 17 points, respectively.

In Class 2A, the bottom of the poll is dying for someone outside of the rankings to string together wins against teams with a pulse. At the top, No. 1 Pace Academy clobbered last week’s Class 7A No. 10 East Coweta 73-46, Cincinnati-signee Josh Reed scoring 23 points and Kendall Evans adding 18 on 6 threes. No. 2 Westside-Augusta continued to roll, sweeping the season series with Evans with a 64-61 win on the road. The Patriots also defeated Augusta Christian in overtime 86-77 riding Jalexs Ewing to 27 points. No. 3 Columbia beat No. 4 Butler 59-55 as Mason Lockhart had 21 points and 13 rebounds while Jamari Piercy added 19 points and 6 rebounds. Butler received 16 points from Kedar Bodie. No. 6 Woodville-Tompkins suffered another loss, this time to Brunswick 83-66 but there’s no one below them ready to drop the Wolverines in the poll. Chattooga (0-2) is bounced from the rankings following a 71-56 loss to Rome. No. 8 Northeast-Macon beat a reeling Warner Robins 57-52, but fell 63-57 to Veterans. No. 9 Washington County was still idle while No. 10 Rabun County split again, this time losing 69-61 to Franklin, NC before beating Stephens County 62-59. The Wildcats are still integrating in their football players and will get the benefit of the doubt thanks to having a puncher’s chance in every game with Class 2A’ best player on the roster in Lander-signee Connor McKay (27.4 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.4 spg). Entering the Top 10 is No. 7 Putnam County. Binge scorer Eren Banks led the War Eagles past Class A-Public No. 7 Warren County 61-58 on the road scoring 27 points. Putnam County’s only loss has come against Class 6A Evans 57-46.

In Class A-Private, No. 1 Greenforest dispatched of No. 5 WD Mohammed 59-41. No. 2 North Cobb Christian leaps two spots after beating No. 4 Providence Christian 88-83 in double overtime, freshman Josh Dixon posting 28 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. The Storm also lost at the Sandy’s Spiel Showcase to Class A-Public No. 1 Drew Charter 70-61. Citadel-signee Tony Carpio had 28 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks while VMI-signee Chance Thacker finished with 22 points. No. 3 Galloway lost 71-45 at Class 7A No. 9 Etowah before picking up a 75-51 win over Denmark at the Sandy’s Spiel Showcase. The Scots buried 13 threes led by Anthony Arrington’s 36 points (6 threes), 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. No. 6 Christian Heritage slips a spot after their rally ran out of time at the Sandy’s Spiel Showcase, falling 70-66 to Class A-Public No. 2 Social Circle. The sophomore trio of Jax Abernathy (22), Cash Hare (20) and Zundra Jackson (19) combined for 61 points. No. 8 Darlington started their season with a 3-0 week highlighted by a 64-38 win at Rockmart, Patrick Shelley dumping in 29 points and 11 rebounds. Mt. Vernon Presbyterian (2-3) is bounced after losses to Marist (46-40) and North Forsyth (55-54). No. 10 George Walton Academy sneaks into the poll after beating Stratford Academy 74-54 and edging Loganville 62-49 to avenge their only loss of the season. Reigning Region 8 Player of the Year Noah Hicks scored 23 points vs. the Red Devils.

Class A-Public flexed their muscle at the Sandy’s Spiel Showcase. No. 1 Drew Charter sparked a 16-0 run to open the fourth quarter to race past last week’s Class A-Private No. 2 Providence Christian 70-61. Defending Class A-Public Player of the Year Ja’Quez Thornton was brilliant with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. No. 2 Social Circle became the first opponent in 43 games to crack 70 points against last week’s Class A-Private No. 5 Christian Heritage, beating the Lions 70-66. The Redskins led 57-41 heading into the fourth and were powered by Quindarius Jackson’s 20 points off the bench and 11 apiece from Amarion Russell and Cam Gaither. Outside of the Sandy’s Spiel Showcase, No. 3 Portal pounded Screven County 82-56 behind Elijah Coleman’s 30 points. Dexter Holloman posted 18 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in No. 4 Chattahoochee County’s season-opening 56-46 win over Schley County.  No. 5 Dublin steamrolled the rest of Laurens County, blasting East Laurens 90-29 and West Laurens 71-23, Zion Davis netting 20 points. No. 7 Warren County slips a spot with a 61-58 loss to Class 2A No. 7 Putnam County after beating GSIC 79-50 with Lorenzo Johnson pouring in 32 points. Authur Johnson got his first 50-piece of the season, scoring half a hundred and surpassing 1,000 total points in his career during No. 8 Bowdon’s 97-70 blitz of Bremen.