Class AAAAAAA
1. Milton (7-2)
2. Grayson (7-2)
3. McEachern (6-2)
4. Pebblebrook (10-2)
5. Berkmar (7-3)
6. Cherokee (9-2)
7. Newton (6-4)
8. North Gwinnett (6-2)
9. Denmark (7-3)
10. Norcross (7-3)
Class AAAAAA
1. Wheeler (7-1)
2. Kell (6-2)
3. Chattahoochee (6-0)
4. Shiloh (7-0)
5. Evans (7-0)
6. Richmond Hill (8-0)
7. Lanier (5-2)
8. Heritage-Conyers (5-3)
9. Centennial (6-2)
10. Allatoona (6-3)
Class AAAAA
1. St. Pius X (8-0)
2. Tri-Cities (5-3)
3. Veterans (5-0)
4. Eagle’s Landing (8-0)
5. Woodward Academy (5-0)
6. Forest Park (4-0)
7. Woodland-Stockbridge (11-2)
8. Jonesboro (7-0)
9. Griffin (7-1)
10. Lithonia (4-0)
Class AAAA
1. Spencer (4-0)
2. Baldwin (4-0)
3. Luella (10-1)
4. Fayette County (5-5)
5. Monroe (4-1)
6. Westover (2-1)
7. Miller Grove (1-2)
8. Stephenson (1-1)
9. Cedar Shoals (5-3)
10. Jenkins (5-4)
Class AAA
1. Sandy Creek (5-2)
2. Johnson-Savannah (6-0)
3. Hart County (6-1)
4. Windsor Forest (2-0)
5. Salem (3-1)
6. LaFayette (4-0)
7. Cross Creek (5-3)
8. GAC (3-4)
9. Southeast Bulloch (3-2)
10. Morgan County (3-2)
Class AA
1. Pace Academy (7-1)
2. Columbia (2-0)
3. Swainsboro (5-1)
4. Lovett (4-3)
5. Washington County (3-0)
6. Woodville-Tompkins (7-1)
7. Westside-Augusta (8-1)
8. Thomasville (4-1)
9. Chattooga (4-1)
10. Banks County (6-4)
Class A-Private
1. Greenforest (2-2)
2. Mt. Pisgah (6-2)
3. St. Francis (4-3)
4. Providence Christian (8-2)
5. Galloway (6-0)
6. Trinity Christian (5-5)
7. St. Anne-Pacelli (1-1)
8. Holy Innocents’ (3-1)
9. Walker (7-0)
10. Tallulah Falls (6-2)
Class A-Public
1. Drew Charter (9-0)
2. Hancock Central (0-0)
3. Dublin (7-1)
4. Lanier County (5-2)
5. Manchester (2-1)
6. Calhoun County (1-0)
7. Towns County (4-0)
8. Turner County (6-2)
9. Social Circle (4-1)
10. Terrell County (0-0)
As the months get colder, the action gets warmer. Teams are starting to gel as almost everyone is back from the football field. DeKalb County is back playing ball, but quarantine shutdowns still linger across the state. Top 10 teams across classifications locked up this week and next with the Lemon Street Classic, Longhorns Steakhouse 5-Star Classic, War Lodge Invitational, Playing For A Change and Lambert Holiday Classic events all helping shift the narrative of the polls.
No. 1 Milton survived two close calls at their Longhorns Steakhouse 5-Star Classic to remain atop the Class 7A poll. The Eagles erased a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to stun No. 9 Denmark in overtime 72-68, Ohio State-commit Bruce Thornton posting 23 points and 6 assists while Kanaan Carlyle added 19 points. Things didn’t get much easier the next day as it was Campbell-signee Broc Bidwell’s turn to lead the ship, tacking on 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in a 54-53 win over Houston, TN. No. 2 Grayson came back from down 13 points to beat Class 6A No. 2 Kell 80-74 at Playing For A Change. Robert Cowherd (19), Tyrese Elliott (18) and Clemson-signee Ian Schieffelin (17) balanced the attack while Charleston Southern-signee Taje Kelly waits to emerge from quarantine. No. 4 Pebblebrook slips a spot. They defeated last week’s Class 6A No. 6 South Cobb 77-65 but then fell to No. 1 Wheeler 63-45 at Playing For A Change. No. 3 McEachern moves into the Top 3 after an 85-80 win over Class 6A No. 8 Heritage-Conyers at the Lemon Street Classic. No. 5 Berkmar held off Class 6A No. 9 Centennial 77-62 at the War Lodge Invitational without Malique Ewin. Jameel Rideout came to the rescue scoring 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half while adding 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. No. 6 Cherokee survived Sprayberry 74-72 at the War Lodge Invitational, Taihland Owens dumping in 25 points.
Class 6A No. 1 Wheeler blew past Class 7A No. 4 Pebblebrook 63-45 at Playing For A Change. No. 2 Kell slipped against Class 7A No. 2 Grayson 80-74, Scoot Henderson scoring 23 points and Jaylon Brown 19. No. 7 Lanier falls three spots after their close game magic ran out. They won 64-60 at Duluth but couldn’t dig out of an early hole against No. 5 Evans at the Lemon Street Classic losing 82-74. The Knights jump four positions thanks to a balanced attack headed by Joshton Mincey (20), Brasen James (19), Devin Story (15) and Tyson Jones (15). No. 6 Richmond Hill rises two spots after a pair of 20-point wins beating Glynn Academy 65-45 and Savannah Country Day 76-56. Five out of the six players that scored against Glynn Academy reached double figures led by Brayden Baker, Jaeden Marshall and Nijajuan Youmans’ 12 points apiece. Falling out of the Top 10 is South Cobb (6-5). The Eagles have played a tough schedule and have had a roller coaster season, losing their first two before winning their next six, but now losers of three straight. The Eagles lost 67-64 at returnee No. 10 Allatoona, at Class 7A No. 4 Pebblebrook 77-65 and at Class 2A No. 1 Pace Academy 84-60. Allatoona’s signature 59-55 vs. Mt. Pisgah at the CTC Classic has ignited a five-game winning streak for the senior-laden bunch. Kevin Taylor had 13 points and 11 rebounds while Marshall Willingham scored 13 of his own in the win over South Cobb. Isaiah Logan tallied 11 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals.
For the first time in Sandy’s Spiel history, No. 1 St. Pius X has gotten over their regular season hump and has ascended to the number one spot in Class 5A. Now they must find a way to be the last team standing come March. Since 2016, St. Pius X has been ranked No. 2 in the state for 24 weeks, but has never had the big target on their back. The Golden Lions picked up wins over Northview (84-50) and Mt. Vernon Presbyterian (57-35) to move ahead of No. 2 Tri-Cities, who beat Mundy’s Mill 99-86 but lost 93-87 at the Peach State Classic to Class 4A No. 4 Fayette County, Vanderbilt-signee Peyton Daniels’ 39 points not enough. No. 4 Eagle’s Landing jumps inactive No. 5 Woodward Academy following a 61-56 win over Dutchtown (4-4) who exits the rankings after their third straight loss. The Bulldogs also fell to Tucker 61-54. Following Dutchtown out of the rankings are Warner Robins (5-3) and Blessed Trinity (6-3). Warner Robins will need to wait until they are healthy to reenter the poll. Star forward Greg Jones broke his arm in a 65-63 overtime loss to Upson-Lee, costing him 6-8 weeks. Shorthanded, the Demons then lost to Class 7A No. 10 Norcross 82-48 at the Lemon Street Classic. Blessed Trinity suffered a 78-66 loss at Pope to knock them out. Getting a crack at the bottom are first timers No. 8 Jonesboro, No. 9 Griffin and No. 10 Lithonia. Jonesboro is 7-0 behind the play of 6-foot-7 forwards junior Yannis Woods (13 ppg, 12.3 rpg) and senior Nate Adams (11 ppg, 6.6 rpg). 6-foot-3 sophomore Devon Rainey is pitching in 12 points per game to even out the attack for the fourth team from Region 3 to be ranked. Griffin lost their first game of the season on a buzzer beating three by Class 4A No. 8 Stephenson 59-56 this week, but have fared well in close games, winning four by five points or less. Lithonia is off to a 4-0 start under first-year Head Coach Sam Marion. 6-foot-2 senior Raheem Swain and junior Chase Champion have paced the Bulldogs. Swain dumped in 26 while Champion scored 14 including the game-winning layup to beat Class 4A No. 9 Cedar Shoals at the Lemon Street Classic 63-61.
Already having dealt with the DeKalb County shutdown, now Class 4A sees Region 2 – the Columbus region which houses No. 1 Spencer and Hardaway (2-2) – put a pause on athletics until after the New Year. Spencer was able to earn a 78-44 win over Jordan before the shutdown but Hardaway wasn’t as lucky as their game with Northside-Columbus was cancelled and the Hawks must fall out due to inactivity. No. 6 Westover tumbles four spots following a 56-50 loss at Tift County. No. 5 Monroe climbs over the Patriots after handling Tift County 42-28. Up to No. 2 is Baldwin. The Braves drilled Howard 76-30 and still await the debut of GMC transfer Christian Burnett who is battling an injury. Jumping four spots is No. 3 Luella. The Lions edged No. 4 Fayette County 83-76 in a wild ejection-filled game before beating Class 2A No. 4 Lovett 68-65. Fayette County bounced back nicely, securing a huge 93-87 win over last week’s Class 5A No. 1 Tri-Cities at the Peach State Classic, Kaleb Banks continuing his unstoppable play with 42 points and 7 rebounds. DeKalb County has shown some rust early on. No. 7 Miller Grove sinks three spots after a 61-59 loss to Tucker, but bounced back with a 75-66 win over Grovetown at the Lemon Street Classic, 1,000-point scorer Zyair Greene piling in 35 points. No. 8 Stephenson beat Class 5A No. 9 Griffin at the buzzer 59-56, but then lost to Mays 54-48. No. 9 Cedar Shoals enters the poll for the first time after wins over Jefferson (62-42) and North Oconee (62-52) before a late loss to Class 5A No. 10 Lithonia 63-61. No. 10 Jenkins holds on after a 52-50 loss to Class 3A No. 2 Johnson-Savannah.
There is some movement among the Top 4 in Class 3A. No. 4 Windsor Forest slips two spots after sitting in quarantine. No. 2 Johnson-Savannah and No. 3 Hart County have been too good this season and the margin is too close for them to have to wait behind a team that has only played two games and not get rewarded for any of their early wins. Johnson-Savannah survived the rematch at Class 4A No. 10 Jenkins 52-50, rallying from down 7 with 1:37 to play. Emondre Bowles scored 22 points in the comeback. Hart County continued to demolish their competition, earning wins over Walhalla, SC (87-60) and Elbert County twice (84-46; 76-48). No. 5 Salem vs. No. 10 Morgan County was postponed. No. 7 Cross Creek lost 68-64 to North Augusta while No. 8 GAC beat Redan 75-53 as Lamarr Randolph tallied 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
Class 2A No. 1 Pace Academy drilled South Cobb 84-60 at Playing For A Change as Florida State-signee Matthew Cleveland posted 27 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals. Josh Reed had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Cleveland State-signee Cole Middleton finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. No. 4 Lovett fell 68-65 to Class 4A No. 3 Luella, Georgetown-signee Ryan Mutombo scoring 20 points in the loss. No. 6 Woodville-Tompkins is in quarantine for another week. No. 7 Westside-Augusta knocked Laney (3-3) from the poll with a 64-57 loss, Khalon Hudson scoring 20 points to power the Patriots. Debuting is old faithful No. 9 Chattooga. No matter who is on the roster, the Indians always find a way to wreak havoc in Northwest Georgia. The Indians won the Gold Ball at the 67th annual Rome News-Tribune Christmas Tournament, capturing the title for the first time since 1986 after beating Coosa 49-39, Rome 52-50 and Darlington 55-51. 6-foot-7 senior Cash Allen has emerged as a game-changing presence. He posted 12 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal and 4 blocks in the comeback win over Rome before dumping in 21 points against Darlington in the championship.
There are no changes in Class A-Private as things are starting to settle in. No. 4 Providence Christian’s barnstorming of the state has continued, making amends for last year’s weak schedule by trying to challenge themselves at every opportunity. The Strom went 2-0 at the Lambert Holiday Classic, beating Peachtree Ridge 61-60 and No. 6 Trinity Christian 49-44 behind Chance Thacker’s 14 points and Elijah Williams’ 13. No. 9 Walker had a chance to move up following two Trinity Christian losses, but the Wolverines struggled to beat 1-9 Lassiter 55-53 before edging 1-6 Wesleyan 54-42.
Whether its right or wrong, teams are starting to get punished in Class A-Public due to inactivity. No. 2 Hancock Central is the exception however. The defending state champs return everyone but don’t tip-off the season until January 5th. They will have a lot of catching up to do as No. 1 Drew Charter is officially a juggernaut and the team to beat. The Eagles can match any team in Class A-Public’s athleticism and have two legit stars in juniors 6-foot-3 JaKobe Strozier and 6-foot JaQuez Thornton. The Eagles annihilated Class 7A Roswell 72-42 with elite on-ball pressure and blinding speed. Thornton hit 4 threes and finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Strozier, a High Major recruit, added 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. 6-foot-5 sophomore Cedric Taylor had 15 points and 2 blocks. The Eagles play fast aggressive defense and are unselfish as a team. They are a legitimate threat to go undefeated this year. Unless they lose a coin flip in the Elite Eight and have to travel down south and deal with some home cooking, it looks like Drew Charter should steamroll their way to a state title if they avoid injuries and COVID. The rest of the state has been officially put on notice. Outside of the Eagles, No. 10 Terrell County is down seven spots after failing to record a game. If they have played, they haven’t updated MaxPreps which is equally as bad. Sitting at 0-0 five weeks into the season is nearly unfathomable and only the defending champs are able not face the repercussions. No. 3 Dublin has been tough this year. 5-foot-10 senior TyQuan Davis is the catalyst averaging 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.5 steals. No. 4 Lanier County has won five-straight and rise three spots. They beat No. 8 Turner County 77-67 behind EJ Brown’s 26 points and Quan Pope’s 22. In a Region 8 showdown, No. 7 Towns County snuck past No. 9 Social Circle 64-58.