Hillsman Heavy Top 10 GA 1/11/2022

This is the ninth Georgia Hillsman Heavy Top 10 GA of the season. This week games will include games played from Monday 1/10/2022 through Monday 1/17/2022, meaning through all MLK events and showcases. This week the addition of team records has been added to the “Others To Watch” group.

As a reminder teams from the GHSA, GISA and GICAA/GAPPS are considered however they are not ranked by association or classification within an association, it is one ranking. The Hillsman Heavy Top 10 GA ranks using the following criteria for ranking; OVERALL performance, Team Chemistry, Coaching, Schedule (quality OOS/Head-to-Head/Common Opponents are all heavily considered) and Scheduling For Roster Talent (meaning is the team very talented but stacking up wins against lesser talented teams but struggling against teams equal or greater in roster talent and vice versa; yes a team with more losses can be better than a team with fewer losses because of scheduling). While player recruiting status is not a heavy focus and determining factor, it is considered when looking at a team’s overall performance. When we load and unload the bus and plane with these 10 teams these are the teams that we can take anywhere as they are the best 10 in Georgia for that week.

Last Week 1/4/2022: 1-Newton, 2-Pebblebrook, 3-Wheeler, 4- Greenforest, 5-North Gwinnett, 6-Milton, 7-Berkmar, 8-Grayson, 9-Buford, 10- Eagle’s Landing, OUT-Columbia OUT- Tri-Cities

The Hillsman Heavy 1/11/2022

HILLSMAN HEAVY TOP 10 GA 1/11/2022

1-Newton- Head Coach: Charlamagne Gibbons: 10-1; Last Week: defeated John Curtis (LA), defeated St. Mary’s (AZ), defeated Westminster Academy (FL), defeated Beaumont United (TX); This Week: vs Pebblebrook

2-Pebblebrook – Head Coach: George Washington; 12-2; Last Week: Did Not Play; This Week: vs East Coweta, vs Newton

3-Wheeler– Head Coach: Larry Thompson; 9-3; Last Week: defeated Lassister; This Week: vs Kell, Vs St. Ignatius (OH), at Durant MLK Classic (Washington D.C.)

4-Greenforest– Head Coach: Rory Griffin; 10-4; Last Week: defeated Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy; This Week: vs Whitfield Academy, vs Landmark Christian

5- North Gwinnett – Head Coach Matt Garner; 13-3; Last Week: defeated West Forsyth, defeated Mountain View, defeated Eagle’s Landing; This Week: vs Collins Hill

6-Milton – Head Coach: Allen Whitehart; 9-5; Last Week: defeated Cherokee, defeated Woodstock; This Week: vs Etowah, at Bass Pro Tournament (Springfield, MO), at Hoop Hall Classic (Springfield, MA)

7- Berkmar – Head Coach Greg Phillips; 7-4; Last Week: defeated Dunwoody; This Week: vs Discovery, at Durant MLK Classic (Washington D.C.)

8- Grayson– Head Coach Geoffrey Pierce; 11-4; Last Week: defeated Parkview, defeated Wilson Academy, defeated Windsor Forest. This Week; vs Sidwell Friends (Washingston D.C), vs Archbishop Carroll (Washington D.C.)

9-Buford – Head Coach: Benji Wood; 12-2; Last Week: defeated Dacula, defeated Habersham Central; This Week: Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, vs Central Gwinnett, vs Winder-Barrow

10- Eagle’s Landing – Head Coach: Elliott Montgomery; 13-3; Last Week: defeated Stockbridge, loss to North Gwinnett. This Week: vs Locust Grove, vs Woodland-Stockbridge, vs East Coweta

Others To Watch (alphabetical order) (record)

Alexander (10-1), Archer (11-6), Bainbridge (14-2), Baldwin (10-2), Chapel Hill (11-2), Cross Creek (10-4), East Coweta (10-3), Hillgrove (11-1), McEachern (8-5), Norcross (12-4), Osborne (12-0), Pace Academy (10-4), Salem (10-3), Sandy Creek(11-2), Shiloh (12-0), Spencer (10-2), Sumter County (15-1), St. Pius X (13-2), Thomson (7-2), Thomasville (11-2), Tri-Cities (9-2), Tucker (9-3), Westlake (9-4), Westover (13-0), Windsor Forest (10-3).

The Triangle Offense 1/11/2022

THE TRIANGLE OFFENSE 1/11/2022

NO MOVEMENT: There was no movement this week at all. The separation is beginning to show but not enough for any movement this week. The Others to Watch is getting very interesting and a number of teams will look to continue their solid seasons, build on big wins, learn from tough losses and build their cases to slip in if any teams this week in the Heavy slip up with a bad loss. At the bottom Eagle’s Landing stays in by a thread. Three losses by a total of nine points-losing each game by three points was just too tough to drop them out. The have a solid schedule upcoming this week with key games against Woodland-Stockbridge and East Coweta. If Eagle’s Landing loses either of those games they will fall out and the climb back in could be stiff.

UPCOMING MLK WEEKEND EVENTS: This weekend will mostly be the last weekend of heavy tournaments, showcases and events with multiple Georgia teams playing non-region and OOS competition. A number of teams in this week’s Heavy have big events this weekend including Wheeler, Berkmar, Milton and Grayson playing in national events. Newton and Pebblebrook meet in what may be the most anticipated game so far this season this Saturday.

WAITING IN THE WINGS: Last week we talk about a few teams in the Others To Watch that deserve to be in all conversations, Again this week here are a few more in that group.

Shiloh (12-0) is quietly going about their business. The Generals have quality wins over McEachern, Langston Hughes, Huntsville (AL) and Fayette County. The schedule is not overly strong but Shiloh has just continues to go about their business. With a solid region schedule ahead of them and non-region games against Meadowcreek and North Gwinnett remaining, Shiloh still has everything in front of them to build up for a solid state tournament run.

Osborne (12-0) is another team quietly going about its business. Osborne has an OOS win over Fort Lauderdale University (FL) and wins over McEaxhern, Kell and Jonesboro that don’t jump out at you like that outside of McEachern however they have avoided bad losses. The schedule is light overall however with region play coming up and non-region games against Alexander and St. Francis, Osborne has a chance to up their quality wins. They may not crack into the Heavy but with continued solid play and a big win here or there with their remaining schedule they could win up putting some on high alert come the state tournament.

Archer (11-6) is the only team with this many losses that are in the Others To Watch group. The six losses are Newton, Berkmar, Cross Creek, Meadowcreek, Parkview and Norcross. Quality wins? Etowah and Lanier. So why with six losses are they in the conversation? Archer has a history of giving people fits the deeper it gets into the season. Although they lack quality wins and have a couple of suspect losses, this is the time of year where Archer some way tends to figure it out and is always that fly at the picnic. A spot in the Heavy in unlikely but them walking in a gym and beating someone in the Heavy is a very real possibility. As region play and region tournament and state tournament time approaches just be mindful of Archer.

Norcross (12-4) may have the strongest case to be back in the Heavy. The four losses are to Brentwood (TN), Newton, Westlake and Berkmar. The Westlake loss was by two points and the Berkmar loss was by one point. Their quality wins are over Fayette County, Pace Academy, Tampa Catholic (FL) and Archer. A tilt with Knoxville Catholic (TN) awaits this weekend. Norcross has everything in front of them. A win over Knoxville Catholic (TN) paired with the remaining region schedule and Norcross, as always, has to be in the conversation.

Georgia GHSA Girls Basketball Championship Updates

The Georgia girls state basketball championships are underway from March 4th until Saturday March, 7th. Here are updates on the games that have gone final.

1A-Private; Holy Innocents (26-5) won it’s second straight state title with a  66-53 win over St. Francis. St. Francis led 16-15 after the first quarter but Holy Innocents opened the second quarter with a 12-0 run and led 27-16, they never trailed again. A Jillian Hollingshed bucket with just over four minutes remaining in the first half gave Holy Innocents its biggest lead of 16. St. Francis, who was held to 35% from the field, pulled to within four, 48-44, on a Savannah Samuel jumper with 6:23 remaining in the game but  never got closer than that.

Jada Farrell led all scorers with 21 points, while Rachel Suttle finished with 19 points 9 rebounds and 3 steals for Holy Innocents. Jillian Hollingshed played all 32 minutes finishing with an 11-point 14-rebound double-double for the Lady Golden Bears.  Mia Moore (11 points, 5 rebounds 3 assists 3 steals) and Savannah Samuel (11 points, 4 rebounds) led the way for St. Francis (28-4)

1A Public: Wheeler County (31-1) won its first state title in school history with a 55-50 come-from-behind victory over Central-Talbotton (27-2).  Wheeler County trailed by 11 eariler in the third quarter but closed the quarter on a 10-3 run to pull within 1 at 36-35. Keonya Mincey opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to put Wheeler County up 38-36. Wheeler County would never give up the lead however Central-Talbotton tied the game three times in the four, the final time at 44-44 with 4:42 to play on a Shakemia Marshall bucket. After a 7-0 Wheeler County run over the next 3-plus minutes, Bernyia Sparks brought Central-Talbotton to within one, 51-50 with :48 remaining but Wheeler County salted the game away from the foul line the rest of the game.

Keonya Mincey led Wheeler County with 23 points while Samerria Bryant finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds as the duo scored 14 of Wheeler County’s 20 points in the fourth quarter. Wheeler County was 15-26 from the line and 4-9 from distsance.

Bernyla Sparks led Central-Talbotton with a game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds and Shakemia Marshall tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds. Central-Talbotton bettered Wheeler County in rebounding (plus-3), points in the paint (plus-8), points off turnovers (plus-3), second chance points (plus-6) and fastbreak points (plus-4) but were only 7-13 from the foul line and shot 35% from the field including 1-17 from distance.

2A: Douglass-Atlanta (26-5) won its second straight state title with a 56-46 victory over Southwest-Macon Magnet (25-4). Kayla Sesberry hit a jumper with 7:41 left in the second quarter to give Douglass-Atlanta a 14-13 lead and they never trailed again. Douglass-Atlanta continued to build their lead the remainder of the game getting their biggest lead of 13 on an Ashuntee Weems bucket with :31 left in the third quarter. Southwest-Macon Magnet would make a fourth quarter push and got within two on a pair of Jakera Hill with 3:12 left in the game, but would only score two points the remainder of the game.

Sesberry finished with a game-high 25 points with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals for Douglass-Atlanta. Ikenya King recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 16 rebounds while Weems finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Douglass-Atlanta, despite shooting 1-12 from distance and 35% from the field, scored 13 points off 24 Southwest-Macon Magnet turnovers and finished plus-21 on the glass.

Jakhyla Johnson and Stantagious Alford each had 14 points for Southwest-Macon Magnet. Johnson also had 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals while Alford had 8 rebounds and 4 steals.

3A: Greater Atlanta Christian (20-12) won its first state title since 2007 under first-year head coach Jessica Guarneri with a 54-44 victory over Beach (22-10). Beach was seeking to win its second title in four years. The game feature 13 ties and the final one came with 6:45 left in the game, 34-34. Beach would lead by three, 37-34 after Kaila Rougier split a pair of free throws and hoop by Madison Evans but from there is was all Greater Atlanta Christian. Kaleigh Addie capped an 8-0 run by the Lady Spartans with a bucket with 4:05 left in the fourth quarter for a 42-35 lead and closed the game with a 6-0 run (all from the free throw line) for the win.

Addie finished with a game-high 28 points to go with 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Ava Irvin was the only other Lady Spartan in double figures with 13 points. Greater Atlanta Christian shot 40% from the field and outscored beach 20-16 in the paint.

Rougier had a team-high 20 points along with 8 rebounds for Beach. Evans finished with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Beach was 1-15 from distance, shot 27% from the field and was plus-7 on the glass.

 

4A: Americus-Sumter (29-2) defeated Troup County (27-2) 66-52 to win its second title in five years. Trinity Jones led all scorers with a game-high 21 points for Americus-Sumter while Jelissa Reese added 19 points and Tiffani Goodman tallied 6 points and 10 rebounds. Americus-Sumter went 22-29 from the foul line and out-rebounded Troup County plus-18 in the win.

Ambeer Gilbert led Troup County with 15 points while Aniya Palmer had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Troup County forced 21 turnovers but were even in points off of turnovers at 11-11 against Americus-Sumter.

5A: Buford (31-1) snapped Kell’s 32-game winning streak enroute to winning it 4th straight state title with a 66-63 victory over Kell (32-1). Kell’s Crystal Henderson nailed a jumper with 5:11 left in the second quarter to cap a 16-0 run and give Kell their largest lead of eight, 26-18. Buford closed the second quarter with a 11-3 run for a 29-29 halftime tie after a Katelyn Klein jumper. Just moments into the third quarter Ashyia Wallis scored to put Buford up 31-29 and they would never trail again but had to hold off a valiant effort from Kell. Kell, trailing 63-57 with :54 left got three free throws from Crystal Henderson, then after a pair of Wallis free throws, Henderson hit a three to make it 65-63 with :12 left. Tate Walyers split her free throws and Henderson’s last second three-point attempt was no good at the horn.

Tate Walters led Buford with 18 points while Ashyia Willlis added 13. Blair Wallis finished with 12 points while Katelyn Klein tallied 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 7 steals. Buford finished with 11 assists on 22 made field goals and forced 24 Kell turnovers and scored 34 points off those turnovers, 16 of those steals.

Henderson, a freshman, finished with a game-high 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals for Kell. Amaya Moss finished with 14 points and 5 rebounds while Makyah Favors scored 10 points. Kell shot 47.5% and were 18-24 from the foul line and 7-15 from distance.

6A: Forest Park wins its second state title and first since 1970 with a wire-to-wire 46-30 win over Glynn Academy. Forest Park shot out of the gate in the first quarter to a 13-2 advantage through a quarter and never looked back. The Lady Panthers used its pressure defense to hold Glynn Academy without a made field goal in the first quarter. It was much of the same in the second quarter for Glynn Academy despite Zoesha Smith showing signs of life scoring nine points in the quarter. Smith was the the only player with a made field goal in the first half for Glynn Academy. Forest Park extended the lead to 13 on a three-pointer from Jayda Brown with 3:17 left in the half. Glynn Academy would finish the half on a 6-1 run on a hoop from Smith, a pair of free throws from Shamya Flanders, and a pair of free throws from Smith for the 21-13 halftime score.

In the second half Forest Park continued to apply the defensive pressure and pulled away from Glynn Academy. Joi Reid’s layup pushed the lead to 15, 39-24 with 6:25 left in the game. Jones split a pair of free throws moments later to extend to the largest lead of the game at 16 40-24 before the final margin.

Joi Reid finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals while Sania Feagin stuffed the boxscore with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks for Forest Park. Janaya Jones added 9 points, 4 rebounds and 4 stelas while Jasmine Jacob had 8 points. Forest Park shot 50% from the field and scored 14 points off of 17 turnovers.

Zoesha Smith had a game-high in points and rebounds with 15 and 14 for Glynn Academy. Glynn Academy shot 22% from the field with Smith going 6-18 and the rest of the teams going 4-27. The Lady Terrors won the rebounding advantage 37-25.

7A: Westlake vs Collins Hill (Sat 7:30pm)

No. 21 Westlake (GA) Into Final Four; Other Girls Quick Hitters

The Westlake Lady Lions defeated Norcross 63-34 in the Elite Eight on Tuesday night to advance to the 7A semifinals. Westlake has won 13 straight games, is undefeated against Georgia teams and will face Cherokee (27-2) in the semifinals on Saturday at Buford City Arena.

Westlake is ranked No.21 in the latest Max Preps Top 25 high school basketball rankings will be updated later today, Wednesday. The Lady Lions have won their three state tournament games by an average of 37.3 points against Etowah, Archer and Norcross.

Quick Hitters:

Collins Hill, the main threat to Westlake on the other side of the bracket, pulled away from McEachern in the third quarter for a 61-40 win to advance to the semifinals. Collins Hill is 34-0 and has won every game by 15 or more points this season. Collins Hill will face the Campbell (23-7) who defeated brookwood 53-50 on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals.

Forest Park (25-6) advanced to the 6A semifinals with a 62-21 win over Douglas County. Forest Park is averaging 63.6 points in three state tournament wins over Bradwell Institute, Sprayberry and Douglas County. Forest Park will take on Valdosta (28-2) in the semifinals. Valdosta got revenge over Dacula with a 57-46 win on Wednesday night.

Kell girls improved to 31-0 with a 64-54 victory over Jones County to advance to the 5A semifinals. Kell along with Collins Hill are the only undefeated teams in the state tournament in all classifications. Kell will meet Eagle’s Landing (21-8) in the semifinals in Fort Valley on Saturday.

Buford, the defending state champion, is on the other side of the 5A bracket is in the semifinals after a 58-47 win over Carrollton. Buford will face Woodland-Stockbridge (22-9) in the semifinals.

Carver-Columbus (23-4), the defending 4A state champion advanced to the semifinals with a 70-63 victory over Woodward Academy. The story however is McDonald’s All-American Olivia Cochran receiving two technical fouls resulting in an ejection within a five minute span in the fourth quarter. Cochran will miss the semifinals and finals in class 4A due to this ejection. Carver-Columbus will face Troup County (26-1) whose only loss of the season came to Sandy Creek in the region championship game. Sandy Creek was eliminated by Luella (25-5) in the quarterfinals.

 

Langston Hughes (24-5) eliminated the 6A favorite in Lovejoy (26-5) with a 59-55 win in the quarterfinals Wednesday night at Lovejoy. Langston Hughes will put a 17-game winning streak on the line when they face 25-4 Glynn Academy in the semifinals. The Lady Panthers five losses are to McEachern, Westlake, Jones County, Alexander and Winter Haven (FL). Lovejoy’s season is complete with a senior class that won a state title in 2018 and were the runner-ups in 2019.

 

National Georgia Girls Westlake (GA) and Lovejoy (GA) Updates; Other Team Notes

Westlake and Lovejoy have been holding the flag this season nationally for Georgia girls basketball. Each have highly talented rosters and deep schedules both nationally and in-state. It’s time ot take a look at these two and others from Georgia as we enter the heart of region lay ahead of the region and state tournaments.

Westlake (GA) (16-2) is currently ranked 17th in Max Preps Top 25 and were riding an 11-game winning streak entering the Big West Shootout in Las Vegas last weekend. The Girls Max Prep National Top 25 has been quirky most of the season with drastic movements week after week. When the latest rankings are released later this week it’s not sure if the Lady Lions will be in them after a 73-61 loss to Centennial (NV) (8-5)- ranked No.2 in Nevada, snapped their win streak in the first of two games at the Big West Shootout.

Westlake rebounded the next day to defeat Spring Valley (NV) (14-2) 61-44, Spring Valley is ranked No. 1 in Nevada and completed their heavy national schedule 6-2 against out-of-state teams with wins over St. John’s (D.C), Fort Myers (FL), Bradley Central (TN), No.22 Sacred Heart (KY) and Vance (NC). Their only other loss of the season is to No.16 Paul IV (VA). Westlake has defeated tough in-state for Lovejoy (GA) (15-1) earlier this season 55-52. Names to Know: Raven Johnson (Jr.), Brianna Turnage (Jr.), Lydia Freeman (Sr.) and  Ta’Niya Latson (Soph.)

Genesis Bryant

Bryana Hardy

Anaya Boyd

Lovejoy (GA) (16-1) is the other girls team from Georgia currently ranked coming in at  No.20 however with the way the rankings have gone in girls basketball this season they stand a chance to fall out. The Lady Wildcats won their seventh straight game with a 73-31 win over region opponent Drew over the weekend. Lovejoy (GA) has defeated tough in-state opponents Forest Park, Holy Innocents and Wesleyan this season along with out-of-state foes Riverdale (TN) and Vance (NC). Lovejoy has remaining OOS games against Hoover (AL), National Christian Academy (MD) (12-5) and St. Francis Prep (NY) remaining in January. Names to know: Genesis Bryant (Sr.), Anaya Boyd (Sr.) and Bryana Hardy (So.)

Other Team Notes Of Interest:

Forest Park (GA) (13-5): Is 1-4 in out-of-state games this season to heavy national opponents Hoover (AL), Riverdale Baptist (MD), New Hope Academy (MD) and Montverde Academy (FL) in addition to an in-state loss to Lovejoy who they will meet again before the end of the regular season. Their biggest in-state wins are to Holy Innocents (GA), Beach (GA) and two wins over Stephenson (GA). Names to know: Jasmine Stevens (Jr.), Jasmine Jacob (Sr.), Joi Reid (Sr), Sania Feagin (Jr.)

Collins Hill (GA) (19-0): Collins Hill is not playing one of the stronger schedules.  The Lady Eagles remain undefeated and went 4-0 against OOS teams McKinley (LA), McGill-Toolen (AL), Providence Day (NC) and Myers Park (NC). Collins Hill has won every game by at least 16 points, has not allowed an opponent to score more than 48 points and is winning by an average margin of 33 points-a-game this season. Columbia (GA) and McGill-Toolen (AL) lost to Collins Hill by 16 and 17 points respectively in the closest games this season.  Collins Hill last remaining true regular season tests are against region foe Peachtree Ridge- who they have defeated by 22 points earlier this season, and against 1A-Private Wesleyan (GA) over the MLK Holiday. For those that like to look ahead,  Collins Hill stiffest test would come in the state championship game against most likely Westlake as both teams are expected to win their regions and be on opposite sides of the bracket. Westlake has eliminated Collins Hill the last two seasons in the quarterfinals and finals respectively. Names to know: Asjah Inniss (Sr.), Sacha Washington (Jr.), Eden Sample (Jr) and Kamryn Collins (Jr.) and LaCambria Shakespeare (Jr.)

Buford (GA) (17-0): Again a very DEEP team. No OOS games on schedule. Quality wins: Valdosta, Holy Innocents, Wesleyan, Peachtree Ridge, Loganville  and Norcross. Names to know: Tate Walters (Sr.), Katelyn Kline (Sr.) and Blair Wallis (Jr.)

Dacula (GA) (17-2): 2-1 vs OOS. Losses to Wesleyan (GA) and Oak Ridge (TN). Quality wins over Valdosta (GA), Lanier (2x)  and Dobyns-Bennett (TN). Veteran team anchored by a sophomore Names to know: Lazaria Spearman (So.), Nyla Moore (Sr.) and Keyanna Gibbs (Sr.)

St. Francis (GA) (14-3); Unbeaten against Georgia teams and 3-3 so far in OOS games. OOS losses to Hoover (AL), Hazel Green (AL) and Lake Highland Prep (FL).  Two OOS games remaining against Armwood (FL) and Tampa Bay Tech (FL). Quality Wins: Carver-Columbus (GA), Mercer County (KY), Columbia (GA), Clovis West (CA)  Names to know: Savannah Samuels (Sr.), Mia Moore (Jr), Amirah Abdur Rahim (Sr.) and Erica Moon (Fr.)

McEachern Head Coach Phyllis Arthur is steering a youthful group through a tough schedule

McEachern (GA) (10-8): Not the record or the firepower they’ve been recently known for yet always playing a tougher than normal schedule with only two seniors. 7 of 8 losses to OOS opponents, 2-7 in OOS games, 7 OOS opponents losses have combined record as of 1/14/2020 of 103-27 a .792 percentage. Lone in-state loss to North Paulding. Quality wins: Bishop Kenny (FL), Douglass (GA), Carver-Columbus (GA), North Cobb Names to know: Caelan Ellis (Soph.), Denim DeShields (Jr.) and Daelyn Craig (Sr.)

Others To Track:

Americus-Sumter (15-0), Beach (11-7), Brunswick (10-6), Campbell (16-3), Carver-Columbus (12-4), Cherokee (17-2), Harrison (15-4), Holy Innocents (12-5), Jefferson (16-3), Kell (18-0) and Valdosta (15-2)

Georgia Vs The USA Set For 2020

The 2020 Georgia vs The USA doubleheader powered by Prep Gridiron Logistics has announced the participants and games for this years event. Tom Riden Stadium in Buford, GA will be the site for the doubleheader on August 21st, 2020.

Life Christian Academy (VA) will take on Cedar Grove (GA) in the first game of the doubleheader. Cedar Grove finished 13-2 last season en route to winning its third GHSA (Georgia High School Association) class 3A state championships in the last four years. The Saints went 1-1 in OOS games with a loss to Central-Phenix City (AL) and a victory over Valor Christian (CO) last year.

Life Christian Academy out of Chester, VA will be entering its third season of football. The Eagles have compiled a 6-12 record playing a heavy national schedule as an VISAA (Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association) school in its first two years.

In the night cap host Buford (GA) will take on Manatee (FL). Buford (GA) went 15-1 and won its 12th state championship in its fifth different GHSA classification by winning the 2019 5A state championship. Buford defeated Life Christian Academy (VA) last season 33-22 in their only game against a non-Georgia team.

Manatee is rich in football history with five state championships, the latest coming in 2011, in the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association). Manatee finished 8-5 last season losing in the regional finals of the class 7A state playoffs to Venice (FL).

Georgia Out-Of-State Tournament Update

The tournament season is in full effect with holiday tournaments littering the weekend schedule from December 26th through December 31st. We are tracking some tournaments with Georgia teams playing out of the state.

Events and Tournaments Through Tuesday 12/31/2019

All events and tournaments have been completed

Beach Ball Classic (Myrtle Beach, SC) (played with two 16 minute halves)

St. Francis (GA) (12-3) went 2-2 and finished in fourth place after an 80-55 loss to Long Island Lutheran (NY) (9-2) on Tuesday. Jusaun Holt led St. Francis with 20 points and 6 rebounds and Dwon Odom was held to 13 points 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Zed Key posted a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds to lead Long Island Lutheran (NY).

(previously)

Nationally ranked No.16 Dorman (SC) pulled away late in the second half to advance to the championship game with a 83-66 victory over St. Francis (GA) (11-2). Dwon Odom led St. Francis with 22 points and 4 assist, Chase Ellis tallied 14 points and 3 rebounds while Jordan Brown finished with 10 points. Justin Amadii had 24 points, PJ Hall put in 17 and Miles Tate put up a double-double with 16 points and 13 assists. St. Francis will play for third place on Tuesday against Long Island Lutheran (NY) (8-2).

St. Francis (GA) (11-1) withstood a 41-point outburst from Coronado’s (NV) Jaden Hardy in a 81-77 victory Saturday evening. Dwon Odom paced St. Francis with 30 points and 10 assists while Jordan Brown put in 19 points. Chase Ellis continued with his stat sheet stuffing ways with  15 points 8 rebounds 4 assists and Jusaun Holt added 12 points 7 rebounds for St. Francis. Hardy added 9 rebounds and 5 assist to go with his 41 points. St. Francis will play Dorman (SC) on Monday at 7pm.  Dorman entered the event currently ranked No.1 in South Carolina 5A and No.16 in the Max Preps Top 25.

St. Francis (GA) (11-1) broke open a close game at halftime in the second half to defeat Izard County (AR) 73-64. St. Francis led 40-36 at the half before a strong second half and the Knights salted it away at the foul line. Dwom Odom and Jordan Brown each finished with 18 points while Jusaun Holt tallied 17. Caleb Faulkner had 23 while Coby Everett finished with 18 for Izard County. St. Francis advances to the second round and will return to action on Saturday at 5pm est.

Les Schwab Invitational (Portland, OR)

Norcross (GA) (15-1) finished in third place with a 69-55 win over Jefferson (OR) (5-4) on Monday. Quincy Ademokoya had a game-high 25 points to go with 7 rebounds for Norcross. JT Thor posted a 24-point 12-rebound double-double while Kevon Eskridge filled the box with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for the Blue Devils.

(previously)

Mater Dei (CA) used a 19-4 second quarter to power its way to a 63-45 over Norcross (GA) (14-1) in the semifinals. Devin Askew was the lone double figure scorer for Mater Dei finishing with 23 points by hitting five three-pointers and going 8-8 from the foul line. Kevon Eskridge led Norcross with 15 points while JT Thor had 12. Mater Dei out-rebounded Norcross 39-23 and had 13 assists on 20 made FG. Norcross will play for third place on Monday against Jefferson (OR). Norcross entered the event ranked higher in the  Max Preps Top 25 as Mater Dei (CA) fell out after back-to-back losses to Centennial (CA) and Sheldon (CA) the previous week.

Norcross (GA) (13-0) won its opening round game 62-58 over West Linn (OR) (3-5). Josh Taylor posted a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead Norcross. Quincy Ademokoya (20 points) and JT Thor (15 points) each hit three three-pointers for Norcross. Jackson Shelstad led West Linn with 20 points. Norcross will face Churchill (OR) (6-0) Friday in the quarterfinals.

Norcross (GA) (14-0) advanced to the semifinals with a 54-49 victory over Churchill (OR) (5-1). JT Thor led Norcross with 20 points and chipped in six rebounds. Quincy Ademokoya tallied 11 points and Kevon Eskridge had 10 points off the bench. Brian Goracke lead Churchill with 15 points.

Arby’s Classic (Bristol, TN)

Southwest Dekalb (GA) (7-6) earned fifth place with a 56-49 win over Wise Central (VA) to close out their Arby’s Classic appearance. The Panthers posted a 3-1 record at the event.

(previously)

Southwest Dekalb (GA) (6-6) defeated Sevier County (TN) (7-4) 56-39 Monday morning. The Panthers will play for sixth place on Tuesday against  Wise Central (VA).

Southwest Dekalb (GA) improved to 5-6 with a 57-39 victory over Greeneville (TN) on Saturday. Southwest Dekalb (GA) will take on Sevier County (TN) (7-3) on Monday.

Dobyns-Bennett (TN) (7-4) led Southwest Dekalb 40-32 entering the fourth quarter when Southwest Dekalb (GA) (4-6) opened the quarter with a 10-3 run to pull to within one, 43-42 but never got over the hump in a 48-45 opening round loss. Dobyns-Bennett was led by Abiah Releford 16 and Malachi Hale 11. Michael Wright finished with 13 points 5 rebounds while Eugene Brown III finished with 9 point and 6 rebounds for Southwest Dekalb.

Hoodie’s House National High School Hoops Classic (Charlotte, NC)

Milton (GA) (12-3) finished in fifth place after their 69-52 victory over United Faith Christian (NC) (13-7) on Monday. Evan Hurst led the Eagles with 20 points. Kanaan Carlyle finished with 15 points 3 rebounds and 3 assist while LT Overton came just shy of a double-double with 9 points and nine rebounds. Milton’s leading scorer Bruce Thornton finished with only four points but handed out 11 assists.

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Bruce Thornton put in 37 points as Milton (GA) (11-3) defeated Northside Christian (NC) 64-53 on Saturday. LT Overton added a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds for the Eagles. Najir Underwood and Solomon Tucker each had 15 points for Northside Christian (NC) (13-6). Milton will take on Untied Faith Christian (NC) (7-7) on Monday.

Henry Clay (KY) (3-3) outlasted Milton (GA) (10-3) 72-69 in double overtime. Bruce Thornton led Milton with 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Evan Hurst also had 20 points while Devin Farrell and Kanaan Carlyle each had 10 in the loss for Milton. Marques Warrick led Henry Clay (KY) with 28 points.

Marlin Christmas Classic (Panama City Beach, FL)

Buford (GA) (11-3) defeated Banks County (GA) (12-2) in the All-Georgia final 61-43 to win the championship. Both teams combined to go 3-0 against non-Georgia teams.

Seminole County (GA) (8-4) posted a 2-1 record and finished fifth at the event. After losing to Banks County (GA) in the quarterfinals, Seminole County (GA) defeated South Walton (FL) 61-48 Saturday and host Arnold (FL) 54-52 on Monday in the fifth place game. Chad Berry Jr scored 21 points including the game-winning field goal in the win over Arnold (FL).

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An All-Georgia final is set when Buford (GA) (10-3) and Banks County (GA) (12-1) meet Monday in the championship game after both won their semifinal games in Saturday.

Buford (GA) (9-3) won its opening round game with a 66-43 victory over host Arnold (FL) (2-9). Buford (10-3) advanced to the finals by defeating Webster County (KY) (9-2) 71-66 in the semifinals Saturday.

Banks County (GA) (12-1) defeated Bartram Trail (FL) (5-4) in the semifinals on Saturday. Banks County defeats Seminole County (GA) (7-4) 69-64 in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Kingdom Of The Sun (Ocala, FL)

Columbia (GA) (9-6) won its sixth consecutive game- all have been OOS wins, with a 66-58 win over Jones (FL) (3-8) to win the Kingdom Of The Sun tournament on Sunday. Columbia posted a 6-1 record over back-to-back weekends in Florida tournaments and are 6-3 this season against OOS teams from New York (Knox), Florida (North Marion, North Miami, South Miami, Jones and Deerfield Beach), Alabama (Pinson Valley, LaFlore) and Tennessee (Howard Tech). South Miami entered the event ranked No.1 in Florida 6A while North Miami is ranked No.3. The Eagles will play their final OOS game Saturday January 4th at Tyner Academy (TN) (7-1).

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Columbia (GA) led South Miami by 11 points at halftime 34-23 and by as many as 22 points in the second half only to have South Miami rally. The rally would fall short as Columbia (GA) (8-6) advanced to the championship game with a 64-62 victory.  Columbia will face Jones (FL) (3-7) in the Finals on Sunday. Jones (FL) entered the tournament 0-7 but have won three-straight in the tournament be defeating McArthur (FL) (9-8), Lake Highland Prep (FL) (8-2)  and Western (7-4).

Columbia (GA) (7-6) advanced to the semifinals with a 48-43 quarterfinal victory over Deerfield Beach (FL). Columbia will face South Miami on Saturday. South Miami defeated host school Vanguard-Ocala (FL) in the quarterfinals.

Columbia (GA) (5-6) went 2-1 at the Kreul Classic in Miami, FL last week, returned to the Sunshine State to take on North Marion (FL) (7-0) in the opening round of the Kingdom Of The Sun. North Marion-off to its best start under 5th year head coach Tim Yarn, has not had a losing season since Yarn took over beginning with the 2015-16 season. Columbia halted the feel good start snapping the seven-game winning streak with a 64-37 victory in the opening round. Columbia will face Deerfield Beach (FL) in the quarterfinals on Friday. Deerfield Beach (FL) defeated Wheeler (GA) last week in the opening round of the Kreul Classic.

Dwight Madison Roundball Classic (Montgomery, AL)

Newton (GA) (12-3) won its tenth straight game since a three-game losing streak with a 76-68 victory over host Carver-Montgomery (AL) in the Dwight Madison Roundball Classic championship game. It was Newton’s second win on the same day as earlier in the day Saturday they defeated Calhoun (AL) (8-10) 93-75 in the semifinals. On Friday Newton defeated Brewbaker Tech (AL) (11-5) in the quarterfinals 84-66.

Sunshine State Explosion (Coconut Creek, FL)

Georgia teams post 7-1 record in Sunshine State Explosion.

Sickles (FL) (7-2) ended Tri-Cities (GA) (13-1) 21-game win streak with a 70-68 victory. Peyton Daniels finished with 36 points but it was not enough for Tri-Cities (GA). Javohn Thomas had 14 points while Dylan Mitchell had 13 points for Sickles.

Cedar Shoals (GA) improved to 13-1 with a 67-61 win over Apopka (FL) (9-4). Quincy Canty led the Jaguars with 20 points. Tyler Johnson again stuffed the box score with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and a pair of steals. Sophomore point guard Kashik Brown continued his stellar play with 17 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Apopka (FL)- ranked No.7 in 7A, was led by John Latimer III’s 22 points.

Jefferson (GA) (9-6) swept its two games in Florida with a 75-57 victory over Coral Reef (FL) (7-4). Jacob Radaker had 12 points for the Dragons Levertis Williams led Coral Reef with 20 points.

Douglas County (GA) (10-5) swept its two games in Florida with a 53-52 win over American Heritage-Plantation (FL) (7-3). Omarion Smith came three blocks shy of a triple-double with a 16 point-14 rebound double-double to go with those seven blocks for Douglas County.

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Georgia teams go 4-0 on first day of Sunshine State Explosion.

Jaylen Jackson scored 15 points to go with 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks as Douglas County (GA) (9-5) defeated Bishop Synder (FL) 60-48. Gyasi Powell led Bishop Sydner with 20 points.

Cedar Shoals (GA) improved to 12-1 winning its first game of the season against a non-Georgia opponent 78-42 over Miami Northwestern (3-6). Tyler Johnson led the way for the Jaguars with 25 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Quincy Canty finished with 16 points and three rebounds while sophomore guard Kashik Brown tallied 16 points and two assists in the victory. Antwanne Thompson lead Miami Northwestern with 13 points. Cedar Shoals will play Apopka (FL) (9-3) on Saturday.

Tri-Cities (GA) remained undefeated with a 56-49 win over Apopka (FL) (9-3). Demetrius Rives had 14 points for Tri-Cities. Zachary Anderson led Apopka with 18 points.

Jefferson (GA) (8-6) earned its first victory over a non-Georgia team by defeats host Coconut Creek (FL) (2-6) 66-53 in the night cap Friday night. Spencer Darby finished with 12 points and Daniel Parker had 11 for Jefferson.

Big Orange Classic (Hoover, Alabama)

Huffman (AL) won the Big Orange Classic with a 56-48 victory over Alexander (GA) (9-5) on Saturday. Alexander went 2-1 in the event.

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Alexander (GA) (9-4) advanced to the championship game with a 70-54 win over Florence (AL) (6-5). Alexander will take on Huffman (AL) in the Finals on Saturday. Alexander defeated Wenonah (AL) (10-6) 52-42 in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Other Games with Out-Of-State Interest (Various Locations)

Updated 12/30/2019

Eagle’s Landing (GA) (12-1) rebounded from having it’s 10-game winning streak snapped in a 51-48 loss to Americus-Sumter (GA) (13-0) in a showcase game, to win the Lee County Roundball Classic. Eagle’s Landing got 20 points and 12 rebounds from Keith Lamar while Kirshon Trash added 19 points and 13 rebounds in a 57-43 victory over Lee County (GA) in the semifinals. In the finals Eagle’s Landing faced it’s first out-of-state opponent of the season. Thrash tallied 18 points 6 rebounds 4 assists and 2 steals while Lamar added 16 points and 9 rebounds and David Thomas had 15 points in 63-59 victory over Boy & Girls (NY) (9-4). Kirshon Thrash was named the tournament’s MVP. Boys & Girls (NY) went 2-1 at the event defeating Central-Macon (GA) (8-5) and Monroe-Albany (GA) (9-4).

Americus-Sumter (GA) (13-0) capped a 3-0 weekend with a victory over the only out-of-state team on its schedule. The Panthers defeated Landstown (VA) (4-5) 64-61 in the Big South Shootout in Atlanta, GA on Saturday.  Wallace Bradley led Americus-Sumter with 18 points, Quevoluia Willoughby added 14 while Trae Brown added 11. Donald Hand had 26 for Landstown (VA) which started the season No.1 in the Virginia-Pilot/Daily Press Top 15 rankings and were currently No.11 may be out after back-to-back losses at the Big South Shootout this weekend in next rankings.  Americus-Sumter (GA) defeated Eagle’s Landing (GA) (12-1) and Tift County (GA) (3-9) over a three day stretch in three different events.

Brunswick (GA) (9-6) went 1-1 against two teams from Florida at the McDonald’s Invitational in Tifton, GA. Despite 27 points and 13 rebounds from Jaden Dunham Brunswick fell 68-49 to Tallahassee-Lincoln (FL) (11-1) 68-49 Friday Night. Zane Williams had 23 points to lead Tallahassee-Lincoln. The Pirates bounced back with a 42-40 victory over Victory Christian Academy (FL) (4-4). Jaden Dunham-who was named to the all tournament team, finished with another double-double racking up 18 points and 10 rebounds for Brunswick. Victory Christian Academy (FL) entered the event No.10 in the 2A Florida rankings and defeated Denmark (GA) (11-4) 49-46 on Friday.

Morgan County (GA) (2-9) also fell to Tallahassee-Lincoln (FL) (11-1) 63-40 on Saturday. Tallahassee-Lincoln defeated Tift County (GA) in their season opener and are 3-1 against Georgia teams this season, the loss coming to Miller Grove (GA) (11-6) 59-54 in the semifinals of the Emerald Coast 16 in Niceville, FL. Tallahassee-Lincoln is just outside of the Top 10 in 6A Florida rankings.

East Coweta (GA) (9-4) fell 69-66 to John Marshall (VA) (6-2) Saturday night in the Tournament of Champions Holiday Classic in Marietta, GA. Jason Nelson scored 18 points to lead John Marshall (VA) in the victory which snapped their two-game losing streak. McEachern (GA) (10-4) defeated John Marshall (VA) on Friday night in the event 70-69. McEachern has loss 3 of its last four games to Montverde Academy (VA), Gonzaga (DC) and Shiloh (GA). John Marshall (VA) has loss to Sierra Canyon (CA) and McEachern (GA)

Clarke Central (GA) (6-3)  went 2-1 at Holiday Hoopla in Vero Beach, FL. The Gladiators defeated Treasure Coast (FL)(6-6) 69-52 and Jensen Beach (FL) (3-8) 59-21. Clarke Central lost to West Orange (FL) (6-5) 78-41.

Georgia HSFB Week 4 Notes and Scores

South Pointe (SC) Tops Buford

Buford (2-1) suffers its first-ever out-of-state loss falling 33-27 to South Pointe (SC) (4-0). South Pointe quarterback Derion Kendrick powered the Stallions victory rushing for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns while passing for a pair of touchdowns. Buford entered the game allowing only 110 yards rushing through two games, Kendrick rushed for 110 in the first half.

Buford used special teams to take an early lead and to stay in the game multiple times. Mick Reese recovered a high snap on a punt in the end zone for a touchdown to crack the scoring seal as Buford led 7-0.

South Pointe answered on the following possession going 77 yards capping the drive with a Kendrick to Scott Robinson Jr 38-yard touchdown pass to knot it 7-7. In the second quarter Kendrick danced around Buford’s defense capping  another 77-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run while evading several Buford defenders before lowering his shoulder for the score and the 14-7 lead. Kendrick accounted for every yard on the drive.

Buford’s special teams got back in on the act again as Eli Turner raced of the right edge to block BT Potter’s 32-yard field goal attempt. Buford cashed it in 61 yards later with an Anthony Grant 3-yard touchdown run pulling even 14-14, which stood til halftime.

South Pointe’s defense led by Eli Adams and Deangelo Huskey gave Buford fits all night. On Buford’s opening second half possession, Jaylen Mahoney intercepted Aaron McLaughlin setting up a 36-yard touchdown pass from Kendrick to Robinson on the following play for a 21-14 South Pointe lead.

The team exchanged punts and again it was Buford’s special teams putting up points as Austin Turner returned a punt 70-yards for a touchdown to pull Buford to within 21-20 with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter after the extra point attempt failed due to a bad snap and hold.

Potter added a field goal for South Pointe in the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 24-20. Buford answered that score with Grant’s second touchdown run of the game early in the fourth quarter for a 27-24 Buford lead.

The lead was short lived as Kendrick engineered a Stallions drive that he finished with a 17-yard touchdown run for a 28-27 lead. BT Potter added his second field goal of the game to extend South Pointe’s lead to 31-27. After a South Pointe fumble, Buford’s McLaughlin was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for the final 33-27 margin.

Georgia High School Football

Other Games:

Sharrod Frazier rushed for a pair of touchdowns as Brunswick (2-1) had five different players rush for a total of six touchdowns in a 43-27 victory over Camden County. Brooks Bryan passed for two touchdowns and  Jeremiah Compton return an interception 99 yards for a touchdown for Camden County. Brunswick’s victory snapped an 11-game losing streak to Camden County.

Clarke Central’s O’Brien Barnett rushed for three touchdowns while Jonathan Sewell rushed for a 92 yard touchdown as the Gladiators (3-1) defeated North Oconee (1-3) 47-20. Gladiator quarterback Jack Mangel passed for a pair of touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown. Kapre Forbes continued his excellent season in the punt return department with a 74-yard return that set up Barnett’s final touchdown run.

Brookwood (2-2) used a dominating rushing attack to upset Colquitt County (4-1) 45-25. Dante Brown rushed for over 250 yards and five touchdowns for the Broncos. Brookwood led 21-0 after the first quarter with all three touchdown coming via Brown. Daijun Edwards rushed for two touchdowns for Colquitt County.

Winder-Barrow (4-0) scored 17 unanswered points to defeat Loganville (0-4) 17-14. Brock Landis rushed for the go-ahead touchdown with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter for the Bulldoggs. Jamar Mack rushed for a touchdown for the Bulldoggs. Winder-Barrow is 4-0 for the first time since 2007.

Meadowcreek (4-0) won its fourth straight game and is 4-0 for the first-time ever after a 38-0 victory over Lithonia (1-3). Chauncey Williams rushed for over 200 yards and four touchdowns. Williams has rush for over 100 yards in every game so far this season.

Stephenson(2-2) handed Lovejoy (2-3) its third straight loss with a 14-7 win. Darren Parker and Deondre Jackson rushed for a touchdown for Stephenson. Love’s joys only score came on a  late in the second quarter to give Stephenson a 14-0 lead. Jordan Huntington passed for a touchdown for Lovejoy, who wasted a number of scoring chances in the red zone most of the night.

Other Scores Of Interest:

Mays defeated 49-7 New Manchester

Miller Grove defeated Lakeside-Dekalb 18-16

Cedar Grove defeated Lovett 41-14

Tift defeated Parkview 50-37

Dutchtown 10-7 over Heritage-Conyers

McEachern 28-9 over Westlake

Langston Hughes defeated Tri-Cities 20-12

Stockbridge 33-3 over Ola

 

 

 

 

 

Cedar Shoals Thumps Miller Grove; Advance To 5A Finals

Cedar Shoals has been knocking on the door of the championship game the last two seasons in the semifinals and it just would not open. Losses of one and two points in the semifinals prevented the Jaguars from playing for a state championship. Saturday at Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga the Jaguars kicked the door down and left no room for making a third straight semifinal loss.

Powerhouse and defending 5A champion Miller Grove has won seven titles in the last eight years were on the other sideline. The Wolverines are under the direction of first-year head coach Rasual Chester however the expectations at Miller Grove are the same, win championships.

George Wilson III put Miller Grove up 7-5 with a three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, that would be the last time the Wolverines would lead. Cedar Shoals broke off one of their patented runs that never left the game in doubt.

Phlandrous Fleming nailed a three as the first quarter ended to put Cedar Shoals up 14-7. Fleming converted a three-point play to open the second quarter and A.J. Jones dropped in a three-pointer to cap a 15-0 run to give Cedar Shoals a 20-7 lead, the Jaguars never looked back.

Miller Grove and Cedar Shoals tip it off in the semifinals

“We have been playing a lot better defensively which forces teams to take bad shots and we have been great on the defensive boards which leads to transition buckets and it helps us find our rhythm,” Cedar Shoals head coach L’Dreco Thomas said about making massive runs all season.

Snipe Hall drilled a three to give Cedar Shoals a 42-16 lead in the third quarter that sent the Jaguars on their way to a 59-38 victory. The win is not so much a surprise as is the manner of it and margin of victory.

Fleming finished with a game-high 25 points, Stavion Stevenson scored 15, Hall tallied nine while Jones chipped in seven for Cedar Shoals.

Phlandrous Fleming shoots technical foul shots during Cedar Shoals’ semifinal victory over Miller Grove 

“My staff came up with a great game plan and the players worked the plan to a T,” Thomas said. “(The players) were focused and confident.”

Cedar Shoals (27-4) held Miller Grove (21-9) to a season-low 38 points and held leading scoreer Naquante Hardy (20ppg avg) to a season-low five points. Before losing to Cedar Shoals, Miller Grove had only lost to McEachern (7A semifinalist), Wheeler (7A Sweet 16) and Columbia (5A Sweet 16)  from the state of Georgia.

“We knew we had to limit (Hardy’s) scoring opportunities and know where he was at all times,” Thomas said. ” I think switching defenses throughout the game gave them problems. We never let them get in a rhythm and we didn’t give up transition buckets.”

Jaguar boys will play for their first-ever Georgia state championship

Cedar Shoals earned its first-ever appearance in the state championship for the boys program in school history. The girls program won the 1992 state championship under head coach Charles Turner and last played for a state championship in 1999 (lost to Pope).

Cedar Shoals will play for the 5A championship four miles from its campus at the University of Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum.

The second-ranked Jaguars will face top-ranked Buford in the finals. Buford (28-2) earned its spot in the finals by defeating Fayette County (23-8) 83-60 behind 25 points and 14 rebounds by sophomore Marcus Watson. Alex Jones finished with 23 points while David Viti added 16 for the Wolves. Buford is the Region 8-5A champion and has not lost this season to a team from Georgia. Buford and Cedar Shoals have been ranked 1-2 since mid-January by multiple polls in the state.

“It’s an honor just to play in the state finals. To play in it in our hometown makes it special,” Thomas said.

It will be the fourth meeting this season between the two teams with Buford winning all three previous meetings. All three were competitive games with the region championship game having the largest margin of victory of the three contests.

Total Sports Coverage carried all three previous Buford-Cedar Shoals contest this season. Each game is available via the following archive links below…

Regular Season Game 1 at Cedar Shoals  

Regular Season Game 2 at Buford 

Region 8-5A Championship Game 3 at Cedar Shoals

“Buford is a great basketball team. We can’t look at it as they beat us three times, because right now those loses don’t count,” Thomas said. “The winner of this one gets the biggest prize. We will focus on their strength and things that we feel we can be exploited and instill those in our guys and just go play. We can’t worry about the past.”

Two teams that know each other well, one win is all they need to be the Georgia 5A state champ.

One can only think an expected near capacity crowd at Stegeman Coliseum will be ready to bring the funk and the noise in the Wednesday nightcap.

 

 

 

 

Storylines Abound In Georgia 5A Girls Semifinals

Today’s Georgia class 5A semifinals opener at Columbus State University features the teacher vs pupil when Southwest Dekalb faces Flowery Branch. Southwest Dekalb head coach Kathleen Richey-Walton coached Flowery Branch head coach Courtney Newton-Gonzalez for two years on the travel ball circuit while Newton-Gonzalez played at Flowery Branch. Newton-Gonzalez went on to play at South Carolina and was the head coach at Lexington (SC) before coming home to coach her alma mater last season.

“I enjoyed coaching her,” Richey-Walton said. “She was a good hard-nosed player, she had a good career in college and is doing a good job as a coach. I’m sure I’ll learn something from her.”

Big words coming from Richey-Walton who was honored more for her lacrosse skills in her native Ohio than basketball, however her basketball coaching is what comes to mind first in Georgia. Richey-Walton is also the head coach of the Southwest Deklab Lady Panthers’ lacrosse team.

Southwest Dekalb (26-4) has won five state championships and are in the semifinals for the eighth time in ten years under Richey-Walton.  Four-year starter Jada Walton (Texas A&M) is the leader for the Lady Panthers. Walton, a southpaw, is averaging 13.4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals this season. Ogheneruona Uwusiaba (Central Florida)-Nigerian descent, is her third year of playing organized basketball and is the anchor in the post. Uwusiaba is averaging 11.5 points and leads the team in rebounding at 8.4 per game. Chantz Cherry (Stoney Brook) engineers the offense with her unselfish play, good defense and vision. “She’s a point guard that just does not turn the ball over,” Richey-Walton noted about Cherry.

“The team is focused, they have not been too high or too low,” Richey-Walton said. “We want to execute and be efficient on offense and on defense, we slipped a little bit against Eagles Landings so were working on being tighter and dealing with (Flowery Branch) attack and uptempo play.”

Newton-Gonzalez has Flowery Branch (24-6) in the semifinals for the first time in school history. The Lady Falcons’ uptempo offense is powered scoring-wise by Taniyah Worth, Julianne Sutton and Lexie Sengkhammee. Worth has improved on her 15.2 point per game average in the state tournament to 17.2 points per game. Sutton (North Georgia) puts in 10.1 point per game and cleans the glass fora team-tying high of 7.8 per game. Sengkhammee is the engineer of the offense and shots the three-ball at at 39 percent clip.

The defense is where Flowery Branch hangs its hat. Through three state tournament games the Lady Falcons pressure defense is allowing an average of 38 points per game in victories over North Springs, Statesboro and Carrollton.

“We take pride in our pressure defense and we’ve done a good job throughout the season,” Newton-Gonzales said. “We went out and scheduled tougher teams this season and that has helped us down the stretch. Southwest Dekalb is good and this team is ready for the challenge.”

Flowery Branch’s schedule included non-Georgia teams Bradley Central (TN), Spring Garden (AL) and McMinn Central (TN) in addition to state foes Winder-Barrow (2-1 in three meetings), West Hall and region foe Buford (0-3 in three meetings).

Senghammee set the single season record for three-pointers made and hit six three-pointers in three games this season. Queen Scott is described by Newton-Gonzalez as the ultimate role player, defensive specialist and routinely guards the opposing teams best player. Caroline Wysocki, Ashley Woodroffe and Janoah Williams also play key roles for the Lady Falcons.

“Were excited about were the program is going,” Newton-Gonzales said.

Georgia 5A girls semifinals commence 

The other semifinal game pits top-ranked Griffin against second-ranked Buford. Griffin enters the contest with a 28-1 mark, the lone loss coming to Columbia which snapped a 20-game winning streak. Griffin is in the semifinals for the first time since 1998 and third time in school history.

The Lady Bears are led by seniors  Andeija Puckett (Cincinnati) and TyLeslie Happy Johnson. Puckett is the region 3-5A Player Of The Year and is averaging a double-double with 17.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Johnson is puts in 7.7 points and grabs 6.1 rebounds per game. Sophomore Daisya Reid controls the offense while scoring 9.7 points per game to go witha 1-to-1 assist to turnover ratio.

Buford is highlighted by the heavily recruited Tory Ozment. Ozment leads the Lady Wolves in scoring at 13.4 point per game and shoots 43 percent from downtown. Audrey averages 10 points per game and snatches almost three boards a game. Marissa Bruce is an experienced player that chips in 9.4 points per game, 3.1 rebounds and brings plenty of energy on both ends of the floor. Jessica Nelson comes off the bench however leads the Lady Wolves in rebounding at 5.4 per game.

The Lady Wolves only in-state loss were to class 1A Private’s St. Francis and Wesleyan. Buford is in pursuit of it’s fifth state championship.

The table is set and the plot will begin to unfold as the it boils down to the newcomers against the established. All four squads can either add to their history or make history themselves. No question who advances to the finals next week at the University of Georgia it will be earned and not given.

 

Jaguars Open State Playoffs At Home

The Cedar Shoals Jaguars (23-4) will open the 2017 state playoffs at home against another set of Jaguars from Maynard Jackson-Atlanta (19-8) Saturday afternoon at 5pm. Cedar Shoals is seeking its first ever state championship in boys basketball and first basketball championship since 1992 when the Lady Jaguars won it all.

Region 8-5A player of the year Phlandrous Fleming (Charleston Southern) is the driving force behind the second-ranked Jaguars. Fleming is averaging just over 23 points and 10 rebounds this season. Seniors Quenjarvis ‘Snipe’ Hall, Stavion Stevenson (Savannah State for football), A.J. Jones and Damerrea Lowe will play key supporting roles for a team that has reached the semifinals each of the two previous seasons. Tyquon Mitchell and Darien Appling provide solid minutes off the bench.

 

Cedar Shoals head coach L’Dreco Thomas has guided the Jaguars to the state tournament for the fifth time in his seven seasons and has won three region titles (2012, 2015, 2016) during that span.

“When you go to the state tournament everybody’s record is clean, everybody is 0-0. It doesn’t matter what your seed is at some point you will have to beat the next opponent no matter who they are and what seed they are,” Thomas said.

Three of Cedar Shoals’ losses came to region foe Buford (top-ranked team in 5A; Region 8-5A champs) with their only other loss coming at Duluth (Region 6-7A three-seed) in overtime in early December.

“Cedar is a very very good team, they are well coached, they play hard together and I told our team before the game that Cedar has the talent to win it all this year,” Buford head coach Eddie Martin said after defeating Cedar Shoals in the region championship game last week. Martin has won seven state championships at Norcross and Greater Atlanta Christian combined and is seeking to win his a state championship at his third school.

“I told the team that we had to put Buford behind us- all three games, that we had to be like horses and wear blinders and look ahead  and that’s what we are going to do. We are going to focus on the next opponent and the next opponent only, Maynard Jackson is our next opponent,” Cedar Shoals head coach L’Dreco Thomas said.

The Jaguars did not play an out-of-state team this season due to scheduling difficulties however Thomas feels the regular season schedule they played has prepared them for the state tournament.

“When you go to the state tournament everybody’s record is clean, everybody is 0-0. It doesn’t matter what your seed is at some point you will have to beat the next opponent no matter who they are and what seed they are.”

“I think we played a lot of tournament caliber teams all season and at the end of the day we played some top notch teams and I think that has prepared us for the stretch run and state tournament,” Thomas stated.

Cedar enters the tournament with noteable wins over Etowah (Region 4-7A champs), Stephenson (Region 6-6A champs), Heritage-Conyers (Region 6-6A runner up) and a pair of victories over Morgan County (Region 8-3A champ). In an expanded but weakened playoff field this season due to expansion of classifications in Georgia, that’s a solid resume without playing an out-of-state team.

Jackson-Atlanta is led by senior JaQuavius Hayes, juniors Marquvis Carter and Keshun Byrd. Hayes leads the Jaguars in scoring at just above 21 points while Carter and Byrd each are averaging double figure points this season.

Jackson-Atlanta finished third in Region 6-5A after defeating Lithia Springs for the second time this season in the region 6-5A tournament.  The Jaguars have played in close games all season losing by one point to Riverwood (Region 6-5A runner-up) and Henry County (Region 4-4A champs) while defeating Carver-Atlanta (Region 6-5A champs) and Stockbridge by two points.

The winner will face the winner of Jones County/Statesboro in the second round next week.

Cedar Shoals will hold a moment of silence after the national anthem to honor the life of Quentin Moses. Moses passed away earlier this week in a house fire along with two other people in Walton County (GA). Moses lettered in basketball at Cedar Shoals but is most known for his football accomplishments at Cedar Shoals, The University of Georgia and in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins. Moses was currently serving as a defensive line coach at Reinhardt College upon his passing.