What’s up with Wheeler as Milton game looms?
There’s no shame in losing to Campbell, which won at Wheeler last week in Region 6-AAAAA. But there’s little doubt that Wheeler’s boys – the defending champion in Class AAAAA – are vulnerable heading into their showdown Friday against No. 1 Milton.
In fact, this might be the first time Wheeler has been an underdog in its gym since McEachern had Josh Smith and Morris Almond.
Wheeler also has lost to Centennial, ranked No. 3 in AAAAA. Yes, Wheeler lost to Centennial last season and later to Walton and still won state, so there’s no reason to panic on Holt Road.
The real concern is Milton. Yes, Milton lost a game last week too, but that was the championship of a national tournament in Missouri. Milton is unbeaten in Georgia.
Milton actually had a 15-2 lead against White Station of Memphis on Saturday but couldn’t hold on. Story here. Milton had wins over Chaminade (defending Class 5A champion in Missouri) and Christ of the King (No. 1-ranked team in New York, according to MaxPreps) earlier in the week. Julian Royal and Evan Nolte made the all-tourament team.
Wheeler, meanwhile, is still trying to figure out how to replace Richard Howell (N.C. State) and Ari Stewart (Wake Forest). Jelan Kendrick, who has signed with Memphis, is Wheeler’s new top gun, a transfer from Westlake. Phil Taylor, Karl Cochran and Joey Jerome started much of last season. Chemistry takes time.
Meanwhile, Westlake – the team that Kendrick left – is ranked No. 2. One would’ve thought Wheeler would be there, if not No. 1.
I’m not picking Wheeler on Friday night. But I’ll point this out: Josh Smith and Morris Almond didn’t win that game at Wheeler in 2002 or the state title during that 2002-03 season. Wheeler did.
Here are the rankings for this week:
BOYS
Class AAAAA
1. Milton
2. Westlake
3. Centennial
4. Norcross
5. Walton
6. Central Gwinnett
7. Wheeler
8. McEachern
9. Mill Creek
10. Newton
Class AAAA
1. Rockdale County
2. Chamblee
3. Miller Grove
4. Tucker
5. Richmond Academy
6. Cass
7. Fayette County
8. Hillgrove
9. Bainbridge
10. North Clayton
Class AAA
1. South Atlanta
2. Columbia
3. Liberty County
4. Monroe
5. LaGrange
6. Elbert County
7. Dunwoody
8. Westover
9. Franklin County
10. North Hall
Class AA
1. Greater Atlanta Christian
2. Northeast-Macon
3. Decatur
4. Dublin
5. Laney
6. Southwest-Macon
7. Dade County
8. Thomasville
9. Putnam County
10. Jefferson
Class A
1. Whitefield Academy
2. Wilkinson County
3. Wesleyan
4. Lanier County
5. Claxton
6. Wilcox County
7. Terrell County
8. Bowdon
9. Pace Academy
10. Greenville
GIRLS
Class AAAAA
1. Redan
2. Parkview
3. Norcross
4. Mill Creek
5. Stephenson
6. Campbell
7. McEachern
8. Westlake
9. Bradwell Institute
10. Douglass
Class AAAA
1. Fayette County
2. Rome
3. Southwest DeKalb
4. Northwest Whitfield
5. Douglas County
6. Madison County
7. Bainbridge
8. Statesboro
9. Forest Park
10. Osborne
Class AAA
1. Kendrick
2. Washington County
3. Carver-Atlanta
4. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe
5. Columbia
6. Pickens
7. Rutland
8. Chestatee
9. Stephens County
10. Franklin County
Class AA
1. Buford
2. Laney
3. Rabun County
4. Vidalia
5. Northeast-Macon
6. Greater Atlanta Christian
7. Fannin County
8. Lovett
9. Henry County
10. Dodge County
Class A
1. Wesleyan
2. Taylor County
3. Randolph-Clay
4. Calvary Day
5. Paideia
6. Gordon Lee
7. Southwest Atlanta Christian
8. Holy Innocents’
9. Savannah Christian
10. Bryan County
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
63 comments Add your comment
Bball fan
January 17th, 2010
6:22 pm
Glad to see Southside teams North Clayton (boys), Forest Park (girls) and Henry County (girls) in the rankings.
DAREDEYGO!!!! WHEELER
January 17th, 2010
7:08 pm
Is it possible to take warrant out on the basketball coaches/RECRUITER from Region 6 for
the hostile take over of SW ATLANTA. I guess if these kid want to get up 5am in morning
so be it.
RAIDER
January 17th, 2010
8:10 pm
Enter your comments here
RAIDER
January 17th, 2010
8:10 pm
Walton Raiders lost to centennial only by 6 without Ryan Harrow and Michi Rice. Just wait till they get healthy and ready. Wheelers goin down next week!
KUSH
January 17th, 2010
9:06 pm
Wilkinson County would beat any team in single A by 20 or more points. You AJC clowns rank a 1 loss team over an undefeated team that is winning by a 22 point average margin of victory per game. You will find out later in the season!!!!
Full court press
January 17th, 2010
11:05 pm
Westlake is unbeaten in Georgia. Westlake also has defeated 5 of 6 out of state opponents including a victory over then nationally ranked number 18 Rice High School for the Chick Fil A Classic championship. There are very good teams in Region 6-AAAAA but recognize the next closest threat to take the state championship is the 15-1 Westlake boys from Region 4-AAAAA.
Todd Holcomb
January 17th, 2010
11:16 pm
“Wilkinson County would beat any team in single A by 20 or more points. You AJC clowns rank a 1 loss team over an undefeated team that is winning by a 22 point average margin of victory per game. You will find out later in the season!!!!”
The rankings aren’t designed to predict the state playoffs. They are designed to reflect the past. Whitefield Academy has beaten all of its Georgia opponents just as Wilkinson County has.
Todd Holcomb
January 17th, 2010
11:16 pm
And Whitefield Academy is the defending champion. Forgot to mention that key point. : )
lfp6
January 18th, 2010
12:48 am
methinks it was a case of looking ahead; regardless, the Blue and Gold will step it up.
GO ‘CATS!
Laney Wildcat Fanatic
January 18th, 2010
6:17 am
Laney boys are better than Dublin…. I know you base rankings at the beginning of the season off of last year but this more than halfway…. check the games that these two have played this year so far…. hopefully we will make the official statement when Dublin comes to town this Saturday….
Chris
January 18th, 2010
8:32 am
Y is Fayette still rank last time i check Sandy creek beat them
Truth be told
January 18th, 2010
9:17 am
Full Court Press Westlake doesn’t get respect for winning, even if it wins the state title. For whatever reason the AJC don’t think the program is sexy enough to warrant coverage. We know the boys and girls are the top teams around year in and out without any superstars. For what it worth they still haven’t recognized the final four finish last year without the “great” Jalen Kendrick, who didn’t play but half the season.
Todd Holcomb
January 18th, 2010
9:58 am
“Full Court Press Westlake doesn’t get respect for winning, even if it wins the state title. For whatever reason the AJC don’t think the program is sexy enough to warrant coverage.”
Got a story on Westlake coming on Friday.
“Y is Fayette still rank last time i check Sandy creek beat them.”
Everybody in Class AAAA has lost, so we can’t keep teams out of the rankings because they lost a game. It’s hard to separate teams in that classification. Fayette has some good wins vs. Lithia Springs, Hillgrove and also against Sandy Creek earlier in the year.
Eagle 1
January 18th, 2010
1:17 pm
Todd why is South Atlanta ranked higher than Columbia?
Todd Holcomb
January 18th, 2010
1:36 pm
Eagle: South Atlanta is the defending champion and is unbeaten in Georgia. We understand how good Columbia is and that South Atlanta will have a tough time defending its title without Favors and Malone, so our rankings are not predictions but ‘reflections,’ as I noted above to a Wilkinson County fan. It’s interesting to note that the coaches’ poll on GaSports has Liberty County at No. 1 (because Liberty is undefeated, I assume), and Columbia is only No. 7. South Atlanta is No. 2. I believe Columbia is playing Oak Hill this weekend. Will be curious to see how that goes.
FCHSTiger
January 18th, 2010
3:20 pm
AAAA basketball is a mess this year. I really don’t see any dominant teams. When you have to rank Cass in the top 10, you know it’s a down year.
allregionallstate.
January 18th, 2010
5:19 pm
Don’t sleep on the girls from Bradwell. They areeen’t something to be reckoned with!
rob
January 18th, 2010
6:15 pm
ECI girls roll, stay undefeated – getting no respect
Print E-Mail Story Comment
January 16, 2010
By MIKE ANTHONY
manthony@statesboroherald.com
Article Image
Image Thumbnail
It was another rough night for the Portal girls.
Emmanuel County Institute continued its unbeaten streak to start the season, easily cruising past Portal by a score of 72-12 Saturday evening in Twin City.
Nalese McAllister led the Lady Bulldogs (14-0, 6-0 in Region 3-A) with 20 points. Angelica Lundy wasn’t far behind with 15 points of her own as four different Lady Bulldogs recorded double-digit point totals on the night.
It was never a contest as ECI breezed to a 24-5 advantage after the first quarter and led 42-10 at the half. With the mercy clock running and the Lady Bulldog bench emptying, the second half was no different as ECI stormed out of the locker room to score the first 28 points of the second half and hold Portal scoreless throughout the third quarter.
Symone Spells provided the little offense that Portal was able to manage, leading the Lady Panthers with five points.
leondre
January 18th, 2010
6:22 pm
turner county girl’s should be rank class A
Dylan
January 18th, 2010
7:33 pm
Northwest Whitfield still undefeated in region play and has now won 12 straight games. We play arch rival Dalton on Friday, then Lakeview- Fort Ogelthorpe (#4 in AAA) on Saturday. Then #10 Osborne and #2 Rome at the beginning of February. 7-AAAA is going to get crazy here in the next week or two!
GO NORTHWEST WHITFIELD!!
Dylan
January 18th, 2010
7:36 pm
And I don’t understand how you could leave Emanuel County out of the class A rankings. They’re undefeated and beating teams by an average of 30 points. Why are they not ranked?
Nolesfan
January 18th, 2010
8:38 pm
Marietta girl’s are much better than Bradwell Institute!!!
Eagle 1
January 18th, 2010
9:35 pm
Thanks Todd for explaining!! Well as far as Oak Hill they just dont wanna get blew out too bad.Lol
Taylor Wooten
January 19th, 2010
9:38 am
Don’t rank any Region 1 teams. There is no basketball being played down here.
Decatur 4 Life
January 19th, 2010
11:24 am
Todd- Columbia’s undefeated in GA as well and had majority of their team returning (Including 3 of the starting 5)from a final four loss to South Atlanta last season. Their losses this season include Whitney Young (Chicago), Yates (Houston), Montrose Christian (Maryland), Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) all nationally ranked teams. I know S. Atlanta won state last season but have they done enough this year to keep that top ranking, I don’t think so Todd.
YOU ARE RIGHT
January 19th, 2010
12:16 pm
Taylor Wooten: You are absolutely right, and that’s why no team is ranked. By the time March gets here, they would have all packed their uniforms up until the 2010-11 season.
Sandra D.
January 19th, 2010
1:43 pm
Carver-Atlanta girls have put Southwest Atlanta back on the map. Not since the days of the Lady Bears of Sylvan Hill high school have I been so proud. GGGOOOOOOO Lady Pathers…Nacori, Quentoria, Britney, Aliyah, Alashia, Carter, Ty, Brandi, Bria, Anikee, Manesha, Coach King, and Coach Moton. Congrats………..
Truth4Westlake
January 19th, 2010
2:26 pm
It will be refreshing to see an article on Westlake this Friday. Its funny no one wants to mention how Jelan Kendrick is tearing Wheeler apart. Dont be afraid to say the obvious if Wheeler wants to have a shot at the state you will do what Westlake did last year and kick him off the team. I want to send a congratulations to the Westlake program for being recognized as #24 in the nation by Prepnation.com. Go Lions!!!!!!! Also check us out on Comcast On Demand!!!!!
Northwestgafan
January 19th, 2010
3:24 pm
Rome girls and Cass boys are wayyyyyyyyyyyy over rated.
tiger fan
January 19th, 2010
8:12 pm
so todd chamblee beats tucker and they move up to number 2? but tucker beat millergrove so why would we fall under millergrove?
LightSkin
January 20th, 2010
7:03 am
South Atlanta ranked number one over Columbia is the biggest joke of the year. Columbia would beat South Atlanta by 30. I honestly believe that the AJC just fills in slots for the last three spots in every poll. They never look to see that a team like Newton County has played NOBODY and is average at best. South Atlanta goes out and plays a pathetic schedule because their coach didn’t think he had a great team……but ask South Atlanta what Norcross did to them this summer. 40 point win?!
Taylor Wooten
January 20th, 2010
8:18 am
North Georgia basketball sucks. Recruiting, transfers, move-ins, primadonnas…….gotta love it. Right?
Taylor Wooten
January 20th, 2010
8:20 am
Let Lowndes, Tift, Coffee or Valdosta…..carefully “select” its 5-10 best players from a 50 mile radius….and they would clean the clock of the overhyped, overexposed North Georgia teams. They have basterdized HS basketball. What a joke!
TayTay
January 20th, 2010
9:04 am
Um and Lowndes doesn’t carefully select its football team? South Georgia basketball needs to form its own Classification, or just stick with football because basketball isn’t played below Macon.
MICHAEL LIGHTFOOT
January 20th, 2010
11:13 am
You guys do kow that there is a girls basketball team in Riverdale, Ga. They just knocked off the Westlake girls to give them their first home lost in about three years. What do they need to do to get some coverage?
mature
January 20th, 2010
11:41 am
Sorry Westlake. HAHA! Bring tha NOISE, bring tha FUNK. HAHA
Morrow? Really?
Decatur 4 Life
January 20th, 2010
12:16 pm
Taylor Wooten
Man please, those are all excuses. Do North Georgians blame other reasons for you guys winning in football. No way, just face it only basketball being played worth mentioning in South GA is in Savannah and Albany and to be honest with you they can’t compete with the metro Atlanta teams like they used to. Is it our fault everyone wants to move to Atlanta? Do we not have to build schools to accomodate those families? Try again, because those excuses makes you sound sore and a little desperate.
YOU ARE RIGHT
January 20th, 2010
1:14 pm
Taylor Wooten: Even if those schools you mentioned selected their 5-10 best players, they still couldn’t cut it. The majority of the big name scholarship players still live in the Atlanta area. Sorry, bud. I know its depressing when basketball season rolls around and South Georgia is shutout. Other than football, South Georgia just can’t compete in any other sports. What’s even worst is that North Georgia typically holds its own in football. Again, sorry bud. It would probably be best if you just came back on the blogs in the fall.
CVStamp Jr.
January 20th, 2010
1:23 pm
Every year there is the north vs. south argument, and pretty much every year my alma mater(Westover High School) is always there, and as much as it pains me so to say, Monroe will also be there. An for whats its worth Westover also defeated South Atlanta during the summer. Westover set the standard for Ga basketball which everyone else is trying to catch up to. Before we started our run in the 90’s we were also runner-up in the late 80’s as a AAAA school to Griffin when there were only 4 classifications. Like Jay-Z says ” men lie, women lie, numberes don’t!”
CVStamp Jr.
January 20th, 2010
1:27 pm
Also I live in Houston, Tx now. Believe me there is no shame in losing to Yates. They are destroying everyone in there path.
Taylor Wooten
January 20th, 2010
2:05 pm
Other than football? LOL You Atlanta guys are pathetic. However, enjoy your new title as “Gay Capital of the Nation”. Something to be proud of….
roswellbasketballfan
January 20th, 2010
8:33 pm
Will someone please tell Roswell Basketball Coach TY Phillips that he is only as good as his 3 year record…..stop complaining and blaming everyone else for all the continued losses.
Miltonmania
January 20th, 2010
10:28 pm
You gotta see Milton play. relentless defense, gangbuster offense. 3 juniors and a soph are lock major D1 players. 4 players play over the rim, all good passers, all unselfish. this doesn’t come along very often. see them if you can (of course they will be together again next year – scary)
Tucker-biddog58
January 20th, 2010
11:02 pm
Todd you and your staff need to wakeup. Tucker will be there in the end. As like last year Chamblee will fade and it will come down betwee Tucker and Miller Grove. I like Tucker’s big man inside and if there guards hold up I think they have enough to get back to the championship game.
Oscar
January 21st, 2010
2:18 am
where my salem boys at?
high fan
January 21st, 2010
5:50 am
i think we should just stop with the ranking until the state playoff is over with, and as far as the summer goes nobody win a state title in the summer so stop with all the nonsense with who beat who in the summer program cause the good players play in AAU balls in the summer and north georgia teams will whip up on south georgia teams all day long.
Spankdog
January 21st, 2010
8:15 am
I wonder, how many Wilkinson County basketball players are really from Wilkinson County.
YOU ARE RIGHT
January 21st, 2010
9:57 am
High Fan: I’m with you on all this who beat who in the summer. It was a meaningless summer game that both teams probably don’t have all their players because they are either at some camp, football workouts or AAU tournament. Hey, the Dallas Cowboys beat Minnesota in the last preseason game.
Here is a good read on the follow-up to Morrow’s win over top-ranked Westlake
http://www.mycountypaper.com/claytonsports/headlines/82223582.html
Wesley
January 21st, 2010
12:01 pm
Where my Salem Girls at? Can’t forget about 6′3″ Scariel Wynter. She is fantastic!!!
South Ga
January 21st, 2010
1:12 pm
There are a few teams in south Ga that I think alot of people are sleeping on and are going to make a run in the playoff. Just a few Coffie, Tift, Valdosta, Lanier, and Turner. Yes, they have lost a game or two but everyone has a bad game. One that really sticks out is Lanier, after falling short last season in the playoff the coaches in his team are really making a turn for the better. Only loses comming from Valdosta and Lowdnes in which Lanier gave away at the end of both games. Ga keep an ear open for South Ga.
TheOne132
January 21st, 2010
1:56 pm
Hey, if you all must know the truth, Columbia Eagles are the best. SW Atlanta sucked last year and this year too. I don’t understand how on earth they are still ranked number 1, but somebody in the big blue sky must like them. As for the worst team ever, try Clarkston High School. Their Varsity Girls could bearly match Druid Hills Jr. Varsity.
TheOne132
January 21st, 2010
1:59 pm
Hey all I’m back b’s…..Here is the real deal on all the games. I love to travel around and view different schools. South GA, you got it. Good win. We all know Wilkinson County players are not from their county, some yeah, I’ll give them that, but the coaches there are not stupid. They know how to shop around, and make a sell.
TOP SPORT
January 21st, 2010
2:49 pm
WHO CARES ABOUT BASKETBALL. WHEN THE SOUTH WIN IN FOOTBALL, ITS MOSTLY HOMETOWN KIDS. ITS NOT LIKE IN BASKETBALL, WHERE ALL THE SCHOOLS RECRUIT. ITS EVIDENT BY THIS BLOG THAT THE TOP SPORT IN GEORGIA IS FOOTBALL, WHICH THE SOUTH DOMINATES WITHOUT A QUESTION. LET THE NORTH HAVE THE STATES SECONDARY SPORT, BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER HAVE FOOTBALL, THAT YOU ALL SO DESPERATELY WANT. YOU DOMINATE BASKETBALL, THAT I WILL GIVE YOU, ITS CALL RECRUITING, NOT DEVELOPING TALENT IN YOUR PROGRAM, ITS A BIG DIFFERENCE. 6 OF THE LAST 7 SOUTH BABY. WE DOMINATE IN THE STATES NUMBER 1 SPORT IT FOOTBALL BABY, ITS FOOTBALL. HAVE BASKETBALL YOU WILL NEVER GET FOOTBALL.
Todd Holcomb
January 21st, 2010
3:18 pm
Decatur 4 Life: I know that Columbia also is unbeaten in its Georgia games. You ask if South Atlanta has done enough to keep its No. 1 ranking. Well, they’ve won all their games. I know they’ve barely survived a couple of them. I’m keeping an eye on them.
“so todd chamblee beats tucker and they move up to number 2? but tucker beat millergrove so why would we fall under millergrove?”
Tucker also has lost to another AAAA team (McIntosh) and been blown out by Columbia. It’s not just head-to-head among those three teams that determines how those three teams are ranked.
Nice win over Walton, though. That could make a big difference next week.
“South Atlanta ranked number one over Columbia is the biggest joke of the year. Columbia would beat South Atlanta by 30. I honestly believe that the AJC just fills in slots for the last three spots in every poll. They never look to see that a team like Newton County has played NOBODY and is average at best.”
Perhaps Columbia would beat South Atlanta worse than that. But I’m comfortable with South Atlanta, the defending champ, keeping the No. 1 spot for now. If they continue to struggle against not-so-good teams, then perhaps they’ll drop. We’ll see.
TheOne132
January 21st, 2010
3:30 pm
You are correct Todd, they would drop. And yes I agree that AJC fills in the slots, as you can see for yourself, some of the better schools are not rated very well. As for Columbia, they are the best! You can put your money on it and I believe they have the title this year too!
Miltonmania
January 21st, 2010
11:32 pm
any o y’all want some of the milton/wheeler action tomorrow nite? I will take milton and lay 7 all day. want some?? didn’t think so
Decatur 4 Life
January 22nd, 2010
9:03 am
CVStamp Jr.
I hear u but dude it’s 2010, I already said the only ball being played south of Atlanta is in Albany and Savannah. To be honest with they don’t even compete anymore, I’ll give you the late 80’s and early 90’s but after that I need a pulse rate to see if you guys still exsist. We’ve (Columbia) been doing it since then and still going. You’re right the number don’t lie!
Decatur 4 Life
January 22nd, 2010
9:10 am
Taylor Wooten
Come on with the “gay” stuff, that has more to do with all your friends wanting to move here more than anything else. Anybody who truly was born and raised here can tell you that midtown Atlanta has been getting progressively worse for quite sometime now in those regards. I’m not surprised about that information, try to find something else to rag on us about.
Decatur 4 Life
January 22nd, 2010
9:27 am
TOP SPORT
To be honest with you, I’m glad you brag about winning six of the last 7. The reason why it’s funny is because that only accounts for two schools, really one(Camden). Take them out of the equation and it doesn’t really sound as good. You guys brag on 1AAAAA but they only have one school that has had some success and head to head with Camden they never win. (Close but no cigar) For the sake of the argument, I hope you’re a Camden fan
wheelerfan
January 22nd, 2010
10:41 pm
i saw milton play tonight, i wasnt that impressed. maybe yall were ranked #1, but none of that matters until you finally beat the defending champs
and for all the jelan kendrick bashers out there, there is no way wheeler would be anywhere without him
W/E
January 22nd, 2010
10:41 pm
I’ll take Wheeler 78-72 haha. Great game and atmosphere.
Miltonmania
January 24th, 2010
1:37 am
ok ok, eatin crow here. I went to the game. barely got in hostile environment. Wheeler played great. Milton was a little rattled. first time i’ve seen that happen with this group. ton of offensive rebounds killed milton. Milton came back and looked like they would restore order in the 2nd half, but Wheeler wouldn’t have it hats off. looking forward to the state. Please note: Milton was playing without Nolte. He was missed greatly, especially on boards and from the arc. Lets see what happens with hardware at stake and on neutral floor. this is good stuff, no matter what side you fall on.
Bucky
July 1st, 2011
10:56 pm
I’m not easily impressed. . . but that’s ipmriessng me!