It worked for the Spencer boys, who beat Carver Columbus in the second round of the Region 5-AA tournament on Tuesday and earned an automatic spot in the state playoffs.

Spencer (8-15) picked the right time to get hot. Tuesday was only the second time all season it has won consecutive games. The Greenwave will now meet top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Jordan in the semifinals on Friday night.

Spencer was led by Cornelius Brown, who had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Marcus Tate, who had 11 points and nine rebounds. Carver got 21 points from Jarvis Reese.

Spencer entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed and beat Kendrick 97-96 in triple overtime in the first round.

In girls play …

In Region 5 at Hardaway, Kendrick (17-8) beat Callaway 17-8 behind a 28-point effort of Khalia Lawrence and earned a place in …

That’s about the only thing the Warriors haven’t won lately.

North Cobb (22-4) collected its ninth consecutive victory on Tuesday, defeating Kennesaw Mountain 76-58 at home to advance to the region semifinals and clinch a berth in the state tournament. North Cobb will play Hillgrove at 6 p.m. Thursday at Hillgrove.

North Cobb has not lost since a 59-57 setback against Harrison on Jan. 17, a loss the Warriors avenged 52-50 on Friday to tie for the regular-season region title.

“At times it wasn’t pretty tonight, but all we wanted to do was win,” North Cobb coach Terry Gorsuch said. “You’ve got to give them credit, because anytime you play a rival for a state tournament berth, you know it’s going to be a heated, intense affair, and that’s what it was.”

Kennesaw Mountain …

“I hope we shoot better tomorrow,” Townson said.

The Hurricanes, who advanced to a second-round game against Stephens County, held to a season-low in points, And, for the first time since the calendar flipped over, no Monroe Area player scored 20 points. Darius Blackwell led the team with 15, while Ken Jackson, who had scored 30 points or more 11 times, scored 12.

Region dominance: The St. Pius girls closed the regular season with a 12-0 sub-region record for the second straight year. A state quarterfinalist last year, the Golden Lions have not lost a regular-season game to a AAA opponent since Jan. 22, 2010, a span of 34 games.

Upset special: …

BOYS

CLASS AAAA

REGION 1 At Northside-Columbus

Tuesday

Northside-Warner Robins 64, Houston County 33

Hardaway 56, Thomas County Central 50

Bainbridge 67, Warner Robins 47

Northside-Columbus 81, Lee County 39

Thursday

Northside-Warner Robins vs. Hardaway, 5:30 p.m.

Bainbridge vs. Northside-Columbus, 8:30 p.m.

Friday Third-fourth playoff, 5:30 p.m. Final, 8:30 p.m.

REGION 2

At Richmond Hill

Tuesday

Liberty County 49, South Effingham 33

Wayne County 67, Greenbrier 41

Statesboro 55, Glynn Academy 45

Richmond Hill 51, Lakeside-Evans 40

Thursday

#2N Evans vs. Liberty County, 3:30 p.m.

#1S Brunswick vs. Wayne County, 5 p.m.

#2S Ware County vs. Statesboro, 6:30 p.m.

#1N Effingham County vs. Richmond Hill, 8 p.m.

Friday

Evans/Liberty County winner vs. Wayne County/Brunswick winner, 5 p.m.

Ware County/Statesboro winner vs. …

BOYS

*Class AAAAA: Count Marietta as the surprise team this season. The Blue Devils beat Wheeler on Friday. They also have a win over surging North Cobb, which shot to No. 5 this week after beating Harrison. North Gwinnett beat Norcross for a second time on Friday, knocking the defending champs out of the rankings. … Tift County dropped four spots after losing to Valdosta (20-5) in what some might call a meaningless game, as Tift had clinched the No. 1 seed in that region.

*Class AAAA: Only one Top 10 team lost last week, and that was Douglas County to Villa Rica. … The best region tournaments are probably Region 6 (No. 2 Miller Grove, No.. 3 Southwest DeKalb, plus Marist, Chamblee and Tucker), Region 3 (No. 1 Fayette County and No. 8 Alcovy) and Region 4 (Jonesboro and Lovejoy).

*Class AAA: Four ranked teams from last week lost in …

It’s time for one of our biggest events of the year — the AJC Slam Dunk Contest.  The field of 10 consists of star-studded talent: Shaq Goodwin is ranked among the nation’s top 15 overall college prospects and has been invited to play in the McDonald’s all-star game, while Shaq Johnson may be the most prolific dunker in state history. Here’s the field:

• Jaron Blossomgame, Chattahoochee HS (Clemson signee)
• Chris Bolden, North Gwinnett HS (Georgia Tech signee)
• Rufus Brown, Charles Drew HS
• Christian Browder, East Paulding HS
• Carlos Burse, Alpharetta HS
• Shaq Goodwin, Southwest DeKalb HS (Memphis signee)
• Chris Horton, Columbia HS
• Shaq Johnson, Milton HS (Auburn signee)
• Adonai Rogers, Berkmar HS
• Dauson Womack, North Cobb Christian School

IMPORTANT: To vote in the contest, click on this link.

Here are the details of the 2012 AJC Slam Dunk Contest: (1) You can vote once per hour, (2) voting ends at MIDNIGHT on Friday, Feb. 19, and (3) you need to click on this link to both see the …

Lordy, lordy, he scored 40: Mary Persons’ Brannen Greene dropped 40 points on Rutland-Macon Friday night.

Boys 20-win club: Eagle’s Landing (23-2) got 21 points from Desmond Ringer to close the regular season with a win over Spalding Friday. Drew goes into the Region 4-AAA tournament at 21-5 after a loss to Stockbridge, which got 37 points from Trevin Joseph. Grady (21-3) put four players in double figures to beat Washington. No. 1 Columbia (23-1) throttled Cedar Grove Friday. Carrollton was 22-3 before its regular-season finale against Central-Carrollton Friday. Allatoona closed the regular-season with a 12-game winning …

*1-AAAA: Warner Robins’ girls team rallied to beat Houston County 50-48 on Friday to claim the No. 1 seed from Division A for the region tournament, which begins Monday at Northside-Columbus. Kenyona Armstrong and Diamond Hudson hit key 3-pointers in the final two minutes, according to the Macon Telegraph. Warner Robins finished tied for first place with Northside-Warner Robins and split the two regular-season meetings, but the Demons earned the No. 1 seed because of a better winning percentage against Class AAAA teams.

*3-AAAA: Griffin’s boys team, the No. 6 seed from Division A, rallied from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Upson-Lee (No. 3 seed from Division B) 43-41 on Friday to advance to the quarterfinals of the region tournament. Other first-round boys winners were Whitewater, Woodland-Stockbridge and Jones County, which will face …

The No. 9-ranked boys (19-6) were led by J.C. Hampton with 14 points, with Chris Orr and Brian Edwards each scoring 11.

The girls (22-3) got 20 points from Morgan Jackson and 18 from Jasmine Jenkins and avenged its earlier loss to Union.

The Vikings will host the first two rounds of the tournament, with the final two rounds moving to Hart County.

No. 1 Jordan sews up Region 5

The No. 1-ranked Jordan boys earned the No. 1 seed in Region 5 by beating Carver Columbus 58-56. The Red Jackets came back from a 33-27 halftime deficit to win the game and finish 10-0 in the league.

Jeff Blanton scored 21 and Marcus Powell added 15 for Jordan. Jarvis Reese scored 22 for Carver.

The No. 1-ranked Jordan boys earned the No. 1 seed in Region 5 by beating Carver …

And Norcross’ boys and girls teams – both defending state champions – will be No. 2 seeds in their region tournament after being swept by North Gwinnett.

First, let’s talk Marietta, which upset the fifth-ranked Wildcats 81-74 on Friday at Wheeler to force a tie for first place in Region 5-AAAAA. The decision on which will be the No. 1 seed for the coming region tournament will be decided by a coin toss Sunday.

Marietta finished the regular season 20-5, the first 20-win season since 2007. Marietta was 23-37 in its first two seasons under Matt Lyons, who succeeded 700-game winner Charlie Hood, who had coached the Blue Devils since the 1970s. Lyons is a former West Georgia player who assisted at Carrollton for nine seasons.

But Marietta is the turnaround story of AAAAA this season. Against Wheeler, Marietta made six 3-pointers in the first quarter, including one by Damon …

When Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy head coach Jackie Cowan added Class AAA Sandy Creek to the schedule twice this season, she was hoping for a couple of tough non-region battles for her Warriors.

While she didn’t get it in the first meeting, back in November, Friday night’s tussle was all SACA (22-3) could handle. But right on cue, on Senior Night, the Warriors’ four twelfth graders stepped up and led the way to a hard-fought 52-45 win.

“That was the idea, to get a solid non-region challenge. But when we played them early, we beat them by at least 20,” said Cowan, who was off by four points. SACA won the first contest 56-32. “But I told our players that they weren’t going to just come in here and lay down, and they didn’t.”

SACA, ranked No. 2 in Class A, led by just one at halftime, 23-22. Sophomore center Amy Griffin scored nine points in the first two periods, but she was neutralized by Sandy Creek sophomore guard Minnae Harris, who …

Down by six early in the fourth quarter, Grady put up a 16-6 run then held off Washington for a 62-59 win at Washington Friday night.

Grady (21-3, 11-1 sub-region) finished the regular season with a 10-game winning streak and enters next week’s 5-AAA tournament as the top seed from Division A.

“It was a big win for us,” said Grady guard Tyrius Walker, who scored 16 points, one of four Grey Knights who scored in double figures. “We just wanted to come out and make a statement.”

Grady led the entire first half and for most of the third quarter, but a 13-0 Washington run gave the Bulldogs the lead. Walter Foster, who scored a game-high 27 points, opened the fourth with a three-point play and then a 3-pointer to put Washington up 48-42 before the game’s key sequence.

“We really responded,” said Grady coach Douglas Slade. “We’ve been playing like that all year. The first game against …

Girls

*Region 1-AAAA: Warner Robins escaped with a 73-68 victory in overtime against Hardaway to remain in the hunt for a share of first place in Division A. Kenyona Armstrong scored 25 points to lead Warner Robins, which can finish in a tie for first place with Northside-Warner Robins if it wins at home against Houston County on Friday. Warner Robins and Northside split their two meetings this season.

*Region 4-AAAA: Forest Park completed a 20-5 season and clinched the regular-season championship and a berth in the state tournament with a 70-42 victory against North Clayton. Ashlee Cole scored 22 points to lead Forest Park, which went 17-1 in the region and is 52-3 in region play over the past three seasons. The Panthers finished one game ahead of Jonesboro, which handed them their only region loss.

*Region 6-AAAA: Miller Grove maintained its slim lead in Division …

On Tuesday it appeared that No. 2 GAC was ready to run away and hide. Focused and playing stellar defense, always a trademark under coach Eddie Martin, the Spartans led by as many as 20 points in the second half.

Somehow, No. 4 Buford reached down, found some inspiration and began a rather improbable comeback. With 30 seconds remaining in the game, the Wolves had clawed their way back to within three points.

That’s when GAC showed the heart of a champion. Delano Spencer, the team’s talented point guard, was perfect on six trips to the free throw line in the final 25.9 seconds. That enabled GAC to preserve its 74-70 win, sweep the season series and carry the momentum into the region tournament.

Spencer wound up with 20 points for the Spartans (19-5), with three teammates joining him in double figures: Colin …

Gaines, who has signed with Georgia, scored 35 points and had 13 rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots in Whitefield’s 81-64 victory.

”I think he’s the best player in Class A,” Whitefield coach Tyrone Johnson said of Gaines. “He has a ton of talent, but he plays so hard. Sometimes that doesn’t come with talent.”

Gaines also had five dunks, three on put backs and one on an alley-oop pass from Jordan Coar, who had a nice night of it himself. Coar had 12 points, 10 assists and four steals. Whitefield also got 14 points and seven rebounds from Eric Lockett.

Landmark’s Houston Kessler, the 6-foot-8 son of former Georgia player Chad Kessler, held up his end of the duel. He scored 32 and had 13 rebounds and five blocked shots.

But Whitefield (20-3, 12-0) clinched the …

One vent — Kinda crazy that Wheeler can stay in the top five with nine losses and losing to Langston Hughes, but there are only three teams playing like top-five teams right now. Milton, Shiloh, Westlake. And we’re not sure about two of those. Almost everybody has lost games to teams in lower classifications, or multiple games in their region.

Is Class AAAAA down this year, or just more spread out?

AAAAA- The top three looks pretty good. Milton, Westlake and Shiloh each have good wins and no bad losses. Every other team in the state has multiple stains on their resume. … Random fact: Milton’s Shaquille Johnson had seven dunks in the first half against North Forsyth last week. … Berkmar lost to Archer last week, and Mill Creek lost to North Gwinnett. Berkmar and MC out. In their place are North Gwinnett and Norcross, the two that will play for first place on …

Troup (16-5, 8-2) had a chance to seize control of the top spot Friday night, but fell to Shaw, which got 24 points from Devonte Tolbert and gave itself a chance to slingshot into the No. 1 seed in the final week.

On the girls side, Carrollton (21-3, 10-1) has clinched the top spot after beating Columbus 62-56 Friday night behind 13 points each from Tasmine Boykin and Brooklyn Emery. Home, sweet home: No surprise that No. 1 Columbia beat McNair Friday. The Eagles (21-1, 10-0 in sub-region play) had already beaten the Mustangs by 60 points earlier in the year. The big news, though, was that the Eagles extended their home winning streak to 76 games, Columbia assistant coach Clint McCrary, who noted that the Eagle seniors have not lost at …

Model warmed up for the playoffs by forcing 37 turnovers and outrebounding Rockmart 54-27. Somewhat troubling was the Devils inability to make free throws (14-for-35), although that didn’t matter against Rockmart.

Model’s Timia Reynolds (21 points, 12 rebounds), Caroline Long (13 points, 12 rebounds) and Carla Clemmons (17 points, nine rebounds) led the Devils.

Model gets a first-round bye in the region tournament and is off until next Friday.

Albany boys take lead in Region 1

The No. 7 Albany boys took control of first place in Region 1-AA with Friday’s 56-48 win at No. 5 Thomasville. Tin Pierce led Albany with 27 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and Larry Sanford added 17. Tim …

Archer, a three-year-old school on the country side of Lawrenceville, also deserves special mention this week.

Shiloh (20-3, 13-1) beat Parkview 67-36, but the big news was Archer’s upset of Berkmar that gave Shiloh first place in Region 8-AAAAA

With victories over middling South Gwinnett and Central Gwinnett in its final two games, Shiloh will have the No. 1 seed for the region tournament while Archer (17-7, 12-3) and Berkmar (15-7, 12-2) figure to be seeded to face each other in the semifinals.

Shiloh, ranked No. 2 in the AAAAA rankings, has its best team ever. The Generals have won only one state playoff game (1997) in their history. The difference now is third-year head coach Kim Rivers (five state titles in Maryland) and transfers Robert Carter (a Georgia Tech signee) and Trayvon Reed (a 7-footer).

Archer also is a team to watch in the state …

The Miller Grove boys completed a season sweep of the Panthers with a 59-53 victory, giving the Wolverines a slim lead heading into the final week of the regular season. Second-ranked Miller Grove is 12-1 in the region, followed by No. 3 Southwest DeKalb at 12-2. Miller Grove won the first meeting 57-53 in overtime on Dec. 6. Both teams will have a first-round bye in the region tournament and will begin play in the quarterfinals.

The eighth-ranked Miller Grove girls improved to 11-2 in the region and moved into first place in Division B by escaping with a 55-47 overtime victory. Southwest DeKalb, which won the first meeting 43-41, fell to 11-3 in region play.

Miller Grove has games remaining against Lithonia, Marist and Douglass. Southwest DeKalb concludes the regular season with games against Redan and Marist.

*Honor for Parker: …

Classic by the lake: It’s concieveable that the the Cartersville girls and Allatoona girls could play a couple more times – in the 7-AAA tournament and the state tournament. Cartersville out-dueled Allatoona Tuesday at Allatoona, gaining a regular-season split and overcoming a 32-point night by Allatoona’s Elise Span. Cartersville, which improved to 17-4 overall and forged a tie atop Region 7-AAA, Division B, got 21 points from Kaelyn Irby and 20 from Adrienne Green.

Further north: The Dalton girls sat at 7-5 after a Jan. 3 loss to Northwest Whitfield, but the Lady …

The boys game matches perhaps the two highest-profile teams in Class AAAA. Southwest DeKalb (12-1 in the region) is ranked No. 3 in AAAA and features seniors William “Shaq” Goodwin (Memphis signee) and Jordan Price (Auburn). Miller Grove (11-1) is ranked No. 2 and has the state’s top unsigned senior in 6-foot-9 center Tony Parker. Miller Grove beat Southwest DeKalb 57-53 in overtime in the teams’ first meeting on Dec. 6. Parker scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds in that game, while Southwest DeKalb was led by Goodwin’s 15 points and Price’s 12.

Southwest DeKalb’s girls are unranked but have a 14-8 overall record against a very difficult schedule, and the Panthers won state championships in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Miller Grove’s girls are 13-4 and ranked No. 8 in Class AAAA. Both teams have …

Daniel, 30, who died of a heart attack while playing a pickup basketball game, was remembered by some of his closest friends between the boys and girls basketball games during an emotional ceremony.

“It’s been a tough week,” said Buford athletic director Dexter Wood. “He was a special person.”

The gymnasium was filled with signs of remembrance. One read, “You can’t spell Buford without R.D.” Each member of the girls basketball team used a marker to write his initials on their forearm. Many members of the student body wore special T-shirts.

Daniel was a big two-way lineman on Wood’s first teams at Buford that laid the groundwork for the program’s current success. After graduating in 2000, he played at Catawba …

The Hoyas took a big step on Tuesday toward repeating as regular-season champions, breaking open a close game early in the third quarter and cruising to a 72-54 victory at Hillgrove.

Harrison (16-4, 10-1) has three region games remaining, including a showdown with second-place North Cobb (17-4, 8-2) at home on Feb. 10. Hillgrove (14-8, 7-4) remains in third place but fell out of contention for the regular-season title.

“Every win is a good win,” Harrison coach Robert Churchwell said. “We’re fortunate enough to be in first place, and we would like to stay there. We know that every game, someone’s coming at us.”

Harrison was playing without one of its leading scorers, Subby Adetujoye, who is out with pneumonia. The Hoyas got a balanced offense in his absence, with six players scoring between …

We’re trying something a little different this week in that we’re adding some commentary to each class. It’s a little heavy on the boys side this week, but we’ll balance it more next week when we get the routine down.

AAAAA- No. 1 Milton beat Wheeler 65-60 in a boys game on Saturday as Tevin Glass had 23 points and 12 rebounds for Milton. (See MDJ story.) Wheeler’s Chuck Mitchell scored 30. Both players are their teams’ top inside players. … Previous No. 5 Norcross was upset by unranked Stephenson 51-48 on Saturday. Is that score right? Stephenson is 5-16. … No. 2 Shiloh went 2-1 in a tournament in Florida and blew a four-point lead in the final 90 seconds in the defeat. … No. 3 Westlake needed two overtimes to beat Marcus Hunt-led North Clayton 75-75. … No. 8 Berkmar beat unranked Alpharetta 65-62 on Saturday when Brandon Thompson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. … No. 5 Mill Creek lost 59-39 to G.W. Carver of …

It’s that time again for one our most popular high school sporting events of the year — the celebrated AJC Slam Dunk Contest.

It’s official: Beginning now, we’re looking for a few good men (or women)  for the AJC Slam Dunk Contest, ones on Atlanta area high school basketball teams that can dunk with the best of them.

We are taking nominations between now and midnight on Feb. 4.

Do you know a local high school basketball player who is a prolific dunker? Someone who dunks with such a smooth style that it causes fans from BOTH teams to rise to their feet? That’s the player we want. Lots of players can dunk but we’re looking for creativity. Take a peek at this video and then read more below …

We are taking nominations, if you have one. Please list the player’s name, high school, and your best description of this player’s dunking ability below in the comments section. This is very important: Please also post a video link from the player you are …

Center Marcus Powell led Jordan with 17 points and forward Brandon Simmons contributed 13 points.

Jordan’s taller lineup – Powell is 6-foot-5, Simmons is 6-4 — proved to be a problem for Manchester, which doesn’t have a starter taller than 6-1. The Blue Devils (13-2, 5-1) got 12 points from Saiquan Terry, 11 from Damien Turner and 10 from Denzel Martin.

Manchester won the first meeting 72-69 in overtime in December. The two clubs could meet again in the playoffs.

Model girls win 18th straight

The No. 3 Model girls won their 18th straight game, beating Coosa 72-23. The Blue Devils (21-1) opened the game on a 32-3 run and didn’t allow Coosa to score a basket until three minutes were …

First up, the Grady Grey Knights, who suffered a 59-57 loss to Druid Hills on Dec. 16. Friday night, the Knights exacted revenge and improved to 17-3 overall with a 78-62 win. The Knights won their sixth straight game and maintained their hold on first place in 5-AAA, Division A.

In 5-AAA, Division B, defending state champion Columbia is riding a 13-game winning streak after beating Arabia Mountain Tuesday. The Eagles, 19-1 overall and 8-0 in sub-region play, play Towers Tuesday with a chance to clinch the top spot in the sub-region. The Titans pose what would appear to be the most serious remaining threat to Columbia in the regular season.

Flipped script: The Haralson County boys’ only win so far came against Columbus back on Jan. 7. Friday night, Columbus’ Jevan Billinger …

Douglas County’s boys and girls teams strengthened their hold on first place and took a big step toward regular-season region titles with lopsided victories against second-place Osborne on Friday.

The sixth-ranked Douglas County boys improved to 20-1 overall and 11-0 in the region with a 106-89 victory. The Tigers got 25 points from Jaumonee Byrd and 19 from Vantrail Commings, according to the Douglas County Sentinel. It was the seventh time this season that Douglas County has scored at least 100 points, and the Tigers are averaging 91.3 points for the season. Devonte Thornton scored 25 points to lead 10th-ranked Osborne (18-3, 9-2).

Douglas County’s girls team, ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA, jumped out to an early double-digit lead and cruised to a 62-38 victory. Douglas County (20-1, 11-0) got double-doubles from Maya Benham (19 points, 19 rebounds) and Christin Mercer (11 points, 17 rebounds). No. …

D.J. Frye scored 13 points and Barry Mayes added 12 for Drew (18-3), which beat Henry 74-58 Friday night for its seventh straight win.

In a game that featured five technical fouls and a delay when some of the lights in the drew gym went out, the Titans solidified their standing in second place in Region 4-AAA and avenged a one-point loss to Henry on Jan. 7, when Soulder scored 33 points in McDonough.

Friday, Soulder scored the game’s first basket and didn’t make another field goal until three minutes into the third period. He scored nine points before fouling out.

Rufus Brown scored 11 for Drew, which had 12 different players score in the game.

Through the first quarter, this one appeared headed toward the same kind of nail-biter as the first game between the two schools, with three ties and two lead changes early.

Drew was assessed an administrative technical foul …

On Tuesday the Laney girls (19-1) won their 16th straight game by swamping Jefferson County 81-45. The Wildcats field a balanced attack led by Jermeka Gibson and DeKoya Mack and some tough inside defenders in Simone Smith and Khadijah Cave.Mack had 25 points in Saturday’s rout against Butler.

The Laney boys (16-3) have won eight straight games and Saturday stepped up in class to rally from 11 points down to beat Butler 56-51 and avenge one of their earlier losses. Jammie West has been the offensive catalyst for the Wildcats; he had 29 points and made six crucial free throws down he stretch against Butler.The boys rebounded from the emotional win to take a 58-48 subregion road win on Tuesday at Jefferson County. Raheem Newton scored 18, with Shaquille Cook and Curtis Hightower …

Douglas County’s boys, ranked No. 6 in Class AAAA, bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 93-64 victory in Tuesday’s game. The top-ranked Douglas County girls beat Paulding County 70-43.

Douglas County’s boys are 19-1 overall and lead 5-AAAA with a 10-0 region record. The Tigers were upset by Lithia Springs 79-78 on Saturday on a layup by Femi Ojuolape at the buzzer. Douglas County has averaged 90 points in its past 10 games and scored 100 or more points four times during that stretch.

The No. 10 Osborne boys were 17-2 overall and second in the region at 8-1 going into their game on Tuesday against South Paulding. The Cardinals, who were 9-17 last season and have not had a winning record since going 15-12 in 2008-09, are seeking their first state tournament berth since 2002.

Douglas …

The way Westover coach Lewis Smith talks, though, a 20-0 start wasn’t really what he expected.

“We replaced those two startes with some sophomores, and it’s a big deal for them,” said Smith, whose team improved to 20-0 overall and 8-0 in Region 1-AAA with a 51-41 win over Dougherty Tuesday night. “They’re in a little over their head, because we’ve kind of thrown them into the fire.”

How have they done it? By employing the three four D’s: DyTiesha Dunson, defense and determination.

Dunson, a senior who has signed with Florida Gulf Coast University, is averaging 24 points per game and burned Tift County with 35 in a win Saturday. Classmate Ieshia Young averages 14.

Smith points to the defense as the key. The Westover girls have held 13 of 20 opponents under 40 points.,

“Defensively we’re probably better …

Nearly a year later, it looks like it might’ve been just the closing of one era, the start of another one just as good.

Evan Nolte, the lone starter remaining from the 2010 Class AAAAA champions and 2009 and 2011 runners-up, scored 21 points Tuesday in No. 1-ranked Milton’s 84-48 victory over Northview that put the Eagles (16-4, 8-0) within a win of clinching the regular-season championship of Region 6-AAAAA.

Northview (12-6, 5-3) had been Milton’s top region challenger and was within 33-28 at halftime, but Milton scored the first 11 points of the second half, nine by Nolte, and Northview never made another run.

Milton has won 12 straight games since a 4-4 start.

‘’We were at a crossroads,’’ Boyd said of the early-season tribulations that included three forfeits over star guard Charles Mann’s eligibility. “When you have a strong …

Fayette County’s boys, who made the Class AAAA semifinals last year but have never won a state title, replaced three-time defending champion Miller Grove, which lost Friday to Chamblee in a Region 6-AAAA game. Miller Grove has nine losses, but Chamblee was the first Georgia team to defeat the Wolverines in over a year.

In AA boys, defending champion Greater Atlanta Christian replaced Vidalia, which lost to Long County 70-68 on Tuesday.

In AA girls, Buford returned to No. 1 after a 58-44 victory on Saturday against Lovett, the previous No. 1 team, which dropped to No. 5. The return of Andraya Carter, the 2011 Class AA player of the year who has missed most of the season with a torn ACL, should provide a big boost for Buford down the stretch.

New this week to the boys rankings are Tift County, North …

“We usually have a packed house because everybody’s here to see the girls play,” Washington County boys coach Carlos Hope said.

The packed houses are also seeing a boys team that smothers its opponents. Friday night, visiting Cross Creek managed 32 points, the eighth time in 15 games Washington County has held its foe to fewer than 40 points. No team has scored 50 against the Golden Hawks.

“We’re holding most teams around 35 points,” said Hope. “We feel like if we can do that, we’ll have a chance to win every night.”

Hope says the boys team doesn’t suffer by comparison to the girls team.

“We don’t play against our girls,” he said. “We’re very supportive of each other … winning is contagious, and it helps that our girls …

It was the ninth loss of the season for Miller Grove, which went 1-8 against out-of-state teams over the past month. The last Georgia team to beat Miller Grove was Southwest DeKalb, which won 61-56 in the region championship game last season. Miller Grove has won the past three Class AAAA championships.

“It was just our night,” Chamblee coach Caesar Burgess said. “We were making some shots, and it was a night when they didn’t play their best. But we got out to an 18-5 lead and were ahead by double digits for a lot of the night.”

Isaiah Mason and Jade McClendon scored 16 points each to lead Chamblee, which improved to 14-4 and maintained its hold on first place in Region 6-AAAA Division A. Second-place Tucker handed the Bulldogs their only region loss, and the teams meet again on Feb. 10 in the final game of the regular season.

“If it …

Then Stephenson began pressing, and the truth of the region became more apparent: The Lady Jaguars are the class of the league.

Stephenson won 69-50 Friday night behind 17 points from sophomore Naima Jackson, who led four players in double figures. The Lady Jaguars (14-4, 8-0 Region 2-AAAAA) completed a regular-season sweep of Luella.

“The first half they hung with us,” said Jackson, whose three baskets sparked a 12-0 run to start the third period. “We just kept hustling and did what we needed to do.”

Kyana Johnson and Kaliyah Mitchell scored 13 each for Stephenson and Kerry Watson added 11.

The loss ended an 11-game winning streak for Luella (15-4, 6-2), which played without starting point guard Amber Griffin, the Henry County school’s all-time leader in assists. In her absence, leading scorer Britney Guy took over at the point, and Stephenson double-teamed her most of the night. …

It was the fifth consecutive victory for Marist, which is 10-2 overall and 6-1 in tough Region 6-AAAA, which has about seven teams with legitimate shots at qualifying for the region’s four state tournament berths.

Marist finishes the week with a home game on Friday against perennial playoff contender Mays and a road game Saturday at Tucker, which beat Redan 51-38 last Friday. The War Eagles also were scheduled to play eighth-ranked Miller Grove this week, but that game has been moved to Feb. 9.

Marist’s two losses this season have come against third-ranked Chamblee (55-33 on Dec. 2) and Hendersonville, Tenn. (56-50 on Dec. 29).

*Hunt’s big night: North Clayton’s Marcus Hunt scored 41 points and recorded a triple-double in the Eagles’ 85-72 victory over Mundy’s Mill on Tuesday that snapped the team’s two-game losing …

Model has won 15 consecutive games since losing in the Darlington Thanksgiving Classic. Coach Sally Echols team is doing it with a balanced scoring attack and heavy emphasis on defense. Model stresses fundamentals and hitting the boards.

In the win over Armuchee it was Timia Reynolds and Kaylee Akin with 14 points and Carla Clemmons with 13 rebounds who led the way.

Pack gets tighter in Region 5

The goal for the teams in Region 5-AA is to avoid being in the first-round tournament game against No. 6 Jordan, which is 17-1 and has won 12 straight games, or No. 7 Manchester, which is 11-1 and has a 10-game winning streak.

Callaway helped its own cause on Tuesday by taking advantage of a short-handed Temple team to score a 79-62 upset and improved its standing in …

Showing signs: The Dalton girls’ overall record (11-5) isn’t as pretty as it was last year, when they were unbeaten all the way to the state championship before losing to Washington County, but the Lady Catamounts’ mark is a tad deceiving. Just one of the five losses is to a AAA team (Cartersville) and two others are to Class AAAA Northwest Whitfield. In 7-AAA Division A, Dalton entered Tuesday’s play 3-0 and in first place after a win last Friday over Heritage-Catoosa.

Utter dominance: The last two AAA state champions ran roughshod over struggling opponents Tuesday. Defending champion Washington County beat Burke …

Thanks to a big halftime lead and a suffocating defensive effort, the Blue Devils held on for a 48-37 victory at home to take control of first place in the region.

Third-ranked Norcross (14-3, 8-0) closed the second quarter with a 16-2 run for a 36-19 halftime lead, then scored just 12 points the rest of the way. The Blue Devils managed to keep the lead at 11 points or more until the final three minutes, when No. 4 North Gwinnett (13-2, 6-1) cut the deficit to 44-37 on a short jumper by Baylee Rexing. But Tori Carter made two layups in the final 30 seconds to push the final margin back to 11 points. North Gwinnett scored 15 points in the first quarter but just 22 more over the final three.

“We were trying to run our offense,” Norcross coach Angie …

Milton defeated four-time New York Class A champion Jamesville-Dewitt 93-52 in the final of the Burger King Classic as Evan Nolte scored 23 points, 12 on 3-pointers.

Milton (13-4) took the place of Shiloh (13-2), which lost to Berkmar 46-45 on Friday. Milton has lost four games, but three by forfeit over the ineligibility of point guard Charles Mann. Since Mann returned to the lineup, Milton has not lost.

There are two other No. 1 teams, both in the girls rankings.

Douglas County (15-1), which reached the state semifinals last season, took advantage of losses by previous No. 1 Chamblee (to Redan) and No. 2 Alcovy (to Newton) to move up from its No. 3 spot last week in AAAA.

In AA, Lovett (14-3) moves up one place into the top spot. Buford, the previous No. 1 team, dropped to No. 3 after losing to Alpharetta 60-42 on Saturday. Buford will have a chance perhaps to …

Speaking of streaks, the Washington County girls pushed their winning streak to 45 games Friday night with a win over Glenn Hills, getting 28 points from Allisha Gray. The Lady Hawks will face their toughest regular-season test Jan. 20 with a road game at Cross Creek,which improved to 16-2 with a route of Burke County Friday night behind 18 points from Ashleigh Outler and 14 from Breanna Bryant.

Ready for a showdown: On the 5-AAA side opposite Columbia, the Grady and Washington boys meet Tuesday night for sole possession of first place in the sub-region. Grady beat St. Pius Friday night to improve to 12-3, while Washington downed North Atlanta to improve to 10-5 overall. Both teams are 4-1 in 5-AAA Division A.

Gimme gimmicks: A sharp-shooter on …

The boys got to use 6-foot-7 junior A.J. Davis, a junior who transferred to the school from Greater Atlanta Christian prior to the season. With his eligibility restored by the Georgia High School Association on Friday morning, Davis made his Buford debut against his old school. Despite a few “A.J. Who?” signs on display among the GAC fans at the Long Forum on Friday, Davis received a fairly amiable reception.

Davis helped GAC win the Class AA title last year when he averaged 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds. The son of former NBA player Antonio Davis transferred to Buford, where his twin sister Kaela plays. Kaela Davis went to GAC in middle school, attended Norcross as a freshman and transferred to Buford last year and helped the Wolves win a state championship. A.J. Davis had three points and seven rebounds in his return to …

Tony Parker had 20 points and 10 rebounds against Lincoln, which got 27 points from junior Tyree Robinson and 12 points from his twin brother, Tyrell. In the victory over St. Rita, the Wolverines were led by Georgia signee Brandon Morris, who had 17 points and six rebounds. Parker had nine points and eight rebounds in the opener.

Miller Grove will take on Christ the King of Middle Village, N.Y. in Saturday’s third-place game. Lincoln will play Westbury Christian of Houston in the championship game. Westbury Christian is ranked No. 33 nationally in the latest ESPN poll, one spot ahead of Miller Grove.

On Monday, the Wolverines will face No. …

By Jay Stone For the AJC When you’re ranked No. 2 and rolling along with just one loss, going against a sub-.500 team wouldn’t normally provide great motivation. Maybe its last Region 4-AAA loss was fresh enough to give Eagle’s Landing a spark.

It wasn’t a flawless performance, but the Golden Eagles took care of business, beating Spalding 78-35 Friday night behind 17 points each from Desmond Ringer and Isaiah Dennis.

It was the fourth straight win for Eagle’s Landing (16-1, 9-0 in 4-AAA), which suffered a one-point loss to the Jaguars in the regular season, last year.

Since falling to defending state champion Columbia in the finals of the Converse Classic over the holidays, Eagle’s Landing has won four games by an average of 44 points.

Ringer made just three field goals but converted 10 of 13 free-throws, adding 11 rebounds and five blocked shots, which didn’t tell the whole story. The undersized Spalding club repeatedly rushed shots to get the ball past …

With the sea change that will take place in Class A sports next school year, caused by the separation of public and private schools in the playoffs, most of the talk has centered on the impact the new rule will have on football and the so-called “non-revenue” sports (baseball, softball, soccer, golf, volleyball and track).

But what about basketball?

Private schools have been hardly dominant on the boys’ side, with only five state champions over the past 25 years – Whitefield Academy (2003 and 2009), Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy (2004 and 2006) and Wesleyan 2010. On the girls’ side, private schools have fared better with eight championships since 1987, four belonging to Wesleyan (2002, 2009-2011). The other winners were Holy Innocents (1999), Savanah Country Day (2000), Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy (2006), and Calvary Day of Savannah (2008).

The split in basketball could produce a “plus-one” scenario, in which the private school …

Hart has already established itself as the team to beat in Region 8-AA Subregion B. The Bulldogs are 4-0 in the league and have won three straight games. They’re record is just scarred by some tough out-of-conference and out-of-classification games.

Among Hart’s seven losses are two to larger schools from South Carolina, although it also has a win over Oakbrook Prep of South Carolina. Other losses have come against Class AAAAA Collins Hill, Class AAAA Madison County, and Class AAA Woodward Academy, Stephens County and Franklin County.

Hart has earned a reputation for playing good defense, but hasn’t shot the ball as well as it needs so far. Forward Stephon Eades (an all-tournament pick at Christmas) and point guard Jordan Carter have both played well for the Bulldogs.

Hart has already beaten Jefferson inside the subregion and has a key road game at …

Chamblee’s last regular-season loss was a 72-55 decision against Southwest DeKalb on Jan. 26, 2010. The Bulldogs were undefeated last season until a 43-41 loss to Miller Grove in the region quarterfinals that prevented Chamblee from reaching the state tournament.

Chamblee (13-1) entered play this week as the only team in Class AAAA without a loss. Redan improved to 11-3 with its fourth consecutive victory. The Raiders went 23-4 last season and reached the first round of the state tournament. Chamblee won last year’s meeting 58-47.

Here’s a recap of some of the other action on Tuesday involving Class AAAA teams:

*Back on the road: The top-ranked Miller Grove boys team played its first Georgia opponent in more than a month, defeating Lakeside-DeKalb …

Troup, which entered Tuesday’s play at 9-4 overall and sharing the region lead with cross-town rival LaGrange, handed No. 4-ranked Carrollton (13-1) its first loss last week.

No. 6 LaGrange lost at Carrollton Tuesday night 69-50 and fell to 11-3.

The Grangers suffered a 76-66 loss to Douglas County (ranked No. 3 in AAAA) and a one-point setback to Drew (No. 9 in AAA). Their results so far could be a harbinger of things to come despite the loss to Carrollton.

“I’d like another shot at Douglas County,” said LaGrange coach Mike Pauley, whose club had a chance to take the lead inside the final two minutes before Douglas pulled away with free throws. LaGrange held the Tigers to their lowest point total of the season to …

The Wolves have a misleading record because an impossible early schedule. They had lost five of seven over two tournaments that featured national teams. Buford (8-5) has not lost a game to a team from Georgia.

Decatur (12-3) gave the Wolves all they wanted on Friday. Buford trailed by six points at the half and Decatur led by two points entering the fourth quarter. Buford was led by Kaela Davis with 16 points, Kristina Nelson with 11 and Kallie Case with 10. Decatur was paced by shooting guard Queen Alford with 22 points.

Alford has combined with small forward Jordan Dillard to form what Decatur coach Bill Roberts calls the “Divas of Destruction.” Alford averages 22 and Dillard averages 17, a one-two combination that few can match.

Buford, Greater Atlanta Christian and Decatur are the three …

Allisha Gray scored 33 points, had 12 rebounds, eight steals and five assists for Washington County, which seems unfazed by any assumed pressure that goes along with a long winning streak.

“We go in layers,” said Washington County coach Sug Parker. “Everything is game-by-game … I don’t care if we’re playing someone 0-100, on any given night you can be beat.”

If that sounds cliche, Parker has a ready-made object lesson from the Lady Hawks’ last loss — a stunning second-round defeat in the 2010 state tournament to Spalding, which lost by 33 in the next round.

“That was a team we should not have lost to,” Parker said. “Our team had gotten complacent. They remember how it felt in the locker room when we lost, and we try to make that fresh in their minds. We can’t get complacent. Our thing is, yesterday doesn’t matter any more.”

It …

GIRLS

Pelham on the rise. Second-year head coach Antonia Tookes is leading the Pelham program to respectability. After going 27-25 the previous two seasons before her arrival, the Hornets (9-1) went 22-7 last year and have won nine straight this season after dropping their openner to Class AAAAA Tift (53-40), a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 a year ago. Pelham is led by senior guards Ta’Shaunessy Reese and Octavia Kierce.

Darlington a factor once again. The Tigers appear to once again be among the top teams in Class A this season. After three largely mediocre seasons Josh Hembree led Darlington to a 25-5 record last year, the regular season and region tournament championship, and a trip to the second round of the state playoffs. This year the Tigers are already 10-2 after downing rival Gordon Lee (56-49) last week. Standout guard Lindsay Evans is the team’s lone senior. She’s backed up by juniors Baily Brock, Terar Stewart, Sidney Stout and …

*Jonesboro sweeps: One of the top doubleheaders came in Region 4-AAAA, where Jonesboro’s boys and girls escaped with victories against county rival North Clayton. Ashley Hand scored 11 points to lead the Jonesboro girls to a 49-34 victory that improved their record to 10-3 overall and 7-1 in the region. Ali Anderson scored 10 points for North Clayton. Jonesboro trails only 2011 state runner-up Forest Park in the race for first place. Jonesboro’s boys got 23 points from Pat Petty and held Georgia Tech signee Marcus Hunt to 12 points in a 51-48 victory. North Clayton, which suffered its first loss in the region, plays on Tuesday at Lovejoy, which entered the weekend undefeated in region play. Lovejoy beat Jonesboro in overtime on Dec. 6.

*The Battle of Warner Robins: Juvuan Shine scored 26 points and Jalen Rountree had 23 as Warner Robins rallied to beat Northside 86-79 in overtime on Friday, …

Fortunately for the Lady Panthers, they still have Ashlee Cole.

Forest Park (10-4, 8-0 Region 4-AAAA) made just one field goal in the fourth quarter but managed to overcome a five-point deficit to beat Mundy’s Mill 51-46 Friday, keyed by Cole’s 24 points.

“We have to get used to games like that,” said Cole. “We expect to have games like that in the state tournament. No matter how many shots we miss, we’ve still got to keep shooting and pick up our defense.”

The win in their second game without point guard Kayla Potts was an exercise in frustration. Potts was averaging nearly 15 points per game, and that’s a significant hole in the offense, but her ball-handling skills could be harder to replace.

Forest Park coach Steve Cole pointed out that they had nearly as many turnovers as points in the first half.

The most …

Basketball is now officially in full swing throughout the state. Here’s a snapshot of the hoop landscape in Class A.

BOYS

Time for Terrell County to step up, even without Hall. After going a combined 77-15 the last three seasons with visits to the state finals, semi finals and Elite Eight, the Greenwave has limped out of the gate this season at 5-4. While all but one of the losses came at the hands of schools from larger classifications, Terrell County was expected to be one of the best teams in Class A after finishing as the runner-up to Wilkinson County (75-68) in the championship game last year. Five seniors return this season. Unfortunately, none of them are Terel Hall, regarded as one of the best players in school history, now a freshman at junior college power Chipola College in Florida. Still, the Greenwave will have to find a way to win without Hall in order to fulfill the promise of this season.

North Cobb Christian makes a statement. …

The game, which begins at 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2, is one of seven to be played over two days, beginning on Friday with Wheeling Central Catholic taking on Central Catholic of Pittsburgh.

Simeon (12-0), which is ranked No. 1 nationally by ESPN, is the two-time defending Illinois Class AAAA champion and has won four state titles in six seasons. Simeon is lead by Steve Taylor, a 6-foot-7 forward who has signed with Marquette, and Jabari Parker, a 6-8 junior forward who is rated by Scout and ESPN as the nation’s top underclassman.

Miller Grove, the three-time defending champion in Georgia’s Class AAAA, was ranked No. 2 in the nation after a 6-0 start but has fallen to No. 34 after four consecutive losses to out-of-state competition. The Wolverines lost to Oak Hill …

Two weeks ago, Eagle’s Landing coach Clay Crump made reference to the scouting value of a tournament like the Converse Classic at Columbia. Perhaps nobody gained as much intelligence on potential state touarnament opponents than the host Eagle. Columbia’s four-game run to the tournament championship included wins over AAA teams Butler, Crisp County and Eagle’s Landing. They blew out Butler, but Crisp was within a basket at the end and Eagle’s Landing stayed within seven points of them …

The Riverwood boys have already experienced on-court misery, opening 5-6, with all but one of the losses by eight points or less. They were able to get over the top at the Shane’s Cristmas Classic at Union Grove, topping Class AAAAA Newnan in the final. Jamahl Davis scored 22 points in the final and averaged 20 points in three tournament games …

Girls Big question: Can anyone in AAA beat Washington County? The Lady Hawks are 10-0 and have won 42 straight games. The …

East Hall beat Elbert County 50-35 in the finale of the McDonald’s Shootout in Hartwell. Morgan Jackson, a week earlier named the MVP of the Lanierland Tournament, made it two in a row at the McDonald’s Shootout. Jackson had 59 points in the three games, including 22 in the final. East Hall (10-0) started the tournament with a 47-35 win over Franklin County and beat Hart County, the tournament host, 65-42.

Rabun County won the Walhalla (S.C.) Christmas Tournament with wins over three teams from South Carolina. The Wildcats beat previously unbeaten Greenwood 63-56 in the championship game.

GAC girls win Peach State White Bracket

No. 4 Greater Atlanta Christian (9-4) swept three games in the Peach State Classic to win …

Turner County stuns Wilkinson County. Taking a page from the old adage that begins, “If a tree falls in the forest …,” the biggest upset of the season took place last week and there was hardly anything said or reported about it. Unranked Turner County (7-0) hammered Class A’s top-ranked team, previously unbeaten Wilkinson County, 73-56, last week AT The Palace at Wilkinson County. The Indians, one of the top programs in the state, were the defending state champs and were riding a 36-game winning streak. They were 65-1 going back to the 2009-10 season.

But upon further examination, the win wasn’t quite as big an upset as it appears on first glance. Turner County has been one of the state’s most consistent programs, compiling a record of 156-36 going back to the 2005-06 season. Over that period the Rebels have played for the state title twice (2008 and 2009), and advanced to the state Final Four (2007), Elite Eight (2011) and the Sweet 16 …

Jackson, who has signed with Georgia State, scored 34 points in the championship game, a 64-57 win over North Hall. Her clutch shooting helped the Vikings (7-0) erase a 10-point halftime lead and win the Hall County tournament for the second straight year.

Jackson had 27 points and nine rebounds against Johnson and 11 points against Gainesville, when she picked up her 1,000th point. She was an obvious choice for tournament MVP.

The No. 6 East Hall boys lost to Gainesville in the final game.

Tournament News

Undefeated Morgan County is the only Class AA team in the Hoops in Overdrive Shoot-Out on Friday and Saturday at Centennial High School. No. 3 Morgan plays its only game on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. against Lee High School of Alabama. Other Georgia team in the field include host Centennial, Jonesboro, Luella, Rockdale County, Monroe …

Cartersville coach Donna Enis said she was looking to learn things about her team in the tournament setting, and the intel she got was positive. Cartersville trailed by 12 with six minutes left before. rallying to beat Wheeler 67-61, sparked by 24 points, 10 assists and 2 steals from sophomore guard Kaelyn Irby.

“That was just a really good opportunity for us to play from behind and come away with a win,” said Enis, whose club plays Etowah today and Creekview Thursday. “I thought this would be a measuring stick for us. If we could be competitive playing these bigger schools, I felt good about our chances. If we get a loss, we get a loss. Wheeler gave us an opportunity to see where some …

*Peach State Holiday Invitational (at Holy Innocents’): Alcovy and Rockdale County remained undefeated and were part of a 5-1 day for Class AAAA teams in the first round of the 32-team girls tournament on Tuesday. Alcovy used a 26-4 run in the second half and improved to 10-0 with a 56-41 victory over Duluth. Meagan Tucker scored 12 points and Ashley Williams had 11 points and 15 rebounds for Alcovy, which will meet Greater Atlanta Christian in the second round of the White bracket on Wednesday. Rockdale County improved to 8-0 and advanced to a second-round matchup against Region 8-AAAA rival Apalachee with a 66-56 victory over Seneca (S.C.) in the Silver bracket. Other AAAA winners on Tuesday were Forest Park (over Webb School, Tenn.), Apalachee (over Jordan, N.C.) and Northside-Warner Robins (over Dudley, N.C.). Fayette County …

Here is a look at what some of the top teams in Class A will be doing over the holiday break, before they dive into region play once classes begin again in January.

BOYS

Wilkinson County. The Warriors are one of the hotest teams in America. The defending state champs (8-0) are riding a 36-game winning streak and are 65-1 going back to the 2009-10 season. Wilkinson County will host Turner County (4-0) today before hosting its annual Wilkinson County Holiday Tip Off Classic, beginning Dec. 27, with a game against Class AAA Howard (7-1), a new school in Macon.

Whitefield Academy. The Wolfpack (4-0) will compete in the fourth annual Upward Classic, hosted by Dorman High of Dorman, S.C., Dec. 27-30. The tournament will feature a highly competitive field that features Norcross and Chattahoochee, along with traditional South Carolina powers Lancaster (6-0) and Hillcrest. Langcaster features one of the nation’s top juniors, guard Sindarius Thornwell, …

“We were honored to get the invitation,” Crump said. “It was a no-brainer.”

If you want to see a state championship team play, this is the event for you. At least half of the 18 schools in the event have state championship trophies, including Eagle’s Landing’s first-round opponent, Wenonah High School from Birmingham, Ala., last year’s Class 5A state titlist.

“You don’t want to find out the truth about yourself in March,” Crump said. “You want to find out early. What I’ve been telling the kids is that the math changes. When we play this level of competition, the height, the speed, all those things even out. At this level of …

Buford will open the Converse Invitational Basketball Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at Columbia High against West Anchorage High School. West went 25-3 last season and won Alaska School Activities Association’s 4A title. West Anchorage’s top player is 6-foot-2 point guard Devon Bookert, who has signed with Florida State.

Buford (7-1) has won four straight on the court since its lone lopsided defeat of the season, a 71-55 loss to Milton, the No. 1 team in AAAAA. That game has since been forfeited by Milton for playing a transfer before his eligibility was restored. Buford also got a win when its loss to Olympic High of North Carolina was overturned due to an eligibility issue.

Isaiah Williams, T.J. Shipes and Kyle Kellam have been the top scorers for the Wolves this …

*Chick-fil-A Classic (at Columbia, S.C.): Southwest DeKalb’s boys lost to La Verne Lutheran of California 73-67 in a first-round game on Tuesday. Auburn signee Jordan Price scored 32 points to lead Southwest DeKalb, and Memphis signee William Goodwin had 22 points and nine rebounds. La Verne Lutheran was led by Grant Jerrett, a 6-foot-10 power forward/center who has signed with Arizona. Jerrett had 29 points and 15 rebounds and was 13-for-15 at the free-throw line. Two-time defending Class AAA champion Columbia also lost its first-round game, 62-45 against West Charlotte (N.C.). Southwest DeKalb faces Wilson (S.C.) on Wednesday, and Columbia plays Ridge View (S.C.). If both DeKalb County teams win or both lose, they would meet on Thursday.

*City of Palms Classic (at Fort Myers, Fla.): The Miller Grove boys team’s losing streak reached three games Tuesday night when the Wolverines lost to …

Most of the time, after all of the thunderous dunks, aerial wizardry and deep three pointers, basketball games come down to one boring, rudimentary element: free throws.

Such was the case Thursday night as national power Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson, Va., knocked off Miller Grove, 82-78 at Morehouse College’s Forbes Arena. The teams are ranked in the top five nationally by ESPN, which televised the game – Miller Grove at No. 2, Oak Hill No. 3.

The game was essentially decided at the free throw line, where the Warriors made 20 of 22 foul shots (91 percent), including a 12-of-12 effort by senior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who has committed to Georgetown. Meanwhile the Wolverines converted just 18 of 30 (60 percent), which included three of eight in the fourth quarter when the outcome was still very much in doubt.

Oak Hill led for most of the game and held an eight point lead, 75-67, with just two minutes remaining. But Miller Grove …

Eagle’s Landing got four games with 6-10 exchange student John Egbunu before he and teammate Drew Davis – whose family is the host family for Egbunu – left the team over what Golden Eagles head coach Clay Crump called “philosophical differences.” Crump declined to comment further on their departures. Meanwhile, the Eagles haven’t missed a beat, edging Drew before routing Eastside and Union Grove to push their record to 7-0. Egbunu and Davis have committed to the University of South Florida.

Next week defending state champion Columbia switches into tournament mode. The Eagles, who were 6-0 entering Tuesday’s …

The game, to be shown by ESPN, is one of two nationally televised games scheduled for Miller Grove this season. The Wolverines will play top-ranked Simeon of Chicago on Jan. 7 in a game to be shown on ESPN2. Tickets for the Oak Hill game are $10 general admission and are available in advance at www.ticketweb.com or at Miller Grove High School.

Miller Grove is 6-0 and comes into the game off big victories against Region 6-AAAA rivals Southwest DeKalb and Tucker. The Wolverines beat Southwest DeKalb 57-53 in overtime last week, led by top prospect Tony Parker with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Christian Houston added 11 points, and Justin Colvin and Georgia signee Brandon Morris had nine points each. Miller Grove rolled past Tucker 61-41 on …

Mann, who has signed with Georgia, played in victories over Buford and North Carolina schools Harding and Hunter Huss before his family had completed a bona fide move into the Milton district. Mann and his family were living in the Milton district, but maintained their previous home in Henry County. That home is now listed as for sale, which now makes Mann’s move to Milton legal.

Milton sat out Mann for its last five games, which included a loss to Tift County over the weekend.

Milton’s record falls to 4-4 from 7-1.

“We are glad to have him back,” Milton coach David Boyd said. ”We are 3-0 in the region [6-AAAAA], which is good. … We had an intense practice yesterday. We hope to have a good finish to the …

The Wolves will play in the 16-team Joe Smith Division. They open against Santa Ana Mater Dei (Calif.), which went 34-1 last year, on Monday at 6 p.m. ET. Mater Dei is the two-time defending California champion and was named national champions last year. The Monarchs, 89-6 over the last three seasons, feature three Division I signees: Alexas Williamson (Washington State), Jordan Adams (Southern Cal) and Nirra Fields (UCLA).

Depending on the outcome, Buford would be matched against either Incarnate Word Academy of St. Louis (27-4 last year) or Riverdale Baptist of Upper Marlboro, Mary. (30-5).

A total of 96 teams will compete in six divisions. Each team is guaranteed four games and the championship in each division will be played on Dec. 22.

Buford is 4-0 and hasn’t been tested, despite not having Tennessee commitment Andraya Davis back until the …

*Atlanta vs. Memphis: Southwest DeKalb and North Clayton will be among the five boys teams representing the metro area for the fourth-annual Memphis vs. Atlanta Roundball Classic, to be held in Memphis on Friday and Saturday. Southwest DeKalb will play Ridgeway (Tenn.) at 9 p.m. on Saturday. North Clayton plays East (Tenn.) at 8:30 p.m. Friday and Bolivar Central (Tenn.) at 4 p.m. Saturday. Other participating Georgia teams are Westlake (AAAAA), Paideia (A) and Drew (AAA), which opens the event with a 4 p.m. game Friday against Cordova (Tenn.) and plays a 6 p.m. game on Saturday against host Memphis University School.

*DeKalb showcase: Miller Grove’s boys and girls teams will participate in the DeKalb Elite Hardwood Classic this weekend, facing the host Tigers in a doubleheader that begins with the girls game at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Other girls/boys doubleheaders include Redan vs. Southwest DeKalb on Friday …

McEachern went on to make the finals, losing to Norcross, and victories over Norcross and Memphis Central this year have put McEachern in another spotlight. With six players committed to play at Division I schools, McEachern is ranked No. 6 nationally by MaxPreps and No. 9 in the ESPN Fab 50.

In the victory over Memphis Central, Pachiyanna Roberts (signed with Syracuse) scored 40 points and hit a 60-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer. McEachern won 64-61.

North Cobb is a young team. There are only two seniors, Lanisha Mitchell and Siera Robinson. Six freshman made the varsity. Former Cobb player of the year Jarae Savage graduated, and star Kira Gordon transferred to North Hall. The top …

Bonner grew up in Augusta near the school and was a three-sport star for the Wildcats. He was a member of the 1961 team that won the GIA football championship. He played basketball at Hampton Institute and returned to Laney as an assistant coach after he graduated.

The floor in the gymnasium will be named in honor of current girls coach Otis Smart, who has taken his team to the state semifinals the last three seasons. The Laney girls were 29-2 last season and are 80-10 over the last three years. They’re currently ranked 10th in the state.

Buford boys keep rolling

Buford and North Gwinnett are area rivals, but don’t play that often because of the discrepancy in the school’s size. North Gwinnett is one of the larger schools in Class AAAAA. But the size of the student body doesn’t matter as much in …

Butler’s Dan Lambert has scored 24, 27, 33 and 21 points in the Bulldogs’ first four games, major part of the team’s 4-0 start heading into Tuesday’s game against Richmond Academy. Washington County is 3-0 and Thomson 4-0.

Eagle’s Landing got off to a 4-0 start, including Saturday’s 63-62 win over Henry County, but had a major test Tuesday against Drew.

Drew’s Titans were 7-1 going into Tuesday, and they take to the road this weekend for the Memphis vs. Atlanta Roundball Classic at Memphis University School and The Hutchinson School . The Titans are one of five Georgia schools in the event and the only one from Class AAA.

Girls Defending state champion Washington County has found little resistance so far, rolling to double-figure wins in all four of its games. The Lady Golden Hawks have three non-region games in …

*Another hot start for Fayette’s boys: The Fayette County boys team, which reached the state semifinals before losing to runner-up Rockdale County last season, is 4-0 after a 73-38 victory over Class AAAAA Stephenson on Saturday. The Tigers opened the season by beating Morrow 82-66, Clarke Central 62-53 and Jonesboro 43-41. Ekene Anachebe, a 6-foot-9 center who has signed with Old Dominion, scored 25 points in the season-opener and is averaging 15.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 7.3 blocks through four games. Anachebe will be joined at Old Dominion by Keenan Palmore, who averaged 20.8 points and 10.3 rebounds for Paideia last season.

*Back to its winning ways: The Salem girls team averaged 23 victories per season and reached the state tournament five times from the 2004-05 season through 2009-10, so last year’s 5-19 record was a big step back. The Seminoles appear to be on the right track this season, opening …

Here’s the schedule for that event, which also includes reigning state champions Norcross (AAAAA), Columbia (AAA) and GAC (AA).

1 p.m. Buford vs. North Gwinnett 2:30 p.m. – Columbia vs. Greater Atlanta Christian 6 p.m. – Norcross vs. Harrison 7:30 p.m. – Wheeler vs. Southwest Dekalb

Games streamed live at – http://www.ihigh.com/wheelerwildcats/

Wheeler is led by Charles Mitchell, a 6-foot-8 center who made all-state teams last season. Southwest DeKalb, a Region 6-AAAA team, has 6-8 forward Shaquille Goodwin (signed with Memphis) and 6-5 guard Jordan Price (Auburn).

Meanwhile, Norcross is 0-2 after losing to South Shore and Long Island Lutheran of New York in the Big Apple vs. Big Peach Battle …

Her knowledge of the game and her ability to teach it weren’t in question, so when HCHS athletic director Lisa Warren had an opening for a girls basketball coach, it must’ve seemed a no-brainer to call Williamson.

“They asked me if I’d take the job and kind of caught me unaware,” Williamson said.

This is her third stint at Haralson County, where she won state championships in 1973 and 1975, and her career also included stops on the collegiate level at West Georgia and Valdosta State.

Her legacy is secure – she can rattle off 15 of her former players who went on to be coaches without having to take a breath – and her list of accomplishments is impressive.

So what prompted the veteran coach to pick up the whistle again?

“I’m trying to think about that myself,” …

“This team will be built on speed,” said coach Sterling Hicks, who graduated eight seniors, six of whom received basketball scholarships. “I expect the team will be very competitive. I’m looking forward to working with this group.”

The top returning player will be 5-foot-10 sophomore Deja Cheatham, who was the team’s No. 1 post player off the bench last season. Sierra Porter, a 5-8 point guard, was the backup last year and moves into the starting role.

Newcomers to the lineup are sophomore Khalia Lawrence, a 5-9 shooting guard, and junior Jasmine Merritt, a 5-8 small forward.

“Those four will do the bulk of the scoring,” Hicks said. “This team has a lot of versatile players, but no true post player.”

Kendrick won the Region 5-AA championship last year and reached the quarterfinal round before being eliminated by Greater Atlanta Christian. In the playoffs …

*Rare loss for Douglas County: The Douglas County girls team went 30-1 and reached the Class AAAA semifinals last season, but it has already matched that loss total this year, losing its opener against Lovett 66-57 in the first round of the Wesleyan Turkey Tip-Off on Monday. Christin Mercer, a first-team all-state selection last season who has signed with Florida, led the Tigers with 16 points and seven rebounds. Douglas County bounced back on Tuesday in the consolation round, beating Mays 73-56 to advance to the fifth-place game against Class AAAAA Brookwood. Lovett, which is expected to be one of the top teams in Class AA this season, advanced to the Turkey Tip-Off championship game by beating Class AAAAA Hillgrove 51-39.

*Another strong start: The Statesboro girls team improved to 4-0 with two lopsided victories in two days to win the championship in the Ladies Night Out tournament at Statesboro. Alisia …

Against Dunwoody, Chelsea Kendrick scored 21 points to lead three players in double figures and recorded seven of the team’s 15 steals. Hana Daniel scored 19 against Dunwoody and 20 against McNair.

Familiar face at Haralson: The return of long-time coach Jane Williamson to guide Haralson County’s girls have opened to mixed results. The Lady Rebels beat Temple to open the season then lost to Adairsville. They’ll take the floor in the Darlington Invitational this weekend. Williamson will have 12 games to find the right mix before opening 6-AAA play against Carrollton on Jan. 3.

Look out for Hephzibah: Hephzibah’s girls opened with a 53-41 win …

The Wildcats have everyone back from last year’s 27-4 team that lost to eventual champion Buford in the quarterfinals. It was the third straight season that Rabun County has been to the Elite Eight and has the promise to get back there again – if not go even deeper.

“We’ve got the whole team back from last year,” said Rabun coach DeeDee Dillard. “So we’re hoping to be able to build on what we started.”

Rabun returns its leading scorer, senior Krista Dixon, a 5-foot-10 forward who averaged 16.2 points and was a first-team all-state selection.

Also back is 5-4 point guard Rabun Wright, a three-year starter who has already signed with the University of North Alabama. Wright averaged eight points and six assists as a junior.

Grace Rogers, a 5-11 senior, averaged six points and five rebounds, and sophomore Sally …

So is the team most likely to challenge Norcross. That would be McEachern, the 2011-12 runner-up.

The first rematch takes place tonight at 8 at Norcross in the Lady Blue Devils Tip-off Classic, a three-day event that has eight teams. (See schedule below.)

Norcross won the title game last March pretty easily – 61-36, but McEachern has perhaps the best team to come out of Cobb County in years. The team has SIX players who have committed or signed with Division I schools.

Those include returning seniors Kayla Montgomery (a 6-foot-4 center who has signed with Clemson), guard Dominique Wilson (Arkansas) and forward Pachiyaanna Roberts (Syracuse).

Junior guard Mia Cooper has committed to South Carolina, and freshman guard Te’a Cooper has committed to …

*Team to watch: The Chamblee girls team appears poised to make a run at a championship this season. The Bulldogs went undefeated in the regular season and spent three weeks ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA last year, but they were upset by Miller Grove in the Region 6-AAAA tournament quarterfinals and failed to make the state tournament. Chamblee is led by wing Bre McDonald (signed with Georgia Tech), guard Lucy Mason, and forward Chelsea Adams. All three players recorded double-doubles in the Bulldogs’ 61-31 victory over Paideia in the season opener last week – Mason had 20 points and 10 rebounds; Adams had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots; and McDonald had 10 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists. Chamblee’s next game is Saturday against Madison County in the Northeast Georgia Invitational.

*Early tests: Defending state champion girls team Fayette County will be trying to replace all-state players …

For me, Carrollton is going to be hard to ignore. The Lady Trojans went 19-10 and return every player from that team, including All-State guard Kenyata Hendrix, who averaged 15 points and 5 rebounds, handed out 38 assists and collected 109 steals last season. She’s joined in the back court by Raven Trammell, who averaged 10 points and 3 assists. And Carrollton coach Shon Thomaston is adept at finding the right mix; Carrollton won a state crown as recently as 2009.

“We’ve got seven girls who could start for us,” said Thomaston, who said he played eight or nine different player combinations in a 62-27 scrimmage win at Alexander Tuesday night. “We’re so much better than we were at the end of …

Swainsboro went 22-8 last year and reached the Final Four before being eliminated by eventual champion Greater Atlanta Christian. But graduation has taken a toll on the program, which means the Tigers will likely be facing a rebuilding season.

They’ll be doing it without longtime head coach Leroy Jordan, too. He retired after last year’s successful season, his 22nd at the school. Jordan was a fixture at the school and in the community. His teams won 435 games and the 1996 state championship. His motto of “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” continues to resonate through the town.

When it came time to replace the legendary Jordan, the school reached out to Bobby Andrews, who had coached the girls team at the school for 16 years, and asked him to make the switch and take the boys team. Andrews agreed and found himself in the middle of the rebuilding …

The road to the boys title still runs through DeKalb County: Miller Grove is the overwhelming favorite to win its fourth consecutive Class AAAA title. The Wolverines, who finished the year No. 6 nationally in the ESPN rankings last season, will begin even higher this year, taking the No. 2 spot in the preseason poll. Miller Grove is led by Tony Parker, a 6-foot-9 center/power forward who is ranked as high as No. 19 nationally by Scout. Brandon Morris is a 6-7 forward who has committed to Georgia.

If Miller Grove falls short of the title, Southwest DeKalb may be the team that is there to claim it. The Panthers, who were 24-6 and advanced to the state quarterfinals last season, are ranked No. 39 in ESPN’s preseason poll. Southwest DeKalb is led by two of the state’s top seniors in …

But this is the AAAAA blog, so let’s look at what’s happening with some of the top teams in the state.

*Milton – Gone are three D-I signees in Dai-Jon Parker (Vanderbilt), Shannon Scott (Ohio State) and Julian Royal (Georgia Tech). This season’s team will be deeper if not better with D-I recruits Evan Nolte (committed to Virginia), Shaquille Johnson (Auburn), Union Grove transfer Charles Mann (committed to Georgia) and Meadowcreek transfer Tevin Glass (two SEC offers). Milton also has four sophomores and a freshman who also figure to be D-I recruits down the road.

*Norcross – Hurricane Katrina …

The three-time defending champion Buford girls will be the overwhelming favorites to win again, even though they’ll start the season without Andraya Carter. The 5-foot-9 Carter, who has committed to Tennessee, had surgery to repair a torn ACL in her left knee in June after being injured in a pickup game and isn’t expected to be ready until the first of the year.

That means the Wolves will have to make do with Kaela Davis, a 6-foot-2 Tennessee commitment who is considered to be one of the top juniors in the country, and 6-5 senior Kristina Nelson, another all-state quality player.

Buford opens the season at home against Class AAAAA Milton on Nov. 29.

The GAC boys suffered a different loss last …

Milton High's Shaquille Johnson (AJC photo)

Courtcred.com’s Kerry Willis with a breakdown of the UA “Best of the Best” camp, which featured some of the state’s top high school basketball players:

• Robert Carter, Thomasville: Carter continues to prove that he should be ranked higher than his current #16 in the country. The big man was consistent all throughout the camp and fun to watch,  showing his complete post game on day one, then the next day proving that he could mix it up with a face-up game that extends out to the 3-point line.
• William Goodwin, Southwest DeKalb: The 6-foot-8 athlete looked to be on cruise control at the camp’s start, but he soon got to work on the glass with quick leaps for tip ins, offensive rebounds, and finished every dump off pass he got his hands on with a two-handed jam.  He did a great job of establishing post position and, when he was fed the ball, Goodwin used his quickness to convert baskets in the paint.
• Shaquille Johnson, …

ASU-bound Jay Manning (Special)

Arlington Christian guard Jay Manning signed a basketball scholarship with Augusta State. The 6-foot-4 Manning averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals as a senior at the GISA school.  Augusta State coach Dip Metress said, “We are excited about Jay signing with us at Augusta State.  We feel that Jay possesses a lot of qualities to become a standout guard at our level.  Jay has a unique combination of athleticism and skills that will translate to him having success.  He is a true student-athlete, and we look forward to developing him.”

North Gwinnett point guard Clayton Williams has signed a basketball scholarship with Francis Marion.

North Gwinnett shooting guard Cyrus Lavant has committed to Alabama Southern.

Westlake had a large number of track athletes sign scholarships: Shaquavia Porter (Southeastern Louisiana University), Yvens Resilard (Fort Valley), Kinsley Lawson (Georgia Southern ), Ashley Johnson (Troy State), Shaquille Winn-King …

Eric Riley and Alyjah Hennings will sign with Marietta’s Life University of Tuesday, according to Milton coach David Boyd.

With the additional two, Milton had eight players on its roster this past season that have either signed or committed to colleges to play basketball. The others:

Shannon Scott, point guard, signed with Ohio State

Julian Royal, forward, signed with Georgia Tech

Dai-jon Parker, guard, signed with Vanderbilt

Jordan Loyd, guard, signed with Furman

Shaquille Johnson, small forward, committed to Auburn

Evan Nolte, small forward, committed to Virginia

Milton has made three straight appearances in the Class AAAAA championship game, winning in 2010.

Well, obviously good enough for the girls to win the Class AAAA state championship.

However, perhaps just as impressive to some, Fayette County had five seniors to sign basketball scholarships.

Bria Venson signed with Grambling State on Wednesday, becoming the fifth senior on the reigning Class AAAA state champions to land a basketball scholarship. The 6-1 center averaged 4.3 points and 4.7 rebounds.

“A strong inside presence … with a strong left hand,” Fayette County coach John Strickland said.

The other four seniors who signed early were Brianna Banks (UConn), Elem Ibiam (South Carolina), Kyra King (Brewton-Parker) and Taybreanna Couch (Clayton State).

That’s a lot of talent, don’t you think?

“It’s a great honor, I’m really humbled,” McCrary told the AJC. McCrary has guided Columbia to back-to-back state championships in Class AAA.

There will be two other participants in the high school all-star game, both players — Milton High point guard Shannon Scott (signed with Ohio State) and Greenville High guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (UGA).

Louisville is leading the chase for Kevin Ware (No. 35), followed by UCLA, UGA and Central Florida (AJC)

The early NBA departures of Georgia basketball standouts Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie may help the Bulldogs with recruiting.

Rockdale County’s Kevin Ware, who was recently granted a release from his Tennessee basketball scholarship, said Tuesday that the Bulldogs are among his favorites. The 6-foot-4 guard is ranked as the nation’s No. 56 prospect by Rivals.

“That’s big for my decision with those guys leaving,” Ware told the AJC. “It definitely opens up a scholarship for me, and if [Leslie] sticks with the NBA, then it would give me the opportunity to compete for more playing time next year.”

Thompkins said he will hire an agent, cementing his NBA departure. Leslie has left open the possibility of withdrawing from the draft by the NCAA’s May 8 deadline to return for his senior season at Georgia.

Meanwhile, Ware said one of his biggest attractions to Georgia is playing …