Prep Zone: High School Sports

Got rankings. Also some comments on each class on how the rankings were shuffled and other going-ons in each class.

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 …

Continue reading HS basketball rankings: Down year in AAAAA, or just lots of good teams? »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

As the regular season comes to a close this week, here are some players you may not have heard of who will play an essential role in their teams’ efforts to advance to the state playoffs:

BOYS

Demarcus Daniel, Turner County. At 6-foot-4, the senior isn’t one of the talest post players in the state, but he is one of the most effective. Daniels biggest impact is at the defensive end of the floor, where he averages 13 rebounds and five blocks per game. But he is a force on offense as well and has posted 10 double-doubles for the Rebels (17-4), ranked No. 3.

Stacy Morgan, Portal. Only a sophomore, Morgan has guided the Panthers to a 19-3 record and has them in contention to win the Region 3 title. He is among the state leaders in three-point percentage, free throw percentage and assists.

Vincent Powell, Calhoun County. The senior guard is one of the top scorers in the state at nearly 25 points per game. He has led the Cougars to a 15-4 record …

Continue reading Class A Blog: Players to watch »

The race for the top boys seed in Region 6-AAA enters the last week of the regular season with questions to be answered. Carrollton is 21-3 overall and 9-2 in region play, has one region game left, Feb. 10 against cross-town rival Central.

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 …

Continue reading AAA basketball blog: Shootout in 6-AAA »

The No. 1-ranked Model girls completed their regular season with a 67-22 win over Rockmart. The victory enabled the Blue Devils to stretch their winning streak to 20 games and finish the Region 7-AA South schedule with a perfect 12-0 record. Model will take a 23-1 record into the postseason.

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 …

Continue reading AA basketball blog: No. 1 Model improves to 23-1 »

Shiloh and North Gwinnett gained the inside track Friday in key in Class AAAAA boys region races that have only a few days left.

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 …

Continue reading AAAAA basketball blog: North Gwinnett, Shiloh move into position to win regions »

Miller Grove’s boys and girls teams took control of the races in Region 6-AAAA Division B with a doubleheader sweep of Southwest DeKalb on Friday.

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: …

Continue reading AAAA basketball blog: Miller Grove boys, girls sweep Southwest DeKalb to move into first place »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

Landmark Christian center Houston Kessler turned in perhaps his best overall performance of the season Friday night against Hapeville Charter.

The Eagles (17-2) needed every one of the 6-foot-9 senior’s 36 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks, to finally dispatch of a young and feisty Hapeville Charter (8-13) team, 68-44, at the Welcome All Park Recreation Center in south Fulton County.

Hapeville Charter, which just added high school grades last year, starts three freshmen and a sophomore and has no seniors on the roster. The Hornets pushed No. 2 Whitefield Academy to the brink back on Jan. 3, before bowing 51-48 to the Wolfpack.

Early in the contest Friday night, the Hornets displayed that same fight, using a quick and aggressive 2-3 zone, which gave Landmark trouble in the game’s first four minutes. But that’s when Kessler took over.

With the game tied at seven, Kessler keyed a 15-0 run by the Eagles that began midway through the first …

Continue reading Landmark Christian 68, Hapeville Charter 44 »

The Drew girls had to wait an extra hour and a half for the start of win No. 20.
Once it started, there was little delay in the outcome.
With its players wearing pink socks on their right feet to raise breast cancer awareness, No. 10-ranked Drew (20-4, 14-1 Region 4-AAA) got 24 points from Precious Person, putting away visiting Eastside early for a 68-39 win.
“We were kind of anxious,” said Person, a Rutgers signee. “We know that the second time we play a team they’re going to bring their “A” game. We just stayed loose and focused.”
The game, scheduled to start at 6 p.m., was delayed until 7:25 because the officials had not shown up. The third official didn’t arrive until after the game had. Drew handled the delay by playing games in the locker room.
“I’ve never had that happen,” said Drew coach Candence Jackson. “We were all ready to go, stretched and warmed up, and then we had to do it again. You just try to keep them loose.”
Drew, playing its second …

Continue reading Drew 68, Eastside 39 »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

With a week left in the regular season, here is a look at some key games down the stretch.

GIRLS

No. 6 Taylor County at Dooly County, Friday. Taylor County (18-1) are undefeated in Region 4 (12-0)and will look to lock up the Sub Region regular season title with another win over the Bobcats (15-5, 10-1). The Vikings won the first meeting, 65-42, back on Jan. 10, and have won 11 straight since their only loss of the season – 44-42, to Rutland of Class AAA. Taylor County should get a stern test in the region tournament from two teams from the other side, Greenville and Central-Talbotton, which the Vikings defeated by two and three points, respectively, earlier this season. Taylor County is led by a quartet of seniors: Artisha Holston, Keshundra Jackson, Tamara Majors and Brittany Troutman.

No. 1 Wesleyan at No. 5 St. Francis, Feb. 7. A loss by St. Francis (16-4) last week to Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, now ranked No. 2, has taken a …

Continue reading Class A Basketball Blog: Big games loom at close of regular season »

The boys race in Region 7-AAAAA is getting interesting.

Norcross (14-8, 10-1) leads North Gwinnett (14-8, 8-2) and fifth-ranked Mill Creek (17-4, 8-3), and each still has to play the other two. It will be Mill Creek at North Gwinnett on Friday, Norcross at Mill Creek on Tuesday, and Norcross at North Gwinnett on Feb. 7.

But Norcross fears it has lost post player Jason Croom for the rest of the regular season with a dislocated shoulder. Croom was expected to sign a football scholarship Wednesday with Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Mill Creek blew an early 12-point lead and was upset by Peachtree Ridge 64-58 on Tuesday.

Only about a week remains in the regular season of high school basketball, and it looks like few races are in doubt. Remember that region standings merely serve to seed teams for the region tournaments, which decide who makes the state playoffs.

Here is a region-by-region look at the races in AAAAA –

BOYS

1 – Sixth-ranked Tift County (17-5) holds a two-game lead over …

Continue reading AAAAA basketball blog: Region 7 comes down to wire; Norcross must get by without Croom »

While defending state champion Columbia is rolling merrily along, one message keeps popping up in Region 5-AAA: Don’t sleep on Grady.
The Grey Knights are 19-3 after beating North Springs Tuesday, their eighth straight win. The biggest reason? Gregg Sessions is proving unstoppable. The senior shooting guard is averaging 28.2 points per game, including a 38-point outburst against Druid Hills last week.

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 …

Continue reading AAA basketball blog: Sessions driving Grady »

The boys and girls regular-season champions of Region 6-AAAA Division B are likely to be decided when Southwest DeKalb travels to Miller Grove on Friday for a highly anticipated doubleheader.

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. …

Continue reading AAAA basketball blog: Southwest DeKalb, Miller Grove head for showdown »

There was a basketball game at Buford High on Tuesday night, but most of the thoughts in the gymnasium centered around the memory of Ryan Daniel, a kid who grew up in Buford and returned to coach at his old school. The term “favorite son” has never been more applicable.

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, …

Continue reading AA basketball blog: An emotional night at Buford »

The seventh-ranked Harrison boys basketball team has some big goals for this season, but its first order of business this week was strengthening its hold on first place in Region 4-AAAAA.

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 …

Continue reading AAAAA boys basketball: Harrison 72, Hillgrove 54 »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

Class A high school football fans soon could find themselves asking the same question that college football fans ask:

“Who’s No. 1?”

When the executive committee of the Georgia High School Association voted overwhelmingly (36-12) earlier this month to hold separate playoffs and championships in all sports in Class A, the handful of voters on the short end of the decision predicted several unforeseen consequences. Figuring out who the “real” state champion is — the public-school winner or the private-school winner — is one of those issues.

In a 16-team playoff scenario for public and private schools, a winner-take-all championship game could be played in the Georgia Dome during the same weekend that the other five champions are crowned. But opinions vary among on whether a “plus-one” championship game should follow.

“My sentiments, and most [Class A public school] sentiments, I believe, are that I don’t think I would be in …

Continue reading Class A public, private schools debate merits of plus-one championship game »