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February 2007
Drama queens reign in girls bracket
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Maybe it was growing up witnessing the respect my father had for my mother.
Maybe it’s because I have a sister and a daughter. Whatever the reason, I have an affinity for girls’ basketball.
It makes my skin crawl when the chauvinists — you know who you are — sound off about how they do not see the value of females playing hoops. They complain about the pace of the game and that they are no prospects for dunks — weak attempts to hide their prejudices.
That clear, how about this: the best basketball in this state tournament will be played by the girls. The boys Norcross-Meadowcreek matchup Thursday should be exciting and worth witnessing. The winner should be AAAAA champions, although Peachtree Ridge might weigh in on that.
In AAAA, if Columbia doesn’t win it all, it’ll be a significant upset. That’s about all the drama in boys.
With the girls, there is much more suspense. Will Maya Moore’s brilliant career end with another title for No. 1 Collins Hill? Or will No. 2 Stephenson or No. 3 South Gwinnett wrest away the AAAAA title?
Will Kelley Cain reign queen of AAAA once more? Or will upstart SW DeKalb make a big push?
And probably most exciting will be the AA battle between No. 1 Greater Atlanta Christian, last year’s AAA titlist Avondale and two-time champion Wesleyan.
Barring upsets in their next games, Avondale and GAC should meet this weekend in a must-see confrontation.
There will not be any dunks in the girls game, but then who said basketball was all about dunking. You can rest assured the competition will be fierce and the quality of play as high as any boys game. One of the best games I ever saw was Stephenson’s championship win over Collins Hill three years ago. It was so hotly contested and emotional the I felt drained when it was over.
This year’s tournament promises more of the same. Most all the girls’ action merits your attention, far more so than the boys — no matter what the chauvinists might tell you.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Devils will have to earn double
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If Norcross is going to win its second straight state championship, the top-ranked Blue Devils will definitely have to earn it.
Next test for Norcross is No. 2 Meadowcreek Thursday at the Macon Centreplex. The Blue Devils should prevail, but Meadowcreek will certainly be pumped for the 8:30 p.m. contest.
After his McDonald’s All-American snub, Meadowcreek guard Chris Allen will want to have a big game to prove his worth. Norcross’ Gani Lawal and J.J. Hickson of Wheeler were both selected to play in the prestigious high school all-star game.
Allen, a Michigan State signee who has had a tremendous senior season, may have an ax to grind against Norcross. However, the overall supreme talent of the Blue Devils could be too much for Allen and the Mustangs to overcome.
No doubt, basketball fans will find it worth the 85-mile trek to Macon to see two of the state’s best teams battle.
Permalink | Comments (107) | Post your comment | Categories: State Hoops Report
Norcross. Wheeler. Playoffs. WOW.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The line started to form at the front door and stretched around the building toward the back parking lot. It was three hours before tipoff.
A freaky set of circumstances pitted the last two AAAAA champions — Norcross and Wheeler — in what has to be the most anticipated first-round state playoff matchup in some time.
By game time, the stands were packed and the overhang was shoulder-to-shoulder deep.
This was high school basketball in its purest, most enjoyable glory.
The talent on the court was phenomenal, but even more impressive was the passion. This was a commercial for the wonder of prep hoops in Georgia.
When all the pulsating action had concluded, Norcross had escaped with a dramatic and memorable 64-63 victory.
Perhaps the best way to describe what took place is this:
Wow.
So much happened, so many players and coaches shined, it is difficult to capture in this space.
But let’s try anyway.
Gani Lawal of Norcross reaffirmed his position as one of the premier athletes around. Playing every minute with an off-the-charts ferocity and focus against another of Georgia’s accomplished big men in Wheeler’s J.J. Hickson, Lawal was supreme.
It was more than the numbers: 23 points, eight rebounds, three steals and six blocks. It was the quiet dignity in the way he performed and the timeliness of his heroics.
With 2:16 to play, for example, Tarriq Mohammad missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The ball was suspended above the rim, with Lawal and Hickson leaping high to retrieve it. Lawal not only came down with it, he went back up and dunked, to push the lead to 60-57.
He had another slam and a steal before Norcross fans nearly swallowed their collective tongues as three last-second Wheeler shots fell short.
The Wildcats were stunned there was no foul called and that their gutty effort did not bring them victory. Hickson was outstanding with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Corey Tower, the fantastic Wheeler point guard, was equally special.
And Wheeler coach Doug Lipscomb showed why he’s among the best. He inserted seldom-used Marquis Horne and William Marsh in heated moments, and both responded with critical 3-point shots.
Eddie Martin, on the other bench, wisely elected to use Al-Farouq Aminu to front Hickson in the low post, with Lawal as backside help. It helped limit Hickson’s second-half touches.
Norcross can thank Denzail Jones, a Tyronn Lue lookalike, for his shooting touch, especially early. He had the team’s first eight points — six on two 3-pointers — en route to 14 for the night.
It was an emotional night of shifting momentum, with Wheeler seemingly in control early, only to have Norcross respond. Wheeler fought back before the Blue Devils had one more push that carried them through.
It was a special night.
Permalink | Comments (32) | Post your comment | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Excitement still abounds at S. Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not since Louis Williams has there been so much anticipation about basketball at South Gwinnett.
Williams packed gyms, which was the magnitude of his talent. The beneficiaries were many - his teammates (Mike Mercer, Avery Jukes, Delano Howard got college looks), the school (great takes at the door) and the girls team (significant exposure playing before packed houses).
“There’s no doubt that there was tremendous exposure playing before Louis because he was such a great player and person,” Comets coach Mike Allison said. “I don’t think you will ever see crowds like that again because Louis is such a once-in-a-lifetime player.”
There was a nice crowd but plenty of sitting room Friday night when South Gwinnett’s girls met South Cobb in the first round of the state playoffs. But the importance of what the Comets were embarking on meant just as much as the hyped years with Williams, Mercer, et al.
Since losing the first two games of the season, South has run off 25 straight wins and ascended to No. 3 in the state. Like when Williams was BMOC, the expectation is of a championship, even with unbeatens Collins Hill and Stephenson forces to be overcome.
“If we weren’t in this position,” Allison said, “it’d be a wasted season.”
Wasted because his team has the goods to be the last team standing in the end. Like the Williams team that featured outstanding talent, Allison’s group is laced with players with stunning skill sets that, together, make an imposing presence.
Just ask South Cobb, a very well-coached and determined team that fell 61-48. Try as the Eagles might, they simply could not overcome the Comets’ big-time talent, discipline and experience.
Allison has molded a team that knows how to play as a unit and with unbridled hustle. If there are selfish tendencies in the players, they do not show up on the court.
Alex Winchell, a point guard who has signed with Memphis, runs the team with flair and confidence. With the ball, she’s as gifted and crafty as anyone, and she can score in bunches.
She is aided and abetted by Emily Clarke, a senior who played before those large crowds that gathered to see Williams two years ago. So, a first-round playoff game hardly fazed her.
Then there is Antionette Howard, the sister of Delano Howard, the floor leader of the South Gwinnett championship team of three years ago. Lil Sis is a forward headed to Florida, which speaks to her talent.
If you sleep, Mandi Dudish will wake you up from 3-point range, where she is deadly.
Above and beyond all that, the Comets play defense with a tenacity and sense of pride that simply wore down the Eagles. It would have taken a calculator to count the passes South Gwinnett stole that led to fast breaks.
“The one thing I know about this team is that it will play hard,” said Allison, whose team has not lost a region game in — get this — three years.
Being unfamiliar with the Eagles, led by Ashley Fields and Kyra Crosby, mattered little. South Cobb pushed the ball, applied pressure … and still found itself down 14 points going into the fourth quarter.
Allison kept his players fresh via substitutions, and they executed precision plays that resulted in many open looks. And he kept himself fresh, too, hardly ever leaving his seat on the end of the bench.
In the final seconds, however, he rose and slapped hands with his players. Phase 1 of their quest to return a championship to South Gwinnett was accomplished.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Finally! Ranking 2007’s best teams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The high school wrestling season has come to an end with a familiar face at the top of the poll. McEachern took over the top spot several weeks ago and never left, wrapping up the Class AAAAA Traditional title last weekend in Gwinnett.
Here’s a look at the final rankings:
Wrestling writer Kurt Aschermann Jr. ranks the top pre-state tournament wrestling teams in the state, regardless of class: Week of Feb. 22 (last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
FINAL 2007 RANKINGS
1: McEachern (1) - Class AAAAA Duals and Traditional champions; Cobb County champions
T-2: Collins Hill (2) - 3rd at AAAAA Duals and Traditional; Gwinnett County runner-up Walton (3) - 2nd AAAAA Traditional; 4th at Duals; Cobb County runner-up
4: Parkview (4) - 2nd at AAAAA Duals; 4th at Traditional; Gwinnett County champions
5: Stockbridge (5) - Class AAAA Duals and Traditional champions
6: West Laurens (T-7) - Class AAA Traditional champions; 3rd at Duals
7: Union Grove (10) - Tied-5th at AAAAA Duals; 5th at Traditional
8: Jefferson (9) - Class A Duals and Traditional champions
9: Cass (T-7) - 2nd at Class AAA Duals and Traditional
10: Harrison (11) - T-5th at AAAAA Duals; 6th at Traditional
11: Gilmer (6) - Class AAA Duals champions; 4th at Traditional
12: Lafayette (T-12) - Class AA Traditional champions; Duals runner-up
On the cusp: Camden County (NR) - 7th at Class AAAAA Traditional; Wesleyan (NR) - Class AA Duals champions; Traditional runner-up; Whitewater (NR) - Class AAAA Duals and Traditional runner-up; Eastside (T-12) - T-2nd at Class AAAA Traditional; 3rd at Duals
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who your final Top 12 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Pound For Pound
Does one loss help won-loss?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Each Friday, the AJC’s Jay Stone breaks down the state basketball scene online. Got comments about this roundup or have questions for Jay? Submit them below.
Unbeaten entering the state tournament? That’s great. But some coaches would rather not have the extra pressure that comes with a zero in the loss column. The adversity of a loss, they say, can galvanize a team come playoff time.
The girls teams at Randolph-Clay, Carrollton and Greenbrier enter the state tournament unbeaten, for instance, but undefeated seasons are not created equal.
“I told the girls that they had a wonderful season,” said Randolph-Clay coach James Bland, “but now it doesn’t mean anything. If we don’t work just as hard as we did to win the region in the next four or five games, people will look at it like, ‘Well, you won the region, but when you got against the big dogs, you couldn’t do it.’”
Randolph-Clay, 26-0 and ranked No. 2 in Class AA, has had seven games decided by 10 points or less, four of them by five or fewer, and two of those by one point.
Against Early County in a Region 1-AA game, the Eagles trailed with seven seconds left and hit a last-second shot to win.
On the other hand, Carrollton, No. 2 in AAA, has had only six games closer than 20 points the entire season, and just three closer than 10. None have come down to a last-second shot.
Both schools have lost key players to knee injuries. Randolph-Clay lost guard Ashley Talls four weeks ago, but senior post player Brittany Daniels (22 points per game and 11 rebounds) and guard Precious Peak (11 points) have made sure there was little drop-off in performance.
Carrollton lost leading scorer Velicia Bell (17 points) a month ago, but Karisma Boykin (17) and Janyce Ealey (10) have carried the load for the Trojans who are 27-0 and have won by an average of 33 points. Their closest call: a 61-54 win over Cartersville in the regular-season finale and a 49-42 victory over Buford.
A Closer Look: Here’s a glance at some one-loss teams
Kendrick girls • Record: 26-1
Lost to: Hardaway, 64-57 on Jan. 19
Avenged: The Cherokees beat Hardaway 69-68 in overtime for 2-AAA title; also beat the Hawks 70-61 on Dec. 23.
Coach Sterling Hicks’ psych assessment: “I think the win [over Hardaway] will help us down the road when we get in tough situations … Neither one [undefeated or one loss] is any better. We were undefeated until the same time last year.”
Keys to tournament: Janae McKinney is the team leader in scoring and rebounds, but the Cherokees don’t fall apart with her out of the lineup. She fouled out with two minutes left against Hardaway, and Kendra Smith was there to make the winning basket in overtime.
East Hall girls • Record: 26-1
Lost to: Chestatee, 50-44 on Jan. 23.
Avenged: Vikings won 50-48 on Feb. 9
Coach Allen Pritchett’s psych assessment: “It doesn’t do anything. Sometimes one loss kind of takes a little pressure off of you. I’ve never been unbeaten going into the tournament. Having a loss, you know you can lose. It refocuses you sometimes if somebody knocks you off.”
Keys to tournament: Balance. The Vikings have just one player averaging double figures in scoring (6-foot-3 Jr. Sada Wheeler, 12.7 ppg), but they get a lot of people involved.
Cedar Shoals boys • Record: 25-1
Lost to: Clarke Central, 84-78 on Dec. 9
Avenged? Cedar Shoals beat Clarke Central 71-49 on Jan. 6.
Coach Ron Link’s psych assessment: “We definitely were hungry after that one loss, because we led most of the game. No one likes to lose, but it sure is better to have lost once, just because it reminds you not to let up.”
Keys to tournament: Guards Chris Kupets (26 ppg) and Luvante Rhines (21.3) force opponents to devote resources to the perimeter. Post player Torrey Ball is also capable of big numbers. He recorded 20 rebounds,16 points, six assists and four steals in one game.
East Hall boys • Record: 26-1
Lost to: Rufus King (Wisc.), 79-73 in Charleston Roundball Classic on Dec. 27.
Avenged? No opportunity.
Coach Joe Dix’s psych assessment: “I guess the biggest difference for us is our kids know what it feels like to lose. Ours was pretty early, and we’ve won 20 in a row since then. The kids want to work to make sure it doesn’t happen again. My goal is never to go undefeated. I only want to win the last game.”
Keys to tournament: Georgia football signee Walter Hill averages 23 points and eight rebounds, Ken Wise 15 points and 12 rebounds and Trevor Bishop, 12 points. This is East Hall’s third straight one-loss regular season, and the Vikings average 86 points per game.
Around the State
Tape it up: Trion’s Jordan Reynolds, who leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 19 points per game, sprained his left ankle in the final minute of the first half of Trion’s Region 6-A semifinal against Bowdon. Reynolds missed the rest of that game, which the Bulldogs won, then scored 11 points in 11 minutes in the finals against Bremen.
Hot hand: Shaw’s Demarcus McCrory has scored 30 points in back-to-back games in the Region 2-AAA Tournament.
Longtime rivals: When the Buford boys travel to Rome to take on Darlington in the first round, it’ll be old home tour time for Wolves coach Milt Travis, who coached at Rome’s Model High School in the 1990s and faced Darlington’s Jim Van Es on numerous occasions.
And a sophomore will lead them: Madison County’s girls rode sophomore sensation Courtney Freeman to the Region 8-AAAA title. Freeman averages 24 points and 10 rebounds per game for a team that two years ago won just one game.
Finishing strong: Woodland 6-5 senior Scott Windom finished with 1,630 career points and more than 1,000 career rebounds.
Now state your thoughts: Got a team or player you’d like to see profiled? Let Jay know who’s heating up the hardcourts around the state. E-mail: jstone@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: State Hoops Report
Who rules the hoops pool?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When it comes to which boys hoops squad is the state’s best - historically speaking - there’s just no consensus. Georgia’s finest coaches can’t agree, with some saying this year’s top contenders, Class AAAAA Norcross and Class AAAA Columbia, would stomp any of the teams that basketball fans would list as among the state’s greatest - 1967 Beach, 1974 Southwest Atlanta, 1979 Southwest-Macon, to name a few.
Talk back: You tell us: Old school fundamentals vs. New school flashiness - which rules? What’s YOUR all-time fave boys hoops squad and why?
Permalink | Comments (78) | Categories: State Tournament
Girls — Eleven hopefuls
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett is sending a whopping 11 girls teams to the state tournament. And nearly half could make the Final Four in their classifications.
Start with Collins Hill and South Gwinnett in AAAAA, then GAC and Wesleyan in AA, and finally Hebron in A.
What do you think? Who will be gone early, and who’ll be playing well into March?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Gwinnett Hoops
Bracket dilemma already apparent
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The state playoff brackets have been set and this will make for another interesting tournament.
We’ve got the Norcross vs. Wheeler matchup that everyone wanted last season. The only bad part, instead of it coming later in the tournament, two of the state’s top teams will open the five-game championship tournament against each other.
Provided Meadowcreek gets past its first round opponent, it would meet the Wheeler-Norcross winner in the second round.
GHSA, we have a bracket problem.
The brackets are pre-determined before the season starts, which is the politically correct thing to do. You take out the chance for human error.
The flip side is the chance for a bracket error — premier teams getting eliminated before the championship game.
Like the NCAA will do in a couple weeks, let’s form a committee in each class — boys and girls — and draw up a bracket.
Also, there are some real good teams sitting at home because they didn’t win one more game in their respective region tournament.
It’s time to give some teams some at-large bids. The region champion and runner-up should be guaranteed a spot in the state tournament and then let the committee chose the other 16 teams for each class.
After all, the state tournament is to determine the season champion, not just the teams that played well for a region tournament.
There are some good examples like — McEachern and Miller Grove boys — sitting at home.
In the case of Region 6-AA girls — which was the strongest AA region in the state — two perennial playoff powers, Paideia and Pace, are at home because the region was so strong.
Greater Atlanta Christian, Avondale, Wesleyan and Buford all deserve to be there. So does Paideia, which had its string of 10 straight state tournaments snapped.
Let’s get rid of the concept of four teams from each region and chose the 32 best from each class.
Permalink | Comments (53) | Categories: Fastbreak
Ellington’s Beach boys a hit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Each Friday, the AJC’s Jay Stone breaks down the state basketball scene online. Got comments about this roundup or have questions for Jay? Submit them below.
As stop-gap measures go, Beach High School could hardly have done better.
Russell Ellington had state championships on his resume at the Savannah school, where he starred as a player and led the Bulldogs to the first state basketball championship following integration.
A former player under Ellington, Beach athletic director Ron Booker leaned on Ellington when the boys basketball position came open last fall, and Ellington pushed aside his affinity for fishing and took him up on it.
“I was going to do it until they find someone else,” Ellington said. “I haven’t checked with the AD yet. I think they’re satisfied with what is going on.”
The No. 3 Bulldogs (23-2), a perennial state power, have not missed a beat. Behind the big three of James Fields (19 points per game, Ladaris Green (11.2 ppg, 16 rebounds per game) and Markeith Cummins (13.8 ppg), they’re in the Region 3-AAAA semifinals against Savannah tonight, already assured of a state tournament berth and hoping to delay Ellington’s return to his boat as long as possible.
On the flip side: Last year, Johnson-Savannah entered the Region 3-AAAAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed and ran the table to win the region championship.
Keyed by 6-foot-8 post player Toby Veal, who was averaging 20 points and 14 rebounds and being recruited by most SEC schools, this time around the Atom Smashers came in as a No. 2 seed and were shown the door by city rival Groves, which took a 66-63 win to qualify for state and move to the region semifinals tonight opposite Camden County.
“So now we’ve experienced both sides of it,” said Johnson coach Keith Arrington. “I like the other one better.”
Another upset: The Pickens girls secured a No. 1 seed in Region 7-AAA in large part because of the talents of Allison Tennant, who two weeks ago surpassed 1,000 career points and was the hub of the Nettes’ 21-4 regular season. All of that went for naught after a loss to North Hall, which built an 18-point first-half lead and never allowed Pickens closer than seven.
Rubber match: Franklin County avenged one of its two losses by beating Elbert County in the regular-season finale last week. Now the Lady Lions (22-2) face Hart County for a third time. They split the first two games, but Franklin won 64-38 in the last meeting.
Big down the stretch: Antonio Bailey’s six free throws in the fourth quarter helped the Shaw boys (17-7) put away Kendrick earlier this week. The Raiders beat Hardaway Thursday night and get a third chance at Carver-Columbus in the 2-AAA Tournament. Shaw has lost to the Tigers twice by a combined 10 points.
Now state your thoughts: Got a team or player you’d like to see profiled? Let Jay know who’s heating up the hardcourts around the state. E-mail: jstone@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: State Hoops Report
Don’t count winners before they pin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC’s Kurt Aschermann Jr. talks H.S. wrestling each Thursday. Feel free to talk back.
Once a wrestling tournament the size of Georgia’s Traditional State gets going, the favorites are easy to spot and the brackets are easy to fill out.
Or so it seems. During the tournament’s opening hours, a number of upsets took place, most notably four big ones in Class AAAA. Eastside’s Jamarcus Griggs got it started, breaking up the 119-pound field with a shocking pin in 3:47 of Area 7-AAAA champion Michael Temple of Ringgold. Another area champion fell at 130 pounds as Brunswick’s Jeremy Stevens ended up on the short end of a 12-10, overtime decision against Sequoyah’s Skyler Mallchok.
Eastside was on the other side of two upsets, at 160 and 215 pounds. First, Tim Sloan fell to upstart Keith Glaze of Creekside. Glaze was impressive in four bouts at the Area 2-AAAA tournament and carried that over into a first-round victory.
East Paulding’s Austin Woityra provided the final shocker of day one, pinning Eastside’s highly-regarded 215-pounder, Ardest Carter with a pin in 4:23. Woityra, one of only four Raiders to make it out of brutal Area 5-AAAA, won the match despite trailing 15-8 in the third period and not being fully recovered from a hyper-extended elbow. Woityra and East Paulding coach Gerald Braun felt a Carter injury timeout in the third period was the difference.
“After his injury time out I got my wind back and I think he was worn out,” Woityra said. “I have one goal and that’s to place; it’s not about who I wrestle.”
“[The injury timeout] slowed things down,” added Braun. “[Carter] had nothing in him.”
With roughly 36 hours of wrestling left this weekend, conventional wisdom has it another handful of upsets are on the way.
Wrestling writer Kurt Aschermann Jr. ranks the top pre-state tournament wrestling teams in the state, regardless of class: Week of Feb. 15 (last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
1: McEachern (1)
2: Collins Hill (3)
3: Walton (4)
4: Parkview (2)
5: Stockbridge (5)
6: Gilmer (6)
T-7: Cass (T-7); West Laurens (T-7)
9: Jefferson (9)
10: Union Grove (11)
11: Harrison (10)
T-12: Lafayette (T-12) / Eastside (T-12)
On the cusp: Whitewater, Wesleyan, Henry County, Cherokee, Camden County, Murray County, Grayson, Alexander, Hardaway, Bowdon, Lovett, Northwest Whitfield, Brookwood, Westminster, Blessed Trinity, Tucker
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who your Top 12 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Pound For Pound
GSWA Basketball Poll: Feb. 13
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two weeks ago, Whitefield Academy got everyone’s attention with a 71-39 win over defending Class A champion Southwest Atlanta Christian. It was the Wolfpack’s statement game. Saturday, the Mableton school ended the regular season with an exclamation point. Whitefield traveled to Columbus and defeated Class AAA No. 6 Carver. Coach Tyrone Johnson loaded his schedule with some top in-state and out-of-town teams to prepare for another run at the finals. The tough schedule seems to be paying off with the region tournament now in full swing. Griffin has awakened in time and should be one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament. The Bears grabbed first place on their side of the Region 4-AAAA subregion.
Who’s hot, who’s not - you tell us. Submit your comments below.
Georgia Sportswriters Association Basketball Poll
(Number in parenthesis is first place votes)
Girls
Class AAAAA
1: Collins Hill (9)
2: Stephenson
3: South Gwinnett
4: Mill Creek
5: Campbell
6: Etowah
7: Marietta
8: Morrow
9: Beach
10: Lowndes
Others receiving votes: Sprayberry, Berkmar.
Class AAAA
1: St. Pius (9)
2: Greenbrier
3: Northside-Warner Robins
4: Marist
5: Clarke Central
6: Mays
7: Westlake
8: North Clayton
9: Salem
10: Dalton, Cherokee, Jonesboro (tie)
Others receiving votes: Southwest DeKalb, Sequoyah, Westside-Macon.
Class AAA
1: Southwest-Macon (5)
2: Carrollton (4)
3: Kendrick
4: Hephzibah
5: East Hall
6: Hardaway
7: Towers
8: Worth County
9: Sandy Creek
10: Franklin County
Others receiving votes: Northeast-Macon, Liberty County.
Class AA
1: Greater Atlanta Christian (9)
2: Randolph-Clay
3: Avondale
4: McIntosh County Academy
5: Laney
6: Wesleyan
7: Rutland
8: Dodge County
9: Armuchee
10: Screven County
Others receiving votes: Model, Macon County, Lafayette.
Class A
1: Landmark Christian (9)
2: Bowdon
4: Southwest Atlanta Christian
5: Hancock Central
6: Truelten
7: Hebron Christian
8: Hawkinsville
9: Calhoun County
10: St. Francis
Others receiving votes: Savannah Country Day, Greenville, Jefferson, Gordon Lee, Lincoln County.
Boys
Class AAAAA
1: Norcross (9)
2: Meadowcreek
3: Beach
4: Peachtree Ridge
5: Wheeler
6: Marietta
7: Centennial
8: Tri-Cities
9: McEachern
10: Johnson-Savannah
Others receiving votes: M.L. King.
Class AAAA
1: Columbia (9)
2: Cedar Shoals
3: Tucker
4: Cherokee
5: Lithia Springs
6: Stone Mountain
7: Fayette County
8: Stockbridge
9: Westlake
10: Riverdale
Others receiving votes: Miller Grove, Griffin, North Clayton.
Class AAA
1: Dunwoody (8)
2: East Hall (1)
3: Southside
4: Jordan
5: Northside-Columbus
6: Carver-Columbus
7: Glenn Hills
8: South Atlanta
9: Franklin County
10: Burke County
Others receiving votes: Westover, Hart County, Blessed Trinity.
Class AA
1: Thomasville (9)
2: Randolph-Clay
3: Coosa
4: Buford
5: Decatur
6: Darlington
7: Swainsboro
8: Manchester
9: Wesleyan
10: Dodge County
Others receiving votes: Josey.
Class A
1: Wilkinson Co. (9)
2: Whitefield Academy
3: Turner County
4: Calvary Day
5: Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy
6: Taylor County
7: Providence Christian
8: Jefferson
9: St. Francis
10: Hancock Central
Others receiving votes: Gordon Lee, Trion, Wilcox County, Bremen.
Note: This list compiled by Derrick Mahone each week from GSWA voting results
Regionals have started. How will they affect the rankings - or will they? What’s your take on this week’s poll? Who is being overlooked? Who shouldn’t be here at all? Who’s got game? Who’s got lame? Hoops talk starts now.
Permalink | Comments (41) | Categories: Basketball rankings
Home where Lions’ heat - er, heart - is
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s old and raggedy, but it’s the perfect place to watch a high school basketball game.
There is nothing like watching a game at Westlake’s Lions’ Den. From the dim lights to the unbearable heat, Westlake has one of the best basketball atmospheres.
Over the last three years, the Lions have been unbeatable at home. A large part of the Lions’ three-year dominance has been that the talent level was far more superior to their opponents. But an underlining factor has been the difficulty that opponents have in playing in the gym.
Shooters have trouble adjusting to the poor lighting. To complicate matters more, Westlake is generous with the heat system while full-court pressing foes the entire game. The temperature is set somewhere between baking and roasting. All these factors make it difficult on the opposing team and give Westlake a true home court advantage.
Over the years, I’ve been in several gyms, but the Lions’ Den ranks among the top in best places to view a game.
In the next couple of weeks, teams will start playing at neutral sites. The GHSA has selected places that are large and accommodating.
Where is your favorite place to watch a high school game? And why?
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Fastbreak
Tribute paid to departing Cain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Four years ago, Kelley Cain walked onto the court at St. Pius’ comfy little gym as a wide-eyed freshman with no idea of what was to come. She strutted off it Friday night to a standing ovation, a majestic symbol of excellence.
She and her team did away with Southwest DeKalb, 54-37, in a manner that embodied her brilliant career. That is, when it came do to it, Cain got it done.
A blocked shot here. A left-handed put-back there. And on and on. Suddenly, a game that the Panthers had visions of taking was overtaken by one of the most dominant players of her era.
The endless pats on the back and hand slaps were the St. Pius community’s way of saying, simply, “Thanks.”
“It’s been great here,” Cain said afterward, her Senior Night plaque clutched against her body. “I was pumped up and ready to go. I wanted to end my four years in this gym with a win.”
Cain was the anchor, as always, but the catalyst was sophomore point guard Morgan Toles. Gritty and cunning, Toles is the reason St. Pius has more than a puncher’s chance to take its third state title and second in a row of the Cain epoch.
Toles, who played nearly the entire game in fifth gear, scored on two strong drives in the fourth quarter, the last one putting the Golden Lions comfortably ahead, 44-32.
But her on-court leadership and control — even in her youth — are invaluable.
So, there was quite a poignant moment amid the hoopla of Cain exiting the court for the final time in a regular-season game. The 6-foot-3 star slapped hands with the 5-foot-6 10th-grader — the keeper of the court soon to be gone acknowledged by the new ruler who is just arriving.
No doubt, Toles will assume command of the team next season, and she has had the personification of grace and class in Cain to learn from this season.
“She’s just a sophomore,” Cain said, shaking her head. “She’s already a great player. Imagine how she will be when she is older.”
Cain said she did not imagine the career she has crafted. But once she started working under coach Stephanie Dunn, “I knew anything was possible,” she said.
“She’s such a great leader and coach. And the entire coaching staff has been great. You can’t help but respect them all.”
If this sounds like goodbye, not so fast. There remains the matter of going for another championship. “We lost three seniors, one starter, so we expected to be a good team again,” Cain said. “But it hasn’t been easy. We’ve had a target on our backs for every game. That’s the way it is when you are champions. We know we’ve got to come with our ‘A’ game.”
Their “B” game was enough to hold off Southwest DeKalb, which received an admirable effort from Charenee Stephens. But Cain and Toles got valuable aid from Krista Tate, Taylor Davidson and Alaina Smith to go to 22-3 on the season.
One of St. Pius’ losses was to Collins Hill, which is led by the nation’s No. 1 player, Maya Moore, who was on hand to support her friend perhaps one last time Friday night.
The two will be rivals next year with Cain at Tennessee, Moore at Connecticut. It won’t leave much time for reminiscing about their sensational high-school careers.
Permalink | Comments (15) | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Wilkinson looking for revenge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With three state championships on his resume, Wilkinson County coach Aaron Geter would be hard-pressed to improve on his previous work.
By a cold mathematical measure, it’s already impossible this year. The Warriors went unbeaten in one of those championship seasons, and at 23-1, this year’s team already has that shortcoming, slight though it may be.
Behind 6-foot-2 Alabama signee Senario Hillman (26 points per game) and 6-9 Oklahoma State signee Martavious Adams (18 ppg), the Warriors have vanquished all comers except one. They lost at home 99-97 to Swainsboro on Dec. 8 despite 40 points from Hillman and 27 from Adams.
But there’s good news ahead: Wilkinson County has a shot at avenging that loss Saturday at Swainsboro in the final regular-season game of the year.
Big Turnarounds: Former Tift County boys coach Tommy Blackshear, now heading up the boys and girls teams at Cook, has engineered two of the state’s biggest in-season turnarounds. The Lady Hornets started off 3-8 but behind senior guard Letia Paige (24 ppg), they have rallied to 13-10 with games against Mitchell-Baker and Early County remaining.
Cook had six players returning off a team that won Region 1-AA last year, so the slow start was a disappointment.
“They didn’t come back ready to defend that title,” said Blackshear. Paige has led the way, topping 30 points four times, including a 31-point effort in a win over Class AAAAA Tift.
Likewise, the Cook boys are on a second-half roll after starting off 2-8. The Hornets are also 13-10 thanks to 23 points per game from Thomas Newsome and 22 points and 14 rebounds from Kelvin Martin, whom Blackshear said is averaging five dunks per contest.
Bear Market: Beware the Griffin boys in the state tournament. Their record (11-10 going into the Region 4-AAAA Tournament) isn’t pretty, but with the return of players from a GHSA-mandated ineligibility, injuries and the completion of the football recruiting season, they have returned to the state power that many observers are accustomed to seeing.
Behind post player Charles Corbin, who scored 26 points in Griffin’s win over Mt. Zion-Jonesboro Tuesday, the Bears have won 10 of 11 since a 1-9 start, clinched the top seed from 4-AAAA Division A and get the weekend off before starting region tournament play Wednesday.
Having A Ball: With team stars Chris Kupets (26.7 ppg) and Luvonte Rhines (21.3), it wouldn’t appear there is much scoring left to go around for Cedar Shoals, but the Jaguars may be developing a third option in Torrey Ball. The standout football player had 15 points, 20 rebounds, six assists, four steals and took a charge in Cedar Shoals’ 74-48 win over Heritage Tuesday.
Ware’s Wilson: Ware County’s Jacques Wilson is averaging 25 points and nine rebounds as the Gators push toward tournament play.
A Little Assistance: Trion point guard Dustin Rosser, enters the weekend with 120 assists, a key reason the Bulldogs finished first in Region 6-A …
Weaver Out: Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe star Kayla Weaver, who was leading the team in scoring, tore an ACL during Friday’s game against Northwest Whitfield. Weaver had 28 points and four assists before getting hurt.
Pickens Milestone: Allison Tennant scored her 1,000th point Saturday night for Pickens County, which won its third straight subregion title.
Clean Slate: Carrollton, ranked No. 2 in Class AAA, enters tonight’s scheduled game at Cartersville with a 24-0 record. The Trojans, who beat the Hurricanes 77-40 in the first meeting, have an excellent chance at finishing the regular season unbeaten.
Pilfering Point: Kendrick-Columbus point guard Mukia Myrick has 140 steals, an average of five per game for the 23-1 Cherokees. They have gotten double-figure scoring from sixth player Ashlee Barley over the past five games.
Meanwhile Across Town: Hardaway (22-2) is sharing the top spot with Kendrick thanks to balanced scoring from Sequoyah Griffin (14.4 ppg), Jessica Edwards (12.9) and Kelly Ellison (10.3).
Looking To Clinch: Worth County (21-3, 8-1) beat Dougherty to assume first place in Region 1-AAA, and can clinch the top spot with a victory over winless Monroe. The Rams have been bolstered by the emergence of Shatyia Williams, a junior forward who has averaged more than 10 points over the past five games.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: State Hoops Report
Avondale girls rise to meet AA challenge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It all seemed to be set up for another Avondale girls championship.
The entire Class AAA championship team from last season was returning, including senior star Angelica Mealing. And then the Blue Devils moved down to Class AA.
Coach Marcus Searcy listened to all the talk and dismissed it. Searcy understood that moving down a classification meant his team would have to get through Class AA three-time champion Wesleyan and title-game participant GAC, which is ranked No. 1 in the state.
Further, Avondale has gone virtually all season with two freshmen in the backcourt, replacing two injured seniors. No, it has not been easy at all, but Searcy still has his team at 21-3 going into tonight’s region tournament game against GAC.
“It’s been a fun and challenging year,” Searcy said Thursday. “I think all coaches would like the challenge of coaching without two major cogs. But then there are some nights when you’d like them there. Your team is looking at you, and you have to think of something to do at the drop of a dime.”
Searcy has dropped dimes admirably this season. With guard Shaday Woolcock (leg hairline fracture) and forward Charvez Holmes (torn ACL, meniscus) out, Searcy changed the way Avondale plays. The Blue Devils press less frequently and have become more efficient in the half court. Mealing continues to shine, but much of her assistance has come from sources who were not around during Avondale’s championship run last year.
Ninth-graders Alisha Andrews and Mecca Frost could not have more opposite games, and yet, together, they have helped the Blue Devils remain one of the state’s best.
Having seen Andrews’ brilliance as a seventh-grader, I can vouch that she is a spectacular little dynamo, a 5-foot-2 point guard who (you read it here first) will be the state’s best player as a senior — if not before then. She’s quick, fast, can shoot and has a high basketball IQ.
“She’s a freshman in grade classification only,” Searcy said. “She’s beyond her years. She’s been a huge bonus for us. It’s scary how good she is.”
Then there is Frost, who is the sister of former Stephenson guard Nafeesha Frost and daughter of AAU-coaching parents, Olin and Chantay Frost. She is a left-handed guard who plays much slower than Andrews, but has been a steadying force.
“We lost 17 points and six steals [provided by Woolcock] from a senior,” Searcy said. “Mecca hasn’t replaced her there, but she’s played solidly and been a calming influence.”
Of course, Searcy also has Nicole Stroud, the 6-foot-3 star senior who has signed with Georgia. There are also senior Cassandra Russell and a set of tenacious junior twins, Janae and Renee Thomas, who bring effort and productivity.
All that, and there remains a considerable challenge for Avondale to even get to the championship game in the lower classification.
“If people did their research,” Searcy noted, “they would know that Wesleyan has won four of the last five championships in AA. And the year they didn’t win, GAC did — and GAC was in the championship game last season.
“Five teams in the region last year won 20-plus games. So when we went down to AA, I didn’t celebrate. I was like, ‘My goodness.’ … But we’re going to give it a go.”
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Seeding process needs to be reviewed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It seems like there’s always something to talk about in the sport of wrestling. One of the more debatable topics is the pre-determined seeding of the traditional state tournament. Before each area tournament is completed, the spots at the state level are already set up. A certain area champion will wrestle a certain area’s No. 4 seed; the area’s No. 2 against the No. 3, and so on. The imbalance creates problems in the brackets, sometimes forcing the top two wrestlers in a certain weight class to matchup in the quarterfinals or the semifinals, instead of the finals. We talked with three coaches — Cliff Ramos of Class AAAAA’s Collins Hill, Ed Bland of Class AAA’s West Laurens and Doug Thurmond of Class A Jefferson — to get their opinions on what’s working, what isn’t and what can be done differently.
Q: What do you like/dislike about pre-determining the seeds in the individual tournament?
Ramos: “I’ve been on that bandwagon for years. We seed every tournament all year long, but the most important tournament of the year, we don’t seed. All the No. 1 seeds in the eight regions wrestle the No. 4 placer in the first round. It sounds like it’s fair and sometimes it is. But the two best kids in the weight class will sometimes meet in the quarter finals; it happens a lot.”
Bland:“The problem is, you may have two of the best kids in the state in the same area — one of them will get a lower seed. It really is a luck of the draw. But the [current] understanding is, the cream will rise to the top.”
Thurmond:“It works OK for us. Class A’s a little different because in Class AAAAA there’s a lot more kids. A lot of cases in Class A, those eight who qualify are pretty doggone good.”
Q: Give an example of the current system not working.
Bland: “A perfect example: Last year, Matthew Edmondson of Cook High School was the best 215-pounder [in Class AA]. Dondricus Anderson, our guy, was probably the No. 2 kid in the state at 215 pounds. But because they were on the same side of the bracket, Dondricus lost to Edmondson [early] and had to get third. And the kid who got second was probably the third or fourth best 215-pounder.”
Ramos:“Last year, Thomas Knapp (Collins Hill) and Jesse Miller (Parkview). Every coach would’ve seeded them 1 and 2, but they met in the quarters. What happened there was [North Gwinnett’s] Travis Sheehy, a solid wrestler, who lost to Knapp in the area tournament, was in the final. And that happens and it’s not fair.”
Q: What are some solutions to the problem?
Bland:“You get together and have a seed meeting and you put in a good word for your kids.”
Thurmond:“Having a seed meeting, you could look at it for the state tournament, but a lot of [the teams] don’t see each other.”
Ramos: “For a seed meeting, one thing the GHSA has said is, that’s too many coaches, it’d be too hard for everyone to agree on. I think you have one representative from each area get together and seed it. Any system like that with some kind of seeding committee is better than what we do now. I think we also need to make the area tournament tougher; we qualify too many people for the state tournament.”
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Takedown
It’s not just Gwinnett and Cobb anymore
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC’s Kurt Aschermann Jr. talks H.S. wrestling each Thursday. Feel free to talk back.
A discussion of the top wrestling counties in Georgia usually starts with Gwinnett and Cobb, but it doesn’t have to end there.
Enter Henry County. Three teams in three different classifications — Union Grove in AAAAA, Stockbridge in AAAA and Henry County in AAA — can boast legitimate shots at landing in a top-three spot at traditional state next week.
And a fourth, Eagle’s Landing Christian, is not exactly a pushover in Class A.
Union Grove has a near-lock to win a state title at 152 pounds as Carrington Banks is looking for his fourth crown. Only Tyler Parker of Collins Hill has done it at the AAAA level.
But his brother Bradley could win at 160 and 119-pound Joey Lazor has a good shot as well. Throw in Jack Roberts at 145 and Justin Crozier at 125 and the Wolverines could be looking at five finalists.
And here’s something else to think about: 215-pounder Mitch Henson has been hurt all year. Imagine the Wolverines with Henson in the lineup.
The Stockbridge Tigers have already won the AAAA duals crown and should be considered the traditional favorites. The junior class is the core of the team, led by 125-pounder Nathan Allen, 171-pound Gio Graham and the fervent Jose Paz at 215. All three belong on a short list of favorites at their respective weight classes.
Finally, we come to Henry County, the forgotten player in the wild AAA race. The Warhawks’ top three wrestlers — Tim Vlcek at 152, Tyler Faulkner at 160 and Evan Warrington at 103 — all are capable of capturing gold.
But without help from the supporting cast, like 119-pound Justin Hawkins, Henry County can’t make a serious run at the big three in Class AAA.
Wait, there’s more. Eagle’s Landing Christian and Ola aren’t going to be hoisting any championship trophies this season, but the foundations are set at both places. The Eagles could have five placers at the Class A level and one, 215-pound senior Matthew Tavares, is wrestling this season for the first time since eighth grade.
Ola, in its first year, compiled a 24-9 dual record under coach Anthony Partello. Not to mention, each team is in good hands with Stockbridge’s Don Williams, Marty Hutsell at Henry County and Joey Dinino at Union Grove heading a solid group.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see the county reach double-digits in state champions. But remember, you heard it here first.
Week 5 Poll (last week’s ranking in parentheses)
1.McEachern (1)
2.Parkview (2)
3.Collins Hill (3)
4.Walton (4)
5.Stockbridge (5)
6.Gilmer (6)
7TCass (8), West Laurens (9)
9.Jefferson (7)
10.Harrison (10)
11.Union Grove (T-12)
12TLafayette (T-12), Eastside (11)
On the cusp: Whitewater, Grayson, Wesleyan, Henry County, Alexander, Hardaway, Bowdon, Lovett, Northwest Whitfield, Tucker
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who your Top 12 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: Pound For Pound
Take 10: Got PFD?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Football’s over and I’m not happy about it. In fact, I’m downright bitter and feel the need to take shots at baseball and hockey for not being as good of sports as football. I’m definitely suffering from Post-Football Depression. As my dorkiest of football friends put it shortly after the Super Bowl, “and so begins the dark times.” If anyone knows a legal cure for PFD, please let me know. In the meantime, here are 10 of my best suggestions.
Clearly, it’s never too early to begin talking about recruiting.
Norcross wide receiver Brice Butler may be the prized possession of next year’s class. Pete Carroll gave Norcross coach Keith Maloof a call Tuesday to inquire about the 6-2 Butler, who already has offers from Virginia Tech and Mississippi State. Habersham Central ‘s Tavarres King is another wide receiver garnering early attention. He has offers from Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, according to Rivals.com.Talk about the draft with your dorkiest football friends. There could be as many as five Gwinnett County products drafted in April: Maryland’s Stephon Heyer (Brookwood), Georgia Tech’s Mansfield Wrotto (Brookwood), Auburn’s David and Kenny Irons (Dacula) and Notre Dame’s Darius Walker (Buford). Who gets picked first?
Go see Collins Hill’s Maya Moore and Meadowcreek’s Chris Allen play basketball. These are two of the best talents to come through Gwinnett County possibly ever.
Hibernate until next season. Set the alarm for Aug. 5, when the Saints and Steelers open the preseason in the Hall of Fame Game. Clemson and Florida State open the college season on Labor Day, Sept. 3.
Speaking of New Orleans —Go to Mardi Gras. The city is trying diligently to rebuild and needs all the help and support it can get. Help New Orleans out by having an absolute blast. Fat Tuesday is Feb. 20. Look me up when you get there, and I’ll buy you a virgin Jack and coke.
Remind yourself that spring football practice is less than two months away. Georgia’s G-Day game is April 7. In last year’s spring game, Matthew Stafford hooked up with Buford’s Mikey Henderson on a long bomb. It will be interesting to see if Henderson, who was an All-SEC return specialist, can become more of a playmaker on offense.
I wish I could say baseball, but I’m just not sure a 10th Royals-Devil Rays series is really a cure for boredom. Too many games, too many bad teams.
Arena football moves to ESPN Primetime. Great.
Put in a call to Michael Vick, asking what he keeps in the secret compartment of his water bottle, if not drugs.
March Madness, the ultimate cure for PFD, actually starts in late February with the conference tournaments and doesn’t subside until April, when the Final Four comes to Atlanta. Will either Georgia or Georgia Tech make the tournament?
Permalink | | Categories: David Purdum, David Purdum
Sampson a big reminder of famous father
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He has the look of his dad, and not just in height. The thick eyebrows. The narrow shoulders. The No. 50 on his back. Yes, Ralph Sampson III is a chip off the old lamp post.
It does not stop there, however. The young Sampson — Northview’s 6-foot-10 junior — has a game that cannot help but remind one of his dad, who was perhaps the most fervently recruited high school player of all time.
At 7 feet 4 with a wingspan that seemed to stretch the width of the court, the elder Sampson was a three-time college National Player of the Year at the University of Virginia and had a nine-year NBA career that started smartly but was undone by knee troubles.
Barring a quantum growth in his skills, the younger son will be less ballyhooed than his dad. But then, who is not? Still, colleges have been blowing up his phone with the hope/expectation that his talent and genes will produce another giant star.
Tuesday night was Sampson III’s moment of arrival. Against perhaps the state’s best big man, Wheeler’s J.J. Hickson, Sampson had an affirming performance. It was not so much the 22 points he scored, but more than that, he was unfazed by the challenge of going up against the talented Hickson.
“He’s very physical,” Sampson said afterward. “Great player. It was a good test for me.”
A test his father deemed a success. Watching from his standard seat on the baseline, it was almost as if Sampson’s chest expanded with every play his son made.
“I love to see him play,” he said. “Having been there, I know what it’s like to enjoy high school basketball. But what he did tonight, it shows the development of his skills. He can be one of the best big men in the country.”
Indeed, Sampson made a strong account of himself, as did coach Steve Bombard, who took over about a month ago after the coach quit. Bombard showed admirable acumen in utilizing his talent and timeouts and in devising keen strategy. He was as much the reason Northview hung in with Wheeler as anyone — and the Titans could have won had Sampson’s hurried 3-pointer at the buzzer fallen.
Yes, Sampson is his father’s child, a behemoth with skills of smaller men.
Daddy Sampson both amazed and aggravated with his desire to play some sort of point forward and, to a lesser degree, point guard at his towering height.
“In today’s game, you have to do both,” Bombard said. “And Ralph works very hard on his shooting.”
So hard, the father said he has to pull his son out of the gym. “He loves to play and has a great desire to get better,” dad said. “His dedication to the game is there.”
You have to like this about the Sampson kid: Nothing seems to faze him.
After Hickson dunked over him on the baseline, Sampson responded immediately with a 3-point jump shot over Hickson. When he missed a dunk on one end, Sampson hustled back for a spectacular block on the other.
In between, he dunked off an alley-oop pass, was a reliable outlet against Wheeler’s vaunted press and generally showed a strong understanding of the game.
At home recovering from a cold was Sampson III’s little brother, Robert, a 6-foot-5 left-handed-shooting ninth-grader with a tough disposition. “To have a daughter at Stanford [Rachel] making all A’s and two sons playing ball, it’s just great for me,” Sampson said. “I’m having a blast. And so are they. It should be a fun run for all of us.”
Permalink | | Categories: Curtis Bunn
GSWA Basketball Poll: Feb. 6
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greater Atlanta Christian girls team finally wrestled the top spot in the poll from Avondale with its win over the second-ranked Blue Devils last week.
This will make for an interesting Region 6-AA tournament with No. 6 Wesleyan still posing a threat. GAC was the only team to take over a top spot in the poll.
Fayette County boys played well while leading scorer Noel Johnson was out nursing an ankle injury. With his return, the Tigers have kicked it up a notch.
Johnson, one of the top sophomores in the country, has averaged 24.6 points over the last five games as the No. 6 Tigers are contending for the Region 2-AAAA championship.
It seems Whitefield Academy is peaking at the right time. Saturday’s 71-39 win over defending Class A champions Southwest Atlanta Christian was definitely an attention grabber.
Who’s hot, who’s not - you tell us. Submit your comments below.
Georgia Sportswriters Association Basketball Poll
BOYS
CLASS AAAAA
1.Norcross
2.Meadowcreek
3.Beach
4.Peachtree Ridge
5.Wheeler
6.McEachern
7.Marietta
8.Centennial
9.Tri-Cities
10.Johnson-Savannah
AAAA
1.Columbia
2.Cedar Shoals
3.Tucker
4.Cherokee
5.Lithia Springs
6.Fayette County
7.Stone Mountain
8.Stockbridge
9.Westlake
10.Riverdale
AAA
1.Dunwoody
2.East Hall
3.Southside
4.Carver-Columbus
5.Jordan
6.Northside-Columbus
7.South Atlanta
8.Glenn Hills
9.Westover
10.Northeast Macon
AA
1.Thomasville
2.Buford
3.Swainsboro
4.Randolph-Clay
5.Coosa
6.Decatur
7.Darlington
8.Manchester
9.Wesleyan
10.Dodge County
A
1.Wilkinson County
2.Whitefield Academy
3.Calvary Day
4.Turner County
5.St. Francis
6.SW Atlanta Christian
7.Taylor County
8.Jefferson
9.Providence Christian
10.Hancock Central
GIRLS
AAAAA
1.Collins Hill
2.Stephenson
3.South Gwinnett
4.Mill Creek
5.Campbell
6.Etowah
7.Marietta
8.Morrow
9.Beach
10.Berkmar
AAAA
1.St. Pius
2.Greenbrier
3.Northside-Warner Robins
4.Marist
5.Clarke Central
6.Mays
7.Westlake
8.North Clayton
9.Dalton
10.(tie) Salem, SW DeKalb and Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe
AAA
1.Southwest Macon
2.Carrollton
3.Kendrick
4.Hephzibah
5.East Hall
6.Hardaway
7.Towers
8.Worth County
9.Sandy Creek
10.Franklin County
AA
1.Greater Atlanta Christian
2.Avondale
3.Randolph-Clay
4.McIntosh County Academy
5.Laney
6.Wesleyan
7.Rutland
8.Dodge County
9.Armuchee
10.Screven County
A
1.Landmark Christian
2.(tie) Calvary Day, Bowdon
4.SW Atlanta Christian
5.Hancock Central
6.Treutlen
7.Calhoun County
8.Hebron Christian
9.Hawkinsville
10.St. Francis
Note: This list compiled by Derrick Mahone each week from GSWA voting results
With many of the ranked teams meeting this week, there is bound to be a big shakeup in next week’s rankings. What’s your take on this week’s poll? Who is being overlooked? Who shouldn’t be here at all? Who’s got game? Who’s got lame? Hoops talk starts now.
Permalink | Comments (35) | Categories: Basketball rankings
Girls: Tourney Time
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Region tournaments start next week. And whether we like it or not, one game can make or break an entire season.
This is what we know: Collins Hill, Mill Creek, South Gwinnett, GAC, Wesleyan, Hebron and Providence look like shoo-ins to make state.
But what about the rest?
Will Berkmar and Duluth end their 31-year state droughts?
Will Brookwood make it for the third straight year? Will Central Gwinnett return after a one-year absence?
Can North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge, or even Norcross crash the party?
Let me know your predictions.
Permalink | Comments (18) | Categories: Gwinnett Hoops
Tough choice for Mr. Georgia Basketball
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is the last full week of the regular season, and then teams begin qualifying for state.
Which player had the best regular season?
Several come to mind, like Chris Allen of Meadowcreek, J.J. Hickson of Wheeler, Gani Lawal of Norcross, Jeremy Price of Columbia, just to name a few. These players’ teams have been in the spotlight and have some national television and publication exposure.
Senario Hillman of Wilkinson County has the Warriors looking like champions. Cedar Shoals’ Cris Kuperts is one of the best scorers in the state, and has the Jaguars No. 1 in AAAA.
The process of selecting Mr. Basketball is only a few weeks away, and some tough decisions must be made. The aforementioned names are definitely strong candidates for the annual award.
However, there are some other senior players in the metro area who are flying under the radar.
Dunwoody hasn’t missed a beat with Zac Swansey’s elevated performances. Terrell Bell has Stone Mountain among the top teams in Class AAAA.
Chattahoochee is a dangerous team with Trevor Gaskins. While we are in North Fulton, don’t underestimate the job that Connor Nolte has done for Milton. Zach Graham has Peachtree Ridge among the state’s elite in AAAAA. Charles Corbin has Griffin peaking at the right time.
What player out there needs to be shown some love?
Permalink | Comments (49) | Categories: Fastbreak
Parents, be quiet and enjoy the game
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As a parent of a high school athlete, I understand the emotions that come with seeing your child perform in the sporting arena. It’s exciting. You want your kid to flourish. And so you cheer.
That should be it. The father or mother who yells and screams during the game to the point of being obnoxious must stop. Now.
You are not helping anything. You’re embarrassing yourself. Worse, you are embarrassing your kid.
It is only a game played by youths, so let them enjoy it without the loudly expressed, maniacal ranting. You screaming to the referee for all to hear that he is “blind” — as I heard the other night from a Redan parent in its girls basketball game against Stephenson — does not help your child’s team.
It simply makes your kid squirm. And the coaches are put in a very awkward position. They want your support, but have to straddle a floss-thin line in receiving it and not offending you by asking you to shut your pie hole!
So, I’ll do it: Shut your pie hole! And enjoy the game. High school sports are to be enjoyed to the fullest. The kids are having fun. The parent should, too, without all the screaming.
Permalink | Comments (12) | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Gifted Billingslea lifts Stephenson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two years ago, immediately after Stephenson had fallen to Collins Hill in the state championship game, Jaguars coach Dennis Watkins stood outside his team’s locker room at the Gwinnett Center and had a tête-à-tête with his young guard, Ashlie Billingslea.
The sophomore was disconsolate in defeat, and Watkins felt it imperative to get in her ear right then. “Just to let her know that pain is temporary,” the coach said. “Especially for such a young player who was used to winning, that was a tough loss to take.
“She was frustrated, and I wanted her to know that being in the Final Four as a sophomore was huge. She still had time.”
In that time, Billingslea has blossomed into a brilliant performer who no longer is subject to stretches of uneven play. Rather, the senior plays with a control and confidence that has led Stephenson to a 23-0 record with its 56-49 victory over rival Redan on Friday night.
“I took that talk to heart,” she said. “I’m not saying I’m sensitive, but whatever I hear — encouragement or criticism — I try to take it and enforce it in the team.”
That enforcement has wrought another fantastic season under Watkins, the accomplished coach with a steady temperament. The Jaguars’ No. 2 ranking in the state is a surprise to most, including the coach. But not Billingslea, whose bubbly personality is as delightful as her game.
“I expected this,” she said, her eyes wide, her smile bright. “I lot of people don’t know what goes on on the inside. In my other years, even though we won, we didn’t have a great chemistry.
“This team, we all hang out. We’re all friends. There are no problems on the inside. We’re all good friends, and that translates into good play on the court.”
Billingslea, a superb ball-handler and clever passer, was good in a lot of ways Friday, particularly when her team needed to hold at bay the hard-playing Raiders (10-8). Redan led by eight, but the Jags cut it to one at halftime. In the second half, Billingslea put her mark on the outcome.
In one stretch, she fed Rudie Denson for a 3-pointer. She sank a smooth 15-footer. She added another jumper. She had a steal that resulted in a Jylisa Williams layup. Stephenson led 52-45, and the game was in hand.
“Each year Ashlie has improved,” Watkins said. “She hits the jumper. She doesn’t realize she doesn’t have to do it all. She leads.”
It is noticeable that Billingslea seemingly can play the entire game without concern for getting fatigued. “I worked with the football trainer to improve my agility and strength,” she said.
Added Watkins: “She’s really worked hard. She’s earned everything she’s gotten through hard work. And that’s the same for the whole team. They work hard.”
Billingslea, who has signed with South Carolina, has a number of resources to aid the Jaguars’ cause, including Williams, a junior who plays with energy and passion.
But the Jaguars lack an imposing inside force, so they will rely on speed and hustle to challenge the likes of No. 1 Collins Hill and the other top teams in AAAAA.
“A lot of good teams out there,” Watkins said. “We lost five seniors. But this group plays hard, and there’s no substitute for hard work.”
Or a talented senior leader who makes things happen.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Region races coming down to the wire
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Turner County put itself into position to go unbeaten in Region 2-A play by getting double-figure scoring from six different players Tuesday night. Led by Marquis Jackson’s 16 points, No. 4 Turner County seized control of the Region 2-A boys race by whipping Dooly County 91-54.
The Rebels (19-2, 10-0 in region play) meet second-place Wilcox tonight with first-place on the line. The Turner-Wilcox game is one of several around the state that could settle playoff seeds.
Some races going down to the wire:
BOYS
Region 6-A: Trion, Gordon Lee and Bremen all have two region losses. Trion could have the upper hand, particularly if the Bulldogs beat Excel Christian Friday, which would guarantee them at least a tie for first place.
Region 3-AAA: Glenn Hills, led by Jerel Stephenson’s 16.5 points per game, is 20-3 and 6-2 in the subregion, tied with Thomson for second place and a game back of first-place Washington County. Thomson and Washington County play Friday with first place on the line.
Region 7-AA: Coosa and Darlington are each 8-1 in region play. Coosa is 18-3 overall.
Region 1-AAAAA: Warner Robins scored 101 points in a win over Lowndes last week, but the Demons lost their hold on first place in the region by losing to Tift County 54-53 Tuesday night. Tift, which won the state title in 1996, is 16-6 overall and forced a first-place tie.
Region 3-AAAAA: Johnson-Savannah (17-5, 9-2) plays Beach with first place on the line. The Atom Smashers get 20 points and 14 rebounds per game from 6-foot-8 junior Toby Veal.
Good Stats, Bad Struggles: Harlem senior Demarcus Morris is averaging 14.9 points per game, but his Bulldogs are just 4-16. Morris scored 29 against Thomson last week and 21 against Butler … Elijah Pitts averages 12.6 points for 7-13 Hardaway.
GIRLS
Region 1-AAA: Worth County and Dougherty each have one region loss and will likely settle the region’s top seed Tuesday in Sylvester. Dougherty took a double-overtime win at home the first time the two teams played. Worth (19-2 overall, 6-1 region) gets back leading scorer Tia Lewis (14 ppg, 15 rebounds per game), who sat out the Rams’ win over Monroe Tuesday because of a violation of team rules.
Region 7-AA: With two games left, Armuchee (19-3) is tied for the south subregion lead with fellow Rome school Model … In the north, LaFayette (15-4, 7-0) looks to win its first girls basketball championship, according to coach Matt Swanson, whose club gets 12.5 ppg each from Jenny Link and Keri O’Neal.
Region 7-AAAA: Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe, led by high-scoring Kayla Weaver (21.8 ppg), looks to keep a clear path to a region title tonight against Northwest Whitfield. The Lady Warriors can claim the regular-season region title by winning that game and beating Dalton.
Region 1-AAAAA: Houston enters the weekend at 7-2 in region play, a half game ahead of Warner Robins (16-4) and Lowndes. Lowndes plays Houston tonight (Friday) and Houston plays host to Warner Robins Feb. 6. Warner Robins’ Cherie White surpassed 1,200 career points with a 17-point effort Tuesday …
Region 7-AAA: Pickens (17-4, 5-0) needs one win in its last two games to clinch its third straight subregion title. The 17 wins are the most by a girls team at the Jasper school since the 1999-2000 season.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: State Hoops Report
Westminster athlete learns several skills from sports
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mariah Deans, a senior co-captain of the Westminster basketball and golf teams, has no intention of playing sports in college. She will, though, advance to the next phase of her life armed with the considerable lasting impressions that come with being a high school athlete.
That is the wonder of prep sports. From the athletic prodigy to the less-than-athletic prodigy, there is so much that comes with being on a team at this level. Camaraderie. Competitiveness. Toughness. Leadership. Determination. Sportsmanship.
“For Mariah, she got out of sports what you are supposed to get out of sports,” said her mother, Terry Williams. “Sports have been a huge part of her development. Participating has let her know what she can do. It’s given her the courage to do other things. It’s been a real big confidence-builder.”
Deans is an honor student (3.6 GPA, 1710 on the SAT). She is the Westminster Student Government 12th-grade girls president and holds other leadership positions on campus. She also is actively involved in community-service work.
She is beloved by classmates and respected by coaches and administrators. And, as far as she is concerned, much of it goes back to being a student-athlete.
“It’s meant so much to me,” she said during lunch Thursday. “Playing sports helped me a lot with my people skills, being a part of a team. I’ve learned to trust people more. My teammates depend on me, and I depend on them.”
Coach Tray Malloy has depended on Deans for leadership and has received even more than he had expected.
“Mariah epitomizes what being a student-athlete is all about, the true sense of the ideal,” Malloy said. “In the last two years, her leadership has grown tenfold. She’s become a soft-spoken, but dynamic, leader. “For an educator or a coach, she’s what it looks like. What she’s gained in learning about herself, and the characteristics of who she is, flourished because she plays sports.”
This is not to say a high-school career devoid of athletics leaves a kid empty. Not at all. But there are many virtues to participating in sports that can help a youth grow.
“I wouldn’t be the same person I am if I had not played sports,” Deans said. “It’s helped me develop as a person much quicker, and I can take all I’ve learned with me to college.”
One of the many honors that signify Deans’ diligence is the Practice Player Award she won as a sophomore. Her sister, Julia, was a standout at Whitefield Academy, and while the game did not come as easily to her, she poured herself into it to get better.
“She’s finally beginning to believe she can play,” her mom said. “She was in the shadow of her sister, Julia, who was great. Now she believes she can play, and she just goes at it.”
Golf is an individual sport, but, in that, Deans’ drive to push herself to achieve has been fortified. “It’s on me with golf. You have to have the drive to do it yourself,” she said.
Deans sees herself at Vanderbilt or Spelman studying pre-dentistry or biology next year. “No sports,” she said, “but I’ll be carrying everything I learned playing sports with me.”
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Is it time to reduce the number of classes?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Folks throughout the Georgia high school wrestling community have been asking for a reduction in the number of classifications for quite some time now. At the state duals championships in Macon, the two lower classifications have eight-team brackets, while the three highest classes each have 16 teams. At the individual state tournament, the three lower classifications have 16-man brackets, while Class AAAA and AAAAA have 32-man brackets. We talked with Holy Innocents’ coach Richard Mastrocova about the imbalances and what can be done.
Q: You came to Georgia from upstate New York and in the Northeast they do high school wrestling a little differently. Talk about the differences.
A:“I’m originally from New York state and there weren’t any classifications when I was there. Everybody was in one class and you had to win your section to go to state. I knew that Pennsylvania had a few divisions and they would divide it up that way. I think [in Georgia] you have to add one more step to the area competition level; get it to be a little more reflective of how hard it is to be a state champion.”
Q: Pennsylvania also has its state champions in each weight class wrestle to determine a “true state champion,” something a number of Georgia wrestling people have wanted for years.
A:“Yes, Pennsylvania has a neat thing where they have the finalists from each weight class wrestle to determine the overall state champion.”
Q: Do you think they should eliminate some of the classes?
A:“I think you can combine Class A and AA and possibly AAA and AAAA so you’d have three state championships. I think it’s more of what you have in other states and I think you could very easily combine those classes. But you would have to re-determine how the qualifying happens; maybe only two wrestlers qualify from each area.”
Q: What is the main disadvantage to having so many classifications in wrestling?
A:“We have a little bit of watered down effect in terms of competition.”
Q: Play devil’s advocate here: what would be the main reason for keeping the five classifications?
A:“Well, for instance our wrestler, Jack Templeton. Even though he’s not at one of these huge schools like Parkview or McEachern, it almost means more to do it at Holy Innocents’ because you might be a big fish in a little pond. At a place like Collins Hill, you’re just one of many.”
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Takedown
Condon-Stephens match one to remember
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC’s Kurt Aschermann Jr. talks H.S. wrestling each Thursday. Feel free to talk back.
There were three great duals Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Tuesday, Stockbridge and Eastside renewed their rivalry with the Class AAAA champion Tigers winning 29-27 after their 37-28 win over the Eagles in the AAAA semifinals. Wednesday, a pair of duals took place only eight miles from each other: Union Grove visited Class AAAAA duals champion McEachern while Harrison entertained Class AA duals runner-up Lafayette.
The Union Grove-McEachern matchup never materialized. Nick Turpin (125 pounds) opened the match with a late takedown to hold off Justin Crozier 4-2 and the Indians never looked back, collecting four pins and three majors in a 45-20 win.
At Harrison, the dual was much closer. In a shrewd move, the meet started at 171 pounds, allowing the feature match — Harrison’s Josh Condon and Ian Stephens of Lafayette - to close out the dual at 160 pounds. With the Hoyas clinging to a 27-24 lead, Condon and Stephens got together.
The hype surrounding the Condon-Stephens match was similar to last January’s dual between Collins Hill and Henry County, when 135-pounders Thomas Knapp of Collins Hill and Henry County’s Brett Warrington battled in Gwinnett in a dual won by Knapp 3-1 in overtime.
Condon secured two takedowns and a near fall in the second period and another takedown in the third and controlled a majority of the match, winning a 9-4 decision. Stephens, who’s in his first year at Lafayette after transferring from neighboring Ridgeland High School, had been 54-0 coming in to the night. Ramblers coach Lee Dendy said Stephens hasn’t had the national exposure of Condon, but that there was no shame in his 160-pounder losing to a wrestler of Condon’s caliber.
These types of team battles and one-on-one matchups so close to the individual state tournament are good things for the sport of wrestling. It’s just too bad you can’t be in two places at once.
ONE LAST THING….
Don’t count out Henry County in the Class AAA race. The Warhwaks have six potential state placers and three wrestlers — Evan Warrington at 103 pounds; Tim Vlcek at 152 and Tyler Faulkner at 160 that, when right, can win individual state titles. If they can get help from their supporting cast — Justin Hawkins (119 pounds); Jonathan Parker (heavyweight); Justin Middlebrooks (112) and Anthony Fretwell (130) — the Warhawks might be right in the thick of the race for the AAA team title.
Gilmer, Cass and West Laurens are the lead horses in AAA, but Marty Hutsell’s group will be a factor in Gwinnett.
Week 4 Poll (last week’s ranking in parentheses)
1.McEachern (1)
2.Parkview (2)
3.Collins Hill (3)
4.Walton (5)
5.Stockbridge (4)
6.Gilmer (6)
7.Jefferson (7)
8.Cass (8)
9.West Laurens (9)
10.Harrison (T-12)
11.Eastside (10)
12T.Lafayette (11)
Union Grove (T-12)
On the cusp: Wesleyan, Henry County, Grayson, Whitewater, Lovett, Hardaway
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who your Top 12 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Categories: Pound For Pound
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