Basketball rankings: Archer girls take No. 1 in AAAAAA

Archer is the new No. 1 girls team in Class AAAAAA.

The Tigers moved up from No. 2 in this week’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution high school basketball rankings after the previous top-ranked team, Collins Hill, suffered its first loss of the season, 55-45 against Norcross last week.

Collins Hill dropped to No. 5, and Norcross moved from No. 5 to No. 4. Norcross, the 2015 runner-up, has won eight straight games. Three of its losses came in overtime early in the season.

Archer, a semifinalist last season, is 16-3 overall but undefeated against Georgia teams. The Tigers’ losses came against Myrtle Beach (S.C.), Providence Day (N.C.) and Riverdale (Tenn.), all of which are ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in their states in the latest MaxPreps rankings.

Two No. 2-ranked girls teams lost last week and dropped. Class AAAAA Brunswick lost to unranked Camden County 49-43 and fell to No. 5. Class AAA Laney lost to Class A No. 1 St. Francis 72-51 and fell to No. 3.

Several highly ranked boys teams lost, but none was overly surprising.

No. 3 Gainesville of AAAAA lost to No. 1 Wheeler of AAAAAA but stayed put.

No. 1 Greenforest Christian of Class A lost to AAA No. 2 South Atlanta. Both maintained their rankings.

St. Pius remained No. 3 in AAAA despite a 69-52 loss to Allderice, the No. 1-ranked Class 4A team in Pennsylvania.

St. Pius added the Saturday game last-minute to help salvage the five-game Peachtree Corners Invitational at Norcross. Only two of the six out-of-state teams were able to make the event because of weather, and local closings prevented host Norcross and other public schools from participating. So St. Pius stepped in to provide Allderice an opponent and a place to play.

In the other game, nationally ranked St. John’s of Washington, D.C., defeated Class A No. 2 St. Francis, Georgia’s defending private-school champion. St. Francis also lost to Whitefield Academy last week and fell to No. 4.

In AAAAAA, Dacula replaced Region 8 rival Berkmar at No. 10 in the rankings. Dacula upset then No. 4 Shiloh (now No. 5) while Berkmar lost to unranked Grayson.

Effingham County, which has won seven straight games, joined the AAAAA rankings. Shaw lost twice. Heritage-Conyers (15-5) dropped four spots to No. 10 after an overtime loss to unranked Salem.

In AAAA, Monroe of Albany replaced Walnut Grove, which lost to Henry County. Dublin replaced Vidalia in the AA rankings.

There were three new girls teams in the top 10s, all are making their season debuts in the rankings. Gainesville (14-3) and Woodland-Stockbridge (13-1) replaced Columbus and Cross Creek in Class AAAAA, and Commerce (12-4) replaced Eagle’s Landing Christian in Class A.

BOYS

Class AAAAAA

1. Wheeler (15-5)

2. Norcross (17-2)

3. Westlake (14-2)

5. Tift County (19-2)

4. Shiloh (14-4)

6. Pebblebrook (13-7)

7. Tucker (16-4)

8. McEachern (16-3)

9. Newton (17-2)

10. Dacula (14-4)

Class AAAAA

1. Allatoona (19-0)

2. Miller Grove (19-2)

3. Gainesville (13-4)

4. Cedar Shoals (20-2)

5. McIntosh (17-2)

6. South Paulding (16-3)

7. Riverwood (20-1)

8. Southwest DeKalb (18-3)

9. Effingham County (18-3)

10. Heritage-Conyers (15-5)

Class AAAA

1. Jonesboro (17-3)

2. Grady (18-2)

3. St. Pius (17-3)

4. Lithonia (15-4)

5. Eagle’s Landing (19-1)

6. Liberty County (17-1)

7. Redan (13-6)

8. Sandy Creek (14-5)

9. Worth County (15-3)

10. Monroe (13-5)

Class AAA

1. Calhoun (18-0)

2. South Atlanta (16-4)

3. Laney (18-2)

4. Morgan County (16-4)

5. Westminster (17-2)

6. Central-Macon (18-2)

7. Jenkins (16-3)

8. Johnson-Savannah (15-5)

9. Westside-Augusta (11-3)

10. Banks County (18-2)

Class AA

1. Thomasville (20-1)