We’ve begun the 2014-15 basketball season without a consensus pick at the top of Class AA girls hoops.
Kendrick, which went 29-0 last season, winning regularly by 50-point margins, is now in Class AAA. That could leave the door open for Wesleyan, the previous champ and last year’s runner-up, to retake the throne. But Pelham flirted with perfection last year and returns key pieces from that squad.
Here’s a look at a few of the contenders for the Class AA girls crown this season …
Wesleyan
Last year: 27-4
Dating back to their days in Class A, the Lady Wolves had won five consecutive state titles before Kendrick ended that run last March. Led by a pair of college prospects, they appear poised to contend for another championship this season. Six-foot senior forward Nikki McDonald, an Elon signee, earned first-team All-State honors last year, averaging 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds last year to lead the team in both categories. Also primed for a breakout is 5-10 guard Mikayla Coombs, considered one of the top sophomores in the country by recruiting services. She averaged 11.8 points per game last season
Pelham
Last year: 27-1, quarterfinals
The Lady Hornets lose only two seniors from the roster that made into the third round of the postseason before dropping a game in 2013-14. At the top of that list is 5-11 Briunna Freeman. A first-team All-State guard and a Arkansas commit, Freeman averaged 18 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game last year. All nine of Pelham’s top scorers are back, including 5-10 guard Destiny Thomas, who averaged 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game last season as a freshman.
Putnam County
Last year: 27-3, semifinals
The Lady Eagles are off to 4-1 start this season, led again by last year’s top scorer, Ebony Hargrove (5-10, G/F; Jr.). She led the Eagles last year with 12.8 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. Putnam County must replace two of top three scorers, though, including Breanna Mullens, who earned an All-State honorable mention last season
Holy Innocents’
Last year: 29-1, Class A finals
The Lady Bears are expected to be a major factor in Region 6-AA and in the state in their first season in Class AA. Holy Innocents’ fell, 57-52, to Southwest Atlanta Christian in the Class A state championship game last season, but avenged that loss to some small degree with a 63-58 win on Tuesday night. The Lady Bears lost only one senior off last year’s team and return all three of their top scorers. Erika Cassell, a 6-2 junior who has already committed to Stanford, highlights the group. She averaged 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season. Sophomore point guard Khayla Pointer is also considered to be a high-level prospect; she averaged 13.5 points, 4.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game last season as a freshman.
Greater Atlanta Christian
Last year: 23-7, state quarterfinals
The Lady Spartans only lost to two Class AA teams last year – state finalists Wesleyan and Kendrick – and they gave Kendick one of its closest games of the season, 65-62 in the quarterfinals. However, GAC now has to contend with not only Wesleyan, but newcomer Holy Innocents’ in Region 6-AA. The Lady Spartans will also find replacements for All-Staters Brianna Cummings and Sydni Means, the graduated duo who accounted for more than 32 combined points per game last season.
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