Two No. 1-ranked boys basketball teams, both defending champions, were beaten last week.
Langston Hughes remained No. 1. Buford did not, giving way to Warner Robins.
Hughes (15-4, 10-1) was upset by Alexander 70-66 in a Region 5-AAAAAA game on Tuesday, then bounced back to beat current No. 6-ranked Tri-Cities 69-58 on Friday. Region 5 is also home to No. 5 Douglas County, making it the state’s toughest at the top. Alexander (9-6, 7-2) remains unranked despite its second-place standing in the region.
Buford (15-3, 6-1) lost to Cedar Shoals 65-64 in a Region 8-AAAAA game on Friday. That was a rematch of the 2017 championship game, won by Buford. Cedar Shoals (8-10, 6-1) remains unranked but moved into a tie for first in the region.
The new No. 1 team in AAAAA is Warner Robins (15-2), which has lost only to AAAA No. 1 Upson-Lee and AAAAAA No. 4 Gainesville. Warner Robins has emerged as a factor in basketball the past five seasons. The Demons reached the quarterfinals last season, the semifinals in 2015 and the finals in 2014 but have never won a state championship in boys basketball.
Two other No. 1 teams had good weeks that are worth noting.
Upson-Lee of AAAA extended its winning streak to 50 with a 74-34 victory over Howard. Upson-Lee’s next game is Friday at home against No. 5 Mary Persons (17-1). Mary Persons’ only loss was against Upson-lee on Dec. 5.
Manchester, the No. 1 Class A public-school team, had two quality wins in recent days. The Blue Devils defeated current No. 6 Central-Talbotton 56-44 on Friday in a game between unbeaten teams. On Saturday, Manchester beat current No. 4 Macon County 74-73.
New to the rankings this week are Wheeler for Etowah in AAAAAAA, Eagle’s Landing and Jackson-Atlanta for Columbia and Woodland-Stockbridge in AAAAA, Stratford Academy and Lakeview Academy for Walker and King’s Ridge Christian in A private and Wilcox County for Hancock Central in A public.
For girls rankings, click here.
Click on any team name below to see the team's schedule and scores.
Class AAAAAAA
- McEachern (14-2)
- Norcross (16-2)
- Pebblebrook (16-2)
- Mountain View (16-2)
- Meadowcreek (13-3)
- Newton (15-3)
- Grayson (13-3)
- Peachtree Ridge (14-3)
- Wheeler (12-6)
- Collins Hill (16-2)
Class AAAAAA
- Langston Hughes (15-4)
- Brunswick (17-1)
- Cambridge (17-1)
- Gainesville (11-6)
- Douglas County (13-4)
- Tri-Cities (14-4)
- Bradwell Institute (13-5)
- Jonesboro (12-6)
- Creekview (15-2)
- Lanier (13-5)
Class AAAAA
- Warner Robins (14-2)
- Buford (15-3)
- Miller Grove (12-6)
- Southwest DeKalb (13-6)
- Lithonia (15-4)
- Stockbridge (13-4)
- Villa Rica (16-0)
- Clarke Central (14-4)
- Jackson-Atlanta (15-1)
- Eagle's Landing (11-5)
Class AAAA
- Upson-Lee (18-0)
- St. Pius (16-2)
- Americus-Sumter (15-2)
- Cartersville (12-2)
- Mary Persons (17-1)
- Sandy Creek (12-5)
- Westover (13-4)
- Carver-Columbus (15-4)
- Baldwin (13-5)
- Salem (14-4)
Class AAA
- Morgan County (17-0)
- Jenkins (12-3)
- Johnson (13-2)
- Westside (9-7)
- Greater Atlanta Christian (14-3)
- Cedar Grove (11-6)
- Central-Macon (12-3)
- Windsor Forest (11-6)
- Dawson County (13-4)
- Pace Academy (9-8)
Class AA
- Glenn Hills (16-0)
- Thomasville (15-2)
- Dublin (13-2)
- South Atlanta (15-2)
- Laney (13-3)
- Chattooga (14-2)
- Bleckley County (13-3)
- Washington County (10-5)
- Swainsboro (12-3)
- Elbert County (15-2)
Class A (Private)
- St. Francis (15-2)
- Aquinas (16-3)
- Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (15-2)
- Christian Heritage (16-0)
- North Cobb Christian (13-5)
- Greenforest Christian (7-9)
- Holy Innocents' (10-7)
- Stratford Academy (8-4)
- Mount Vernon Presbyterian (11-4)
- Lakeview Academy (11-5)
Class A (Public)
- Manchester (14-0)
- Calhoun County (16-2)
- Lanier County (15-2)
- Macon County (12-3)
- Woodville-Tompkins (15-2)
- Central-Talbotton (14-1)
- Montgomery County (13-3)
- Wilkinson County (11-6)
- Pelham (13-3)
- Wilcox County (13-3)
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