First place in Region 7-AAAAAA will be at stake when the boys basketball teams from North Atlanta and Chattahoochee meet in Johns Creek in one of the biggest Class AAAAAA games of the weekend.
Eighth-ranked North Atlanta (15-4, 9-1) holds a half-game lead over the No. 3-ranked Cougars despite losing 67-59 when the teams met on Dec. 7 at North Atlanta. Chattahoochee (17-3, 9-2) has a one-game lead over Cambridge (12-8, 8-3) and Pope (14-5, 8-3), which avenged a 70-45 loss to Cambridge on Dec. 4 with a 66-56 win on Tuesday.
North Atlanta is led by Messiah Thompson, a 5-foot-8 senior guard who has committed to Campbell University. Thompson, who was an honorable mention all-state selection last season, averaged 24.75 points in his first four games of 2019, including 32 in a 61-54 victory over Pope on Jan. 5.
Chattahoochee guards Franklin Bailey (junior), Cameron Sheffield (junior) and A.J. White (sophomore) are capable of hitting the 3-pointer and having big scoring nights. Grant Van Beveren, a 6-foot-6 post player who signed with Wake Forest, leads the Cougars in double-doubles this season.
The Cougars have won 10 consecutive games since a 69-64 loss to Dunwoody on Dec. 11. That was one of the biggest upsets of the year in Class AAAAAA, considering that Dunwoody is 6-13 overall and tied for seventh place in the nine-team region with a 2-9 mark.
Here are some of the other top games in Class AAAAAA this weekend:
Boys
*Coffee at Brunswick (Saturday): Two first-place teams – No. 2 Coffee (16-2) of Region 1 and No. 9 Brunswick (11-6) of Region 2 – step out of league play to try to establish supremacy in south Georgia. Coffee went 20-8 last season, losing to eventual champion Hughes 71-67 in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. The Trojans are led by guard Jayce Moore, a second-team all-state pick last season. Coffee's 72-57 victory over Brunswick on Dec. 15 is the Pirates' only loss against a Georgia opponent this season.
*Hughes vs. Tri-Cities (Saturday): Sixth-ranked Tri-Cities (14-5, 10-1), the first-place team in a loaded Region 5, will try to avenge its only region loss of the season when it takes on the two-time defending state champion Panthers for the second time in eight days. Hughes is just 8-10 overall but has improved to 6-4 in region play and moved into fourth place with a three-game winning streak that included a 64-58 victory over Tri-Cities on Jan. 11. Forward Tyrel Morgan scored 25 points against Tri-Cities last weekend.
Girls
*Alpharetta at Northview (Friday): Alpharetta has been under the radar since a 4-3 start that included a 65-50 loss to third-ranked Northview on Dec. 7, but the Raiders (15-4, 9-1) are 11-1 since then and can move into a tie for first place in Region 7 by beating the Titans (14-4, 10-0) this time around. Northview forward Ashlee Austin, a Rice signee, is averaging 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds on a balanced team. The Titans' only loss against a Georgia team came against Class AAAAA No. 1 Buford, 58-40 on Dec. 8.
*Winder-Barrow at Lanier (Friday): Seventh-ranked Lanier (16-3, 4-0) can take a commanding lead in Region 8 with a second victory against Winder-Barrow (13-6, 4-1), which has remained a factor despite losing state player of the year Olivia Nelson-Ododa to graduation. Lanier, which won 63-47 when the teams met on Jan. 4, is led by senior point guard Mekala Fuller, who is averaging 21 points during region play. Winder's Chellia Watson, a Cincinnati signee, scored 39 points in a victory over Dacula on Tuesday.
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