The Tri-Cities boys basketball team won its first state championship last season, and the Bulldogs are showing no signs that they are willing to give up the title.
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAA (consensus) and No. 24 nationally (MaxPreps) after a 12-0 start that includes a 6-0 mark in Region 5-AAAAAA.
Tri-Cities also won the championship at the Rumble on the Ridge tournament in Forrest City, Ark., in November and defeated Florida teams Rutherford and Crossroad Academy in the Southern States Classic at Tri-Cities two weekends ago.
Peyton Daniels scored 43 points in a 92-84 victory over fourth-ranked Alexander last week in a game that enabled Tri-Cities to retain sole possession of first place in Region 5. Daniels, a junior guard, has received seven Division I offers, including from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State.
Tri-Cities will head to Miami this weekend to participate in the Sunshine State Explosion before returning to region play on Jan. 4 against South Paulding
Here are some of the other teams to watch as the second half of the regular season draws near:
Boys
*Alexander: Despite their loss to Tri-Cities, the fourth-ranked Cougars (7-4, 6-2) remain in second place in Region 5, whose current teams have provided the past three champions in Class AAAAAA. Senior Jaylon Brown leads Alexander with 17.5 points and 5.6 assists per game, but Xavier Thornton (11.9), Marvin McGhee III (11.5) and Bryce Robinson (10.2) are also double-figure scorers.
*Pope: The Greyhounds started the season 9-0 before hitting a bump with back-to-back losses to Johns Creek (97-81 in OT) and Lassiter (53-51) last week. Still, Pope is No. 6 in the most recent Score Atlanta rankings and remains in first place in Region 7, a half-game ahead of Johns Creek. Senior forward Ross Shepherd and junior guard Will Kolker scored 29 points each against the Gladiators.
*Richmond Hill: The Wildcats have made three consecutive trips to the playoffs but haven't advanced beyond the second round since winning back-to-back Class A championships in 1993 and 1994. They're off to a 13-2 start this year, with losses to New Hampstead and Windsor Forest by a combined nine points. Richmond Hill, ranked No. 7 by Max Preps, hosts Hilton Head, S.C., on Saturday.
*South Cobb: The Eagles (10-1) have won nine consecutive games since a 90-80 loss to AAAAAAA No. 4 McEachern on Nov. 16. Zocko Littleton, a 6-foot-2 point guard, is rated the No. 4 sophomore in Georgia by 247 Sports and has six Division I offers. South Cobb will take on fifth-ranked Chattahoochee on Friday in the two-day Tournament of Champions Holiday Classic at Wheeler.
*Tucker: The Tigers lost a heartbreaker in last season's final, falling to Tri-Cities 46-43 on a 3-pointer as time expired by Da'Marcus Johnson. They've bounced back well, winning their first 12 games before losing to AAAAAAA No. 2 Norcross 72-63 on Dec. 14 at the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic. Terrance Edwards averages 21.9 points to lead Tucker, which is also 9-0 in Region 4 play.
Girls
*Dacula: The Falcons won a playoff game last season for the first time since 2004, and they are building off that with a 9-1 start and a No. 3 ranking. Lazaria Spearman, an all-state selection last season, had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Falcons' most-recent win, 56-31 against Duluth last Monday. Dacula will play in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies' Classic this weekend in Greeneville, Tenn.
*Glynn Academy: The Red Terrors, who reached the quarterfinals last year and finished ranked No. 6, currently sit at No. 4. They are 11-2 this season, with losses to Valdosta (45-37 on Dec. 13) and Winter Haven, the No. 2 team in Florida's Class 6A (65-64 on Thursday). Zoesha Smith, a second-team all-state pick last season, leads the Red Terrors with 22.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.
*Harrison: The Hoyas were state runners-up in 2017 and 2018 and reached the quarterfinals last year. The current team (9-3, 6-0) is ranked No. 7 by Score Atlanta and coming off its best win of the season, rallying from a 17-point first-half deficit to beat AAAAAAA No. 4 Pebblebrook 45-40 on Saturday. Harrison will participate in the Queen of Palms Classic beginning Friday in Fort Myers, Fla.
*Lovejoy: The Wildcats won the Class AAAAAA title in 2018 but were upset by Lanier in the final last year. Now, they're back at the top, ranked No. 1 by Score Atlanta and sporting a 12-1 record after beating Luella on Saturday. Seniors Genesis Bryant (signed with N.C. State) and Anaya Boyd (Georgia Tech), first-team all-state selections last year, form perhaps the state's best backcourt.
*Valdosta: The Wildcats reached the semifinals last year for the first time since 2001. They are off to a 10-2 start after winning two games against Florida opponents at the FAMU High Christmas Showcase over the weekend. Valdosta is ranked No. 1 by MaxPreps and No. 5 by Score Atlanta. Senior Ja'mya Johnson is averaging 13.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists to lead the Wildcats.
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