By Score Atlanta
The Fellowship Christian girls used a 10-5 run to cut the halftime deficit to seven points (26-19) before No. 1 St. Francis erupted and outscored the host Paladins 20-4 in the third quarter and ran away with a 59-35 Region 6-A victory.
“We weren’t defending the cutters in that first half and that’s one of the things we stressed at the break,” explained St. Francis head coach Aisha Kennedy. “Bumping the cutters, staying low and playing inside the perimeter.”
The Paladins' (11-6, 5-4) only third quarter points came on a Cameron Swartz three-pointer and free-throw while St. Francis (15-2, 7-0) used its size to shut down the paint with 6-foot-4 junior Yasmine Ratliff and 6-foot-3 sophomore Kasiyahna Kushkituah.
Offensively, Ratliff (10) and Kushkituah (13) each reached double-digit scoring, while senior Abby Grant put on a shooting clinic with six made three-pointers and a team-high 18 points.
”Abby has been shooting lights out for us from the three-point line and we’ve been working to get up the court quickly and maximize her open looks,” said Kennedy.
Fellowship Christian’s Swartz showcased her shooting ability as well, continuing her breakout freshman campaign with a game-high 21 points, including 13 of the Paladins’ 16 second half points.
Osborne 74, McEachern 70: In a Region 4-AAAAAA battle, second-ranked Osborne (19-2, 10-0) overtook No. 3 McEachern (15-4, 8-2), which led 56-52 going into the fourth quarter. Zutorya Cook had a huge final quarter for Osborne and finished with 27 points, four assists and five rebounds. She was aided by Nikira Goings with 25 points and eight rebounds. McEachern's Te'a Cooper (Tennessee commit) had 22 points.
Archer 73, Grayson 57: Fifth-ranked Archer (17-3, 10-1 in Region 8-AAAAAA) had four players in double digits. Amber Skidgel led the way with 22 points including five three-pointers. She was helped by Linsey Machese, who added 14 points and five rebounds, Tatiyana Wayne had 11 points and Autumn Newby finished with 10. Grayson (15-6, 7-5) was paced by Shakara Burton's 10 points.
Holy Innocents' 62, Lovett 54: Top-ranked Holy Innocents' (21-0, 9-0 in Region 6-AA) was led by Erika Cassell with 19 points followed by Kaila Hubbard with 18 points and Kennedy Suttle with 11. Lovett (13-6, 5-3) received 14 from Jenna Brown and Te'Erica Eason and Quinn Barry added 13 points.
Mountain View 56, Collins Hill 29: Mountain View (17-3, 10-0 in Region 7-AAAAAA) had three players in double digits as D'Andra Pringle scored 15 points, Aneysa Williams had 14 and Iceis Walker finished with 12. Collins Hill's (10-11, 3-7) Sydney Brown and Jazmin Smith led the way with eight points.
South Atlanta 45, Jackson (Atlanta) 33: Erica Gibbons scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds to push fourth-ranked South Atlanta (20-0, 6-0 in Region 4-AAA) past Jackson. For South Atlanta, Kierra Graham had 11 points and eight rebounds and Lawrencia Simon had nine points and three rebounds. South Atlanta went on a 24-14 run in the second half to pull away from Jackson (14-5, 6-2).
Woodstock 58, Pope 46: Ninth-ranked Woodstock (20-0, 13-0 in Region 5-AAAAAA) outscored Pope in three out of four quarters and received 24 points from Kennedy Montgomery. Pope (17-4, 9-3) got 23 points from Kierra Henry.
Dawson County 55, Banks County 40: Top-ranked Dawson County (21-0, 8-0 in Region 7-AAA) had three players in double figures in the win at Banks County. A 22-10 Dawson first quarter set the tone and Haley Burgess led the way with 19 points including three three-pointers. Sheyenne Seabolt added 15 points and Ashley Parker had 13. Banks County (18-4, 6-3) was led by Kaitlyn Duncan with 18 points and Jody Milford had nine.
Boys
Pebblebrook 74, Langston Hughes 60: Jared Harper scored 27 points and dished out six assists to lead visiting No. 4 Pebblebrook (16-4) to 10-0 in Region 3-AAAAAA. Derek Ogbeide posted a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds while blocking six shots. Ty Hudson pitched in 13 points and six assists as well. The Panthers (15-5, 6-4) were led by Chuma Okeke, who scored 23 points. Khalil Cuffee added 21.
Milton 48, Etowah 45: Chris Lewis scored a game-high 20 points to help Milton (12-8, 9-3) knock off visiting Etowah (12-8, 5-7) in Region 5-AAAAAA action. Jordan Burrow and Keishon Kershaw notched 10 points apiece. Etowah was led by JT Thompson, who scored 12 points, and also received 11 from Ryan Grigsby.
Cedar Grove 70, North Clayton 62: Class AAA's No. 3 ranked Cedar Grove Saints (15-3, 6-1) rallied after trailing by 12 at halftime to beat North Clayton (12-9, 3-4) in Region 4 play. Kenneth Lewis got hot from deep and finished with 21 to lead the Saints. Jacara Cross also added 19. Marquez Abernathy finished with 17 for North Clayton while Reginald Scurry chipped in 11.
St. Francis 75, Fellowship Christian 40: Top-ranked St. Francis (17-3, 7-0) outscored host Fellowship Christian (4-17, 0-8) 29-9 in the opening quarter and built a 50-21 halftime advantage before cruising in the second half. Five-star junior Kobi Simmons matched the Paladins' 21 first-half points by drilling four three-pointers and netting 21 of his game-high 23 points before the break. Malik Beasley (16) and Kaiser Gates (10) also reached double-digit scoring for the Knights. Fellowship Christian was led by Mitchell Keim's team-high 12 points.
Pope 53, Woodstock 49: The visiting Wolverines (5-16, 2-11) dropped a close one after Tyler Borko led Pope with 19 points on five three-pointers. The Greyhounds, now 17-3 overall and 10-2 in Region 5-AAAAAA, also received 12 points from Chase Hutchins. The Wolverines were led in scoring by Tyreke Johnson who scored 14. Dillon Morgan netted 11 on the night as well.
Collins Hill 71, Mountain View 39: In Region 7-AAAAAA, No. 7 Collins Hill shook off a slow start on the road to advance to 17-4 overall and 7-3 in the region. Devin Watson led all scorers with 25 points while Max Clark chipped in 15. The Bears (6-14, 1-9) received 11 points from Spencer Rodgers and 10 from Paul James.
Peachtree Ridge 67, Mill Creek 64: The Lions managed to hold off the visiting Hawks behind Aaron Augustin's 22 points and Jay Estime's 12. Peachtree Ridge now advances to 13-8 overall and 6-4 in Region 7-AAAAAA. Mill Creek (14-7, 6-4) was led by Charles Botchway who scored 20 points. Scotty Chadwick and Davion Clark both added 10 in the loss.
Alpharetta 72, Lambert 70: In a battle between Region 6-AAAAAA's two top schools, No. 9 Alpharetta (17-4, 14-0) survived at home in double overtime. Devontae Cacok led the Raiders with 21 points – six coming in the second overtime including a put-back with five seconds left to give Alpharetta the lead for good. Carlos Carriere added 14 points off the bench. Lambert (17-4, 12-2) received big play from Connor Mannion who finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Tanner Hall pitched in 13 points and Jake Morris and Ross Morkem both finished with 10.
LaGrange 87, Hardaway 62: The Grangers weathered a three-point barrage from Hardaway in the first half and moved to 15-5 overall and 6-1 in Region 1-AAAAA. The Hawks (2-17, 1-7) connected on eight long balls in the first half and managed to stick with LaGrange trailing by nine at the half. Jaquan Daniels did the bulk of the scoring for Hardaway, but eventually the Grangers pulled away behind Rico Smith's 22 points.
South Paulding 66, East Paulding 45: Host South Paulding (15-5, 9-4) rode its balanced scoring to defeat the Raiders in Region 5-AAAAA action. Kane Williams finished with 15 points and five rebounds to lead the Spartans. Anthony Brown recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Ja'cori Wilson pitched in 13. The Raiders (5-15, 2-11) received 12 points from Jalen Browder and DJ Wakefield apiece.
Greenforest Christian 96, Landmark Christian 71: In Region 5-A, host No. 2 Greenforest Christian (18-1, 9-0) got the better of No. 10 Landmark Christian (16-4, 8-2) in a high scoring affair. Justin Forrest led all scorers with 21 points to pace the Eagles. Justin Ravenel added 18 and John Ogwuche scored 17 for Greenforest. Collier Schultz led the way for Landmark with 18 points while Jackson Schultz netted 14.
High School Basketball Scores
Boys
Callaway 79, Rockmart 55
Campbell 69, East Coweta 37
Cedar Grove 70, North Clayton 62
Chattahoochee County 45, Temple 31
Cherokee 55, Walton 45
Clinch County 68, Telfair County 59
Collins Hill 71, Mountain View 39
Columbia 56, Marist 43
Creekview 62, River Ridge 49
Dodge County 68, Appling County 37
Forsyth Central 69, North Springs 60
Hillgrove 61, North Cobb 37
Hiram 58, Alexander 55
Holy Innocents' 77, Lovett 42
Lithonia 58, Chamblee 50
Marietta 61, North Paulding 51
Morgan County 68, Jackson County 34
Oglethorpe County 59, Riverside Military 50
Pace Academy 83, KIPP Atlanta 59
Paulding County 45, Chapel Hill 38
Pope 53, Woodstock 49
Providence Christian 64, George Walton Academy 49
Rockdale 76, Lakeside-DeKalb 55
Roswell 41, Lassiter 40
St. Francis 75, Fellowship Christian 40
St. Pius 68, Cross Keys 19
Stone Mountain 60, Grady 44
Vidalia 49, McIntosh County 38
Whitefield Academy 63, Walker 46
Woodward Academy 62, Whitewater 20
Girls
Allatoona 47, Lithia Springs 43
Archer 73, Grayson 57
Athens Christian 82, Lakeview Academy 47
Bleckley County 64, Crawford County 28
Buford 59, Stephens County 25
Callaway 75, Cedartown 65
Campbell 55, East Coweta 39
Carrollton 47, Fayette County 40
Central-Carroll 52, Haralson County 46
Cherokee 51, Walton 42
Chestatee 39, White County 31
Clinch County 49, Telfair County 37
Creekview 38, River Ridge 32
Dacula 33, Brookwood 28
Dade County 61, Chattooga 20
Dawson County 55, Banks County 40
Dodge County 64, Appling County 51
Dunwoody 49, Druid Hills 41
Effingham County 47, Bradwell Institute 29
Flowery Branch 69, Apalachee 31
Franklin County 74, Fannin County 54
Grovetown 61, Greenbrier 46
Harrison 60, Kennesaw Mountain 34
Hiram 57, Alexander 40
Holy Innocents’ 62, Lovett 54
Jeff Davis 49, St. Vincent’s 46
Jefferson 56, Rabun County 51
Jonesboro 64, Riverdale 12
Lambert 56, Alpharetta 49
Laney 79, Westside-Augusta 47
Langston Hughes 60, Pebblebrook 45
Lassister 36, Roswell 35
Marist 43, Columbia 31
McIntosh 42, Starr’s Mill 25
Mill Creek 57, Peachtree Ridge 53
Model 75, Gordon Lee 45
Mt. Pisgah Christian 62, King’s Ridge 33
North Cobb 73, Hillgrove 63
North Forsyth 56, Northview 33
Paideia 43, Our Lady of Mercy 27
Parkview 61, Berkmar 15
Prince Avenue 55, Athens Academy 10
Sequoyah 48, Cass 35
Sonoraville 56, Gordon Central 38
South Effingham 36, Statesboro 33
South Forsyth 53, Johns Creek 36
South Gwinnett 50, Shiloh 45
Southwest 57, Westside-Macon 39
St. Francis 59, Fellowship Christian 35
St. Pius 59, Cross Keys 20
Tift County 66, Lowndes 55
West Forsyth 48, Centennial 32
West Hall 59, Lumpkin County 30
Woodstock 58, Pope 46
