There is no defending champion in Class AAAAA girls basketball this season. Tucker, which won its first state title in March, has moved to Class AAAAAA, leaving the door wide open for a new champ.
It’s a good bet that at least one team from DeKalb County will be in the mix again this season. Schools from the county have won three consecutive titles and eight of the past nine in the second-highest classification.
Southwest DeKalb is one logical successor. The Panthers have won four state championships since 2008 and lost to the Tigers in the state final last season. Southwest DeKalb returns three starters – G/F Jada Walton, G/F Daisa Alexander and F/C Cori Bostic. Walton has averaged 19.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the team’s 3-1 start.
But the Panthers also have to overcome the loss of two key players to transfer. Nicole Martin, a first-team all-state selection last season, has moved to Southwest Atlanta Christian. Davion Wingate is at Region 6-AAAAA rival Stephenson now after earning second-team honors in DeKalb last season. The two players combined for 30.6 points per game last season.
Here are some of the other teams to watch this season:
*Stephenson: Wingate transferred from Southwest DeKalb and joined a lineup that returned starters Terrianna Cave, Miracle Gray, Chloe Culpepper and Rhein Beamon. Wingate scored 14 points in the Jaguars’ first region game, a 73-50 victory against Miller Grove on Nov. 18. Cave averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds and was a second-team all-DeKalb selection last season. The Jaguars started the season with six consecutive victories against top-quality competition before losing to Class AAAAAA power Westlake 85-76 on Friday. Stephenson plays Region 6-AAAAA opponents M.L. King, Southwest DeKalb and Clarkston this week.
*Forest Park: The Panthers added Stephenson transfer Kerry Watson to a lineup that included returning players Breasia McElrath (Texas Southern signee), Kanisha Tharpe (Central Arkansas) and juniors Tamecia Blue and Alexius High. Watson, who has signed with Limestone, averaged 10.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.9 steals in her first eight games with Forest Park. Christal Williams, who missed last season, averaged a team-leading 14.1 points in the team’s 5-3 start. The losses came against basketball powerhouses McEachern, Wesleyan and Hoover (Ala.). Forest Park lost to Southwest DeKalb in the semifinals the past two years.
*Salem: The Seminoles were ranked sixth in the state last season after finishing 25-4 and losing to Tucker in the quarterfinals. Salem returns three starters this year, led by LSU signee Ayanna Mitchell, a 6-foot-2 forward who was a first-team all-state pick last season. Mitchell averaged 18.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 1.0 blocks and scored 46 points to set a school single-game record. Mitchell has 18.0 points and 11.7 rebounds through three games this season. Other returning starters are Shay Tarver and Rosie Kyles. The Seminoles are off to a 1-2 start, with the losses coming to Class AAAAAA teams Norcross and Centennial.
*Greenbrier: The Wolfpack returns nine players from a team that went 24-7 and reached the state quarterfinals last season. Greenbrier also added 5-foot-10 junior guard/forward Janae Simpson, a transfer from Alabama who is receiving attention from Division I schools. Mallory Myers was the player of the year in Region 2-AAAAA last season after averaging 7.9 points, 7.8 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.9 rebounds. Morgan Taylor and Jennifer McMahan were first-team all-region selections. The leader this season through the team’s 4-0 start has been sophomore Destiny Marshall, who is averaging 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals.
*Other teams to watch: Drew, Effingham County, Creekview, Cross Creek, Grovetown, Northside-Columbus, Richmond Academy, Sequoyah
About the Author
