Holiday Basketball Tournaments get under way

Shiloh lost to Dutch Fork, SC 52-50 on a putback dunk at the buzzer. In the loss Greg James scored 16 points.

Volume Hyundai Holiday Classic:

After losing two games in a row and snapping a 48-game regular season winning streak in the progress, Class AAA No. 7 Calhoun rebounded with a 65-46 win over Fulton Leadership Academy. Chapin Rierson (21), Rhett Abernathy (17) and Malik Lawrence (10) paced the Yellow Jackets.

St. Pius X Christmas Classic:

St. Pius defeated Bishop Verot, FL 74-38 behind Everett Lane's 14 points.

Jesuit, FL received 17 points from Stevie Darst to race past St. Joseph's, SC 58-40.

The St. Pius girls got a Ma'ivy Madden layup with six seconds left to defeat McGill-Toolen, AL 58-57. Emma Drash scored 16 for the Golden Lions while Shauntai Battle had a game-high 20 for McGill-Toolen.

Tournament of Champions:

Kell defeated Class AAA No. 9 Johnson-Savannah 50-49. Savvon Delgado has 12 points while Wayne Bryant added nine points and eight rebounds. Caelon Ball chipped in nine points and five rebounds.

Class AAA No. 1 Westside-Macon fell to Scotland Magnet 60-39. Khavon Moore finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Class AAAAAAA No. 4 McEachern defeated Oak Ridge 76-68. Isaac Okoro had 32 points and 12 rebounds. Sharife Cooper added 14 points.

Class A-Private No. 8 Whitefield Academy slipped past Lincoln, NY 68-66. Isaiah Hart, a senior point guard, drained a game-high 42 points.

Grayson rode Travis Anderson's 34-point outburst to a 63-60 win over Jenkins. Trevion Lamar had 17 points and nine rebounds in the loss.

Columbia knocked off Class A-Private No. 2 St. Francis in double overtime 88-86. Kenton Eskridge went for 30 points to lead five Eagles in double figures. Freshmen Dwon Odom and Chase Ellis powered the Knights. Odom had 31 points and seven rebounds while Ellis posted 23 points and 14 boards.

Class AAA No. 1 Westside-Macon escaped Oak Ridge, FL 77-76. Khavon Moore had 30 points and 12 rebounds. Samone Reed and Greg Holloway both added 12.

Miller Grove fells 63-61 to Lincoln, NY. Tae Hardy netted 21 to lead the Wolverines.

The young St. Francis Knights suffered another heartbreaking loss in overtime, 75-74 to Lakewood. Freshmen Chase Ellis and Dwon Odom had 26 and 18 points respectively in the loss.

No. 4 McEachern got an Isaac Okoro buzzer beating basket to defeat Scottlandville 52-51. Okoro ended with 22 points and eight rebounds.

Douglas County upset St. Francis 60-58.  Jahorie Copeland hit a game-winner and finished with 12 points. Malik Battle scored 17 and Rodney Lewis had 16. Dwon Odom had 17 in the loss.

Westminster Holiday Tournament:

Westminster beat Drew Charter 57-47. Maya Longacre scored 23 points and Anna Smith chipped in 18.

Commerce Christmas Tournament:

Jefferson defeated Lake Oconee Academy 75-31. Trysten Norman scored 14 points to pace the Dragons.

Carolina Invitational:

Class AAAA No. 1 North Oconee defeated The Dalton School, NY 56-40. Aubrey Monroe scored 10 points while Kya Watson added nine.

Northview beat Sandy Creek in a Top 10 showdown 53-49. Ashlee Austin had 21 points and Shannon Titus finished with 17.

Lake City Classic:

Kennesaw Mountain upset Class AAAAA No. 7 Riverwood 61-55 behind Josh Strong's 23 points and Elijah Butts' 16.

Carrollton survived against Morrow 59-55. Senior Carson Culverhouse scored 18 points while freshman Marcellious Lockett pitched in 16. Morrow's Dijon Brown netted a game-high 19.

Hillgrove used a 24-6 run to gain separation and defeat Class AAA No. 4 Central-Macon 71-62. Demierre Black had 31 points and nine rebounds while Antoine Jones was perfect from the foul line in the fourth quarter going 10-of-10 and finishing with 14 points. In the loss Antarius McCoy had 19 points and five rebounds. Dewan Owens scored 18 and Tyrice Paul had 14 points and seven assists.

In a battle of No. 6 ranked teams in the state, AAAAA's Warner Robins defeated AAAAAAA's Collins Hill 55-45. Nelson Phillips had 21 points and five rebounds. JD Ozoh led the Eagles with 13 points and six rebounds.

Class AAAAAA No. 4 South Paulding squeaked by Hale County, AL and Alabama-bound guard Herb Jones 46-44. DJ Jackson came away with two steals late and a crucial free throw to ice the game. JaCori Wilson scored 12 points along with Drew Shepherd to lead the Spartans. Kane Williams, a Georgia State-signee, had eight points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Auburn, AL and Mississippi State-signee Garrison Brooks handled Class AAAAAA No. 3 Langston Hughes 75-63. Brooks had 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Christian Brandt poured in 28. Langston Hughes was led by Landers Nolley's 32 points.

Class A-Private No. 4 North Cobb Christian outlasted host Allatoona in overtime 70-68. Demiere Brown poured in 33 points and eight rebounds. Will Crumly came up with 14 points and nine rebounds. Trey Doomes and Mike Johnson led the Buccaneers scoring 21 and 16 points respectively.

No. 4 Central-Macon held off Morrow 54-48.

No. 3 Langston Hughes defeated Allatoona 62-53. Landers Nolley dropped in 29 points while Mike Johnson had 25.

Carrollton got 15 points and nine rebounds from Trevon Reddish to beat Hillgrove 56-52. Jordan Bonner added 14 off four threes. Demierre Black finished with 19 in the loss.

South Paulding defeated Warner Robins 62-55 to advance to the LCC Championship. JaCori Wilson had 28 points and 12 rebounds while Kane Williams went for 24 points, four rebounds, six assists, five steals and three blocks. Jaydon Norman led the Demons with 15 points and eight rebounds.

North Cobb Christian beat Auburn 55-51. Demiere Brown had 25 points to lead the way. Garrison Brooks finished with 14 points in the loss.

Allatoona sent Hale County back to Alabama 0-3 at LCC after beating them 62-42. Trey Doomes had 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Tyler Jackson added 18.

Central-Macon got 18 points from Antarius McCoy to beat Riverwood 58-57. Tyrice Paul chipped in 13. Elijah Jenkins led the Raiders with 14.

Landers Nolley hit a game-winner to lift Langston Hughes over Collins Hill 74-73. The junior finished 25 points. Khalil Cuffee had 21. Justin Lee paced Collins Hill with 21 points. Chris Parks scored 19 and JaQuan Morris netted 18.

FBI Classic:

Class AAAAAAA No. 2 Newton drilled Boiling Springs, SC 85-64. JD Notae had 29 points. Isaiah Miller added 21.

Newton rolled on, beating Gaston Day, NC 70-52. Jacksonville-signee JD Notae dropped 25 points and eight rebounds.

Sweet South Classic:

Girls: Top 10 powers collided as Class AA No. 9 Hapeville Charter fell short against Class AAAAAAA No. 4 Mill Creek 61-49. Wynter Webb led the Hawks with 17 points while Alex Bolling (13) and Kim Forbes (10) chipped in. The Hornets received 17 points and nine rebounds from leading scorer Shekinah Howard. Taylor Barnett added on 12 points and five assists.

Cedar Shoals defeated Stephenson 62-48. Phlan Fleming scored 20 for the fifth ranked team in Class AAAAA. Snipe Hall added 18.

Monterrey Christmas Tournament:

Class AAAAAA No. 4 Grovetown defeated Midland Valley, SC 67-57. Destiny Marshall poured in 25 points and Ayanna Collins added 16.

Fannin Mountain Top Holiday Classic:

The Pickens 'Nettes upset Class A-Private No. 8 Fellowship Christian 63-52. Torie Williams led the way with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists. Mykenzie Weaver added 12 points and three steals. Shelby Cook finished with nine points and six rebounds while Mackenzie Hampton nearly posted a double-double with eight points and 15 rebounds.

Lanierland:

Hanna Grogan poured in 30 points to lead Class A-Private No. 4 Lakeview Academy to a 69-54 win over North Hall.

Class AAAAAA No. 1 Gainesville blitzed Flowery Branch 80-55. Xavier Bledson (15), Bailey Minor (14) and Jarred Rosser (14) paced a balanced attack.

Gainesville romped Lakeview Academy 104-67. Bailey Minor scored 22 points and Mike White had 17.

Holiday Hoops at Discovery: 

Boys:

West Forsyth took care of Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 47-33 using a balanced scoring attack. Terrance Taylor scored 13 points while Andrew Stanton added 12.

Monroe Area outlasted Northview 66-61. Devin Sheats scored 15 for the Hurricanes while Justin Brown had 17 for the Titans.

On Day 2, Northview defeated Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 65-41. Justin Brown scored 25 points in the win.

Lassiter sent Mt. Vernon to 0-3 as Will Okanta dropped in 22 points. In the loss Brooks Langley netted 22.

Girls:

West Forsyth used a stingy defense to defeat Monroe Area 36-14 to kick off the Holiday Hoops at Discovery tournament. Abby Quincy outscored Monroe Area by herself, netting a game-high 21 points.

South Forsyth rolled Meadowcreek 57 to 27. Zoe Maisel led the War Eagles with 14 points.

South Forsyth edged West Forsyth on Day 2, 47-45. Abby Quincy had 19 points for the Wolverines.

Hilton Sandestin Beach Ball Blowout:

Starr's Mill rode Zach Pina and Nick Karli to a 78-55 win over Lakeshore. Pina finished with 17 points and seven assists. Karli added 16 points.

Roundball Classic:

Class AAAAAAA No. 9 Berkmar defeated Wando, SC 60-44. Jay Estime scored 20 points in the win.

Holiday Classic:

At GCSU, Class AA No. 3 Dodge County defeated Northside-Warner Robins 69-64. Destanee Wright had 20 points and Tierra Hamilton added 15. Jurnee Powell pitched in 12.

Republic Bank Classic:

Class AAAAA's No. 4 Fayette County handled South Laurel 66-59. Furman-signee Noah Gurley went for 23 points and 12 rebounds. Austin Nesmith had 22 points and seven assists. Josh Dupree chipped in 11 points.

Tucker Holiday Shootout:

Class AAAA No. 6 Henry County used a buzzer beater to knock off Class AA No. 4 Therrell 86-84 in Game 1 of the Tucker Holiday Shootout. George Mason-signee Javon Greene scored 26 points while New Orleans-signee Damion Rosser added 24 to carry the load. Kovi Tate chipped in 17 points. Sophomore Anthony Edwards dropped a game-high 32 for Therrell. Corey Moore added 27 in the loss.

Class AAAAA No. 8 Southwest DeKalb bounced back from their Peach State Classic loss to Class AAAA No. 9 North Clayton just four days earlier to lead wire-to-wire and hold off the Eagles 52-50. Mandarius Dickerson scored a team-high 13 points while Darius Hogan (11) and Eugene Brown III (9) helped pace the Panthers offense.

Greenforest, Class A-Private's No. 1 ranked team, held on against Holy Spirit Prep 55-52. Jandan Duggan dropped in 18 points and four assists. Bebe Iyiola added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Sack Gentlemen's Classic:

At Statesboro High School, Glenn Hills romped Swainsboro 78-48. CJ Bowers poured in 25 points to power  the Spartans. Timmy Sellers posted 18 points.

Class AAAA No. 5 Richmond Academy shook off a tough Glynn Academy team 79-68. Jason Weaver scored 22 points for the Musketeers. Moses Williams added 18 and DT Stephens and Vontrez Roberts scored 15 and 10, respectively. Santana Young pumped in a game-high 30 points for Glynn Academy.

Statesboro defeated First Presbyterian Christian Academy 69-59. Jordan Wright went 11-of-14 from the field to score 24 points to lead the Blue Devils.

Ronalda Pierce Holiday Hoopfest:

Class AA No. 6 Fitzgerald rallied to beat Cairo 59-54 in the girls championship after seeing an early lead disappear as the Hurricanes entered the fourth quarter down 38-34. Kirstin Crook finished with 16 points and four assists while Briana Richardson added a 14-point 11-rebounds double-double. Shalynn Thornton scored 10 points and Hayleigh Ross did a little bit of everything with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Beach Ball Classic:

Pace Academy scored a 63-36 win over McQuaid Jesuit, NY after ripping off a 14-0 run in the first half. Duke-signee Wendell Carter scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Isaiah Kelly had 14 points and seven rebounds in the win.

Peach State Classic:

North Clayton defeated Class AA No. 2 Therrell in the Consolation Championship on Day 3 of the Peach State Classic at Clayton State. Ahsan Asadullah finished with 17 points. Therrell received 18 from sophomore Anthony Edwards.

Class AA No. 1 South Atlanta defeated Class AAAAA No. 2 Eagle’s Landing 61-47 to win the Peach State Championship. The Hornets got out to a hot start behind Devonta Pullins and maintained a steady lead throughout until the Eagles closed to 47-45 with 6:21 remaining in regulation. South Atlanta responded with a 14-2 run to race away from Eagle’s Landing. Tyler Thornton was named MVP after posting 20 points and 12 rebounds. Pullins netted 13 points in support. Eagle’s Landing was led by Mohammed Abubukar’s 15 points.

Don Richardson Holiday Classic:

Class A-Public No. 6 Crawford County was upended by Southwest-Macon in the Don Richardson Holiday Classic Championship 63-62. Senior guard Aaron Ridley led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds while Alontae Tarver went for 10 points and eight rebounds. Both made the All-Tournament team. Crawford County was powered by Marcal Knolton’s 13 points and nine rebounds. Damien Saffold scored 10 points as both Eagles made the All-Tournament team.

McDonald's Tifton Invitational:

Class AAAAAA No. 5 Brunswick polished off a perfect 2-0 record at the McDonald's Tifton Invitational by beating Monroe 67-52. Daquan Humphreys scored 15 points to lead the Pirates.  Marcus Scott added 10 points.

CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational:

In the fifth-place game, neighbors from Gwinnett County met at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in South Carolina. Class AAAAAAA No. 1 Norcross edged Class A-Private No. 1 Wesleyan 58-53. The Lady Blue Devils jumped out to an early lead, using a 20-4 run to set the tone and carry a 29-19 advantage into the half. The Wolves cut the lead to 50-48 with 4:56 left to play but Myra Strickland buried one of her two threes on the day to push the lead to five, giving the Blue Devils just enough cushion to hold on. South Florida-signee Vanessa Blagmon posted a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds while Miami-signee Taylor Mason netted 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Natalie Armstrong and Jameson Kavel paced the Wolves with 14 points apiece. Connecticut bound guard Mikayla Coombs was held to just eight points.

Class AAAAAA No. 2 Winder-Barrow fell in the championship game to Monacan, Va., 54-49. Olivia Nelson-Ododa, the nation’s top ranked junior post player, posted 16 points, 22 rebounds and two blocks in the loss. Chellia Watson scored 14 points and Lexi Maddox had 11. The Lady Bulldoggs held a 1-point lead at the half but 24 turnovers did them in. Monacan was led by Megan Walker’s 22 points and seven rebounds. Walker is a Connecticut-signee and is the No. 1 ranked player in the Class of 2017.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Taylor Mason, Vanessa Blagmon, Mikayla Coombs and Latrice Perkins (Winder-Barrow) all made the All-Tournament Team.

Peach State Classic:

North Clayton girls upset Tucker 41-40  on Day 2 of the Peach State Classic to earn just their second win of the season. The North Clayton boys scored a huge win as well, knocking off Class AAAAA No. 6 Southwest DeKalb 70-64 in overtime, sending the Panthers to 0-2 at Clayton State. Lipscomb-signee Ahsan Asadullah went for 22 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks. Yaya Diaby had 13 points and 10 rebounds while Stanley Dede added 11 points. Mandarius Dickerson dropped a game-high 26 points for the Panthers.

Class AAAAA No. 2 Eagle's Landing controlled their meeting with Lithonia and won 47-38 setting up a championship showdown with Class AA No. 1 South Atlanta Friday night at 8:30 p.m.

McDonald's Tifton Invitational:

Class AAAAAAA No. 5 McEachern dispatched of Monroe 75-43. The Indians were led by Sharife Cooper's 20 points and eight assists. Tworn Seals added a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Isaac Okoro added nine points and seven rebounds.

Duluth used a deep scoring attack to take care of Valdosta 70-58. Will Huzzie led the way with 20 points and five rebounds. Adam Flagler added 18 points and Lamont Smith had 12. Jalen Hodges posted 10 points and 12 rebounds inside while Christian Kelly netted 10.

Keller Williams Christmas Classic:

Held at North Forsyth, Blessed Trinity beat the host Raiders 50-32. Kyle Swade scored 18 points and Ben Shapped chipped in 11. Forsyth Central outlasted River Ridge 58-52 as CJ Smith scored 19 points. Destin Exinor had 17 in the loss.

In the Keller Williams Christmas Classic Championship, Flowery Branch knocked off Alabama's Class 6A No. 7 ranked Muscle Shoals 62-60. Justin Quick scored nine points and hit the game-winner at the buzzer. John Mills finished with 17 points while Brannon Clark added 11. Myles Janess also scored 10 points.

RN-T Holiday Festival:

Class AAA No. 8 Calhoun took home third-place with a 63-36 win over Coosa. South Carolina softball-signee Jana Johns netted a game-high 19 points. Erin Hyatt added 12 points while Cassie Henderson (10), Ashlyn Barnes (9) and Anna George (9) all chipped in.

It took overtime, but Class AAA No. 9 Calhoun was able to repeat as tournament champions as the Yellow Jackets held off Class A-Private No. 9 Darlington 56-52. Chapin Rierson earned Festival MVP honors for the second straight year while Malik Lawrence and Kaylan Aker were named to the All-Tournament team. Rierson posted 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the way. Lawrence added 17 points and Rhett Abernathy had 10. Darlington received 11 points from Elijah McKoy, JD Hull and JT Mumber.

Peach State Classic:

Big time boys matchups highlighted the action at Day 1 of the Peach State Classic held at Clayton State University. Class AA No. 1 South Atlanta met North Clayton, the Eagles spending time in the Class AAAA poll before dropping out earlier this month. The Hornets raced out to an 11-2 lead and took a 36-20 advantage into the half. With 1:17 left in the fourth quarter, Lipscomb-signee Ahsan Asadullah split a pair of free throws and cut the South Atlanta lead to 57-56. Asadullah had a chance to tie later in the game, but his shot rolled off and the Hornets iced it at the line for a 60-56 win. Asadullah finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds while Tyler Thornton scored a game-high 19 for South Atlanta.

Lithonia used a 23-4 third quarter to blow past Morrow, 68-55. Ziven Alexander netted a game-high 22 for the Bulldogs. Rico Carter carried the Mustangs with 21 points and eight rebounds.

The nightcap saw Class AAAAA frontrunners No. 4 Fayette County and No. 6 Southwest DeKalb. A 15-point lead evaporated in the fourth quarter, the Panthers taking their first lead of the second half with 4:10 left at 47-46, but Southwest DeKalb didn’t have enough left in the tank as Furman-signee Noah Gurley went for 18 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks as Fayette County held on 64-56.

In girls play, Class AAAAAAA No. 8 Colquitt County held off North Clayton 54-41 behind Za’nautica Downs’ 21 points and Diamond Hall’s 20. Also in action from the state’s largest classification was No. 6 Westlake. The Lions mauled Mundy’s Mill 68-35. Taylor Hosendove poured in 30 points to lead the way.

DeKalb County powers clashed with Tucker taking on Class AAAAA No. 4 Southwest DeKalb. Foul trouble hurt the Tigers all night as they finally ran out of gas, losing 52-46. Jada Walton dropped in nine of her 14 points in the fourth quarter to lift the defending Class AAAAA champs. Lanee Edwards finished with 17 points for the Panthers. The Lady Tigers go 19 points from Morgan Collins.

Destin Shootout:

The Marist girls beat Murphy High School from Mobile 58-52 Wednesday night to take third place in the tournament. Tyler Brazle led the War Eagles with 15 points. Next for Marist is the Destin Holiday Classic from Dec. 28-30.

War Eagle Classic:

Coming off of an upset of Class AAA No. 3 Cedar Grove on Monday, Class A-Private No. 8 Holy Innocents’ scored a 65-58 win over Decatur behind Cole Smith’s 20 points. Decatur was led by Chalin Hippe’s 14. Cedar Grove faulted again tonight, losing 60-45 to Class AAAAA No. 1 Buford. The Wolves saw David Viti score a game-high 18 points and Marcus Watson finish with 16. Jamari Dean scored 13 for the Saints.

Cam Holden poured in 29 points for Mary Persons but Westminster received 14 from Ajay Manocha and defeated the Bulldogs 55-53. Hapeville Charter rode Jamaure Ezzard’s 19 points to a 56-39 win over Mt. Vernon Presbyterian. Elite Scholars Academy survived B.E.S.T. Academy in triple overtime 70-65. Whitewater cruised against KIPP Atlanta 75-60.

On the girls side, Class A-Private No. 3 Holy Innocents’ overpowered LaGrange 60-30. Kaila Hubbard scored 20 points while Khayla Pointer added 13. Class AAAAA No. 3 Griffin received 13 points from Andeija Pucket as the Bears rolled Decatur 61-31.

SEBA Atlanta Hoop Festival (From Saturday)

Junior guard Adam Flagler poured in an event record 43 points, hitting nine threes along the way as Duluth raced past Sprayberry in the fourth quarter to earn an 89-68 victory. Senior forward Jalen Hodges tallied 13 points and seven rebounds in the win. Sprayberry was led by senior guard Eddie Figueroa’s 26 points.

Hillgrove’s fine season in Class AAAAAAA continued as the Hawks upset Class AAAA No. 8 St. Pius 52-39. The Golden Lions had no answer for senior Demeirre Black who notched 25 points, 14 rebounds and four steals as a 6-foot guard. Carson Seramur led St. Pius with eight points, all coming in the first quarter.

A 13-point lead slipped away from Class AAAAAA No. 4 South Paulding as Class A-Private No. 4 North Cobb Christian stormed back to shock the Spartans 51-49. Demiere Brown hung 31 points and 14 rebounds including the game-winner with 1.8 seconds left to complete the comeback. South Paulding received 16 points and seven rebounds from Georgia State-signee Kane Williams. The Spartans saw JaCori Wilson foul out after battling a stomach bug and only scoring five points. The Eagles closed on a 17-5 run to win the game.