Calhoun’s boys and Glynn Academy’s girls are new No. 1 teams in the Journal-Constitution’s high school basketball rankings.
Calhoun (13-0) is the lone unbeaten boys team in Class AAA after Laney (14-1) lost to previous No. 5 Morgan County 65-63. Laney and Morgan County have split two meetings this season, with Laney winning 65-64 in December. Laney is now No. 2, Morgan County No. 4.
Calhoun has become a factor on the state level in the past three seasons. The Yellow Jackets were the AA runners-up to Greater Atlanta Christian in 2014 and made the second round last season.
Glynn Academy (15-1) took over at No. 1 among AAAAA girls teams No. 1 Flowery Branch lost to unranked Gainesville 60-48 on Friday. Flowery Branch fell to No. 6.
Glynn is followed at No. 2 by crosstown rival Brunswick. Both are 15-1. Each has beaten the other, although only Glynn’s victory counted in Region 3 standings.
The girls’ rankings saw more change than the boys’. Newly ranked girls teams are defending state champion McEachern for Westlake in AAAAAA, Carver-Columbus for South Effingham in AAAAA, Heritage-Ringgold and Mount Zion-Jonesboro for Bainbridge and Northwest Whitfield in AAAA, Kendrick and Peach County for Dodge County and Ringgold in AAA, Vidalia and Greater Atlanta Christian for Lovett and Jeff Davis in AA and Lakeview Academy for Wheeler County in A.
AA No. 1 Wesleyan (14-2, 5-0) had an especially big week with victories over No. 2 Holy Innocents’, No. 10 Greater Atlanta Christian and previous No. 6 Lovett. Also hot was No. 2 Morgan County in AAA. Morgan defeated No. 3 Laney and No. 5 Hart County, each by more than 10 points, but remained behind Dawson County (16-0).
The biggest shakeup in the boys’ rankings took place in AA, where each of the top three teams lost, including No. 1 Thomasville (16-1) for the first time. The Bulldogs were beaten 71-65 on Saturday by defending AA champion Seminole County but stayed in the top spot.
Seminole is now No. 3. Thomasville, Seminole and No. 9 Early County are tied for first in 1-AA with one region loss. Thomasville beat Early County earlier in the week.
Lovett (11-3), a school that hasn’t advanced in the state playoffs since 2008, is the new No. 2 team, moving up four places, after beating previous No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian 64-46 on Saturday. Previous No. 3 Holy Innocents’, which joins Lovett and GAC in deep Region 6-AA, lost to Pace Academy and fell to No. 8.
In AAAAAA, Tucker joined the rankings at No. 7 after a victory over previous No. 6 McEachern, which dropped to No. 7. Berkmar joined the rankings at No. 10 after beating previous No. 9 Dacula 75-68 in overtime on Saturday.
Jonesboro, the defending AAAA boys champion, barely held on to its No. 1 ranking after a 70-65 overtime victory over unranked Henry County.
BOYS
Class AAAAAA
1. Wheeler (11-5)
2. Shiloh (12-2)
3. Norcross (14-2)
4. Westlake (9-2)
5. Tift County (15-2)
6. Pebblebrook (12-6)
7. Tucker (13-4)
8. McEachern (13-3)
9. Newton (13-2)
10. Berkmar (9-5)
Class AAAAA
1. Allatoona (15-0)
2. Miller Grove (15-2)
3. Gainesville (9-3)
4. Cedar Shoals (16-2)
5. McIntosh (13-2)
6. Heritage-Conyers (15-2)
7. South Paulding (14-2)
8. Riverwood (16-1)
9. Southwest DeKalb (15-3)
10. Shaw (11-3)
Class AAAA
1. Jonesboro (13-3)
2. Grady (15-1)
3. Lithonia (12-4)
4. St. Pius (13-2)
5. Eagle’s Landing (15-1)
6. Sandy Creek (12-4)
7. Liberty County (12-1)
8. Walnut Grove (16-1)
9. Redan (10-5)
10. Monroe (9-4)
Class AAA
1. Calhoun (13-0)
2. Laney (14-1)
3. South Atlanta (12-4)
4. Morgan County (13-3)
5. Jenkins (12-2)
6. Westminster (14-2)
7. Central-Macon (13-2)
7. Johnson-Savannah (10-4)
9. Westside-Augusta (7-2)
10. Banks County (15-2)
Class AA
1. Thomasville (16-1)
2. Lovett (11-3)
3. Seminole County (12-3)
4. Crawford County (13-1)
5. Greater Atlanta Christian (10-7)
6. Chattooga (16-1)
7. Manchester (9-5)
8. Holy Innocents’ (12-4)
9. Vidalia (14-2)
10. Early County (12-3)
Class A
1. Greenforest Christian (15-1)
2. St. Francis (10-5)
3. North Cobb Christian (12-3)
4. Whitefield Academy (10-7)
5. Treutlen (12-1)
6. Southwest Atlanta Christian (8-8)
7. Taylor County (9-5)
8. Our Lady of Mercy (10-3)
9. Lakeview Academy (13-3)
10. Stratford Academy (10-3)
GIRLS
Class AAAAAA
1. Collins Hill (13-0)
2. Archer (13-2)
3. Harrison (15-2)
4. Tucker (14-4)
5. South Forsyth (12-4)
6. Douglas County (15-1)
7. Norcross (11-4)
8. West Forsyth (11-3)
9. McEachern (9-7)
10. Parkview (10-6)
Class AAAAA
1. Glynn Academy (15-1)
2. Brunswick (15-1)
3. Warner Robins (12-1)
4. Southwest DeKalb (13-5)
5. Carver-Columbus (12-2)
6. Flowery Branch (16-1)
7. Columbus (13-1)
8. Cross Creek (13-3)
9. Grovetown (17-1)
10. Sequoyah (13-3)
Class AAAA
1. Americus-Sumter (13-1)
2. Buford (12-3)
3. Marist (14-2)
4. Veterans (12-3)
5. Carrollton (12-4)
6. Jonesboro (10-2)
7. Griffin (13-3)
8. West Laurens (13-3)
9. Heritage-Ringgold (13-3)
10. Mt. Zion-Jonesboro (14-3)
Class AAA
1. Dawson County (16-0)
2. Morgan County (15-3)
3. Laney (13-3)
4. Kendrick (14-1)
5. Hart County (15-3)
6. Johnson-Savannah (11-4)
7. Jackson-Atlanta (14-1)
8. Beach (13-3)
9. East Hall (13-4)
10. Peach County (12-2)
Class AA
1. Wesleyan (14-2)
2. Holy Innocents' (13-3)
3. Pelham (12-1)
4. Model (18-0)
5. Rabun County (13-3)
6. Fitzgerald (10-2)
7. Bleckley County (8-2)
8. Vidalia (14-1)
9. Putnam County (13-4)
10. Greater Atlanta Christian (10-6)
Class A
1. St. Francis (15-1)
2. Turner County (13-0)
3. Calvary Day (14-1)
4. Greenforest Christian (15-0)
5. Taylor County (13-2)
6. Our Lady of Mercy (11-2)
7. Stratford Academy (13-2)
8. Tattnall Square (13-1)
9. Calhoun County (11-2)
10. Lakeview Academy (11-5)
Credit: Adam Krohn
Credit: Adam Krohn
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