Tests await top-ranked Seminole County, Holy Innocents'

A look at the week ahead and some of the top performances from the last seven days. …

BOYS

1. Seminole County (13-2)

• Tuesday: vs. Bainbridge. Class AA's new No. 1 gets a third crack at the team that's been its nemesis this season. Both of the Indians' losses have come against Bainbridge – the No. 5 team in Class AAAA – the last one a 65-64 defeat in the Thomasville Holiday Hoopfest.
• Saturday: at Miller County

2. Pace Academy (13-2)

• Tuesday: vs. Wesleyan
• Friday: at Lovett
• Saturday: Kings Ridge Christian

3. Greater Atlanta Christian (9-5)

• Tuesday: at B.E.S.T. Academy
• Friday: at No. 5 Holy Innocents'. We'll find out something about the pecking order in Region 6-AA in this one. GAC won the first go-around, 58-49, on Dec. 4. A regular-season sweep would be a strong statement.
• Saturday: at Lovett

4. Thomasville (12-4)

• Friday: at Fitzgerald
• Saturday: vs. Berrien

5. Holy Innocents’ (14-3)

• Tuesday: vs. KIPP Atlanta Collegiate
• Friday vs. No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian. Last week's loss to Pace Academy stalled some of the momentum the Golden Bears built up by winning the Sandestin Beach Basketball Blowout over the holidays. A win against the Spartans would get it jump-started again.

6. Crawford County (13-3)

• Friday: at Lamar County
• Saturday: at Chattahoochee County

7. Harlem (13-3)

• Tuesday: at Metter
• Friday: vs. Jefferson County. The Bulldogs' hot start to the season ground to a halt with two region losses last week. This week offers a chance to get back on track, as Metter and Jefferson County are a combined 6-20 on the season.

8. Bryan County (13-2)

Right now, 2-AA is looking like a two-team race, and if last week’s 80-51 win over No. 9 Vidalia is a true indication, Bryan County is the runaway favorite.

• Tuesday: vs. Benedictine
• Friday: at Long County
• Saturday: at Savannah Christian

9. Vidalia (12-2)

• Tuesday: vs. Long County
• Friday: at Benedictine

10. Model (13-2)

• Friday: vs. Chattooga
• Saturday: at Cartersville

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GIRLS

1. Holy Innocents’ (16-0)

• Tuesday: vs. KIPP Atlanta Collegiate
• Friday: vs. Greater Atlanta Christian
• Saturday: vs. McEachern (at Archer High School). The Lady Bears' resume already includes wins over highly touted opponents from Alabama, South Carolina and Maryland, but McEachern, the No. 2 team in Class AAAAAA, could be their toughest test yet.

2. Pelham (14-1)

• Tuesday: vs. Cairo
• Friday: at Kendrick. After going 29-0 and winning the Class AA state title last season, Kendrick hasn't broken stride since moving up to Class AAA. The top-ranked Lady Cherokees enter the week with a 17-0 record.
• Saturday: vs. Fitzgerald

3. Wesleyan (11-5)

• Tuesday: at Pace Academy
• Friday: vs. Hapeville Charter

4. Model (15-2)

• Friday: vs. Chattooga
• Saturday: at Cartersville

5. Darlington (13-3)

• Tuesday: vs. Chattooga
• Friday: vs. Dade County

6. Putnam County (13-3)

• Tuesday: vs. Northeast-Macon
• Friday: at Monticello

7. Thomasville (13-4)

• Tuesday: at Fitzgerald
• Friday: vs. Berrien

8. Vidalia (12-2)

• Tuesday: vs. Long County
• Friday: vs. Benedictine

9. Lovett (10-5)

• Tuesday: at Hapeville Charter
• Friday: vs. Pace Academy
• Saturday: Greater Atlanta Christian

10. Early County (11-3)

• Tuesday: vs. Miller County
• Friday: vs. Randolph-Clay
• Saturday: vs. Brooks County

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Last week’s top performers

BOYS

Crawford County's William Jarrell, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, had 45 points, 18 rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots in a 76-73 win over Northeast-Macon on Jan. 9. Jarrell is averaging 25.8 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game this season.

Pace Academy’s Wendell Carter, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, had 24 points, 25 rebounds and six blocked shots in a 59-48 win over Holy Innocents’ on Jan. 6. Carter is the No. 2 sophomore in the state and No. 46 in the country according to 247.com’s composite rankings.

Chattooga’s Isaiah Foster, a 5-10 sophomore guard, averaged 25.5 points, five assists and two steals in a pair of wins last week.

Social Circle’s Deion Head, a sophomore guard, had 30 points and 10 assists in a 75-72 win over Oglethorpe County on Jan. 9.

Greater Atlanta Christian’s Eric Jamison, a 6-4 senior forward, scored 33 points in a 74-57 win over Wesleyan on Jan. 6.

Benedictine’s Warren Wright, a 6-0 senior guard, had 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in a 65-46 win over Groves on Jan. 6.

Northeast-Macon’s Santez Kinder, a 6-1 senior guard, had 29 points, six steals and five rebounds in an 83-73 loss to Macon County on Jan. 6. Kinder is one of the top scorers in the state, averaging 27.7 points per game.

Berrien’s Jay Harris, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, had 21 points and 11 rebounds in a 67-48 win over Brooks County on Jan. 6.

Bryan County’s Jeremy McClendon scored a season-high 22 points in the Redskins’ 80-51 win over Vidalia. McClendon is one of five Redskins averaging at least nine points per game.

Washington-Wilkes’ Deandre Harris, a 6-4 junior, had 16 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and three steals in a 71-68 win over Oglethorpe County on Jan. 6.

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GIRLS

Model’s Victaria Saxton, a 6-0 freshman center, had 17 points, 18 rebounds and 12 blocks in the fourth-ranked Tigers’ 55-44 win over No. 5 Darlington on Jan. 9. She averaged 16 points and 14.5 rebounds in two wins on the week.

McIntosh County Academy’s Makhala Jackson, a senior center, had 33 points, 14 steals, six rebounds and six assists in a 75-56 win over Bryan County on Jan. 6.