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.
Holy Innocents’ Erika Cassell, a 6-2 senior center, had 23 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, as the top-ranked Lady Bears knocked off No. 3 Wesleyan, 59-49 on Jan. 10.
Oglethorpe County’s Rayne Pyfrom, a 6-2 junior guard, had 19 points, 22 rebounds, five blocks, four assists and three steals in a 62-47 loss to Washington-Wilkes on Jan. 6.
Wesleyan’s Nikki McDonald, a 6-0 senior forward, averaged 23.3 points last week as the Lady Wolves went 2-1.
Manchester’s Brittany Davis, a 5-6 freshman guard, averaged 22.3 points in three wins last week, including a season-high 31 points in an 85-54 win over Bremen on Jan. 10.
Pelham’s Briunna Freeman, a 5-11 senior guard, averaged 21.7 points in three wins last week.
Thomasville’s Danisha Jones, a 6-2 senior center, had 21 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in a 47-42 win over Early County on Jan. 9. She averaged 18 points per game in three wins during the week.
Swainsboro’s Shantris Brihm, a 5-5 senior guard, had 23 points, 11 rebounds and five steals in a 52-23 win over Harlem on Jan. 6.
Swainsboro’s Alearai Corley, a 5-11 senior post, averaged 12.3 points and 14 rebounds as the Tigers went 2-1 last week.
Bryan County’s Julianne Brown, a 5-6 sophomore guard, averaged 20.5 points, seven rebounds and 2.5 steals in a pair of losses last week.
Long County’s Elexxus Wrighton, a sophomore forward, had 11 points, 18 rebounds and five assists in a 58-51 win over St. Vincent’s on Jan. 9.
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