Top teams

2018 finish: 28-3, defeated Vidalia 66-31 in the AA title game

2019 update: The Bulldogs are now in the post-Reggie Perry era, Perry being a McDonald's All-American selection who is now at Mississippi State. They're off to a 6-0 start, which marks a 19-game win streak dating back to last season, yet they're No. 3 in the rankings as they take a backseat to No. 1 Woodville-Tompkins, which enters AA after being reclassified from A-Public, and No. 2 Therrell. The Bulldogs beat A-Public's No. 9 Pelham and also has a pair of wins over AAAAA's Bainbridge. They've yet to play a Region 1 opponent.

Woodville-Tompkins Wolverines

2018 finish: 25-4, lost 60-50 to Calhoun County in the Class A-Public quarterfinals

2019 update: The Wolverines reclassified from A-Public to AA, where they'll play in Region 2. They're currently the No. 1-ranked team in AA, and they're off to a 9-0 start. One of those wins was over No. 9 Chattooga, which they beat 50-48 at South Paulding. They've also been quite rude to their new region opponents, beating Bacon County, Swainsboro, Vidalia and Toombs County by a combined 321-163 for a 4-0 record.

Therrell Bulldogs

2018 finish: 20-8, Lost 73-52 to Glenn Hills in the AA quarterfinals

2019 update: The Bulldogs flashed so much potential with a roster that got most of its production from sophomores. They return with championship aspirations, and they're ranked No. 2 with a 6-3 record, 5-0 in Region 6. They lost 88-87 to AAAAA's No. 2 Southwest DeKalb in their season opener on Nov. 10, then 91-85 in overtime to A-Private's No. 9 Holy Innocents' to begin 0-2. They then ripped off five blowout wins over Region 6 opponents McNair, B.E.S.T., Washington and Douglass before losing 73-71 to AAAAA's No. 4 Fayette County. They rebounded on Saturday with a 57-48 win over Miller Grove. The fact that they played ranked teams from other classifications so close is encouraging, but that they lost all of them shows they still have some growing to do this season.

Girls

Laney Lady Wildcats

2018 finish: 32-0, defeated Josey 63-40 in the AA title game.

2019 update: The two-time AA defending state champs — currently ranked No. 2 — began the season 2-0 before losing 68-47 to North Augusta on Nov. 20, snapping 64-game win streak that dated back to Nov. 22, 2016. They've since ripped off four straight wins over Region 4 opponents. They Lady Cats are reloading this season after graduating AA player of the year De'Sha Benjamin (Alabama) and all-state selection Jhessyka Williams (Gardner-Webb).

Dodge County Lady Indians

2018 finish: 25-5, lost 79-63 to Model in the AA quarterfinals

2019 update: The Lady Indians are currently ranked No. 1 and are off to an 8-1 start, including 3-0 in Region 3. Their lone blemish was a significant one, a 54-33 loss on Dec. 14 to Wayne County, unranked out of AAAAA. That could cost them the top spot when the new rankings come out later this week. They opened the season with a 62-56 win over Wayne County on Nov. 24. A big difference in the rematch appears to be Destanee Wright being held to just seven points after scoring 23 in the opener. Also, Kylie Hart and Ileisha Mitchell, who combined for 17 points in the opener, were held scoreless in the rematch. The Lady Indians own A-Public teams, beating No. 1 Telfair County 88-58 on Nov. 27, No. 3 Wheeler County 62-52 on Dec. 4., and No. 9 Wilcox County 77-50 on Dec. 15.

Douglass Lady Astros

2018 finish: 18-7, lost 57-39 to Josey in the AA quarterfinals

2019 update: The Lady Astros are ranked No. 3 and are off to a 9-4 start, 6-0 in Region 6. They hold onto their ranking despite starting the season 1-4, including a three-game losing streak. The losses include AAAAAAA's unranked Marietta and Hillgrove, AAAAAAA's No. 9 North Forsyth and AAAA's No. 5 Flowery Branch. All their wins have come against unranked opponents, including Starr's Mill (AAAAA), South Gwinnett (AAAAAAA), Jackson (AAAAA) and their Region 6 rivals.