Class AAAAAA
McEachern’s girls, ranked No. 1 in AAAAAA, have won 12 consecutive games since the Thanksgiving break and remain unbeaten in Georgia. They handled fourth-ranked Hillgrove, their crosstown Powder Springs and Region 4 rival, 69-43 on Friday to improve to 15-2 overall, 10-0 in region play.
Caliya Robinson, a 6-foot-3 junior, averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocked shots in two victories last weekend in Brooklyn, one against New York’s top-ranked team (Nazareth). She scored only 10 against Hillgrove, but contained Georgia-signed forward Mackenzie Ingram, who scored 11 points.
Here are the week’s highlights from AAAAA and the other classifications:
- Hillgrove's boys are in the lead in Region 4 after victories against Marietta (64-45) and McEachern (17-2, 11-2). Hillgrove senior Kyle Castlin, a 6-3 forward who will play at Columbia, averages 21.9 points and 8.2 rebounds, but B.J. Brown scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half Tuesday against Marietta, and Keith Ray made four 3-pointers and scored 22 points and had seven rebounds against McEachern.
- West Forsyth sophomore Jenna Staiti, a 6-5 center, scored 34 points and had 23 rebounds Friday in a 56-47 Region 6 girls victory against South Forsyth. Staiti is an AAU teammate of South Forsyth's best player, Sarah Myers, who scored 19 points. Both committed to Maryland. South Forsyth (19-3, 8-2) was coming off a 55-47 upset against fifth-ranked North Forsyth (19-2, 9-1). North Forsyth defeated South Forsyth 72-35 in December. West Forsyth is 13-7, 6-4.
Class AAAAA
- Six boys teams ranked in the Top 10 suffered losses Monday, Tuesday or Friday. No. 1 Miller Grove lost to Roselle Catholic 70-61 on Monday in the Flyin' To The Hoop Invitational in Dayton, Ohio. That same day, No. 4 Clarke Central lost to AAA No. 4 Morgan County 76-67 in overtime, and No. 7 Stephenson lost to AAAAAA Marietta 41-39. Stephenson bounced back and knocked off No. 3 Tucker 55-47 on Tuesday, and No. 6 Effingham County lost to No. 5 Jenkins 94-77. No. 10 M.L. King lost to Miller Grove 67-56 on Friday.
- Effingham County star Jakeenan Gant suffered a grade-2 ankle sprain when he landed on the basketball after a dunk Tuesday during the loss to Jenkins and is expected to miss a week to 10 days, according to the Savannah Morning News. The Missouri signee has averaged 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.1 assists.
- The Salem girls team is closing in on the top seed in Region 8 after beating Clarke Central 67-45 on Friday for its 15th consecutive victory. Clarke Central's 45 points were the most Salem has allowed during its winning streak. The Seminoles are giving up 34.7 points per game and have held six opponents to 30 points or less. Fourth-ranked Salem is 13-0 in region play.
- Jessica Herndon, Jasmine Herndon and Daijah Cole each had double-doubles for Northside-Columbus in a 63-36 victory against Hardaway on Friday, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Jasmine Herndon had 15 points and 12 rebounds; Jessica Herndon had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Cole finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Class AAAA
- Friday was not kind to highly ranked boys and girls AAAA teams. The top-ranked Columbia boys lost at No. 4 South Atlanta 70-66, ending the Eagles' seven-game winning streak. The Hornets also beat Columbia in both meetings last season. In girls action, No. 3 Cross Creek was upended by Richmond Academy 44-40, snapping the Razorbacks' 15-game winning streak. Richmond also defeated Cross Creek in November.
- The top-ranked Redan girls are staring at an undefeated regular season. Brea Elmore had 25 points, and Jamese Abney and Jada Byrd each had 15 to lead the Raiders to a 77-54 victory at Grady on Friday. Redan improved to 20-0 and has only two games remaining on the schedule against teams with a winning record. According to the Georgia Basketball Project, 36 girls teams have posted unbeaten seasons since 1970.
- The No. 5 Rutland boys put up triple digits for the second time this season in a 106-58 victory against Mary Persons on Friday. Shakenneth Williams, who committed to play football at Georgia, had 25 points to lead the Hurricanes, which improved to 8-2 in a tightly contested Region 2.
Class AAA
- A bench-clearing brawl led to the early conclusion of the Region 4 game between Central-Carroll and B.E.S.T. Academy. The game was stopped by the officials with 3:29 left after an incident following a hard foul caused tempers to overflow, the Times-Georgian of Carrollton reported. B.E.S.T. Academy was awarded the 62-47 victory, the score when the game was called. Central coach Darius Smiley told the Times-Georgian: "They've got some kids that are 6-4, 6-5, and that kind of bothered us some with their length. But one time Lamar (Daniel) goes up and gets hit in the face. I don't know. I coach my kids to play through foul calls and let me handle the referees. Unfortunately, it didn't work like that (Friday) because we got a kid ejected and a melee broke out. That's not Central High School, that's not Central basketball, it's not anything that needs to be associated with Central. I'm really embarrassed as the basketball coach of Central High School."
- Defending Region 6 champion Woodward Academy snapped Blessed Trinity's 11-game winning streak Friday with a 57-54 victory. Woodward Academy beat Blessed Trinity by 17 in December. Woodward Academy is led by senior Trey Williams, who averages 14.8 points and 4.9 rebounds, and Christian Harrison, who averages 8.3 points and 6.6 rebounds.
- The Central-Carroll girls became the first team in AAA to win 20 games. The Lions defeated Coretta Scott King 63-27 on Friday to improve to 20-2. Central leads Region 4 with a 9-1 record. Sherae Bonner scored 17 points to lead Central.
Class AA
- Will AA have two undefeated boys teams by regular season's end? Through Friday, both the top-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans and No. 2 Vidalia Indians have yet to lose. The Spartans moved to 21-0 with victories against Hillgrove and Hapeville Charter. The overall winning streak was at 39 games heading into Saturday's game against Winston-Salem Prep at the Hilton Invitational at Winston-Salem, N.C. The Hapeville Charter victory extended their region winning streak to 76. Meanwhile, the Indians also are 21-0 after victories against Metter and McIntosh County Academy.
- The No. 6-ranked Pepperrell Lady Dragons entered Friday in first place in Region 7 with 9-1 record, good for a one-game lead over Calhoun and Armuchee (8-2). Calhoun kept pace with big victories against Chattooga (76-28) and Murray County (51-29). Armuchee beat Murray County 60-49 on Tuesday.
- The Rabun County Lady Wildcats entered Friday as Region 8's top team with a half-game lead over Jefferson. The Lady Wildcats moved to 13-7 overall and 5-0 in league play after defeated Union County 53-46.
- The top-ranked Wesleyan Lady Wolves continue to storm through Region 6 after earning lopsided victories against Westminster (75-33) and Lovett (85-27). The victories moved the Lady Wolves to 5-0 in the region and 18-2 overall, heading into their Saturday showdown at home with the Buford Lady Wolves, ranked No. 1 in AAA.
Class A
- Whitefield Academy's boys remain hot. The Wolfpack, ranked No. 3 in the AJC Top 10 rankings, moved to 4-0 in the midst of a six-game stretch that coach Tyrone Johnson said would be the defining period for his team. Whitefield defeated No. 5 North Cobb Christian 64-43 on Friday. Senior guard Eric Lockett led the way with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Whitefield (14-5, 8-1 in Region 6, Division B) defeated No. 4 St. Francis 71-63 on Tuesday. The Wolfpack will complete the six-game run this week with region road games at King's Ridge on Tuesday and Mount Paran Christian on Friday.
- The Lakeview Academy girls defeated Athens Christian 46-30 on Friday in a game with significant private-school power-rating implications. The victory helped Lakeview Academy, No. 9 in the ratings, keep pace with No. 8 Mount Paran Christian in the battle for the chance to host a first-round playoff game after the top 16 teams are determined. The loss hurts Athens Christian, No. 16, in its bid to hold off No. 17 Savannah Country Day for the final playoff slot.
