Class AAAAAA
The No. 1-ranked Wheeler boys (14-4, 8-0) are alone atop Region 5 after victories against eighth-ranked Walton and ninth-ranked Milton last week.
Point guard Avery Patterson scored 24 and 21 points in the two victories. Jaylen Brown, the consensus No. 2 junior small forward in the country, had 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists against Walton (14-2, 6-2). He then scored 17 against Milton (11-6, 6-1) and 25 against Lassiter in a 77-37 victory Friday. Daniel Giddens, the 6-foot-10 five-star junior center, had a 14-rebound, six-block night against Walton.
Here is the week in review for AAAAAA and the other classifications:
- No. 4 Westlake and No. 5 McEachern kept their region leads with narrow victories this week. Westlake (17-1, 4-0) beat Newnan (14-3, 2-1) 64-62 on Dominic Joseph's layup at the buzzer Friday in a game between teams that had not lost in Region 3. Joseph, who averages 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, is Westlake's best leaper and averages about three dunks per game. In a Region 4 game, McEachern (13-2, 7-1) beat Marietta 56-54 in triple overtime. McEachern guard Logan McIntosh made six 3-pointers and scored 27 points.
- Hillgrove's Mackenzie Engram, rated the top senior girls prospect in Georgia, scored a career-high 32 points in Friday's 59-45 victory against North Cobb. She had 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals and was 11-for-11 at the free-throw line. That kept Hillgrove (17-2, 10-1) chasing top-ranked McEachern in the Region 4 standings. Engram signed with Georgia.
Class AAAAA
- The top-ranked Miller Grove boys team (15-4) extended its winning streak against Georgia teams in its classification to almost two years (officially, the two-year mark comes Monday) with a 70-60 victory in front of a packed gymnasium at third-ranked Tucker. Star guards Keith Pinckney (20 points) and Alterique Gilbert (19 points) led the way for the Wolverines, who also got 14 points from James Walker. Tucker's Jon Dunmyer, the team's leading scorer at 17.9 points, was held to nine. Miller Grove will be in Ohio on Monday to face Roselle Catholic (N.J.) in the Flyin' To The Hoops Invitational.
- Tucker wasn't the only top 10 boys team to lose Friday. No. 2 Jenkins lost for just the second time this season, falling 80-73 at Ware County, which got 29 points from Sharieff Medlock and 19 from Jeremy Gibson. Jenkins will play at No. 6 Effingham County on Tuesday with sole possession of first place in Region 3 on the line. No. 8 Villa Rica lost 62-54 to New Manchester to fall to 16-4 overall and 8-2 in Region 5. New Manchester beat Lithia Springs 71-58 earlier in the week and is 7-8 overall and 5-4 in the region.
- Nikira Goings scored 20 points and added six assists, and Zutorya Cook had 18 points and seven assists to lead the Osborne girls team to a 58-54 victory over Mary Louis (N.Y.) in their first game of the Rose Classic at Brooklyn's Nazareth Regional, according to the game report in the Marietta Daily Journal. Osborne has won 12 of 13 games since a 1-4 start, and its only losses this season have come against AAAAAA teams in Georgia. The Cardinals will face Archbishop Malloy (N.Y.) on Saturday. AAAAAA No. 1 McEachern lost to Nazareth 64-55 in its opening game Friday.
Class AAAA
- Bryan Hollis scored 22 points and fueled a second-half rally to help Veterans upset No. 3 Rutland in boys action Friday. It is Veterans' second victory against Rutland this season and forged a three-way tie for first place in Region 2. Veterans, Rutland and Perry are tied at 6-2.
- The top-ranked and undefeated Redan girls rolled over Washington 62-12 on Friday. Redan is the only undefeated AAAA team, according to the GHSA standings. The 50-point victory against Washington adds to the number of eye-opening performances from coach Jerry Jackson's Raiders this season. They also have a 77-2 victory against Cedar Grove and a 105-19 victory against Southern High School from Louisville, Ky.
- Jordan Session scored 26 points, and Darius Howard had 20 to lead defending AAAA boys champion Eagle's Landing to a 78-67 victory against Stockbridge on Friday. It was the seventh consecutive victory for Eagle's Landing, which improved to 10-0 in Region 4 play.
Class AAA
- No. 7 Buford (12-5, 8-0 Region 7-AAA) nearly wasted an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter before posting an 81-75 victory, its sixth consecutive. Host East Hall got to within two points late in the game, but the comeback was doused as the Vikings committed five consecutive turnovers. Buford was led by D'Marcus Simmonds, who scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to help hold off the comeback. Isaad Nauta added 17 points and 16 rebounds. North Hall's Kyvon Davenport scored 36 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, and had 18 rebounds.
- The race for second place in Region 7 remained hot, with Dawson County and White County both winning Friday. The two are tied for second place behind Buford and play each other Tuesday night. White County (14-4, 6-2) whipped West Hall 77-55, with five players finishing in double figures. Dawson County (15-4, 6-2) beat Fannin County 41-32 on Friday with Levi Whitmire scoring 10.
- It was a good week for the No. 2 Washington County boys, who won two Region 3 games. The Golden Hawks (13-1) beat No. 10 Thomson 53-43 on Tuesday and routed Dodge County 79-54 on the road Friday, their sixth consecutive victory. A.J. Gray totaled 36 points in the two victories, and McKel Miller added 21 points and 17 rebounds. Kendall Phillips scored 17 against Dodge County after failing to score against Thomson. Washington County likely won't be tested again until the rematch at Thomson on Feb. 1.
Class AA
- Vidalia girls basketball coach Chunk Reid reached an incredible milestone Friday in Ludowici, earning his 800th career victory while guiding the Lady Indians to a 67-28 decision against Long County. All of Reid's victories have come at Vidalia, where he has coached since the 1970-71 season. In 41 seasons, he has averaged 18.6 victories. The Lady Indians improved to 13-5 and 8-0 in Region 2.
- The Pelham Lady Hornets, the AJC's No. 4-ranked team, won two Region 1 games Tuesday and Friday, which elevated them to 14-0 and 6-0 in league play. They lead the region and are on the fast track for a No. 1 seed a year after earning a No. 2 seed and advancing to the quarterfinals. Pelham's boys, ranked No. 8, also moved to 6-0 in region play Friday.
- The No. 6-ranked Model Blue Devils edged Calhoun 54-48 Tuesday in a battle for first place in Region 7. The victory put the Blue Devils at 9-1 in league play over Calhoun (8-2). The Blue Devils were a two-seed who advanced to the quarterfinals last year. Calhoun took the No. 1 seed and advanced to the second round.
- The No. 1-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans continued their domination with two Region 6 victories this week, moving to 19-0 overall and 4-0 in region play. The defending state champs beat Lovett 85-50 on Friday for their 75th consecutive region victory and are a lock to win a seventh consecutive region title.
Class A
- The top-ranked Aquinas Irish boys will step outside of Class A to take on one of the state's best programs, Laney from AA. The Wildcats, ranked No. 3, have advanced to the Final Four for four consecutive seasons and won it all in 2012. They are led by junior 6-foot-3 guard Jashawn Brooks, who has averaged 15 points per game. Aquinas is paced by senior guard Ahmed Hill, one of the top players in the state, who has averaged 30 points per game and committed to Marquette. And senior forward Tamyrick Fields has averaged an astounding double-double of 17 points and 18 rebounds per game.
- Basketball has been the domain of the girls at Holy Innocents', currently ranked No. 2 in Class A. But this year the boys are making just as much noise. The Bears made the private-school playoffs last season, the first time the program advanced to the state playoffs since 2000. This season they are 14-2, 4-1 in a rugged Region 5. Leading the way are seniors Darryl Stewart Jr., the team's leading scorer at 14 points per game, and 6-foot-6 forward Josh Ledbetter, who leads the Bears in rebounding at better than 10 per game.
