The River Ridge girls team and the Alexander boys, both of which won their first state championships last season, sit at the top of the Class 6A basketball rankings after the first week of play in 2024.
River Ridge improved to 10-4 overall and 2-0 in Region 6 with victories over Class 7A Cherokee (62-55) and region rival Etowah (62-39) last week. The Knights have a one-game lead in the region over No. 7 Sequoyah and No. 10 Rome. River Ridge plays a region game Tuesday night against Woodstock before facing Rome and Class 7A No. 2 Buford this weekend. All three games are on the road.
The Knights have four double-figure scorers – junior Kayla Cleaveland (15.2), junior Sophia Pearl (14.7), sophomore Makayla Roberson (13.4) and freshman Finley Parker (10.6). Allie Sweet, the team’s only senior, averages 5.7 points and 11.1 rebounds. Pearl had 24 points, four rebounds and three assists in the victory over Cherokee, and Parker had 18 points and five rebounds against Etowah.
Three of the Knights’ four losses have come against out-of-state opponents, and the other was a 69-65 loss to Class 3A No. 2 Wesleyan on Dec. 9.
Alexander’s boys held on to the top spot in the rankings despite a loss on Saturday, 58-46 against Class 7A No. 2 McEachern. The Cougars are 13-2 overall and lead Region 5 with a 5-0 record, a half-game ahead of fourth-ranked Hughes. Alexander travels to East Paulding Tuesday and will host Hughes on Thursday with first place in the region at stake.
The Cougars’ other loss, 53-48 against Class 4A No. 3 Holy Innocents’ on Dec. 27, ended their 11-game winning streak to open the season.
Alexander is led by 6-foot-8 forward Braedan Lue, a Kennesaw State commit who was named the AJC’s Class 6A player of the year last year. Lue is averaging 18.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.8 blocked shots. He had 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 60-55 victory over Class A Division I No. 1 Mount Vernon on Dec. 28 and 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss to McEachern.
Gregory Dunson (13.0 points per game), Allen Stoddard (11.4) and Jermaine Freeman (10.4) also average double figures in scoring.
*Off to a good start: The second-ranked Shiloh boys are 2-0 in Region 8 after defeating Habersham Central 80-59 and Apalachee 70-33 last week, leaving the Generals in an early tie for first place with Jackson County. Shiloh is led by senior forward Tylis Jordan (22.8 points per game) and senior guard Jullien Cole (19.7). Cole, a transfer from North Carolina, had 25 points against Habersham Central and 22 against Apalachee. Shiloh was the No. 2 seed from the region last year and lost to eventual champion Alexander 64-57 in the second round of the state playoffs. The Generals (11-3, 2-0) will face North Forsyth (4-11, 1-1) on Tuesday and Lanier (5-8, 0-1) and Jackson County (7-7, 2-0) this weekend.
*Still perfect: The No. 2-ranked North Forsyth girls team improved to 15-0 overall when it defeated Lanier 50-17 and Jackson County 73-25 last week in its first two Region 8 games of the season. Junior wing London Weaver led the way with 18 points against Lanier and 31 against Jackson County. North Forsyth is the only Class 6A team, boys or girls, that has not lost a game this season. The Raiders continue region play Tuesday night at home against Shiloh (4-10, 1-1) and close out the week against Gainesville (3-8, 1-0) and Habersham Central (4-9, 1-1).
*Tuesday’s top matchups: The only remaining unbeaten teams in Region 4 play are the boys and teams from Marist and St. Pius. They will meet for a doubleheader at St. Pius, with the two winning teams emerging with sole possession of first place. The Marist girls are ranked No. 4, and the St. Pius boys are No. 9. … The Jonesboro and Woodward Academy boys are undefeated in Region 3, and the winner of their game at Jonesboro will have the inside track to the regular-season region title. Every other team in the eight-team region has at least two losses. … The No. 10-ranked Rome girls team kicks off a challenging week when it hosts Creekview in a Region 6 game. Rome is tied with Sequoyah for second place, one game behind River Ridge and one game ahead of Creekview. The Wolves will finish the week with games against River Ridge and Class 7A No. 3 Carrollton.
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