Class 2A blog: A look at top boys teams, players

The Eagles are looking to build off of last year’s runner-up finish in which they lost to Pace Academy, and have already beat the Knights 71-69 on Dec. 7. That win is one of the reasons they’re ranked No. 1 currently. Other notable wins include 4A’s No. 10 Miller Grove, No. 5 Butler, All three of their losses have come to out-of-state teams: Grissom, which MaxPreps computer rankings has ranked No. 1 overall in Alabama, regardless of classification; Carver Collegiate, ranked No. 5 overall in Louisiana; Bartlett, ranked No. 8 in Tennessee’s Class 4A.

Pace Academy (8-4, 2-0 Region 6)

The No. 2-ranked Knights are last year’s 2A champions, beating Region 6 rivals Columbia in the championship. The year before, they won 3A. They’ll look for a three-peat in their final year in 2A before moving up to 4A, and that will be a challenge now that 5-star wing Matthew Cleveland is at Florida State. The Knights have senior wing Josh Reed returning, and sophomore Kyle Greene fills in at point for Maddison Durr, who graduated.

Westside (7-1, 1-1 Region 4)

The No. 3 Patriots reached the second round last year and have the makeup to go further this season. They are led by junior bigs Khalon Hudson (20.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks) and Jalexs Ewing (18.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals). They also get 14.8 points from junior Amauri Tillman. None of their top five in minutes played is a senior.

Thomasville (7-2, 0-0 Region 1)

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 4, reached the semifinals last year, where they lost to Pace Academy. Their two losses are to the same team, 4A’s unranked Bainbridge, 55-54 in their season opener and 59-50 on Dec. 8. All their wins, which include three Florida teams, have been by more than 20 points.

Butler (5-5, 2-0 Region 4)

The No. 5 Bulldogs reached the quarterfinals last year, where they lost to Pace Academy. They’re a senior-heavy squad with their top three scorers Kedar Bodie (14.3 points), Kendrell Glanton (11.2) and Elijah Martinez (8.0) all set to graduate. Senior Chance Finklin leads the team in rebounds (6.8) and blocks (3.5). All of their losses have come to ranked teams, including No. 1 Columbia, 59-55 on Dec. 4, and No. 6 Washington County, 61-59 on Dec. 22.

For the top 10, go here.

Top Players

SF Josh Reed, Pace Academy

6-foot-7, 210-pound senior

A consensus 3-star, Reed is one of two returners from last year’s AJC all-state team. He’s the only player ranked in the Rivals 150 for the Class of 2022, coming in at No. 122. He signed with Cincinnati, picking the Bearcats over his other 20-plus offers that include Butler, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida State. Through nine games, Reed is averaging 23.2 points, nine rebounds, 3.2 assists and two steals.

F-C Mason Lockhart, Columbia

6-foot-6, 225-pound senior

Lockhart is the other returner from last year’s all-state team. Last year for the Eagles, he averaged 13.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and two blocks as a junior. He has a reported offer from Mercer.

F-C Khalon Hudson, Westside

6-foot-4 junior

Hudson averages 20.8 points, 12.2 and 1.2 blocks rebounds for the Patriots. He’s been described as a versatile big who can man different positions.

PG Kyle Green, Pace Academy

6-foot-2, 170-pound sophomore

Only a sophomore, Green leads 2A in assists with 6.2 a game, also chipping in 10 points and 1.3 steals. Rivals rates him as a 4-star, and he’s No. 35 overall in their Class of 2024 rankings. He holds six Power 5 offers, including Clemson , Georgia Tech, LSU and Ole Miss.

W Connor McKay, Rabun County

6-foot-5, 195-pound senior

An all-state second team selection last year, McKay is averaging 23.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.5 blocks. He signed with Lander in early December.

Other notable players: Christian Anderson (sophomore, Lovett), Eren Banks (junior, Putnam County), James Nipper (senior, Laney), Jalexs Ewing (junior, Westside)