As we enter 2023, let’s take a look at the 2A leaders to this point, as reported by coaches to MaxPreps. As of this blog posting Monday, the minimum requirement for games played is five.
Laney senior guard Kiana Turner leads all scorers with 28.3 points through nine games. The Wildcats are 7-3 and have made the playoffs every year since 2001, all under coach Otis Smart. They reached the quarterfinals last year.
Second in scoring is junior guard Ja’quoia Jones, averaging 27.2 points through 12 games for No. 10 KIPP (12-1), a program looking to make its mark after winning one playoff game since its 2011 launch.
Turner and Jones are 2A’s only 20-plus-point scorers, but Northeast senior guard Laniya Richardson (10 games played) and Butler senior guard Markera Tarver (11) are both averaging 19.8. Northeast is 6-4 and ranked No. 9, and Butler is 9-2.
Tarver leads 2A with 42 3-point field goals made in 11 games, though Turner has made 40 in nine for the highest average, 4.4, ahead of Tarver’s 3.8.
Turner also leads the state in steals, averaging 6.4, with Thomson’s Paris Rosser second with 5.7.
Southeast forward-center Mohogany Tharpe leads 2A with 16.1 rebounds, followed by Rockmart forward Emma Hindmon (12.4). They are the only two averaging double-digit rebounds, and each have played 10 games.
No. 7 Landmark Christian’s Gabbie Grooms, one of the top players in the state, is leading 2A in assists with 7.2 through 11 games. Josey’s Ke’Asia Henderson, who has also played 11 games, has 6.9.
Therrell’s Daiyona Stowards average’s a best 3.4 blocks in five games, while Spencer’s Brianna Brownlee has the most blocks with 26, good for a second-best 2.4 average.
