This weekend will offer a premier event and opportunity for the Stockbridge girls to continue their breakout season at the MLK Day Classic at Whitefield Academy. The event starts on Saturday with six matchups and will have teams represented from Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee. On Monday, Stockbridge will represent Class 4A in the fifth of seven total games of that day at 3:30 p.m. against powerhouse Hebron Christian. Stockbridge has already opened up a 7-0 record in Region 5 play and is 12-4 on the season with a seven-game active winning streak. The Tigers remain unbeaten within Class 4A and will play Pace Academy and Union Grove before the clash with Hebron Christian. Stockbridge previously defeated the Knights 71-49 at home on Nov. 28. Hebron Christian—which is a top contender in Class 3A is 13-2 this year with its only losses coming to out-of-state opponents. Hebron Christian defeated Oconee County 67-29 on Tuesday to pick up its fourth-straight win and will visit Hart County in region play on Friday before its prime MLK matchup with Stockbridge.
In Region 1, the Hardaway girls are emerging as one of the top contenders in the classification this season and are the lone team in the region without a loss. The Hawks are 2-0 and lead 1-1 Westover and Bainbridge and 0-1 Shaw and Cairo. Bainbridge rebounded from a 50-28 loss to Westover with a 30-29 win over Shaw and will face Seminole County on Saturday before hosting Region 1 frontrunner Hardaway on Tuesday. Hardaway flexed its prowess by topping Westover 86-28. Now, the big storyline heading into this week is whether or not Bainbridge can keep closer pace to the Hawks—who have improved to 12-4 and carry a 9-game win-streak and flawless record within Class 4A. Hardaway’s losses came to Union Grove, River Ridge, Cross Creek and Norcross in November.
On the boys side, Holy Innocents’ opened up 2024 with a massive 72-33 road victory over Miller Grove to improve its record to 9-5. The Golden Bears are 5-0 in Region 6 and have not lost within Class 4A this season. Holy Innocents’ five losses came to Class 7A Wheeler 66-54, Class 6A Woodward Academy 69-49, Class 7A McEachern 80-57, North Carolina’s North Mecklenburg and Florida’s Oak Ridge. In terms of signature wins, Holy Innocents’ resume includes wins over St. Pius and Tucker and more recently a 53-48 win over Class 6A powerhouse and No. 1 ranked Alexander. Holy Innocents’ will take on Druid Hills on Tuesday in its next region showdown and will close out the regular season with 10-straight region showdowns with an opportunity to reach the playoffs as a top seed with a flawless Class 4A record.
Defending state champion Pace Academy also continues cruising this season and is 5-0 in Region 5 with an 11-2 overall record. Pace Academy has both a flawless record within Class 4A this season and against in-state opponents. The Knights’ lone losses came to Nationally ranked Christ the King (NY) and Vashon (MO). The big test for Pace Academy is likely to come on Jan. 19 when the Knights host region rival McDonough. The Warhawks are 14-2 and also 5-0 in Region 5. McDonough has one in-state loss to Westside-Macon and also fell to Little Rock (AR). In terms of signature wins, McDonough boasts victories over Cedar Grove, Lovett and Pope.
On the girls side, No. 1 ranked Baldwin has won seven-straight since dropping back-to-back games to St. Francis and Norcross. The Braves opened up the new year on Jan. 2 with a 66-46 win over rival Griffin to avenge last year’s championship loss. After that, Baldwin flexed its prowess with a 62-13 region win over Westside and a 63-33 win over Washington County. Stockbridge is arguably the most improved team in the classification this season and the Tigers are off to an 11-4 start with a 6-0 Region 5 record and a flawless record within Class 4A. Like Baldwin, Hardaway previously fell to Norcross in a tight 39-34 loss and has since won eight-straight to lead the Region 1 pack. Finally, last year’s semifinalist Holy Innocents’ is 6-6 with its only Class 4A loss coming to Baldwin 59-45.
MLK Day Classic 2024 Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 13
Campbell vs. Butler (11 a.m.)
Whitefield Academy vs. North Cobb Christian (12:30 p.m.)
Millington Central vs. Jasper (AL) (2:00 p.m.)
Butler vs. Westside (SC) (3:30 p.m.)
Hughes vs. Webb School (TN) (5:00 p.m.)
Grayson vs. IMG Academy (6:30 p.m.)
Monday, Jan. 15
Greenforest vs. Campbell (9:30 p.m.)
Newton vs. Millington Central (11:00 a.m.)
IMG Academy vs. St. Francis (12:30 p.m.)
Wesleyan vs. Montverde (FL) (2:00 p.m.)
Hebron Christian vs. Stockbridge (3:30 p.m.)
Woodland vs. Parkview (5:00 p.m.)
SW Atlanta Christian vs. Mt. Pisgah (6:30 p.m.)
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