The high school basketball season has turned a corner from holiday tournaments to the new year, which means the heart of region play. Here’s a look at the top five girls teams in the Class 7A rankings entering 2023:
1. Brookwood (13-1): The Broncos are coming off tight wins against No. 4 Wesleyan of 4A (68-67) and No. 1 Mount Paran Christian of 2A (56-54) in a holiday tournament. They’ve also beaten No. 4 Lovejoy of 6A. Their loss came against No. 1 River Ridge of Class 6A on Dec. 2. Brookwood reached the quarterfinals last season and lost to eventual champion Norcross. The team’s top player is point guard Diana Collins, who has signed with Ohio State.
2. Archer (11-2): The Tigers are in the same region with No. 1 Brookwood. Those teams meet Jan. 20 and Feb. 7. A state semifinalist last season, Archer has lost only to Hoover of Alabama and No. 1 St. Francis of Class A Division I. Its best victory is probably against No. 8 South Forsyth in the opener. Archer has three returning starters, all seniors – Taniyah McGowan, Courtney Nesbit and Ashanti Brynant – plus a new coach, Lamar Harris.
3. Norcross (10-1): The defending champion has beaten No. 1 St. Francis of A Division I and defeated Harrison in a rematch of the 2022 Class 7A final. The Blue Devils lost to No. 4 Lovejoy of 6A. They’re in Chicago this week. Norcross graduated Gwinnett County player of the year Zaria Hurston to DePaul but all-state guard Janie Akins.
4. Buford (10-0): The Wolves, a state power that has won 23 games or more each of the past 23 seasons, is in Class 7A now. They’ve not played the schedule of the teams in front of them and have been pushed only once, in a 58-54 victory over Rabun Gap. The team’s top player is guard Grace Watson, a junior with major Division I offers.
5. Peachtree Ridge (12-3): Aliyah Hunt, 6-5 center, is committed to Georgia State and leads a team looking to get past the quarterfinals for the first time in history. The Lions lost to Brookwood in the 2022 second round. The Lions’ three losses came against out-of-state teams in three days during a holiday tournament. They just went 3-0 in the Junior Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Miami, beating Miami High, the No. 6 team in Florida’s Division 7A in the championship game.
Rest of the top 10: No. 6 Campbell (12-2) was a semifinal team last season. Its only losses are to Lovejoy and Peachtree Ridge. No. 7 McEachern (7-2), No. 9 North Paulding (13-1) and No. 10 Hillgrove (11-3) are in the same Region 3. South Forsyth (11-3) is on top in Region 6.
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