Two No. 1-ranked boys basketball teams - Grayson and Holy Innocents' – are facing off this we face off this week. A pair of newly elevated No. 1 teams, Woodward Academy’s boys and Model’s girls, needs wins to solidify their lofting rankings.
Here’s a look at the 10 best games around the state this week.
Thursday
*Tri-Cities at Woodward Academy (girls): The winner of this game between top-10 Class 5A girls teams will take sole possession of first place in Region 4 and emerge as the only unbeaten team in region play. No. 3 Woodward Academy (12-5, 7-0) has won five straight games since a four-game losing streak in late December and is coming off a 65-60 victory over No. 5 Milton. Sixth-ranked Tri-Cities (13-2, 6-0) is on an 11-game winning streak. The south Fulton County teams will meet again Jan. 28 at Tri-Cities.
*Tri-Cities at Woodward Academy (boys): Woodward’s boys are the new No. 1 team in Class 5A after previous No. 1 Milton lost two of three games to out-of-state teams in Springfield, Mo., last week. Woodward (15-3, 7-0) can validate the promotion in this Region 4 showdown against No. 3 Tri-Cities (13-4, 6-0). Woodward’s top player is guard Zac Foster, who has signed with Clemson. Jalan Wingfield, a top-125 junior prospect, plays for Tri-Cities.
Friday
*Etowah at Walton (boys): These top-10 teams are chasing second-ranked Wheeler in Region 5-6A. No. 5 Walton (16-2, 6-1) won at No. 7 Etowah (15-4, 5-2) 58-53 in December behind Nikolas Avaliani’s 20 points. Etowah’s Alex Young is averaging more than 15 points and 10 rebounds.
*Grayson at Archer (girls): The top two teams in the Region 4-6A standings will meet for the second time this season with at least a share of first place on the line. No. 3 Grayson (19-1, 7-0), the Class 7A champion last season, sits in the top spot, just ahead of sixth-ranked Archer (17-2, 6-1). The difference in their region records is Grayson’s 67-64 home victory over Archer on Jan. 3. Both teams have a game remaining against third-place Newton, ranked No. 10.
*Heard County at Model (girls): Model, newly anointed as the No. 1 team in Class A Division I, will be tested this week with games against its top two challengers in Region 6. First up is a trip to third-place Bremen on Tuesday, followed by the Friday showdown with second-place Heard County. Model (15-3, 7-0) beat Bremen 45-38 and Heard County 46-44 in their first meetings in early December. Eighth-ranked Heard County handed Class 3A-A private No. 6 Southwest Atlanta Christian its first loss on Saturday.
*North Paulding at Cherokee (girls): Top-ranked North Paulding (18-1, 6-0) will try to strengthen its hold on first place in Region 5-6A when its takes on No. 5 Cherokee (17-3, 6-1) for the second time this season. North Paulding handed Cherokee its only region loss with a 65-59 victory at home on Dec. 10. The Wolfpack rolled past Class 3A No. 1 Baldwin 70-45 on Monday. Third-place Etowah (16-4, 5-2) remains alive in the race and will face Cherokee and North Paulding next week.
Saturday
*Holy Innocents’ at Grayson (boys): The No. 1 team in the highest class, Grayson, is playing the No. 1 team in Class 3A-A private. The state’s two best senior prospects also will face off. Those are Holy Innocents’ Caleb Wilson and Grayson’s Jacob Wilkins. Grayson also has the state’s No. 1 junior prospect, Caleb Holt. Grayson (17-2) is unbeaten against Georgia teams. Holy Innocents’ (14-3) has lost only to Pace Academy in state, and that was a November overtime game top open the season.
*McEachern at Norcross (boys): This is a non-region game between top-10 teams in Class 6A and a rematch of a 2024 Class 7A quarterfinal that McEachern won. McEachern started 1-2 this season but is 14-1 since, losing only to No. 1 Grayson. McEachern beat Class 4A’s No. 1 team, Pace Academy, 64-59 last week. Norcross (13-6) has been more up and down but is ranked No. 8 while tied for first in Region 7. These are top-flight Georgia programs historically as Norcross has won six state titles, mostly recently in 2022, while McEachern was the 2024 Class 7A runner-up and 2019 champion.
*Milton at Wheeler (boys): In a high-powered inter-class game, No. 2 Wheeler of 6A is home against No. 2 Milton of 5A. Wheeler’s top player is Tylis Jordan, who has signed with Ole Miss. Milton’s Josh Dixon is committed to Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Wheeler (16-3) and Milton (13-5) have lost only one game apiece to in-state opponents, both against No. 1 Grayson of Class 6A.
*North Forsyth at Buford (girls): North Forsyth, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, is one of only three remaining unbeaten girls teams in the state (Class 4A Creekside and Warner Robins are the others) and will put its perfect mark on the line when it meets No. 8 Buford in a non-region game. This will be North Forsyth’s first game against a top-10 opponent since Nov. 14, when it defeated current No. 6 Archer 64-31. Buford’s only loss came against Mill Creek 60-51 on Dec. 16 in Region 8 play.
