Two No. 1-ranked girls teams, North Paulding and Baldwin, are playing each other this week, and a rare undefeated boys team, Putnam County, is playing a strong defending state champion, Greenforest Christian.
No. 1-ranked boys teams Grayson, Pace Academy and Holy Innocents' are going out of state for national competition this week. There are several good matchups on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, including 12 of them at Holy Innocents' for the MLK Classic.
Here is a look at some of the best games involving Georgia basketball teams.
Tuesday
River Ridge at Creekview (girls): Second-ranked River Ridge will try to strengthen its hold on first place in Region 6-5A when it faces No. 6 Creekview for the second time this season. River Ridge won 79-45 at home in the first meeting Dec. 3. Both teams recorded lopsided victories against the region’s other top contender, Pope, last week and knocked the Greyhounds out of the rankings.
Thursday:
Milton vs. Christ the King (boys): This is a first-round game of an eight-team tournament at the 40th Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Missouri. The highest-ranked teams in the tournament are Milton, at No. 49, and Orlando, Florida’s Oak Ridge, at No. 56. They could meet Friday in the semifinals. Milton (12-3) is ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, and its losses have come against No. 1 Grayson of Class 6A and two out-of-state teams.
Friday
Greenforest Christian at Putnam County (boys): Defending Class A Division II champion Greenforest Christian is playing Class 2A’s No. 1 team, Putnam County, which at 17-0 is one of only three Georgia boys teams still undefeated. Greenforest (7-5) is ranked No. 2 in A Division II, and its losses are against bigger schools, so despite the won-loss-record disparity in losses, this game probably is a toss-up.
Josey at Thomson (girls): First place in Region 4-2A will be at stake when the two top-ranked teams in Class 2A get together. No. 1 Thomson’s only loss this season was a 46-44 game against Class 3A-A private No. 1 Hebron Christian on Dec. 13. No. 2 Josey has one loss to an in-state opponent, 76-68 against 3A-A private No. 2 St. Francis on Dec. 21. The region also includes third-ranked Butler, which fell into third place with a 56-52 overtime loss to Josey last week.
Telfair County at Wilcox County (girls): Second-ranked Telfair and No. 3 Wilcox will battle for first place in Region 4-A Division II and perhaps a shot at the No. 1 ranking next week. Both teams are unbeaten in region play. The Trojans and Patriots have combined to win 22 games overall this season while the region’s other five teams have just 17 total victories. Telfair and Wilcox will meet again in McRae on Feb. 7 in their regular-season finale.
Saturday
Holy innocents’ vs. St. Joseph, Calif. (boys): Georgia’s No. 1 Class 3A-A boys team will be in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the Hoopball Classic. St. Joseph, of Santa Maria, California, is ranked No. 17 nationally, per MaxPreps. Holy Innocents’, led by power forward Caleb Wilson, the state’s No. 1 senior prospect, is No. 75. Georgia’s No. 1 team, Grayson, also is in Springfield and will play later Saturday against Sierra Canyon, which is California’s No. 21 team.
McEachern at Pace Academy (boys): This is 5:30 p.m. game in the 10-team Judge Clyde Reese Playing for a Change event at Pace Academy (schedule below). The host school is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A and hasn’t lost to an in-state team. McEachern, the No. 4 team in Class 6A, might be the biggest test of that record so far. Pace’s biggest in-state win has been an overtime victory over No. 1 Holy Innocents’ of Class 3A-A private in November.
Newton at Wheeler (boys): This is the 7 p.m. game of Playing for Change event at Pace Academy, and it is a non-region clash between Class 6A heavyweights. Wheeler is No. 2 in Class 6A. Newton is No. 3. This week is a measuring stick for both teams as Wheeler also plays No. 7 Etowah in a home region game Tuesday, and Newton plays No. 3 Tri-Cities of Class 5A on Monday.
Monday
North Paulding vs. Baldwin (girls): Two of the state’s No. 1-ranked teams will go head-to-head in one of the main attractions at the MLK Classic at Holy Innocents’. North Paulding was the runner-up in the highest class last season and is ranked No. 1 in Class 6A. Baldwin won a state title last year and sits atop the Class 3A rankings. The event will feature eight girls games (including 12 top-10 teams) and six boys games (schedule below).
