As the clock on the high school basketball regular season ticks down to double-zero, the top boys teams are gaining momentum. Milton, the AJC’s top-ranked team in Class 5A, won twice last week in region games by a gaudy average of 51 points.

Most of the ranked teams have completed playing in national tournaments and “showcases” against out-of-state powerhouses. Because the big boys were back to playing cross-town rivals and region bottom dwellers, the AJC’s newest rankings were relatively flat. All of the No. 1’s in every classification remained on top. Read more >

If local fans of girls prep basketball were hungry last week, surely they enjoyed a few sweet pieces of upside-down cake. In just one week, three local girls teams fell from the top spot in the AJC’s rankings.

In Class 5A, Hillgrove tumbled to 10th after losing three times to other ranked Cobb County rivals: Campbell, McEachern, and North Cobb. Read more >

Several of the state’s most highly ranked teams competed in tournaments and invitationals over weekend, despite being knee-deep in region play. One of the most high-profile of those events was the Marriott Invitational, which as held at Norcross over the weekend.

At Norcross, Miller Grove was beaten for the first time this season by Dr. Krop (Fla) 70-63. Read more >

In Class 5A, Norcross lost their first game of the season and was replaced by Hillgrove at the top. The Lady Blue Devils defeated defending Alabama 6A state champion Hoover in an interesting matchup of the two states’ reigning state champs. But Norcross fell on Tuesday to North Gwinnett, which caused their fall in the rankings this week. Read more >

Milton’s win over perennial national power Oak Hill (Va.) on Saturday was the talk of the national high school basketball scene. Oak Hill was ranked No. 1 in the nation prior to the game, but the loss has cleared a path for another Georgia team to potentially take the top ranking. Class 4A’s Miller Grove, who defeated Milton earlier in the season, has been Georgia’s top-ranked team in most national polls and now stands a shot at winning the national championship. Read more >