During the recent Nike Explosion showcase, Class AAAAA No. 2 Wheeler faced off against one of the top teams in Class AAAA Southwest DeKalb. Score 44 charter member Charles Mitchell scored 24 points and posted 11 boards to pace Wheeler to an epic 65-62 victory. Fellow Wildcat senior Justin Seymour (Utah commit) added 18 points from the backcourt. Mitchell, one of the state’s top recruits, has generated some buzz nationally from the likes of Alabama, Tennessee and Xavier.

“I think it was an atmosphere that only could make your team better,” coach Doug Lipscomb of Wheeler remarked about the event held at Kennesaw State. “That was the whole purpose of having the shootout.”

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The GHSA State Basketball Tournament is just around the corner. This year promises more of the usual, as a ton of talent from across the Peach State will do battle for the right to be called state champions.

But going deep into the tourney is about much more than just talent and ability. Some of the state’s top coaches say that while that is certainly important, winning a title is about much, much more.

Head coach Sharman White and Miller Grove are no strangers to the tournament. They have made a habit of going deep into the postseason and have won back-to-back state titles.

”At our program we want to be playing for state championships every season,” White said. Read more >

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 >

As the top boys basketball teams in the state make their playoff pushes, teams from the metro area continue to dominate in the AJC’s weekly polls, especially in the larger classifications. Every No. 1 ranked team (with the exception of Class A) is inside or within shouting distance of I-285.

Milton remains in Class 5A’s top spot after beating No. 3 Wheeler 77-59 on Saturday night. With the emergence of Walton to the ninth spot, every Class 5A team is from metro Atlanta.

Seven ranked teams in Class 4A are locals. Miller Grove has only one loss this season, to Florida’s Dr. Krop, and remains No. 1.

Columbia lost, but was still able keep the top spot in Class 3A. Their loss came against highly regarded (but unranked) Tucker from Class 4A, 62-54. Read more >

Tonight was Walton’s night.

The host Raiders won both games of their grudgematch against neighborhood rival Wheeler in front of a statewide audience on GPB.org and to the delight of the sold-out “Pit” on the campus of Walton High School.

The 89-78 win by the Walton boys was especially important, as they were able to upend the No. 2 Wildcats who had used them as nothing more than a slight speed bump for much of the past two decades.

“We beat Wheeler two years ago for the first time in about 20 years,” said Raiders head coach Joe Goydish. “(Tonight) was a big win because we knew we had to beat them to tie the region.”

And, indeed, the two teams are tied at the top of Region 5-5A with one loss, each to the other. Read more >