Class 3A Blog: Boys and girls preseason basketball poll hints at competitive season

The GHSA basketball season opens Friday, the first date allowed for a basketball game and on the boys and girls side of the class, the preseason rankings feature the usual suspects and several sleeper programs that could carve postseason runs.

On the boys side, defending champion Sandy Creek opens the season at No. 3 behind No. 1 Cross Creek and No. 2 Cedar Grove. Cherokee Bluff opens the season at No. 4 while East Hall is ranked No. 5. Douglass-Atlanta begins at No. 6 with No. 7 Harlem, No. 8 Calhoun, No. 9 Troup and No. 10 Westside-Augusta filling the top 10.

Cross Creek, which won championships in 2021 and 2022, begins the season against Grovetown on Nov. 14 at home. According to MaxPreps, Sandy Creek is scheduled to open its season at home against Spalding on Dec. 2 and will play in the Lemon Street Classic at Marietta (Dec. 26) and the Dream Challenge at Jackson-Atlanta (Jan. 19).

On the girls side, defending champion Cherokee Bluff opens the year at the top of the class and leads No. 2 Monroe, No. 3 Gilmer, No. 4 Jenkins and No. 5 Sandy Creek. Oconee County is No. 6, ahead of No. 7 Baldwin, No. 8 Pickens, No. 9 Luella and No. 10 Heritage-Catoosa.  

Cherokee Bluff will play Central Gwinnett on Nov. 18 to open the year and will take place in Lanierland (Dec. 22), the Smokey Mountain Classic (Dec. 29-31) and the She Got Game Classic (Jan. 3). Pickens opens the season at home against Lee County Tuesday and will compete in the She Got Game Classic (Jan. 3) and will host the Monroe MLK Shootout (Jan. 19).

See the boys and girls Class 3A Top 10 below.

Class 3A Boys Basketball Top 10

1. Cross Creek

2. Cedar Grove

3. Sandy Creek

4. Cherokee Bluff

5. East Hall

6. Douglass

7. Harlem

8. Calhoun

9. Troup

10. Westside-Augusta

Class 3A Girls Basketball Top 10

1. Cherokee Bluff

2. Monroe

3. Gilmer

4. Jenkins

5. Sandy Creek

6. Oconee County

7. Baldwin

8. Pickens

9. Luella

10. Heritage-Catoosa

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