Class 3A Blog: Demory leading top-ranked Baldwin boys, Acree pacing No. 1 Monroe girls

Baldwin’s boys lead a talented Class 3A top 10 with No. 2 Cross Creek, No. 3 Sandy Creek, No. 4 Douglass and No. 5 Cherokee Bluff in the latest Score Atlanta rankings.

Guard Karez Demory leading the way.

The senior leads the team across the board, averaging a team-leading 19 points with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Demory plays best in big games and in a 71-64 victory against Class 3A No. 2 Cross Creek on Dec. 12, he scored a season-high 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting. He has scored at least 20 points in seven of the team’s 12 contests.

The Braves are 10-2 but have yet to lose to a team from the state of Georgia. The losses were to Florida programs Impact Christian on Dec. 19 (61-46) and Providence School on Dec. 20 (56-52). Baldwin, which is the only unbeaten team in Region 4 (6-0) after beating Cross Creek (6-1), travels to Aquinas (2-10, 0-7) Tuesday and its next key region games are against No. 9 Harlem (9-5, 6-1) and a rematch with No. 2 Cross Creek (11-5, 6-1) on Jan. 20.

On the girls side, top-ranked Monroe (11-2, 1-0) will continue Region 1 play against Cairo (5-6, 0-1) Tuesday and a pair of juniors have been key for the program from Albany. Kie’Aundrea Acree leads the Golden Tornadoes with 31 points and 12.2 rebounds er game with three steals. Junior Taylor McKinney adds 15 points with six rebounds and three assists per contest. Freshman Maleyah Hines has grabbed 10.5 rebounds per game, a key addition to the upperclassmen’s scoring prowess.

Monroe has lost to one in-state program – Class 6A Norcross 57-54 on Dec. 30 – and is coming off a loss against Alabama’s Bob Jones 88-68 Saturday. The Golden Tornadoes will hope to right the ship against Cairo to maintain a tie (1-0) at the top of the league standings alongside Westover and Bainbridge. Monroe faces Westover Friday and Bainbridge on Jan. 17, both road stints.

In other news – Former Cedar Grove head football coach Jimmy Smith is returning to Atlanta to join Brent Key’s staff at Georgia Tech. Smith coached Cedar Grove from 2013-2018 and led the Saints to two championships – 2016 and 2018.

Class 3A Boys Basketball Rankings

1. Baldwin

2. Cross Creek

3. Sandy Creek

4. Douglass

5. Cherokee Bluff

6. Westover

7. Cedar Grove

8. Monroe

9. Harlem

10. Lumpkin County

Class 3A Girls Basketball Rankings

1. Monroe

2. Luella

3. Sandy Creek

4. Cherokee Bluff

5. Oconee County

6. White County

7. Jenkins

8. Heritage-Catoosa

9. Ridgeland

10. Pickens

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