Sharman White’s Miller Grove Wolverines are in a familiar spot, running among the contenders for a state basketball title. Despite being hit hard by graduation last season, the 2009 Class 4A boys state champs and ’08 semifinals participants have won eight straight, and jumped from No. 9 to No. 4 in the polls this week. The big win came in a 6-AAAA victory over Lakeside-DeKalb. The Wolverines delivered a major statement to the rest of the region, withstanding 35 points from Sheldon Strickland to win 100-90. Then they followed that up with a win over South Florida Christian at the Atlanta National Invitational Showcase, winning 54-42. Donte Williams and Tony Parker paced MGHS with 12 points apiece.
There’s just one game on the docket for White’s team this week, as a trip to upstart Southwest DeKalb is on the horizon. The Panthers are 5-2 in region play, but lost to Miller Grove by 33 just two weeks ago.
Lakeside is still very much in the picture despite the loss. The Vikings have an intriguing matchup with Chamblee on Friday in a game that features two of the county’s top scorers. Strickland is averaging close to 20 points-per-game. Meanwhile, senior David Mason can light it up for CHS.
The Bulldogs are coming off a tough 65-58 loss to Marist. Keep an eye on Greg McClaire’s War Eagles, who have been inconsistent this season, but might be ready to round into form after a 65-58 win over Chamblee. Kash Manzelli can score with the best of them, and he’ll have to keep it up when they take on No. 7 Tucker in what will surely be one of the top games to watch on Friday night.
In 3A, Dunwoody returns to the top 10 after a 53-43 win over Cedar Grove upped its region 5-AAA record to 5-1. Javon McKay lead the way with 18 points, and Garrett Kopydlowski had 11. A scrappy Towers team hosts the ‘Cats on Friday, then it’s a rematch with Cedar Grove on Tuesday.
But the Wildcats have failed to beat No. 3 Columbia. The Eagles spent their weekend playing some of the best teams in the nation at the Prime Time Shootout in Morgantown, W.V. After getting off to a slow start against Arlington Country Day, Jarmal Reid exploded in the second quarter to score 13 points to get Columbia back in the game. The Eagles took control in the fourth quarter, leading for the last 6:20 of the game en route to an 80-76 win. It wasn’t as easy the following evening against nationally known Oak Hill Academy, which defeated them 63-56. Jershon Cobb was cool as always at the point guard position, dropping 24 points.
Hard times have fallen on Decatur in 2A. After looking like one of the best teams in the classification over the last month, the Bulldogs have lost two straight region games. The second came in a 69-51 defeat at the hands of No. 1 Greater Atlanta Christian. Decatur fought hard, and was right in the game early in the fourth quarter before the offense went ice cold, as the lead ballooned to double-digits. Trumon Jefferson and Nic Wilson had 20 points apiece.
In Classs A, Paideia is ranked No. 9 after wins over W.D. Mohammed and Westminster last weekend.
Southwest DeKalb is playing great basketball in 4A, with Florida commit Kayla Lewis playing great basketball.
The Redan Lady Raiders are still undefeated at 16-0 as they shoot for their second consecutive state title. Douglass put a bit of a scare into them in a 61-55 victory last week. They face a busy upcoming slate with three games in six days as Luella (Thursday), Mays (Saturday), and Union Grove (Tuesday) loom.
WINTER SPORTS ROUNDUP …
In wrestling, Marist looks to build on its strong performance at the state duals with a strong follow-up performance at the Coal Mountain Classic at North Forsyth High this Saturday, a tournament that will last all day long and test the strength of the War Eagles. A nice performance would also give the team some major momentum heading into the traditional Area Tournament, which takes place at Forsyth Central next weekend.
In swimming, Marist, St. Pius X, Dunwoody and other county schools will do battle this week at the Metro Championships, hosted at Westminster. Diving teams face off looking for local bragging rights on Friday, and then comes the swimming teams beginning Saturday morning.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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