Coming off of the program’s first-ever state championship victory one season ago, the North Oconee Titans boy’s basketball team hasn’t skipped a beat in 2025.
“We are sticking where our feet are,” said North Oconee coach Rick Rasmussen. “We are very process oriented and very one game at a time and I think that is the mature thing to do.” “Our job as a coaching staff is to keep our kids focused on the task at hand and to not get ahead of ourselves, and we’ll see where that takes us.”
The Titans put together a stellar 2024 season as they accumulated a 30-3 record, as well as going 13-1 with Region 8-4A play a year ago.
On the way to the team’s first boys basketball state championship, North Oconee defeated Lovett, Central-Carrollton, New Hampstead before defeating Baldwin by a single point in the semifinals. After defeating the Braves in the Final Four, North Oconee drew a matchup with 5-star recruit Caleb Wilson and Holy Innocents’ in the state championship where the Titans came out on top, 65-60 to secure the state title.
Now, 22 games into this season, the Titans are still one of the top Class 4A squads and could be the first defending champion in Class 4A since Upson-Lee won back-to-back in 2017-18.
This year’s Titans are led by star sophomore guard Justin Wise, who has been a major contributor to the Titans success over the last two seasons. Last year, Wise earned Most Valuable Player honors in the state championship game as a freshman after scoring 19 points, including a dominant third quarter run where he made three consecutive 3-pointers in a row.
This season, Wise continues to impress and is averaging over 20 points per game with four rebounds and three assists. While Wise has been a major source of production for North Oconee, the young Titans team features plenty of playmakers that have been able to build off of last season’s momentum as the postseason is right around the corner.
Along with Wise, junior big man Khamari Brooks, a name known on the North Oconee football field, is back for another season of high school basketball where he has taken on a prominent role for the Titans. The junior is averaging around 15 points and seven rebounds per game after missing the first 12 games of the season due to the North Oconee football team’s run in the postseason, winning the state championship.
Brooks is listed as a 4-star edge rusher on 247Sports.com and played a major role in the Titans taking home their first-ever football state championship in 2024. Standing at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, his transition to the basketball court has been seamless and he is proving to be an imposing figure as he is on the football field.
Wise and Brooks are the only two returning starters from last seasons state championship team.
Junior forward Banks Pourchier has been a problem for opposing defenses as he has used his 6-8 frame to his advantage this season. Pourchier, a stretch power forward for the Titans, is averaging 13 points per game to go along with nine rebounds. Pourchier received an offer from Tennessee-Chattanooga earlier this month.
Pourchier along with Brooks and Wise are the three leading scorers for North Oconee, each averaging double figures. North Oconee senior and 1000-point scorer Thrasher Wilkins is the only player the Titans will be losing to graduation after this season and the gained experience from the underclassmen might help create a North Oconee basketball dynasty.
A program can dream. Can’t it?
Blake Bracco and Luke Lawson are other Titans to become very familiar with as the postseason inches closer. Bracco averages six assists on the season, with Lawson adding a spark off the bench as the team’s sixth man.
This week, the Titans will travel to face East Forsyth on the road on Friday before returning back home to face Heritage-Conyers on Saturday.
“The biggest thing is they have accepted their roles and gelled together,” said Rasmussen. “They care about what is best for the team instead of the individual and those are all traits of a championship culture.”
NOTES:
Boys – Southwest DeKalb defeated St. Pius X 61-45 as they outscored the Golden Lions 18-7 in the fourth quarter to pull away with the victory…Maynard Jackson defeated Midtown 64-42 as the Jaguars outscored the Knights 32-11 in the first half…Kell defeated Centennial 70-64 as the Longhorns improved to 17-5 on the season…Pace Academy defeated Creekside 78-34 as the Knights improved to 19-4 overall…North Oconee defeated Eastside 59-47 as the Titans extend their winning streak to 18 games…Central-Carrollton defeated Jonesboro in a narrow victory 58-57 as the Lions were led by 21 points from Khaven Cochran and 18 points from Chace North/.
Girls – Midtown defeated Maynard Jackson 59-50 as the Knights were led by Hailey Wortmann with 20 points and Devin Bockman with 19 points…Kell defeated Centennial 76-5 as the Longhorns hand the Knights their 18th loss of the season…Stockbridge defeated Locust Grove 64-23 as the Tigers improved to 17-4 on the season…Warner Robins defeated Perry 74-27 as the Demons remain perfect on the season at 21-0…Ware County defeated Wayne County 37-33 as the Gators earned their 19th win of the season…Marist defeated St. Pius X 68-41 as the War Eagles were led by a 39-point first half on the way to their 20th win of the season.
SCORE ATLANTA CLASS 4A RANKINGS Schedule- WEEK 11
BOYS:
1. Pace Academy: Friday vs Midtown at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday at Jackson at 7 p.m.
2. North Oconee: Friday at East Forsyth at 8:30 p.m., Saturday vs Heritage-Conyers at 5 p.m., Tuesday vs Walnut Grove at 7:30 p.m.
3. Kell: Tuesday at Westminster at 7:30 p.m., Thursday. at Cambridge at 7:30 p.m.
4. Southwest DeKalb: Friday at Druid Hills at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday vs Lithonia at 7:30 p.m., Friday vs Clarkston at 7:30 p.m.
5. Central-Carroll: Friday vs Northside-Columbus at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday at Griffin at 7:30 p.m., Friday vs Harris County at 7:30 p.m.
6. Jonesboro: Friday vs Starr’s Mill at 7:30 p.m., Saturday vs Lee County at 3 p.m., Monday vs Morrow at 7:30 p.m.
7. Tucker: Friday at Lithonia at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at North Springs at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday vs Marist at 7:30 p.m.
8. McDonough: Friday at Stockbridge at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at Jones County at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday vs Locust Grove at 7:30 p.m.
9. St. Pius X: Friday at Clarkston at 7:30 p.m., Saturday vs Sequoyah at 3 p.m., Monday at Sandy Creek at 7:30 p.m.
10. Maynard Jackson: Monday vs Forest Park at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday vs Pace Academy at 7 p.m.
GIRLS:
1. Creekside: Friday vs Drew at 6 p.m., Tuesday at Mays at 6 p.m.
2. Marist: Tuesday at Tucker at 6 p.m., Wednesday at Northview at 6 p.m., Friday vs Lithonia at 6 p.m.
3. Warner Robins: Friday vs New Hampstead at 6 p.m., Monday at Wayne County at 6 p.m.
4. Kell: Tuesday at Westminster at 6 p.m., Thursday at Cambridge at 6 p.m.
5. North Oconee: Friday at East Forsyth at 7 p.m., Tuesday vs Walnut Grove at 6 p.m.
6. Jackson-Atlanta: Friday vs Forest Park at 6 p.m., Tuesday vs Pace Academy at 5:30 p.m.
7. Jones County: Friday vs Eagles Landing at 6 p.m., Saturday vs McDonough at 5 p.m., Tuesday vs Union Grove at 6 p.m., Wednesday vs Stockbridge at 6 p.m.
8. Midtown: Friday at Pace Academy at 6 p.m., Saturday vs St. Anne-Pacelli at 2:30 p.m., Tuesday at Drew at 5:30 p.m.
9. Ware County: Friday at Woodville-Thompkins at 6 p.m., Saturday vs Perry at 4 p.m.
10. Stockbridge: Friday vs McDonough at 6 p.m., Monday vs Ola at 6 p.m., Tuesday vs Eagles Landing at 6 p.m., Wednesday Jones County at 6 p.m.
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