Top 25 Georgia high school boys basketball rankings (1/16/2024)

Kell moves up one spot into the Top 5; Greenforest leaps into the Top 10

The second Georgia boys basketball Power 25 is out and the Top 10 had very minimal shakeup.

The first movement starts with Kell moving up one spot to No. 5. Greenforest jumped up to No. 8 after being outside of the Top 10 last week and two teams jumped into the Top 25 for the first time in Archer and North Oconee.

1. Grayson (16-2)

The Rams remain in the No. 1 spot this week after going 1-1 in their final two out-of-state games. They suffered a razor thin 64-63 loss to Perry (Az.) before beating Bishop McNamara (Md.) 78-55 on Monday night. 

2. McEachern (13-5)

The Indians had a similar week to that of Grayson. They played four games in five days, including three days in a row, and went 2-2 against out-of-state opponents. They beat Vashon (Mo.) and Edmond North (Ok.) and lost to Paul VI (Va.) and Harvard-Westlake (Ca.).

3. Sandy Creek (14-2)

The Patriots remain in the No. 3 spot after a perfect 2-0 week. On Saturday, they beat St. Anne-Pacelli 73-66 before routing Flint Hill (Va.) 71-48 on Monday.

4. Alexander (16-2)

The Cougars remain at No. 4 in this week’s rankings after a 2-0 week. They started things off with a rout of Hughes 85-53 and followed that up with another great win, this time against Dutchtown 61-49 on Monday.

5. Kell (14-3)

The first movement in this week’s Power 25 starts with Kell moving up one spot to No. 5. They haven’t played a game since Jan. 9, but have looked very good as of late. They are back in action Tuesday night against Greater Atlanta Christian.

6. Berkmar (14-4)

The Patriots slide down one spot to No. 6 after suffering a pair of losses. Their two losses weren’t your ordinary losses, however. Both came against Top 40-ranked teams in the nation in Bullis (Md.) and Jackson Reed (Dc.).

7. Wheeler (12-4)

The Wildcats remain in the No. 7 spot in this week’s Power 25 after a 1-0 week. They’re coming off of a 57-51 win against Osborne, who seems to always play them tough. They will be back in action Wednesday night against Walton. 

8. Greenforest (14-4)

The Eagles jump into the Top 10 and land in the No. 8 spot in this week’s rankings after an impressive week. The beat a good Baldwin team 62-53 and followed that up with a very impressive win against Mount Vernon, defeating them 61-54 on Monday.

9. Mount Vernon (12-8)

The Mustangs fall one spot to No. 9 after a good start to the week ended on a bad note. They picked up a pair of out-of-state wins before losing to Greenforest 61-54 on Monday. The Mustangs have eight losses, but they have played one of the toughest schedules in the state and very easily could have won 4-5 of those games.

10. Holy Innocents (11-5)

The Golden Bears went 1-0 last week, and their win came against Hapeville Charter by 10 points, 66-56. It’s been tough to get a true read on just how good the Golden Bears are this season, but as of now, they’re deserving of the No. 10 spot with their resume.

11. Pace Academy (14-2)

The Knights are 14-2, but it’s hard to get excited about their resume, or lack thereof. They were very nearly beaten by Riverwood last Friday night, and they followed that up with a solid performance against Hiram, winning 70-48. 

12. Newton (13-3)

The Rams picked up a blemish on their schedule last Friday after losing to Archer 61-54. It’s not a great loss considering what Grayson had just done to the Tigers, but catching a team that just lost big in their very next game isn’t usually a good thing.

13. Buford (15-3)

The Wolves come in at No. 13 in this week’s rankings after a 2-0 week. They survived a scare from Central Gwinnett and beat River Ridge 71-57 on Saturday to improve to 15-3 on the season.

14. McDonough (15-2)

The Warhawks are another team, similar to Pace Academy that hasn’t played a strong schedule up until this point. But both of those teams will soon get their biggest test of the season when they play each other twice in the next few weeks. We’ll figure out just how good both of those teams are when that takes place. 

15. Tucker (14-4)

The Tigers remain at No. 15 in this week’s rankings after another good week. The’re 14-4 and are coming off of back-to-back wins against Hughes and McIntosh.

16. Shiloh (14-3)

The Generals have gotten themselves back on track as of late, and that’s a great thing to see if you’re a Shiloh basketball fan. They improved to 14-3 last week with two blowout region wins against Lanier and Jackson County. 

17. Woodward Academy (14-4)

The War Eagles remain at No. 17 in this week’s rankings after picking up wins against Rockdale County and Seckinger. 

18. St. Pius (12-4)

The Golden Lions move up one spot to No. 18 in this week’s Power 25 after another solid week. Their last win came last Friday against South Cobb 81-69.

19. Archer (15-2)

The Tigers built an impressive record to start the season, but had done it playing a lot of bad competition. They were then blown out by Grayson, the state’s No. 1 team, and that kept them out of the Power 25 last week. But after earning a nice win against Newton, the Tigers are in the Power 25, and come in at No. 19. They’ll have plenty of opportunities to prove their worth and move up the rankings in the next few weeks. 

20. Langston Hughes (10-5)

It’s hard to knock Hughes for losing to really good teams in the state of Georgia. The Panthers went 0-2 last week, and those losses came against two teams ranked ahead of them in Alexander and Tucker. They weren’t competitive against Alexander - and that’s to be expected - but their loss to Tucker was by just one point. 

21. Walton (14-3)

The Raiders fall back one spot to No. 21 in this week’s rankings after picking up their 14th win of the season. They routed Kennesaw Mountain 69-53 last Friday. 

22. Dutchtown (11-6)

The Bulldogs lost another game last week, but it was a good effort against Alexander. The Bulldogs lost the game 61-49, and that knocks them back just one spot to No. 22 in this week’s Power 25.

23. Tri-Cities (9-5)

The Bulldogs are coming off of a loss to Cedar Grove, and that slides them back one spot to No. 23 in this week’s rankings. That came after they earned a nice win against a good Jackson team last Friday, the 25th ranked team in last week’s Power 25. 

24. Chapel Hill (11-5)

The Panthers fall back just one spot to No. 24 in this week’s Power 25 after a solid week. They beat Fayette County in a close one 69-67 and followed that up with a 74-62 win over Carrollton on Monday. 

25. North Oconee (15-3)

The Titans make their debut in the Power 25 this week after a solid week of basketball. They’re sitting at 15-3 on the season, and head coach Rick Rasmussen just picked up his 400th career win. He has them pointed in the right direction.