SBLive’s Top 25 in Georgia high school girls basketball: Elbert County continues its steady climb

Elbert County is among five teams that jump two spots in the rankings, while Lovejoy is the lone team to debut.

The Top 25 saw little movement this week, with no team climbing more than two spots.

The Lovejoy Wildcats were the only new team to join the rankings, replacing previous No. 25 Archer.

While some teams have upcoming non-region games against big-time opponents, most teams are buckling down for region play and trying to stay healthy amid a wave of sickness and cancellations. 

(Elbert County photo by Jamie Spaar)

1. Brookwood (13-3)

Last week: 1

The Broncos extended their win streak to seven games with 30-point victories on the road over Parkview and then-No. 25 Archer.

2. Holy Innocents’ (14-2)

Last week: 2

The Golden Bears solidified their top-two status with a 69-56 win over West Forsyth early in the week and a 51-43 win over Kell in the She Got Game Classic.

3. St. Francis (12-2)

Last week: 4

The Knights handed Arlington (Tennessee) its first loss of the season in addition to winning a couple of region games against Mount Bethel and Mount Pisgah by 80 and 67 points, respectively.

4. Mount Paran (10-3)

Last week: 5

The Eagles made a statement with a 62-56 win over Luella in the She Got Game Classic, and they defeated Darlington by 20 points in a region game earlier in the week.

5. River Ridge (14-1)

Last week: 6

The Knights clobbered Jones (Florida) by 53 points in their last outing and have won seven games in a row since losing to North Forsyth.

6. Kell (12-2)

Last week: 3

The Longhorns entered last week undefeated but exited the week on a two-game losing streak. Kell was upset by LSU commit Flau’Jae Johnson (40 points) and the Sprayberry Yellow Jackets, then fell to Holy Innocents’ the next day in the She Got Game Classic.

7. Carrollton (14-0)

Last week: 8

The Trojans went 3-0 in their first week back from the break, adding region wins over Douglas County and Villa Rica and a non-region win over Carver (Columbus).

8. Woodward Academy (11-2)

Last week: 7

The War Eagles suffered a 74-70 loss to one of Florida’s top teams in Lake Highland Prep after they handled Tri-Cities the day before in a region game. They take on No. 4 Mount Paran on Saturday in the game of the week. 

9. North Forsyth (13-3)

Last week: 10

The Raiders have yet to lose to an opponent from Georgia, with all three of their losses coming to out-of-state teams over the holidays. They got back in the win column this week with wins over Loganville and Denmark.

10. Luella (12-2)

Last week: 9

The Lions nearly pulled off an upset of Mount Paran but lost 62-56 to the Eagles. The day before, they won 101-7 over region foe McDonough. 

11. Jefferson (14-2)

Last week: 11

The Dragons bounced back from a loss to Lumpkin County and held steady in the rankings after defeating a solid Chestatee (11-5) squad by 29 points and East Hall (8-7) by 22 points. 

12. Buford (10-3)

Last week: 12

The Wolves rebounded from their pre-Christmas loss to Brookwood with a couple of region wins over Dacula and Habersham Central. Aside from a game Wednesday against Rabun Gap-Nacoochee and a matchup with Wesleyan on Jan. 22, it’s all region games the rest of the way for Buford.

13. Grayson (12-3)

Last week: 15

The Rams took care of business last week, defeating Parkview by 42 points and fending off No. 24 Norcross for a 67-65 win. 

14. Hebron Christian (13-1)

Last week: 16

The Lions beat a Sand Rock (Alabama) team that had previously lost only one game this season. They host No. 13 Grayson on Tuesday with a chance to make a statement and jump in the rankings. 

15. Lumpkin County (15-1)

Last week: 17

Currently riding a 13-game win streak, the Indians are one of the hottest teams in the state. Last week they beat Cherokee Bluff by 21 and West Hall by 62 points, respectively. 

16. Maynard Jackson (7-1)

Last week: 13

The Jaguars haven’t played since Dec. 21, when they won 75-48 over Dutchtown. 

17. Forest Park (8-1)

Last week: 14

The Panthers are scheduled to play Tri-Cities on Tuesday in their first appearance since a win over Stockbridge on Dec. 18.

18. Cross Creek (10-1)

Last week: 20

The Razorbacks dominated in their only game last week, picking up a 59-11 region win over Harlem. They continue region play this week against Hephzibah and Morgan County. 

19. Elbert County (16-2)

Last week: 21

The Blue Devils won 44-33 against Class 4A North Oconee in their only game last week. They have a pair of region games this week against Banks County and Union County.

20. Greater Atlanta Christian (7-4)

Last week: 18

The Spartans started the week with a 71-13 region win over Salem but were upset by East Coweta (7-4) on Saturday.

21. Woodstock (10-5)

Last week: 19

The Wolverines opened their 2022 slate with a 70-14 region win over Milton but fell to unranked Wesleyan (8-3) by three points. 

22. Cherokee (12-5)

Last week: 22

The Warriors cruised to victories in region games against Milton and Etowah, winning by 43 and 32 points, respectively.

23. West Forsyth (11-4)

Last week: 23

The Wolverines followed up a competitive loss to No. 2 Holy Innocents’ with a 49-31 win over North Gwinnett, but they came up short in a 49-47 loss Saturday to Dr. Phillips (Florida).

24. Norcross (11-2)

Last week: 24

The Blue Devils were a few points short of pulling off the upset against No. 13 Grayson after they defeated Discovery by 34 points earlier in the week.

25. Lovejoy (9-3)

Last week: Unranked

Lovejoy joins the top 25 for the first time this season after spending the first half of the year on the bubble. With talented players like Layla Hood and Bryanna Preston, the Wildcats are a scary team to face for anyone. Their only loss to an in-state team this year came Nov. 27 to Woodward Academy, with their other two losses coming to Texas teams Duncanville and Hardin-Jefferson.

On the bubble: Archer (25), Sequoyah, South Forsyth, Brunswick, Wesleyan