Georgia Girls Basketball Power 25: Week 9

The Georgia Girls Basketball Power 25 was quiet last week, but this week was anything but. The Top 3 teams remain intact, but there was heavy movement from 4-25. 

Mt. Paran Christian (No.4), Lovejoy (No. 5), Woodward Academy (No. 6) all moved up one spot while Archer took a tumble to No. 7. The biggest mover was Lumpkin County, which jumped up six spots from No. 17 to No. 11 after dominant wins against White County and Wesleyan, who fell from No. 8 to No. 13. 

Find the complete breakdown of the SBLive Sports Georgia Girls Basketball Power 25 below.

1. Hebron Christian (19-0):  Who is going to beat the Lions this year? Probably no one. They picked up three more impressive wins since last week’s rankings to improve to 19-0 on the season. They have no competition in Region 8 and should be a shoo-in to win the region.

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2. River Ridge (17-5): After their scare against rival Sequoyah, the Knights bounced back strong with two blowout wins against Creekview and Allatoona. They’re undefeated in Region 6 play with three games left on the schedule.

3. Brookwood (19-1): The Broncos’ biggest test in region play since their scare against Grayson came last Friday night at home against Archer. They dominated from start to finish and won 70-49 in what was arguably their best performance of the season. They firmly hold the No. 1 ranking in Class 7A.

4. Mt. Paran Christian (20-1): The first movement in the Top 10 this week is right here at No. 4 with the Eagles moving up one spot. With Archer looking overmatched against Brookwood and the Eagles very nearly beating the Broncos a month ago (56-54 loss), they move up to No. 4 after improving to 20-1 on the season.

5. Lovejoy (17-4): The Wildcats move up one spot to No. 5 in this week’s rankings after turning in another great week. They’re coming off a 63-57 road win at Rockdale County on Tuesday night and at the moment look like the favorites to win a loaded Region 4-6A.

6. Woodward Academy (17-5): The War Eagles have looked a tad bit vulnerable at times this season, but their overall body of work is one of the best in the state. They’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the state and have looked impressive more times than not. They’re fresh off a dismantling of Forest Park 72-54 Tuesday night and they move up one spot in the rankings to No. 6 as a result.

7. Archer (13-2): The Tigers had a huge letdown against No. 3 Brookwood last Friday night. They looked overmatched from virtually start to finish and lost 70-49. All of a sudden, the Tigers’ resume doesn’t look that strong. But it’s good enough to keep them in the Top 10 for now. They’re down three spots to No. 7 in this week’s rankings.

8. Buford (18-1): The Wolves move up two spots to No. 8 in this week’s power 25, due in large part to teams previously ahead of them losing. The Wolves didn’t play any noteworthy opponents since last week’s rankings, but they took care of business and are now sitting at 18-1 on the season.

9. St. Francis (17-5): If not for a 20-point loss to the team one spot ahead of them in the rankings (Buford), the Knights could be a lot higher. They’ve played an impressive schedule and they have some marquee wins. With some teams slipping up this week and the Knights earning some massive blowout wins, they’re up to No. 9 in this week’s rankings.

10. Norcross (19-2): The Blue Devils remain in the Top 10 by the skin of their teeth this week after dropping a game to McEachern 34-33 last Saturday. They bounced back nicely with a convincing 49-26 win against Peachtree Ridge and that’s going to keep them inside the Top 10 this week.

11. Lumpkin County (17-3): The biggest mover in this week’s rankings is without question Lumpkin County. In back-to-back games, they dismantled White County and Wesleyan, who was previously ranked No. 8. They avenged their OT loss earlier in the season to the Wolves and appear to be playing their best basketball of the season at the right time.

12. Kell (15-5): The Longhorns remain at No. 12 after a nice week. They beat up on Centennial and Cambridge to improve to 15-5 on the season. And when it comes to Class 5A, the Longhorns appear to be the clear favorite at this point in the season.

13. Wesleyan (16-3): The Wolves’ much-anticipated rematch against Lumpkin County did not go according to plan. They got down big, lost their coach to a questionable ejection and got blown out 70-48. They bounced back with a great 68-43 win at home against White County to keep from sliding any further in the rankings. They come in at No. 13 in this week’s Power 25.

14. Galloway (19-4): The Scots continue to play great basketball this season and they’re up one spot to No. 14 in this week’s rankings. They’re stuck in a region with St. Francis, who is also the favorite to win Class A D-1, but the Scots are clearly the second-best team in the classification.

15. Forest Park (15-5): Just when it looked like the Panthers had turned a corner, they were knocked back down in a big way against No. 5 Lovejoy and No. 6 Woodward Academy. The Panthers are only down two spots in this week’s rankings because while both losses were bad, they came against two Top 6 teams in the state.

16. Rockdale County (14-7): The Bulldogs’ slide continues with them dropping three in a row to the gauntlet that consists of No. 5 Lovejoy, No. 6 Woodward Academy and No. 15 Forest Park. The Bulldogs did look better against Lovejoy on Tuesday night. They have a win against the Wildcats this season and had a lead early before losing 63-57. They’re still a good team and will be a tough out moving forward.

17. McEachern (13-6): It’s still very tough to tell just how good the Indians are. They are fresh off wins against North Paulding and Norcross, but only beat a 6-14 Harrison team by one point. Their wins against North Paulding and Norcross are good enough to move them up to No. 17 in this week’s rankings, though.

18. Peachtree Ridge (16-4): The Lions are coming off their worst game of the season, a 49-26 loss to No. 10 Norcross. Many expected them to give the Blue Devils a run for their money, but that didn’t come close to happening. They will get another crack at them on their home court coming up, but for now they’re down two spots to No. 18.

19. Hillgrove (16-5): There’s a good chance that the Hawks are better than 19th in the state of Georgia, especially with the way they’re playing right now. If not for a 4-point loss to North Paulding, they probably would be higher. But they’ll have a lot of opportunities to move up in the coming weeks. They play McEachern in a huge rematch on the road Friday night.

20. Campbell (19-2): The Spartans come in at No. 20 in this week’s rankings after a good week. They picked up two blowout wins against Westlake and East Coweta to improve to 19-2 on the season. Teams ranked in spots 17-21 are all virtually dead even.

21. North Paulding (19-2): The Wolfpack dropped only its second game of the season last Friday night to McEachern 47-40. It wasn’t their best showing by any means, but they’re still one of the best teams in Class 7A. They come in at No. 21 in this week’s rankings.

22. Griffin (16-3): The Bears have gotten back on the right track after dropping two in a row. They beat West Laurens and Spalding handily to improve to 16-3 on the season.

23. South Forsyth (18-3): The War Eagles extended its winning streak to 10 in a row this week and they’re now sitting at an impressive 18-3 on the season. They’ve established themselves as the premiere girls’ team in Forsyth County which has to be a good feeling.

24. Central-Macon (18-1): The Chargers debuted on the list last week and they’re up one spot to No. 24 this week. They picked up two more wins, both dominant performances against Southwest Macon and Rutland to improve to 18-1 on the season.

25. Union Grove (15-6): The Wolverines are ranked for the first time this season and come in at No. 25. They are fresh off two impressive wins against Jones County and Locust Grove. They have six losses, but five have come against teams currently ranked in the Top 25.