SBLive’s Top 25 in Georgia high school girls basketball: Brookwood jumps 10 spots to No. 1

Several top teams play each other this weekend in the She Got Game Classic, which takes place at four high schools in Cobb County.

By Zach Shugan | Photo by Jamie Spaar

It's been a few weeks since the rankings were updated, and the holidays saw some of the best teams in the state square off against each other in various tournaments and showcases.

With that, we saw a new No. 1 team emerge: the Brookwood Broncos.

Several top teams play each other this weekend in the She Got Game Classic, which takes place at four high schools in Cobb County, while others are starting to get into region play.

The rankings cover all classifications.

SBLIVE’S GEORGIA TOP 25

1. Brookwood (11-3)

Last ranked: 11

Brookwood is the hottest team in the state entering 2022. Since losing to previous No. 1 Holy Innocents’ on Dec. 9, the Broncos have won five in a row against some of the top teams in the state. They defeated No. 19 Greater Atlanta Christian and No. 8 Buford the week before Christmas and conquered No. 4 Mount Paran and No. 1 Holy Innocents’ in their most recent outings. 

2. Holy Innocents’ (13-2)

Last ranked: 1

Other than a one-point loss to Brookwood on Dec. 30, the Golden Bears have run through in-state competition. Their first game of 2022 was a tough test, as they visited No. 23 West Forsyth on Tuesday and won 69-56.

3. Kell (12-0)

Last ranked: 2

Kell remains undefeated entering the new year after picking up wins over Shiloh, Newton and Langston Hughes in the final days of 2021. The Longhorns are set to take on No. 2 Holy Innocents’ on Saturday in the She Got Game Classic. 

4. St. Francis (10-2)

Last ranked: 3

The Knights continue to roll since falling to Kell on Dec. 4. Over the break, they swept three games in Myrtle Beach to win the United Bank Holiday Invitational. The Knights face Arlington (Tennessee) on Saturday in the She Got Game Classic.

5. Mount Paran (8-3)

Last ranked: 4 

Mount Paran lost to a Georgia opponent for the second time this season when Brookwood pulled off a 57-53 upset Dec. 29, but the team rebounded the next day with a quality win over a surging Grayson team. The Eagles square off with Luella on Saturday in the She Got Game Classic.

6. River Ridge (12-1)

Last ranked: 7 

The Knights have won five in a row since falling for the first and only time this season to North Forsyth on Dec. 11. They put their streak on the line Saturday against Jones (Florida) in the She Got Game Classic.

7. Woodward Academy (10-1)

Last ranked: 9

Woodward followed up its big win over Hoover (Alabama) with a pair of double-digit victories over Cedar Grove and Galloway. The War Eagles host Tri-Cities on Friday and take on Lake Highland Prep (Florida) on Saturday.

8. Carrollton (12-0)

Last ranked: 10 

Carrollton remains unbeaten heading into region play after picking up a few wins over the holidays. A big-time matchup with No. 9 Luella looms on Jan. 15 for the Trojans.

9. Luella (11-1)

Last ranked: 14

Luella hasn’t been beaten since a three-point loss to No. 4 St. Francis in its season opener. The Lions have demolished pretty much every other team they’ve seen, and their two games this week are against two winless opponents in North Clayton and McDonough.

10. North Forsyth (12-3)

Last ranked: 6

The Raiders fell in the rankings after three consecutive losses to teams outside the Peach State over the holidays. They got back on track Wednesday with a 59-36 win over Loganville ahead of a region game against Denmark (9-6) on Friday.

11. Jefferson (12-2)

Last ranked: 5

Following a 9-0 start to the season, Jefferson was upset by Cedar Shoals on Dec. 14 and lost 49-32 to Lumpkin County on Dec. 30. The Dragons resume region play Friday at East Hall.

12. Buford (9-3)

Last ranked: 8

Over the break, the Wolves crushed Peachtree Ridge and Lanier but fell to new No. 1 Brookwood by 12 points. They host Habersham Central (9-3) on Friday in a crucial region game. 

13. Maynard Jackson (7-1)

Last ranked: 12

Since losing to No. 8 Carrollton early in the season, Jackson has been on a roll. The Jaguars won three games over the holidays and start up 2022 with a region game against Villa Rica on Friday.

14. Forest Park (8-1)

Last ranked: 13

Forest Park rebounded from its first loss of the year against Sparkman (Alabama) with wins over Drew and Stockbridge prior to Christmas. The Panthers play for the first time in over three weeks when they travel to Tri-Cities on Jan. 11.

15. Grayson (11-3)

Last ranked: 16 

Even though they came up just short against Holy Innocents’ for the second time this season and nearly pulled off an upset over No. 5 Mount Paran, the Rams continue to prove they belong in the conversation as one of the top teams in the state. They play Norcross this weekend ahead of two big games next week against Hebron Christian and Woodstock.

16. Hebron Christian (12-1)

Last ranked: 18

Hebron bounced back from its loss to Marietta and has won six games in a row. The Lions head to Alabama this weekend for games against Sand Rock and Woodlawn. 

17. Lumpkin County (14-1)

Last ranked: 20

The Indians haven’t lost since Nov. 22 to Buford, and no team has really come close to knocking them off. They have a four-game stretch against region opponents coming up, beginning with West Hall on Friday.

18. Greater Atlanta Christian (7-3)

Last ranked: 19 

GAC came close to taking down new No. 1 Brookwood in a 56-50 loss on Dec. 17 and beat Salem by 58 points in its first game of 2022. The Spartans play East Coweta on Saturday in a non-region game. 

19. Woodstock (9-4)

Last ranked: 15 

The fall in the rankings continues for Woodstock after back-to-back losses to West Forsyth and Sequoyah. The good news for the Wolverines is they have gotten back on track with three wins in a row entering Friday’s region game against Milton. 

20. Cross Creek (9-1)

Last ranked: 17

The defending 3A state champion stumbled in a 43-32 loss to Valdosta (10-6) on Dec. 21. The Razorbacks start region play Friday at Harlem (2-7). 

21. Elbert County (15-2)

Last ranked: 21

The Blue Devils’ nine-game win streak ended Dec. 20 with a 57-46 loss to Jefferson. Since then, they have won four in a row, and they take on North Oconee in a non-region game this weekend.

22. Cherokee (11-5)

Last ranked: 22

Cherokee stayed at No. 22 for the third week in a row following hard-fought losses to a pair of higher-ranked teams (Mount Paran and Grayson) and two wins over unranked teams (Tift County and Milton). The Warriors continue region play Friday against Etowah.

23. West Forsyth (11-3)

Last ranked: 25

The Wolverines have gone 4-1 since the last rankings dropped, with their only loss coming at the hands of No. 2 Holy Innocents' on Tuesday. They play Dr. Phillips (Florida) this weekend in the She Got Game Classic.

24. Norcross (11-1)

Last ranked: Unranked

Norcross jumps into the Top 25 after a 63-43 win over Archer followed by a couple of dominant wins over Troup County and Discovery. The Blue Devils’ only loss this season came vs. North Forsyth on Dec. 3. They host Grayson on Saturday in a Top 25 matchup.

25. Archer (10-3)

Last ranked: 24 

The Tigers lost by 20 to Norcross on Dec. 17 but rebounded a few days later with a 30-point win over Homewood (Alabama). They take on No. 1 Brookwood this weekend, then get another shot at Norcross on Jan. 14.