Thursday March 28th, 2024 5:42AM

Basketball: Many area teams off to fast starts in early going

By Jeff Hart Sports Reporter

Just two weeks into the regular season and already several Northeast Georgia area teams are off to strong starts compared to last season. Several also are highly ranked in Kyle Sandy polls.

The Buford boys are ranked second in Class 6A while the Lady Wolves are third.

The Jefferson girls, who knocked off Buford last week in the Jackson EMC Tournament, are ranked second in Class 4A. The Lumpkin County girls are perched atop the Class 3A rankings despite suffering a loss to Buford in that same tournament.

In Class 2A, the Rabun County girls are ranked fourth while Union County was ranked seventh coming into this week before falling to North Hall on Tuesday. The Commerce girls are eighth in Class A Public.

The Jefferson boys are fourth in Class 4A and the Rabun County boys are 10th in Class 2A.

As for individual teams, there is plenty to get excited about.

The East Hall boys are showing signs of their old ways. The Viking are off to a 5-0 start after going just 6-19 in 2020. It took them 12 games to get five wins last season.

Second-year coach Tommy Yancey said a balanced offense that features all five starters in double-figures scoring has been a key.

Senior Christian Torres is averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds, junior Cletus Agborsangaya 15 points and 8 rebounds, and senior Luke Barton is pouring in 10 ppg, including shooting 47 percent from 3-point range. Senior Clete Cooper averages 10 ppg and a team-high 4 steals/game, and junior Levi Holtzclaw is scoring 11 ppg and dishing out a team-high 5 assists/game.

“The biggest key to this is that we’ve all been together for a year now and with all the changes the last few years, building that trust back up in the program was a big factor,” Yancey said. “The guys are playing together as a group and sharing the ball. We have a lot of weapons on offense, which is giving us a lot of options.”

The Vikings’ fast start is their best in more than a decade. Yancey said he sees signs that this group could be the one that puts the storied program back in the conversation.

“I’ve known about the history of East Hall since I played in high school so I know how important the program is to the community,” he said. “It’s nice to be talked about again. I feel like this group has the tools now to compete with anyone we play. If they keep improving, I believe we have a chance to do something this year.”

The Jefferson boys are a perfect 5-0. The Dragons were just 3-2 at this point last season.

The West Hall boys are 2-2. Doesn’t sound like much but the Spartans went 0-16 last season and have been more than competitive in the early part of the season.

The Flowery Branch boys, who won just three games all of last season, already are 4-2. The Chestatee boys are off to a 4-2 start. They were just 1-4 at this point last season and it took the War Eagles 17 games to get their fourth win a year ago.

The North Hall boys have jumped out to a 4-1 start. It took the Trojans nine games last season to get their fourth win. East Hall and North Hall will meet on Friday in Valhalla to get an early Lanierland Tournament preview perhaps.

Rabun County is 2-3. The Wildcats began last year 0-10 and finished just 9-21. They are projected to be a major player in Region 8-2A and have played a tough schedule early on.

The Jefferson and Chestatee girls, both housed in Region 8-4A, are undefeated in the early going. The Lady Dragons are 6-0, including a win over Buford, and have improved on their 5-1 start from a year ago.

The Lady War Eagles sit 4-0 after a 3-1 start last year. However, it took nine games for them to get their fourth win a year ago. But they have not played since Nov. 22 and won't hit the court again until opening Region 8-4A play against Flowery Branch on Dec. 10.

"We had a couple of teams back out on us so this is not really the kind of break you want, especially when you feel you're playing well," Chestatee girls coch Sutton Shirley said. "But we'll be ready to get back going when it's time."

Shirley also said it has been a nice start to the season with a roster chock full of younger players.

"We have a good balance of younger and older players," he said. "But I think it's been a good confidence boost for the younger players to see some early success. Our seniors Bowen Corley (center) and Riley Allison (guard) are like two mini-coaches out on the court and during practice. They have really helped the younger girls understand what we want to do."

The North Hall girls are showing some strong signals in the early going as well. The Lady Trojans are 4-1 so far, with their only loss to Chestatee. They opened last season 1-4 and needed 11 games to get their fourth win.

The Flowery Branch girls, sporting a new-look offense and a tough schedule, are 3-3. COVID-19 hit them hard last year as they started 1-4.

The Buford girls are 5-1, with their only loss coming to Jefferson, playing another difficult schedule.


FRIDAY'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE, Dec. 3
(All games begin at 7 p.m. with girls unless otherwise noted)
Banks County at Commerce
Dawson County at Franklin County
Jackson County at Winder-Barrow
Madison County at East Jackson
Monroe Area at East Forsyth
North Hall at East Hall
Prince Avenue at Habersham Central
Riverside Military at Athens Christian (boys only), 6 p.m.
Stephens County at Rabun County
Union County at White County
West Forsyth at Gainesville*


SATURDAY'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE, Dec. 4
(All games begin at 7 p.m. with girls unless otherwise noted)
Banks County at Madison County, noon

LANIERLAND PLAY-IN GAMES
West Hall girls (8) vs. Johnson (9) at Johnson, 1 p.m.
Johnson boys (8) vs. Flowery Branch (9) at Johnson, 2:30 p.m.

(* -- denotes region contests)

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