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Holiday tournaments have arrived which means we’re getting some matchups between some of the area and state’s best programs.
In the days leading up to Christmas, we’ve seen some movement in this week’s area large and small class rankings.
Large Class teams include 4A, 3A, and Division II-AA. Small Class teams include 4A, 3A, and Division II-AA.
Here’s a look at the top 20 teams in our area entering the fifth week of the season.
Large Class
1. Pope John Paul II (11-1): The Knights know nothing at the moment but wins. They dominated 72-43 and crushed Columbia 81-49 in the Portland Christmas Tournament.
2. MBA (8-0): Collin O’Neal is quietly putting together a season that should have him Mr. Basketball talks. He scored 20 points in a 58-50 win over Hazel Green (Ala.), 27 in an 80-61 win over Specially Fit Academy (Fla.) and 31 in a a 67-44 win over Tri-City.
3. Hillsboro (12-2): Apparently the Burros saw last week’s rankings and wanted to make me look dumb. Well, they did just that beating a 4A state favorite in Bearden 54-50 before thumping Brentwood Academy 71-49.
4. Hume-Fogg (9-1): The Blue Knights did not play last week.
5. Father Ryan (8-2): Beating in-state opponents hasn’t been an issue for the Fighting Irish. They remained unbeaten against teams from their home state with a 61-44 win over Beech and a 56-39 win over Portland.
The rest of the top 10
6. Blackman (8-1)
7. Brentwood (10-1)
8. Lipscomb Academy (8-2)
9. Ensworth (8-2)
10. Nolensville (8-3)
Who just missed out: Franklin (7-3), Independence (8-4), Page (9-3)
Small Class
1. Providence Christian (8-1): It was business as usual for the Lions as they beat Specially Fit Academy (71-53) and Uchenna Academy 82-54. Chris Washington put up 16 points a piece in each game.
2. Goodpasture (9-1): The Cougars enter Christmas break riding high and winners of four straight. On Friday they beat Clarksville Academy 53-42 and followed that up on Saturday with a 77-51 win over Pearl-Cohn.
3. Ezell-Harding (12-0): All the Eagles know how to do at the moment is win and win big. They beat up on Rockvale 70-54 and DCA 60-44 last week.
4. Eagleville (8-1): Since that loss to Webb back in November, the Eagles have rattled off seven straight wins. Last week they picked up three more beating Friendship Christian (54-42), Community (61-37) and Richland (67-46).
5. White House Heritage (8-2): A 36-point night from Avery Coles in a narrow win over White House set the tone of the week for the Patriots. They would go on to beat Jo Byrns (57-51) and Stratford (69-45) to close out the week.
The rest of the top 10
6. Liberty Creek (9-2)
7. BGA (9-4)
8. Lead Academy (9-4)
9. Pearl-Cohn (3-2)
10. USN (7-4)
Who just missed out: East Nashville (5-4), Friendship Christian (8-4)
