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Holiday tournaments over the last week saw nearly every top team in the area boister their resume or suffer some sort of loss.
Nearly every team in the 615 played at least two games last week. Those results meant there were some changes in this week’s 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 (15-1): It was a busy week for the Knights who won the Portland Christmas Tournament and Battle for Nashville. In Portland they overcame Father Ryan 59-54 in overtime and at BGA, Trey Pearson hit the game-winner with four seconds remaining to beat Briarcrest Christian 72-70.
2. MBA (10-1): The Big Red were one point away from having another perfect week. They beat Jasper (Ala.) 73-52 and Viera (fla.) 64-43, but lost to Chattanooga Prep 47-46.
3. Hillsboro (13-3): The Burros played twice in the Iverson Classic at LaVergne. Thet lost their first game to the iSchool of Lewisville (Texas) 66-59 but rebounded with a 71-51 win over Father Tolton (Mo.).
4. Father Ryan (11-3): The Irish experienced heartbreak at the start of the week but closed it on a good note. On Monday they lost the Portland Christmas Tournament championship to JPII 59-54 in overtime. After Christmas they rebounded with three straight wins at home in the Willie Brown Tournament including a 51-44 win over Brentwood in the championship game.
5. Brentwood (12-2): The Bruins avenged their early season lost to Blackman by beating the Blaze by 17 in the Willie Brown Tournament. They then beat Clarksville by 14 before losing to Father Ryan by seven.
The rest of the top 10
6. Lipscomb Academy (10-2)
7. Hume-Fogg (10-3)
8. Nolensville (10-3)
9. Franklin (9-3)
10. Ensworth (10-3)
Who just missed out: Blackman (9-3), Page (11-3)
Small Class
1. Providence Christian (10-1): The Lions went down to Florida and took care of business in the Tampa Bay Christmas Classic. They opened the tournament with a 60-57 win over Downey Christian (Fla.) 60-57 and followed that up with a 71-53 win over Western (Fla.).
2. Goodpasture (11-1): Bethel (Ohio) didn’t pose much of a threat to the Cougars’ in the Zaxby’s Christmas Classic. Cane Ridge did though as Goodpasture escaped with an 85-83 win.
3. Ezell-Harding (14-0): Make it 14 in a row for the Eagles. They escaped Hendersonville with a 34-33 win before beating Liberty Creek on its own floor 62-52.
4. Eagleville (11-1): Camden Cole led the Eagles to a pair of wins at the Loretto Christmas Classic. He scored 13 in a 69-35 win over Lincoln County and 24 in a narrow 71-68 win over Marshall County.
5. White House Heritage (10-2): The Patriots competed in the Big M Classic at East Robertson last week winning both of their games in dominant fashion. They beat Lakeland Prep 58-43 before dismantling Russelville (Ky.) 77-41.
The rest of the top 10
6. Liberty Creek (10-3)
7. Westmoreland (7-3)
8. Merrol Hyde (8-3)
9. Friendship Christian (8-4)
10. BGA (9-7)
Who just missed out: Jo Byrns (5-4), USN (7-4)
