Peachtree Ridge Basketball Peaking at Right Time

SUWANEE, GA – You will be hard pressed to find too many teams around the state of Georgia playing better basketball right now than the Peachtree Ridge Lions.

And it took a while for the Lions to get to this point.

After losing four games in a row, a stretch that included losses to No. 1 ranked Grayson and fellow Region 7-7A foe Berkmar, the Lions found themselves with a 9-6 record at the end of December having played a very competitive schedule through their first 15 games.

But head coach Jordan Griffin wasn’t worried.

“We played a tough schedule to open up, but it was by design,” Griffin said, who rattled off several tough opponents they had suffered losses to in the early goings. “We wanted to test ourselves early and now we’re playing our best ball at the right time.”

Since the new calendar year struck, the Lions haven’t lost a game.

Already sitting atop Region 7 with a 7-1 record, the Lions were looking to extend their winning streak to seven in a row Tuesday night at home against a pesky North Gwinnett team, and they did just that.

Hitting 10 three-pointers on the night, including five from junior Connor Teasley and four from senior Byron Martin, the Lions rumbled to a 75-61 win over the Bulldogs, who had won seven out of their last eight games, respectively.

With three region games left to play, the Lions (16-6, 8-1) find themselves in the driver's seat to lock up the No. 1 seed ahead of the upcoming Region 7 tournament.

“They really wanted to win this game and prove that they are the top of the region,” Griffin said. “I think they really showed that tonight. It’s so nice this year where we have an inside and outside presence. We can throw it inside and get something easy and we can make shots outside. I thought that really helped us stave off their comeback attempt tonight.”

The Lions have been led by Teasley, who finished Tuesday night’s win with a game-high 19 points. He was one of four Lions to reach double figures. Trey Hobbs and Gideon Kamuelyu both scored 14 points in the win while Martin chipped in with 12 on his four made three-pointers.

“These guys trust each other, and they buy into what we’re doing,” Griffin said. “I always tell them that we want to be the most connected team and tonight I thought that really showed. We haven’t lost in the month of January and we’re trying to keep it going.”

In each year under Griffin, the Lions have taken a step in the right direction.

After winning a Class 5A state championship at Dutchtown in 2020 and helping lead them back to the Final 4 in 2021, Griffin inherited a Peachtree Ridge team that was coming off of their first losing season since 2014.

In Year 1, Griffin suffered through a second consecutive losing season before taking a major step in Year 2. Last year, the Lions went 22-7 and won a playoff game and very nearly won a second against Walton in the Class 7A Sweet 16.

In Year 3, the Lions find themselves in a great spot at the end of January sitting atop Region 7 and they have their sights set on a big February.

“I thought the leadership changed, the expectation changed and the standard changed,” Griffin said. “I keep telling them that our standard is that we want to be excellent in everything that we do. The chemistry with this team is really good. They like each other and that makes it a lot easier. Connor and Byron are so bought in and they got a taste of it last year in the Sweet 16 and that left a bad taste in our mouths when we lost to Walton.”

The Lions are currently ranked No. 19 in the state as of Tuesday and are likely to continue to climb. Amongst teams in Class 7A, the Lions are ranked as the seventh best team and they are definitely capable of making a deep run in the upcoming Class 7A state playoffs.

“I think they are and hope that they continue to,” Griffin said in regards to if other teams around the state are sleeping on how talented of a team they are this season. “But with all due respect, we have to earn the right to be on the other team’s radar. We’re going to continue to play the right way and do the right things and we will earn that when the time comes.”

Photos by Colin Hubbard