Top 10 games to watch in Georgia high school girls basketball: Stars for Mount Paran, Woodward take center stage

This week is loaded with matchups pitting the best teams in the state against each other, with the headliner featuring two of the best players facing off in Mount Paran's Kara Dunn and Woodward Academy's Sydney Bowles.

The teams' rankings are based on last week's all-classification SBLive Top 25.

(Feature photo by Jamie Spaar)

TOP 10 GAMES OF THE WEEK

10. No. 13 Maynard Jackson (7-1) vs. Midtown (9-3), 6 p.m. Tuesday 

Maynard Jackson has won six of its last seven and finds itself in first in the Region 6, Class 5A standings with an important game against Midtown on the docket. Midtown beat South Atlanta 55-20 on Dec. 16. 

9. No. 12 Buford (10-3) vs. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (12-4), 5 p.m. Wednesday

Buford met its match on Dec. 20 when the Wolves played Brookwood and lost 49-37. A 69-53 win over Dacula the following week got the Wolves back to their winning ways, but they’ll get a test with a Rabun Gap-Nacoochee team that has won six in a row. 

8. No. 11 Jefferson (14-2) vs. North Oconee (10-7), 7 p.m. Friday

Jefferson got back on track after a 49-32 loss to Lumpkin County with a 72-43 win over Chestatee. Now back into the heart of the region schedule, the Dragons are hoping to stake their claim as one of the best 4A teams in the state with a home game against North Oconee. 

7. No. 4 St. Francis (11-2) vs. Mount Vernon (7-4), 6 p.m. Friday

St. Francis has lost only twice this season, to Hoover (Alabama) 62-54 on Nov. 27 and 64-53 to No. 3 Kell on Dec. 4. Every other game hasn’t been much of a contest for the Knights, who are trying to keep pace with all of the other top teams in Class A Private. They’ll get into the beef of their region schedule with a game against Mount Vernon. 

6. No. 10 North Forsyth (13-3) vs. South Forsyth (14-3), 6 p.m. Friday

This county’s north vs. south basketball rivalry features two teams battling for the race for Region 6 in Class 7A. Both teams are entering this game on good notes, as North Forsyth is on a two game-winning streak and South Forsyth has won three in a row. 

5.No. 8 Carrollton (14-0) vs. Dalton (10-2), 6 p.m. Tuesday

Carrollton continues to impress this season, holding it down for schools outside of the Atlanta metro area. The Trojans have only two games this season that were decided by single digits. Yet, Dalton is on an eight-game winning streak and looking to keep that momentum going in a big game Tuesday.

4. No. 15 Grayson (12-3) vs. No. 16 Hebron Christian (13-1), 6 p.m. Tuesday

Grayson is coming off back-to-back wins, a 67-65 victory over Marietta on Jan. 8 and a 62-20 rout over Parkview. Hebron Christian is in a much lower classification in the state, but if you've been following girls basketball this year in Georgia, you know that shouldn’t matter. Grayson lost to Mount Paran 46-44 on Dec. 30, and Hebron Christian is more than capable of stepping up in class and scoring a win. 

3. No. 2 Holy Innocents (14-2) vs. No. 14 Forest Park (8-1), 4:15 p.m. Saturday

Holy Innocents' looks like it could be heading for another title run. The Bears have won four out of their last five, with the one loss coming by way of a 52-51 battle with now-No. 1 Brookwood. Forest Park has had a good season to this point and is on a two-game winning streak. Sophomore point guard Yasmine Allen has been playing well for Forest Park this season. This game is part of another winter tournament, so a good showcase for both teams. 

2.No. 8 Carrollton (14-0) vs. No. 9 Luella (12-2), 11 a.m. Saturday

Luella’s biggest tests this season haven’t gone their way, with losses to St. Francis (50-47 on Nov. 18 ) and Mount Paran (62-56 on Jan. 8). Other than that, Luella has run through the majority of its schedule, and is facing a Carrollton team that hasn’t had much trouble this season, with only two games resulting in single-digit wins.

1. No. 7 Woodward Academy (11-2) vs. No. 5 Mount Paran (10-3), 2:30 p.m. Saturday

When these two teams take the court Saturday, two of the best girls basketball players in the state will square off in Mount Paran senior point guard Kara Dunn and Woodward senior wing Sydney Bowles. Bowles is committed to Georgia, while Dunn is committed to Georgia Tech. Both teams are near the top in their respective divisions and regions.