5. McEachern, Norcross top first poll of 2017:

McEachern won holiday tournament at Wheeler High.

McEachern’s boys (12-0) and Norcross’ girls (14-1), who lost by one point to a nationally ranked team, lead the pack in Class AAAAAAA.

McEachern’s boys and the Norcross girls are the state’s hottest basketball teams and will start out ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAAA in the first Atlanta Journal-Constitution high school poll of 2017.

McEachern (12-0) last week took the Tournament of Champions Holiday Classic at Wheeler High in Marietta, winning four games in four days.

In the semifinals, the Indians defeated previously unbeaten Scotlandville Magnet of Baton Rouge, La., 52-51. Scotlandville is ranked No. 15 nationally in MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25.

McEachern also defeated Oak Ridge, the No. 2 team in Florida’s Class 9A, in the second round and host Wheeler in the final. Wheeler also has held national rankings this season.

In another division of the Wheeler tournament, Pebblebrook defeated Norcross 77-69 in the championship game. Norcross entered ranked No. 19 nationally by MaxPreps. Pebblebrook is now No. 3 in AAAAAAA, while Norcross is No. 4.

The No. 2 team is Newton (13-0), which won the Farm Bureau Classic in South Carolina. Newton defeated Spartanburg Day, the No. 3 team overall in South Carolina per MaxPreps, 73-64.

The top girls team in any classification so far has been Norcross, ranked No. 8 nationally by MaxPreps. Norcross (14-1) has lost only to another top-10 nationally ranked team, Monacan of Richmond, Va., 58-57, before Christmas.