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The GACS/Blue Collar Basketball Showcase was a full day of good games, good players and great finishes. Who was the best of the very best? Well, that's a tough question to answer.

NORCROSS, GA -- St. Francis star sophomore Kobi Simmons went coast-to-coast for a lay-up wih 37 seconds left to play to give St. Francis a four-point lead over Miller Grove.

NORCROSS, GA – North Cobb Christian executed the game plan and it worked.

The Eagles were going to sit in a zone to help neutralize some of North Gwinnett’s athleticism. NCC caused so much problems early before it held on for a 64-59 win at the fifth annual GAC/Blue Collar Showcase on Saturday at Greater Atlanta Christian.

NORCROSS, GA – Garrett Covington picked the right time to have a career game.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard put together a strong effort for Greater Atlanta Christian in a 71-54 win over Luella during the fifth annual GAC/Blue Collar Basketball Showcase on Saturday.

NORCROSS, GA - For an entire week the Hillgrove High basketball team talked about never giving up.

The Hawks put those words to action during the fifth annual GAC/Blue Collar Basketball Showcase. Hillgrove got a critical steal in the waning seconds to beat Cartersville 71-70 at Greater Atlanta Christian on Saturday.

NORCROSS, GA -- Just wait until Norcross gets the football players back. Everyone has said that about the Blue Devils this young basketball season. And yes, the football players bring some size and toughness to an already deep rotation.

But this current Norcross team is a scrappy one that finds ways to maintain runs from the opposition. On Saturday at the GACS/Blue Collar Basketball Showcase, the Blue Devils found ways to pull out a 47-43 win against a big Greenforest Christian team on a big stage.

NORCROSS, GA -- In the first half of the Columbia and Kell game, the two teams watched each other trade baskets.

Then halftime hit and Columbia switched from a zone to a press and different game broke out. Columbia allowed just 16 second half points to Kell and eventually won out 67-46.

Cedar Grove had a plan for the first part of the basketball season. It wanted t march into the Christmas break leading the region.

The Saints accomplished one of its early season goals with a 54-44 win over Woodward Academy on Friday. Getting the victory was not executed perfectively but its one Cedar Grove will take at home in a region where every win will count.

Fouls and turnovers are some of the things Columbia boys basketball team is dealing with early this season.

While these are a concern from the Eagles they are still winning. Columbia beat Stone Mountain 61-45 on Friday night. Through four games the Eagles are still undefeated.

If you watch Berkmar basketball this season, it is hard to miss big man Tim Rowe. The senior center is an imposing force. He's big, strong and good to the glass as a rebounder. The Patriots are 5-3 on the young season and Rowe is one of the reasons for the team's modest success.

DOUGLASVILLE, GA – For three quarters, Douglas County looked out of it.

Then the Tigers made a needed defensive switch in the fourth quarter, which not only changed the dynamic of the game it helped secure a victory. Douglas County forced consecutive turnovers and scored some easy baskets for an 83-76 win over county-rival Alexander on Tuesday night.

SMRYNA, GA -- There was a point in the third quarter when Tyrone Johnson's stamp at Whitefield Academy was placed on his Wolf Pack team. When the former state championship winning coach unleashed his full court press on a very talented St. Francis team, things shifted and the packed gym saw what they used to see at Whitefield - a full court press.

The end-to-end defense frustrated St. Francis enough to open the game up to double digits in the fourth quarter as Whitefield took home an important 65-53 win on Tuesday night.

Change is nothing new for Kiair Crouch.

It doesn’t matter if it involves going to a different state or moving into a new school district Crouch adapts to make the best of the situation.

Picking five games this week to watch wasn't easy. We could have easily gone to 20. Nevertheless, here are the five games that we've picked for you to see this week in Georgia high school basketball. As always, we did all of the work for you and hope to see you in the gym.

The 2013 Nike Explosion was a nice four-game slate at Wheeler High School. The event provided on-lookers with a peek at some of the best talent in the Southeast.

Basketball fans, coaches and players understand what will happen when Wenonah is on the schedule: Justin Coleman is going to be hard to stop. He also is going to will his team to victory.

The Alabama signee was spectacular making plays when the Dragons needed it most, especially in the third quarter. His 30-foot jumper at the buzzer gave Wenonah the confidence it needed to hold on for an 85-80 win in Saturday’s third game of the Nike Explosion at Wheeler High.

Coleman finished the day with a game-high 41 points. His stat line also included six assists, five rebounds and four steals. However, his jumper to end the third quarter was all the Dragons needed to believe it could win.

“He kept us in it, that’s what he does,” Wenonah coach Cedric Lane said. “The three-pointer gave us a lot of momentum.”

Through most of the third, the Dragons (5-0) rode Coleman’s hot-hand. The pint size guard went on an 11-0 run as Norcross ran defenders at him from every angle. Coleman just got in a groove that had everyone in attendance anticipating the next move.

When he nailed the three-pointer to end the period, he turned away from the basket and yelled in relief. Wenonah had some bounce going into the huddle despite trailing 69-68. Coleman scored 22 points in the eight-minute quarter. His numbers on the night were 10-of-18 from the field, 6-of-14 from three-point range and 14-for-14 from the free throw line. The most impressive thing about his performance is being able to score despite being the focal point of the Blue Devils (2-3) game plan.

“The lesson we learned is we cannot let anyone go on a mini run,” said Norcross coach Jessie McMillian, who acknowledged that Coleman may have only had three open looks all night. “I think our guys felt that they couldn’t do anything about it.

“We have to use it as a lesson.”

One lesson the Blue Devils are learning is that William Gibbons is becoming a solid perimeter threat. The unsigned senior scored a team-high 22 points. Harvard signee Andre Chatfield had 15 points along with junior Ricky Madison, who also pulled down eight rebounds. Khalen Pinkett added 13 points.

This was good balance scoring but it could not counter the Dragons contributors. Unsigned senior Cedric McGunnis and junior Juquan Nelson scored 10 points apiece. William Ellington chipped in with nine points.

On the year, Coleman is averaging 35 points a game for the three-time Class 5A state champions.

“We had guys step up for us in the second half,” Lane said. “But Justin takes over when he needs to.”

That is evident.

Peachtree Ridge knows it is going through some inconsistencies with its early schedule. However, navigating through the first two months has been a growing process.

The Lions took another step closer in the maturation process. Peachtree Ridge held on to beat Savannah’s Sol C. Johnson 64-62 in the second game of the Nike Explosion at Wheeler High.

Defense is the calling card of the Berkmar’s program. The Patriot clamped down in the third quarter before pulling away in the end.

Berkmar took the opening game of the Nike Explosion at Wheeler on Saturday to beat county rival Collins Hill 58-44. The Patriots opened the third quarter on a 12-0 run, which separated them from the Eagles.

MACON, GA -- The game plan wasn't to slow things down early on but that's what Veterans did on Friday night at Westside High School. That impromptu plan allowed the Warhawks to build an insurance lead and hold on to claim a 72-70 win.