SPORTS SECTION
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MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. SPORTS SECTION |
| SPORTS SECTION - JANUARY 19, 2000 |
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CHS Hoops Teams Hit
Home Stretch
The rest of the road for Commerce will
decide the season. Starting with a visit to Buford this Friday,
the boys' team will play nine games in 15 days. Of those nine
games, seven will be subregion matchups.
Since Riverside Military Academy does not have girls, the Lady
Tigers will face eight games in 15 days, with six of the games
in the subregion.
Commerce was to have played Newton on Tuesday, but results were
not available at press time.
The CHS teams had an impressive weekend. The Tigers handled Oglethorpe
County 56-34 Friday night, before disposing of Riverside 50-23
Saturday.
The Lady Tigers beat Oglethorpe County 63-47 Friday. Before the
boys played Riverside, Commerce's girls beat Lakeview Academy
for the third time of the season 60-36.
CHS BOYS
Commerce jumped on Oglethorpe County 17-6 in the first quarter
and cruised to the victory.
The win gave the Tigers a sweep of the season series over the
Patriots.
Daniel Carder led Commerce with 17 points. Michael Collins added
13 points.
Saturday night, Commerce used defense to stifle Riverside. Leading
27-10 at the half, the Tigers allowed the Blue Devils 13 points
in the final two quarters.
Collins led the Tigers with 17 points. R.T. Poole added nine points.
Carder scored eight for Commerce. Shealer contributed seven points
in the low-scoring affair.
CHS GIRLS
Commerce completed its sweep of the Lady Patriots Friday night
with a 63-47 win.
An 18-9 Commerce run in the second quarter gave Commerce a comfortable
lead it never relinquished.
Shemika Reed led Commerce with 19 points and five assists. She
added eight rebounds.
Anita Pittman had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds
for Commerce.
Charlene Gaither scored 13 points. Monique Diamond had nine points
and four assists.
Playing in the unseasonably mild afternoon, Commerce played a
sluggish game with Lakeview Saturday.
Lakeview played pesky basketball before a 12-5 run in the third
quarter gave Commerce an edge to build on.
Diamond finished with a team-high 19 points. Gaither added 11
points and five rebounds.
Reed had nine points and seven assists.
Commerce opened the season with a win over Lakeview and added
a victory in the WJJC Holiday Classic to set up the third win
over the Lady Lions.
Cheer Squad Claims
Region Title
BY DREW BRANTLEY
Getting past the hard part, from now on it just gets harder.
The Commerce High School competivie cheerleading team won the
region championship Saturday by downing the defending titleholder
Dawson County.
Now Commerce has to wait two weeks for the state event and their
three minutes of action in the Columbus Civic Center Jan. 29.
"It's pretty hard to beat Dawson County," Com-merce
coach Diane Cottrell said. "They've got a solid team. They
stunt very well. They're a tough team to beat."
But winning the region does not guarantee success at state. Last
year, Dawson County took the Region 8-A title, while Commerce
was the only other team to compete in the sport in the region.
Commerce went to state and came home as the Class A runner-up.
"Last year, (region) was a little different," Cottrell
said. "When you've got two teams competing and the top two
go to state, you knew you were going to make it. This year we
had several teams competing. Jefferson had been doing real well
in their first year. It was kind of a scary thing."
Now on to state.
"The pressure is on there, too," Cottrell said. "We'll
be competing against 16 single A teams. We got second last year,
so the pressure of that will be there.
"We're used to competing against four or five teams. There
will also be a lot more judges down on the floor."
State qualifying teams from Regions 2, 3, 6 and 8 were decided
last weekend.
Region championships for competitive cheerleading will conclude
this weekend for the remaining regions.
So for the next two weeks, the team can only practice, pace and
pray until the state event Jan. 29.
"This is a little different than football or basketball,"
Cottrell said. "Here you've got to do your best and hope
that it falls into place. You've got two and a half minutes. You
don't have time to fall behind and catch up."
The state competition will be held at the Columbus Civic Center
on Saturday, Jan. 29. Classes A and AA will begin at 10 a.m.
Commerce will be the 10th team to perform in Class A. A group
of eight teams will take the floor, alternating each turn with
their Class AA counterpart.
After an intermission, Commerce is scheduled to be the second
Class A school to participate.
Class AAA and AAAA will begin the second session of state at 3
p.m.
Admission for the state event will be $7.
In the meantime, Commerce will work on improving their performance
at region, which was their highest point total of the year, Cottrell
said.
"We're going to work on some of the things the judges pointed
out," Cottrell said. "You get a lot of comments. Some
people like certain things. But we'll look at what the majority
of the judges said.
While there are no guarantees at state, having members who have
been through the ordeal is a big plus, Cottrell said.
"With the seniors and some of the juniors, they know what
to expect as far as the feelings of being out there," Cottrell
said. "Our experience has helped us all year. They've worked
hard and adapted well.
"We've had to change the routine due to injuries. They work
well together."
Leopard teams
get sweep of Oglethorpe
BY DREW BRANTLEY
Crunch time is here.
Banks County High School has seven games left in the regular season
for basketball in 15 days. Of those seven, five are subregion
matchups.
Banks County will have the home-court advantage for most of the
games remaining.
This weekend will see Banks County travel to Rabun Gap and Commerce.
But, four of the remaining five games will be played at BCHS.
All of the regular season Region 8-A North games lead to the subregion
tournament, which starts Feb. 7.
Towns County's girls are ranked in the top 10 in the state and
lead the way in the subregion.
On the boys' side, Rabun County has one loss. Towns County and
Union County are battling for second.
WEEKEND PLANS
What to do on a Saturday night? For Banks County's basketball
teams, the answer is simple. The next two Saturdays will be spent
on dates with Commerce.
This Saturday, the Leopard teams will travel to Commerce.
On Saturday, Jan. 29, Banks County will get a chance to host the
Tigers. Each of the schools' two basketball teams met on the court
this year at the WJJC Holiday Classic tournament in Commerce.
After winning their opening games, the two teams met in the championship
round.
Banks County's girls fell to Commerce 65-47. The Leopard boys
made a strong run before falling 78-76 to the Tigers.
The Commerce-Banks County games represent the only remaining non-subregion
games for both schools. Commerce competes in Region 8-A South.
RUN UNDER WAY
Banks County started its final run Tuesday night with a visit
to Lakeview Academy.
Banks County's girls downed Lakeview Academy 56-46 Friday in Gainesville.
Lakeview came out on top of Banks County's boys 71-61.
Banks County experienced both sides of a sweep this weekend.
After losing a pair to Towns County, the Leopard teams got two
wins Saturday night over Oglethorpe County.
Banks County's wins over Oglethorpe were tough to come by for
both the boys and girls.
The Lady Leopards opened up a lead of more than 10 points in the
fourth quarter. However, late in the game, the Lady Patriots made
a run.
Timely free throws by the Lady Leopards kept Oglethorpe County
from regaining the lead.
Haley Crumley led Banks County with 11 points.
In the boys' game, the pattern was reversed. The Leopards finished
the game with ease.
It was the first two quarters that almost spelled doom for Banks
County.
The Leopards had a difficult time sinking shots in the second
quarter.
Oglethorpe County managed modest success in shooting on their
end. The Patriots led 33-23 at halftime.
In the first half the boys were inviting defeat at every turn.
But in the third quarter, they were invincible.
Down by 10 at the start of the third period, the Leopards mounted
a 20-8 run in the quarter to lead 43-41 at the start of the fourth.
But Banks County rolled on in the final period, outscoring Oglethorpe
County 25-9.
Victor Bonds led the Leopards with 28 points. Chris Ivey had 10
points.
Mike Ivey and Justin Smith each added nine points.
BCHS wrestlers hit
mat at Patriot Classic tourney
The Banks County wrestling team competed
in the Patriot Classic Tournament this Saturday in Lexington at
Oglethorpe County High School.
Yoric Erb-Summer led the team with a tie for fifth place.
Erb-Summer pinned Kyle Dameron of Monroe Area to secure fifth
and score three points for the Leopards.
Kevin Hall picked up a win in the preliminary rounds for Banks
County at 189. Hall defeated Johnny Bryson of Social Circle.
Jefferson took first place in the team scores with a mark of 196.
Commerce was second with 185.
Jackson County took third place with 161.5 points.
The event featured several teams that will compete in the Area
4-A tournament at Dawson County High School on Feb. 5.
In addition to Jefferson and Commerce, Area 4-A teams Social Circle,
Dawson County, Oglethorpe County and Washington-Wilkes competed
in Saturday's tournament in Lexington.
Dragons split
in brawl; Gurley suspended for two games
BY TIM THOMAS
THE LADY Dragons defeated Greater Atlanta Christian Tuesday night
The win assured Jefferson of no worse than third in the regular-season
subregion race, which means they will not have to meet Buford
until the finals of the subregion tournament. Jefferson's boys
fell to the eighth-ranked Spartans, 94-75.
Last Saturday, on a night that could only be described as mind-boggling,
Jefferson teams split with Athens Academy.
The Lady Dragons overcame a multitude of turnovers to defeat the
Lady Spartans, 50-45. The game was a highly physical bump-and-grind
affair, accentuated by the apparent reluctance of the officials
to use their whistles.
Fans on both sides of the gymnasium decried no-calls throughout
the game; particularly vocal were the visiting Spartan fans. Athens
Academy's Elizabeth Guess fell hard at center court, taking a
loud rap to the head as she hit the floor.
Fans from Athens Academy, already fuming over the no-calls, were
livid, even though Lady Dragon Raven Moon was called for the foul.
But the most unbelievable part of the night was yet to come.
If the officials' whistles stayed dry in the girls' game, they
gathered dust in the boys'.
The play of the game came when Ryan Gurley dove to the floor to
fight for a loose ball. Gurley and the Spartans' Keith Wiggins
continued to tussle for the ball after the whistle, and the official
ejected Gurley, saying he'd thrown a punch at Wiggins. Gurley
was also suspended from the next two Dragon games, and coach Bolling
DuBose earned a technical foul for arguing the call.
After the game, the Athens Academy coach informed DuBose that
Wiggins had said Gurley had not thrown a punch during the play.
DuBose declined to comment on the matter, except to say that he
has been in contact with GHSA officials concerning the incident.
After Gurley's ejection, the game turned into a street-ball shootout.
Despite the rough play, there were no further incidents. Athens
Academy won the game, 75-58. Nick Sheridan scored 15 to lead the
Dragons.
The Lady Dragons struggled with turnovers in the first three quarters
of their game, and Athens Academy scored with three-pointers and
underneath. Going into the final frame, Jefferson held a 36-32
lead. The Lady Spartans fought back, and took a 37-36 lead after
the collision between Moon and Guess, at the 3:27 mark.
Down the stretch, Melinda Floyd hit a three-pointer, and the Lady
Dragons combined to go 11-for-13 from the free-throw line in the
final three minutes to earn the win. Floyd sealed the win, hitting
two charity shots with eight seconds left to put her team up by
five.
Friday at Wesleyan, the Lady Dragons squeaked by the Wolves, 57-55.
Annie Goza led Jefferson with 17, Lee DuBose had 13 and Bridget
Davis 12.
Kevin Jacobs' ladies lit up the board early, outscoring Wesleyan
19-9 in the first quarter of play. The Wolves made it a game in
the third, with an 18-7 run of their own, but Jefferson pulled
out the win after a low-scoring fourth.
Wesleyan's Dane Richards scored with three seconds remaining to
defeat Jefferson's boys, 69-67. Buzz Wehunt led the Dragons with
24 points. The win marked Wesleyan's first in subregion play,
and dropped Jefferson to fifth in the race.
Jefferson will see a full slate of subregion action in the coming
week. The Dragons visit Providence Friday, and will host Buford
Tuesday. In addition, Riverside will bring its team to Jefferson
Saturday to take on Jefferson's boys.
Panther teams
face big week in hoops
Girls could clinch subregion title
BY TIM THOMAS
This time next week, Jackson County's Lady Panthers may have clinched
the regular-season subregion title. The Lady Panthers are 6-0
in subregion play. Wins this week over Madison County and Habersham
Central would drop those teams from contention, and two losses
by West Hall would eliminate them as well. The Spartans are scheduled
to face Habersham, Stephens County and North Hall this week, before
visiting Jackson County next Friday. Stephens and North Hall have
already been eliminated.
The boys' team is locked in a virtual dead heat with North Hall
for the top spot in subregion 8-AAA north. All six teams in the
subregion are still alive in the race, but a heavy slate of contests
this week will almost certainly clarify the picture.
Though regular-season subregion standings are not used in determining
advancement to the state playoffs, they are used to determine
seeds in the region tournament. The top four teams in the region
tournament advance to the state sectionals.
The Lady Panthers earned their sixth subregion win Friday over
North Hall. The Lady Trojans are 0-6 in the subregion. Jackson
County stormed ahead early, but struggled to maintain the lead.
Abreille Varnum led the first-period effort with six points, and
broke up a Lady Trojan fast-break early to keep North Hall behind
the pace. Though the team looked to be off its game, Jackson County
led 14-7 after the first quarter, thanks in large part to eight
North Hall turnovers.
The Lady Trojans continued to juggle the ball in the second, and
Megan Elliott led the Lady Panthers with a trio of three-pointers
as they surged ahead 40-22 by halftime.
Jackson County went cold in the third, at one point missing six
straight shots under the basket. North Hall doubled up on the
Lady Panthers, 18-9 in the period to rally to a 49-40 deficit.
The ball seemed to have grease on it for both teams in the fourth,
particularly for Jackson County. The two teams combined for nearly
20 turnovers in the quarter, but Krystal Britt's eight points
and clutch free-throws by Varnum and Crystal Edge were enough
to keep the Lady Panthers on top, 69-56. The team finished a perfect
12-for-12 from the line in the game.
Britt led Jackson County with fourteen, Edge and Monic Stewart
each scored 12, Varnum 11 and Elliott nine.
The boys' game started with an emotionally charged first quarter.
A number of controversial calls had coach Ron Garren incensed
with the officials. The Panthers started with a 6-0 run before
North Hall fought back to take a 13-10 lead.
Jackson County had trouble both shooting and rebounding to start
the second, but managed to tie within the first four minutes.
The home crowd started getting into the game, and Jackson County
went on a 13-0 run to close the half with a 30-18 lead.
Garren's boys held the lead into the fourth, but poor performance
at the foul line helped the Trojans back into the game. In the
fourth period, Jackson County hit only seven of 17 from the stripe,
and North Hall went on a 12-5 run to close to 51-46. The Trojans
made it a three-point game with 26 seconds remaining, but Blake
Wilson hit a free-throw with 19 left to stretch it back to four.
Tim Birdette hit another at the seven-second mark to finish the
scoring at 58-53.
B.J. Wilmont led Jackson County with 21, Rodrick Gresham hit for
14, Dustin David 11 and Birdette eight.
North Gwinnett, likely to be the 8-AAA south champion, took the
Panthers to task Saturday, handing the team its worst loss of
the season, 83-51. By intermission, Jackson County already trailed
by 23 points. The Panthers attempted to rally, outscoring the
Bulldogs 20-13 in the third period, but North Gwinnett added insult
to injury in the fourth, blasting Jackson County 23-7 to wrap
up the win.
Gresham led the Panthers with 15, and David scored 10.
The girls' game was a nail-biter, with the two teams staying even
most of the way. North Gwinnett led 21-19 at the half, but the
scoring stayed even from there. The Lady Bulldogs took the win,
42-40.
"We almost pulled off a win," said Jackson County coach
Annette Watts. "We made a run at the end which was sparked
by the hustle and hard play of Abrielle [Varnum], but the clock
ran out on us." Varnum was named player of the game by the
team.
The Lady Panthers shot only 34% from the field, and continued
to struggle inside. North Gwinnett has handed Jackson County two
of their five losses on the season, by a total of only five points.
The Lady Bulldogs are ranked seventh in the latest polls, while
the Lady Panthers continue to be overlooked.
Panthers make
good showing in Patriot
BY TIM THOMAS
The Jackson County wrestling team will observe senior night Tuesday
at the Gordon Street Center, prior to its final dual match of
the season. Oconee County and North Hall are scheduled to visit,
and varsity action is slated to begin at 6 p.m.
The Panthers will meet Dacula and Newton County Thursday at Dacula
before heading to East Hall Saturday for the Viking Invitational.
Last weekend at Oglethorpe County, the Panthers earned their fourth
third-place tournament finish of the season, this time in the
Patriot Classic. Jackson County wrestlers brought medals home
in nine of the 14 weight classes.
Jarad Herrington avenged last weekend's loss to Jefferson's Justin
Gooch by winning 6-0 in the championship final at 125. Brian Bowles
took first place at 130, and Stephen Ledbetter rounded out the
champions for Jackson County with the gold at 135.
Jason Powers (103), Rusty Colley (119), Wesley Colley (145) and
David Elkins (160) each finished second. Spencer Testement took
fourth at 140, and Steven Barber fourth at 215.
Josh Jackson, Travis Ingram, Booni Bishop, Brian Gower and Lee
Reece also saw action for the Panthers.
Jackson County also traveled to Elbert County last week, to participate
in a dual match with the host Blue Devils and Crescent, S.C. Crescent
is ranked second in their classification in South Carolina.
Crescent jumped out to an early 9-0 lead after the first two weight
classes. Jackson County's four dominant wrestlers - Rusty Colley,
Herrigton, Bowles and Ledbetter - brought their team back with
four straight wins, but only Herrington could manage a pin. The
string put Jackson County up 17-9 after six matches.
Crescent took four of the next six matches to tie at 27 with two
remaining. W. Colley and Elkins held off the charge with wins
at 145 and 160. Jackson County lost the final two matches by a
total of only four points, and Crescent skimmed by with a 33-27
margin.
The Panthers earned their 10th win of the season against Elbert
County, 42-24. Powers started the dual match with a 7-0 win, and
Jackson County led throughout.
R. Colley, Herrington, Bowles and Ledbetter all won again, providing
21 points to the team's cause. W. Colley and Barber each scored
six points off pins, and Jordan Breit's pin at 171 insured the
win for Jackson County, now 10-3.
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