Score Atlanta Vol. 11 Issue 8

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 8 | MARCH 6-12, 2015

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

Bragging Rights | Pg. 4 McEachern and Norcross girls faceoff in AAAAAA championship.

On the Pitch | Pg. 8 Spring sports continue as soccer season takes full swing.

THE BEST OF TIMES Macon Centreplex awaits three-day marathon of state title action | Pg. 5

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Vol. 11 Iss. 8 | March 6-12, 2015

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

05

ON THE COVER

08

PREP COVER

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA)

Craig Sager II (Falcons)

Kyle Sandy (Hawks, GSU,

Gladiators) Colin Hubbard (Tech)

STAFF WRITERS Jalisa Smith Matthew Cason

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Copyright 2015 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

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SCORE LIST | NUMBERS GEORGIA STATE | KENNESAW STATE GEORGIA | GEORGIA TECH BRAVES | FALCONS HAWKS | GLADIATORS

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF TY FREEMAN AND JOHN SALVADOR.

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SAGER SAYS

TE’A COOPER, MCEACHERN FACE TALL TASK WITH NORCROSS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he level of talent in Georgia’s girls basketT ball field is one of the reasons the Peach State is so well-known to hoop fanatics. Play-

ers like Maya Moore, Diamond DeShields and Asia Durr become household names and the bar continues to get set higher and higher. In the Class AAAAAA finals Saturday Night, Norcross and McEachern sets up a clash of powers that will showcase the elite competition seen in our own backyard.

Defending champion McEachern and its finals opponent Norcross share the last five state championships in Georgia’s highest classification. It took McEachern one season to rebuild from historic 33-0 state championship run in 2012 as the Indians cruised to the AAAAAA title last March and topped Archer

81-62 in the finals. This year was a much more difficult challenge as the Indians overcame injuries and played one of the toughest schedules in the state to return to Macon. A seasonending knee injury on Dec. 5 sidelined five-star forward Caliya Robinson, one of the most dominant players in the country. Robinson netted 20 points and added 11 rebounds and six blocks in McEachern’s championship victory last year and included a 16-point, 15-rebound, 17-block performance in the second round of the 2014 postseason. With Robinson out, Tennessee-signee Te’a Cooper has stepped up to play an even bigger role this year and her level of success has made her a finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year award. Cooper scored 26 in their quarterfinals win over Mountain

SANDY’S SPIEL

MORGAN COUNTY SETS OUT TO DEFEND FIRST AND ONLY STATE TITLE

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

M

organ County and Jenkins face in the AAA title game on Saturday and set up one of the most intriguing finals matchups. After 24 years without a finals appearance, defending champion Morgan County is back in the championship for the second consecutive time.

Bulldogs head coach Jamond Sims has successfully taken over for Charlemagne Gibbons, who left to become an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic after he brought home the Bulldogs’ first ever state title one year ago and snapped the 24-year finals drought. Sims led Luella to a 20-win season before being recommended by Morgan County School Charter Superintendent Dr. Ralph Bennett this May. Luckily for Sims, the cupboard was not bare at the end

of the championship run as Mississippi Statesignee Tookie Brown and forward Jailyn Ingram returned for another year. Brown, a 5-foot-11 scoring dynamo, poured in 36 points to lift the Bulldogs over Buford a year ago. The career 3,000 point scorer scored 32 of his 37 points in the second half to knock off Laney in the semifinals this season, 68-62. Ingram, a 6-foot-7 forward, is a springy athlete that can change games with his rebounding and scoring abilities.

Still a junior, Ingram is unsigned but should have offers waiting on the table by the time his senior season rolls around. The Bulldogs have peaked at the right time and are now riding a 10-game winning streak. Morgan County proved that it is hard to beat a team three times as they finally

View and hit the game-winning buzzer-beater in the semifinals to lift the Indians past Archer 59-57. Jada Lewis, Tierra Lindsey and freshman Chanel Wilson have collectively helped McEachern succeed without Robinson by getting it done on both ends of the floor and winning the rebounding battle to get Cooper and the fast-paced offense out and running. In the 68-62 quarterfinals win over Mountain View where Cooper went off for 26 points, Wilson looked mature beyond her years with 17 first half points, including five second quarter threepointers and she would finish with 22 points, four rebounds and two assists. Lewis struggled scoring but was able to impact the game with four points, five boards, five assists and four steals. The last time these teams faced in the playoffs was the 2012 semifinals and McEachern advanced with a 64-61 win.

BATTLE-TESTED BLUE DEVILS…

The Blue Devils will be looking for their fourth state title in six seasons on Saturday and have put together a stretch of defensive dominance this postseason that has held opponents to 38 points or less in each of the previous four rounds. Norcross has held opponents under 30 points on eight separate occasions this season.

The Blue Devils’ 28-4 record is even more impressive than it appears when you consider the

got past Laney in the semifinals. The Wildcats entered its third matchup with the Bulldogs riding a 29-game winning streak while beating Morgan County by four and 16 points. Laney has been the only AAA school to hand the defending champions a loss. A national schedule has prepared the Bulldogs for another deep run in state, finishing 3-3 in games against opposing national powers. With a win, Morgan County would become the first school since 2012 to repeat as champions in AAA. Columbia won three straight titles from 2010-2012.

A WARRIOR MENTALITY…

The drop from AAAAA to AAA has gone smoothly for the Jenkins Warriors as they await Morgan County. Last season, Jenkins was clipped in the semifinals by Miller Grove ending its season with 28 wins. A year later and Jenkins is searching for its elusive 29th win which would mean a state title is heading down to Savannah. A finals appearance this year is the deepest the Warriors have ever gone in March.

Head Coach Bakari Bryant has improved each season since taking over in 2012. The Warriors have improved from 19 to 22 to 28 wins and have progressed deeper into the playoffs each year. Georgia State-signee Malik Benlevi is the

quality of opponent the Gwinnett-based team faced in Georgia’s highest classification. Two of the losses were to out of state opponents and the other two were to region rival Mountain View, a team the Blue Devils handled 50-46 in their third meeting en route to the Region 7 title on Feb. 14. In the semifinals, Norcross faced Parkview, a team that many ranked No. 1 in the state heading into the playoffs, and frustrated the Panthers’ offensive rhythm with a 53-35 victory. Norcross defended the paint and left no easy shots outside as Parkview fell behind 11-2 to start the game and missed their first 11 threepoint attempts before finishing the game with just 26 percent shooting from the field. Offensively, the lockdown defense turns into points and the Blue Devils have the ability to slow down the pace of the game and dominate in halfcourt sets. Four of the Blue Devils’ five starters finished in double figures in the semifinals, led by Vash Perry’s 16 points. Tylia Gillespie netted 15, and Allison Johnson and Taylor Mason scored 11 apiece. Norcross can overcome adversity as well. In the quarterfinals, the Blue Devils fell behind Westlake 11-4 at the end of the first quarter and trailed by 10 at the half before closing out a 51-38 victory with a 21-7 scoring edge in the decisive fourth quarter.

Photo courtesy of Ty Freeman.

grizzled vet for Coach Bryant. The 6-foot-6 forward averages over 16 points per game with the ability to score both in and out. Benlevi scored a team-high 28 points to lift the Warriors over Rutland in the semifinals, 77-74. Sophomore forward Trevion Lamar scored with less than 20 seconds left to help Jenkins stave off a comeback bid by Rutland. Lamar finished with 15 points and averages 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds a game. Senior Eric Johnson also scored 15 points in the semifinal win and is the team’s third leading scorer at 9.5 points per game this sea- son. Jenkins’ only losses this season came to Miller Grove, Laney, and High Point Christian Academy (NC). Like Morgan County, the Warriors’ only AAA loss came to Laney. Wins over ML King, North Cobb Christian, and Meridian (MS) highlight Jenkins’ resume. Before the narrow semifinal win over Rutland, the Warriors had blown past the field in the tournament with an average margin of victory of 31 points. They have now won 19-straight and will look to capture number 20 and in the process bring home the school’s first-ever basketball state title.

Photo courtesy of Ty Freeman.

Vol. 11 Iss. 8 | March 6-12, 2015

ON THE COVER

GHSA STATE TOURNAMENT

MUST-SEE STORYLINES FLOOD CHAMPIONSHIP SLATE

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

weeping boys and girls basketball titles in the same season is one of the rarest acScomplishments in Georgia high school Athlet-

ics and is a favored storyline each year as we anticipate champion- ship weekend. In the 69 seasons since the GHSA began crowning boys and girls state champions, this has only been ac- complished 13 times. Columbia’s sweep in 2012 and Norcross’ in 2013 are the most recent schools to write history. This week- end, St. Francis and Carrollton will have a shot to complete the sweep.

The All-Cobb County matchup be- tween Wheeler and Pebblebrook for the Class AAAAAA state title is another one of the top stories heading into the week- end. While Wheeler searches for its sixth state title, Pebblebrook will be looking for its first boys state title in any sport. A girls cross country championship in 1977 is Pebblebrook’s only state title. The last time the Falcons faced off with the Wildcats was in the final four a season ago, a game that slipped away late and saw the Wildcats walk away with a 67-52 victory.

Pebblebrook wanted another shot at the Wildcats and they got it, but this time in a must-see winner-take-all battle. The Falcons’ grueling schedule left no chances to dwell on what ifs from 2014 as they put it behind them and have

set a school-record with 27 wins.

On the girls side, Norcross and McEachern share the last five state titles in Georgia’s highest classification but this will be the first time the teams have met in the finals since 2011. The last time these teams faced in the playoffs was the 2012 semifinals and McEachern advanced with a thrilling 64-61 win.

NEW KIDS IN TOWN....

Class AAAAA Miller Grove’s quest for a seventh straight state title was ended by Warner Robins in the quarterfinals and opened the door for either Allatoona or Brunswick to win first-ever state titles on Friday while playing for the AAAAA trophy.

In the girls AAAAA title game, Stephenson is the only No. 3 seed left in the playoffs and will face a Mays team that looks to end a 12-year drought following the program’s first state title in 2003.

The Carrollton boys are a win away from their first state title as they await de- fending champion Jonesboro, which took home its first state championship a year ago. The Carrollton girls will face Buford for the girls AAAA title as the Wolves look for their first state title since completing a three-peat in 2009-11.

FOLLOWING FOOTSTEPS...

In Class AAA, Beach head coach Olufemi Gordon presents a movie-like script as the Lady Bulldogs face Laney. Gordon played for former Beach head coach Ron- ald Booker, who coached the school for 35 years until retirement in 2013. Gordon played four varsity seasons under Booker but graduated in 1999, the season before Beach went to the finals for the first time in school history and captured its only state championship. It is 16 years later and two seasons into her head coaching career, Gordon has Beach back in the fi- nals with a chance to join her mentor as the school’s two championship coaches.

The boys AAA title game stars Mor- gan County’s Tookie Brown, the unani- mous Finals MVP last year as he carried the Bulldogs to their first state title with a 36-point performance. This postseason, Brown dug Morgan County out of an eight- point halftime deficit and went off for 32 points in the second half to give Morgan County a 68-62 victory over topranked Laney. Another big performance would likely result in Brown earning the coveted 2015 Mr. Georgia basketball award.

LIGHT IT UP...

In Class AA, Seminole County and Crawford County will pin two of the most explosive scorers in the state against one another. Seminole County’s Jordan Harris scored 32 of his 42 points after halftime in the quarterfinals and Crawford County’s William Jarrell opened his postseason with a 48-point game against Dublin.

The girls AA title game pins region ri- vals Wesleyan and Holy Innocents’. Wes- leyan has been the most consistent pow- erhouse in the state and is making its 12th straight finals appearance but Holy Inno- cents’ returns to the finals for the second straight year with an unblemished record. Holy Innocents’ has already escaped vic- torious in its three battles with Wesleyan this year and would be the first team to ever beat the 10-time state champion Wolves four times in the same season.

In Class A-Private, the St. Francis boys aim for back-to-back titles, where the girls are playing for their second state title in two seasons. Southwest Atlanta Christian is back in the finals after upsetting Holy Innocents’ for the title last year and joins McEachern as the only girls teams with a chance to repeat this season.

The 10-time state champion Taylor County girls face Turner County on Thurs- day in the girls A-Public finals and with a win would become the first girls basket- ball team in state history to win 11 state championships. Wesleyan could join the Vikings as 11-time state champions with a win Friday.

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EYEING A THREE-PEAT…

The two-time defending champion Houston County Sharks will face the 2012 state champion Gwinnett Heat Friday in the 18th Annual Interscholastic Wheelchair Basketball State Championship. The Sharks crushed the West Georgia Wolverines 40-16 to secure their spot in this year’s state championships and arrive Macon as the favorite sitting 6-0 on the season. Houston County already faced Gwinnett in the regular season and took the contest 42-19. After starting the season 0-2, Gwinnett has won four straight to make it to Macon. The team averages 17 points per game and allows 14 points per game, despite 42 points surrendered in its meeting with the Sharks this season. Four members of the 2012 state championship squad dot the roster, including, Stephen Hobson, Derek Claros, Kathy Luna and Giselle Zavala.

Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman.

6

MLB

GHSA

Nemanja Djurisic

Baseball is back and Spring Training games have officially arrived. After a long layoff, sports’ longest season and America’s Pastime is here.

A-Rod is back, the pace of the game is being tweaked, and a new commissioner is in place. It will be another interesting season as thousands of fans will flock to opening day in a month.

The March to Macon is finally complete. Thursday through Sunday the Macon Centreplex will hold some of Georgia’s top talents as teams will look to put the finishing touches on their great seasons and hoist the trophy. All the action will be found on GPB with live broadcasts of each game.

The Dawgs may have fallen short against undefeated Kentucky, but the Montenegro-born big man stole the show pounding UK’s NBA-sized frontline into submission with 18 points and six rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting. The senior muscled his way through taller defenders on Senior Night and put UGA in a position to shock the world. Even with the loss, the Bulldogs seem like a lock for the postseason.

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

PLAYOFF SPOT CLINCHED

With the win against Houston on Tuesday, the Hawks have clinched a playoff spot for the eighth consecutive season. Their current record is 48-12, and that is the best 60-game start in team history. It’s been a great year so far, but it’s only the beginning because the playoffs are going to be tough.

LEBRON IN ATLANTA

Speaking of tough, the Hawks have a tough game on Friday as they face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are a much better team since the last time these two have faced each other, but the Hawks rarely lose at home. Philips is going to be rocking, and I wish I was there to witness it.

SPRING TRAINING

Baseball season is right around the corner and the Braves have made their way to Orlando to get ready for the upcoming season. This team will look very different from last year’s squad, which leads to the question can the Braves be competitive? Only time will tell, but as long as they have solid pitching, they will be in the hunt for a division crown.

SPRING FOOTBALL

KSU has kicked off their inaugural spring practice on Monday, and they are getting ready for the spring game, which will take place on Mar. 28 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. The guys look more physically ready than they did in the fall, and with the help of new transfers that have college football experience, the Owls are on the right track to have success.

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

The Macon Coliseum will be a busy place this weekend as the high school state finals take over the arena. Can the Wheeler boys defeat Pebblebrook to win another title?

Can powerhouse McEachern girls take down Norcross and be back-to-back champs? Be sure to check out scoreatl.com for the latest scores and recaps from Macon.

WHO’S NOT

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Laney Boys

Georgia Basketball

Josh Smith

Laney led defending AAA champion Morgan County by eight points at the half and held superstar Tookie Brown to 10 points in the first half while they looked to punch a ticket to state championship weekend in Macon. However, the defense broke down and Brown went off for 32 points in the second half to snap Laney’s 29-game win streak with a 68-62 finish.

The Bulldogs hosted No. 1 Kentucky on a nationally-televised game Tuesday night and held a 9-point lead in the second half before falling apart.

Kentucky clamped down defensively and put together a demoralizing 14-0 run to put away the Bulldogs 72-64 and spoil what would have been a defining moment in UGA basketball history.

The Hawks outscored Houston 32-15 in the fourth quarter to take a 104-96 victory and former Hawk Josh Smith was unhappy after his Rockets spoiled another homecoming.

Smith lashed out and called the Hawks fans “fickle” and “bandwagoners” after the game. It looks like Smith will hear a few more boos next time he returns to his home town.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Kyle Sandy

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall.

Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

?

TRIVIA QUESTION

WHAT STATE FINALIST IS LOOKING FOR ITS FIRST BOYS STATE TITLE IN ANY SPORT THIS WEEKEND? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

“

SANITY AT LAST

“I mean, those fans are fickle, very fickle and bandwagoners. It really doesn’t mean anything to me.”

- Josh Smith about Hawks fans after Atlanta’s 104-96 comeback victory Tuesday night.

370

GHSA basketball games this postseason

5

Defending champions returning to Macon this year

2

Undefeated teams remaining entering championship weekend (Holy Innocents’, Taylor County)

48

Points scored by Crawford County’s William Jarrell in the first round, the highest single game total of the remaining players

13

Number of times a school has swept boys and girls basketball championships the same season

9

Points Georgia led by in the second half before falling to No. 1 Kentucky 72-64

32

Fourth quarter points scored by Atlanta in its 104-96 victory over Houston

36

Games over 500 Atlanta sits at entering final six weeks of the season

Vol. 11 Iss. 8 | March 6-12, 2015

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PREP SOCCER

BROOKWOOD BOYS GO OUT OF STATE, IMPROVE RECORD TO 7-0

BY RICKY DIMON & LAUREN GOLDSTEIN

T

he Brookwood boys, who captured their third state championship by triumphing in Class AAAAAA last year, have had no trouble maintaining their momentum this season.

Brookwood is 7-0 following a pair of wins this past weekend in Auburn, Ala. The Broncos beat McGill Catholic (Ala.) 2-0 on Saturday morning before getting the best of Auburn (Ala.) 4-1 in the afternoon. Samaan Williams and Ekow Annan found the back of the net in the first game on assists from Jason Stribling and Topher Marshall. Annan scored twice in the finale, Marshall added a goal and Thair Fraser also notched one for Brookwood. The Broncos, who play at Grayson next week, also boast victories in 2015 over Harrison, John’s Creek, Collins Hill, Pope and Lambert.

Mt. Paran Christian’s boys picked up their

first win of the season on the strength of several outstanding individual performances on Tuesday against Galloway. Jake Mezei scored four times en route to an 8-0 success, while Cooper Ingram had three assists. The Eagles also got goals from Kody King, Jackson McLarty and Evan Piper.

On the girls side, Wesleyan (4-0-0) has been dominant this year. The Wolves are undefeated through four contests and have not allowed a single goal. After shutting out Oconee County, Whitefield, and Galloway, they blanked Providence Christian 3-0 on Tuesday. Ellie Hall, Hope Morgan and Sadie Prince scored for Wesleyan and Caroline Cannon was once again flawless in front of the net. The team will wrap up its week by hosting Dunwoody on Friday.

Another Tuesday showdown pitted the

Peachtree Ridge girls against Buford. The host Lions took care of business in the form of a 5-2 win while getting a hat-trick from Kinsey Dziwura and two goals courtesy of Allie Hoxie.

Jordy Missel, Ashley Patrick and Erin Harris recorded assists for the victors.

Wednesday’s slate of action is highlighted

by St. Pius vs. Westminster (both boys and girls), two of the top programs in Class AAAA and Class AAA, respectively. Westminster’s girls and boys are coming off twin 10-0 defeats of Therrell on Tuesday.

ON THE LINKS ...

St. Anne-Pacelli’s Matt Oliver and Ben Ranieri shot a pair of 46s to lead their team 195205 victory over Schley County at Red Oak Golf Course this week. Dustin Jones and Hal Woods also helped the Vikings with a score of 51 and 52, respectively. Schley County was led

by Braxton Crews (47), Clint Long (47), Hunter Lloyd (54) and Bryce Collins (57).

Northside-Coumbus’ Isabel Rijos won medalist honors after scoring an incredible 39 on the Red Oak Golf Course. Runner up, Schley County, was led by Jordan Booker (42) and Madison Hood (44). Brookstone’s Uma Alappan (59) and Laura Alvarez-Garcia (68) helped their team place third and Pacelli’s Sar-

ah Grace Drop had 43 strokes to place fourth.

Two Gwinnett area junior golfers won titles at the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour’s FarmLinks Junior Classic. Braselton’s Nicholas Scott shot 70 and 74 to finish first in the boys 15- to 18-year-old division. Buford’s Skylar Thompson dominated the girls division to win the 1518 year-old title with strokes adding up to 77 and 76. Will Stakel of Duluth placed sixth in the boys 13-14 division with scores of 81 and 79.

The Lambert girls golf team had their first tournament last Saturday at Chicopee Woods hosted by Buford High School. This tournament featured some of the best teams in the state.

After winning back-to-back state titles, the Lambert girls continued their streak crushing the competition with a margin of victory of 19 strokes over a revamped and powerful Alpharetta High School team. The lady Horns were led by junior Kayley Marschke putting up a score of 70 and earning overall low medalist award, junior Lauren Lightfritz shooting 72, and sophomore Christine McDonnell shooting 80.

The Lambert girls keep their undefeated tournament play for the third consecutive year and strive for their third consecutive state title.

Photos courtesy of Mary Beth Denver, John Salvador, Melissa Darby and Peachtree Ridge.

Vol. 11 Iss. 8 | March 6-12, 2015

A young athlete’s brain is still developing, so don’t take chances with a head injury. Bring him to Children’s, where doctors have the expertise to diagnose and treat concussions. And with ImPACT testing, we can compare a patient’s progress to a normal baseline score to help determine when he’s ready to play again. To schedule a baseline ImPACT test for your athlete or team, visit choa.org/baselinetesting.

TM

©2014 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved.

TM

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A LOOK BACK AT 2014-15 BASKETBALL SEASON

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TY FREEMAN

Vol. 11 Iss. 8 | March 6-12, 2015

Score Atlanta Pre-Playoff Boys Basketball Rankings Class AAAAAA

Class AAA

1............................ Wheeler 2..................... Pebblebrook 3.........................Tift County 4........................... Norcross 5................................Shiloh

1................................ Laney 2............................. Jenkins 3......................Cedar Grove 4................. Morgan County 5..........Johnson-Savannah

6................................Tucker 7...................................Pope 8............................Hillgrove 9..............Langston Hughes 10........................Alpharetta

Class AAAAA 1...................... Miller Grove 2...........................McIntosh 3...........................Allatoona 4........................Gainesville 5...........................M.L. King

1..................Pace Academy 2.............. Seminole County 3.................Holy Innocents’ 4...............................Vidalia 5...............Crawford County

6.................... Burke County 7.............Americus-Sumter 8............................... Albany 9...................Liberty County 10......................... Columbia

1.........................St. Francis 2.......Greenforest Christian 3...............Athens Christian 4..............Wilkinson County 5......... Whitefield Academy

Class AAAA 1.........................Jonesboro 2........Johnson-Gainesville 3..............................St. Pius 4.............................Lithonia 5..........................Carrollton

Score Atlanta Pre-Playoff Girls Basketball Rankings 6.....................South Atlanta 7...................Blessed Trinity 8.................................Butler 9..............................Rutland 10.......................... East Hall

Class AA 6.........................Brunswick 7............. Carver-Columbus 8.................. Warner Robins 9...........................LaGrange 10.....................Stockbridge

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Class AAAAAA

Class AAA

1............................ Osborne 2...........................Parkview 3..................Mountain View 4....................North Forsyth 5................... South Forsyth

1.................Dawson County 2.................... South Atlanta 3........................... Kendrick 4............................. Decatur 5................................ Laney

6.........................Woodstock 7................................Archer 8..................... West Forsyth 9..............Langston Hughes 10..........................Norcross

Class AAAAA 6.. Greater Atlanta Christian 7...............................Harlem 8.................................Model 9.......................Thomasville 10.................Greene County

1.........................Brunswick 2..................................Mays 3.............Effingham County 4..........................Sequoyah 5.......................Stephenson

6................Hancock Central 7.................Calhoun County 8..............................Treutlen 9..........................Greenville 10..................Turner County

1.........................Jonesboro 2...............................Buford 3............................Veterans 4..............................St. Pius 5............ Americus-Sumter

Class A

6................................ Beach 7........................... Jefferson 8...........Washington County 9......................Westminster 10................Morgan County

Class AA 6......................... Grovetown 7.............Southwest DeKalb 8........................Forest Park 9.........................Greenbrier 10............ Woodland-Henry

1.................Holy Innocents’ 2..............................Pelham 3.......................... Wesleyan 4................................ Model 5...............................Vidalia

6....................Mary Persons 7.........................Bainbridge 8................................ Marist 9................................ Griffin 10........ Northwest Whitfield

1.........................St. Francis 2.........SW Atlanta Christian 3.................... Taylor County 4..................Tattnall Square 5.....Savannah Country Day

Class AAAA

6.......................Thomasville 7..................Putnam County 8....................... Manchester 9..........................Darlington 10...................Union County

Class A 6...............................Claxton 7....................Turner County 8....................... Calvary Day 9............Stratford Academy 10..............Atkinson County

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

BASKETBALL FALLS JUST SHORT TO UK AND SPRING FOOTBALL AROUND CORNER

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

with a nine point lead late into the second half against Kentucky, Georgia BasketEballven was not able to overcome the top ranked

Wildcats. They would end up falling 72-64 to the nation’s only undefeated men’s college basketball team.

It was a packed house on Tuesday night inside Stegeman Coliseum with the Bulldogs giving the fans everything they could ask for.

How about the buzzer-beating shot off the glass by senior Nemi Djurisic to tie the game at 32-32 and send the Bulldogs sprinting back to their locker room.

Djurisic would finish the night with 18 points, in his final game inside Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia was able to go on their run to put the lead at 56-47 with 9:12 left to go in the game. However, Kentucky sophomore sensation Andrew Harrison was able to make a three pointer to jumpstart a 22-6 run to end the game.

The Wildcats were also fueled by 19 point and five rebound performance by freshman Karl-Anthony Towns.

The loss drops Georgia to 19-10 overall

GEORGIA STATE

PANTHERS LOOK FOR ANOTHER SUN BELT RUN

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

games remain on Georgia State’s basketFSunour ball schedule and it looks like the battle for Belt supremacy will come down to the final

game. Currently, the Panthers (19-8, 12-4) are in a three-way tie for first place with Georgia Southern (19-6, 12-4) and UL Monroe (18-9, 12-4). After trips to UALR and Troy on Thursday and Saturday, the season concludes with the Panthers visiting UL Monroe on March 5th and welcoming Georgia Southern on the 7th.

In Georgia State’s previous meetings, they thumped UL Monroe 65-45 in the conference opener and lost at Georgia Southern 58-54 on the road in early February.

The Panthers’ latest victory came this past Saturday as they walloped the visiting Appalachian State Mountaineers (9-16, 6-10) by 44 points, 87-43. It was sweet revenge after dropping to the Mountaineers 74-69 earlier in the year. GSU’s trademark suffocating defense was once again on display as App State shot just 29 percent. The Panthers have now held six consecutive opponents to under 30 percent shooting and have won four straight games in

and 10-7 in SEC play.

They will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, with a trip to Auburn. Next week, they’ll begin play in the SEC Tournament.

GEORGIA TO START SPRING FOOTBALL ...

The Bulldogs will begin spring practice on Tuesday March 17. This year’s team is returning 16 out of 25 starters from last year’s team.

On Wednesday, Mark Richt addressed the media ahead of their spring work. The head coach is ready to get to work.

“(I’m) looking forward to our spring football getting ready to start,” Richt said. “It’s a great time of the year. As always, there’s a lot of new opportunities for guys to compete for starting positions, compete for playing time, and compete against each other.”

One position battle that will be hotly contested over the spring, is the quarterback spot.

Richt summarized how he’s looking at that competition.

“I’d say it’s more 1A,B, and C right now,” Richt said. “Really it’s a matter of giving all of those guys an opportunity to get reps and make it equal as possible.”

The quarterback battle will be between returning redshirt sophomore Brice Ramsey following his relief appearance in the Belk Bowl win over Louisville. Junior Faton Bauta will also compete for the position, as well as redshirt freshman Jacob Park.

Georgia will have 15 total days of work over the next couple of months. They will have the annual spring game (G-Day) on Saturday April 11.

the process. Ryan Harrow returned to action after missing three games due to concussionlike symptoms. Harrow scored 20 points while R.J. Hunter poured in a game-high 22.

DIMINUTIVE ANDREWS HAS BIG CAREER ...

The women’s team ripped off two consecutive wins after beating South Alabama 69-54 and App State 80-70. The Panthers now sit at 12-13 overall and 7-9 in conference play. Brittany Logan scored 18 points and Gabby Moss (18) and Kennesha Nichols (16) both finished with career-highs as Georgia State defeated App State. In the process of snagging the victory, senior guard Alisha Andrews accomplished quite the feat. She collected her 300th career steal to make her the second active NCAA women’s player with 1,000 points/500 assists/300 rebounds and 300 steals.

ROSE IN BLOOM ...

On Sunday, Matt Rose continued his onslaught at the plate blasting two more homers for the Panthers (4-4), but they were not enough as Georgia State fell to UMass Lowell 9-2. Rose, the junior infielder and Preseason All-American, leads the nation in homeruns with five. Garrett Ford struggled in the second inning after an error helped lead to six runs.

Junior catcher Joey Roach was bright spot however, going 9-for-19 with two homers, two doubles, and nine RBIs in five games. The Panthers visit Georgia Tech on Wednesday at 4 P.M. before returning home next weekend to host Ohio in a three-game series.

GEORGIA TECH

GEORGIA TECH SUFFERS ITS WORST LOSS OF THE SEASON

BY COLIN HUBBARD | CHUBBARD@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Georgia Tech men’s basketball team hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since the 2009-10 season and isn’t going to make it again this year in what has been a very disappointing 2015 campaign.

The Yellow Jackets finished their regular season last Tuesday night McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta and lost by 32 points (81-49) to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Georgia Tech finished second to last in the ACC standings with a 3-15 record. Three wins is the fewest the Yellow Jackets have won in ACC play since the 2008-09 season. The last winning season the Yellow Jackets had in ACC play was over 10 years ago in the 2003-04 season.

Since the departure of 10-time NBA allstar Chris Bosh in 2003, Georgia Tech has posted just a 67-125 record in the ACC.

To make things worse for the Yellow Jackets, their top scorer Marcus Georges-Hunt left with an apparent right foot injury early in the game against the Tar Heels last Tuesday. After spend-

KENNESAW STATE

FOOTBALL OPENS SPRING PRACTICE, MEN’S BB SEASON COMES TO AN END

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

onday was a monumental day for KSU M athletics. The football team took the field for the first ever spring practice session. The

practice took place at the Perch and it lasted for two hours.

The practice was about building for the spring game, which will take place at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on Mar. 28 at 1 p.m. But it also was about getting ready for the first regular season game on Sept. 3 against East Tennessee State.

Because real football is on the horizon, head coach Brian Bohannon and his coaching staff have to do some new things compared to what they were doing during fall practice. One of the things that they will install during spring practice is a depth chart to see which players stand out.

“It’s time to establish some depth charts,” Bohannon said. “It’s time to find out who can play and who can’t. That creates competition. We got to get a pecking order going into the fall.”

Another thing that Bohannon wants to see is leadership. The squad only has four se-

ing the remainder of the first half in the locker room, Georges-Hunt returned to the sidelines in the second half wearing a walking boot.

But, Georgia Tech will have their two leading scorers return for the 2015-16 season in Georges-Hunt and Charles Mitchell if they choose to return for their senior season. Freshman point guard Tadric Jackson who averaged just 4.9 points on the season but will look to improve after being a highly touted recruit for the Yellow Jackets a season ago.

Georgia Tech will compete in the ACC tournament and will look to gain some much needed momentum headed into a long offseason.

SEASON SWEEP…

After the tough loss to Auburn a week ago the Jackets have won four straight including a three-game sweep of Indiana State. The Jackets outscored their opponents 30-9 in their four game win streak.

A.J Murray is batting .364 including three homeruns and 17 RBI. Freshman Kel Johnson is off to a fast start as well, posting a .320 batting average and is leading the team with four homeruns.

In the Yellow Jackets most recent victory, Brandon Gold scored from first on an error in the bottom of the 12th inning as Georgia Tech survived Ohio, 7-6 at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Georgia Tech will start a three-game home stand tomorrow as they play host to Notre Dame.

niors, so Bohannon is not just looking to those four to be leaders.

“One of the things that we stressed in the offseason is leadership whether it’s a senior, junior, sophomore or freshman,” Bohannon said.

“We need guys that step up when things are tough and when adversity hits. That’s what’s unique about a startup program.”

The Owls will practice 15 times this month and they will practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The next practice the Owls will have is on Friday and they will be in full pads for the first time. They will have their first scrimmage on Saturday Mar. 14.

SEASON OVER…

The men’s basketball team took on USC Upstate in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and came up short 90-54.

“We struggled making shots tonight,” head coach Jimmy Lallathin told ksuowls.com after the game. “We just couldn’t find the bottom of the basket and that hurts. They were able to turn a couple of our misses into quick baskets and it was deflating.”

Nigel Pruitt led all scorers with 26 points and added six rebounds. Damien Wilson added 10 points and Delbert Love tallied six points and five rebounds. The loss concludes the 2014-15 season, and they finish with a 10-22 record. It’s the first time the Owls have won 10 games since the 2009-10 season.

Vol. 11 Iss. 8 | March 6-12, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS RALLY PAST J-SMOOVE AND ROCKETS

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

ach victory may not have been pretty, but AtEstreak lanta (48-12) now rides a five game winning as they enter Friday’s matchup with the surging Cleveland Cavaliers (38-24). During their current winning streak, the Hawks have rallied after trailing at halftime three times with their latest win coming Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets (41-19) and former walking highlight/nightmare Josh Smith, 104-96.

Atlanta would trail by as many as 18 points in the first half and entered halftime down 59-45 before racing past the Rockets in the second half, outscoring them 59-37. Jeff Teague scored a game-high 25 points while Paul Millsap added 16 points and 14 rebounds. Atlanta found gold on the offensive glass and outscored the Rockets 17-3 on second-chance points off nine offensive rebounds.

The James Harden-less Rockets were led by former Hawk Jason Terry who scored a team-high 21 points off the bench. Powder Springs-native Josh Smith scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds while constantly be-

ATLANTA BRAVES

UPTON TO MISS START OF SEASON WITH FOOT INJURY

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he artist formerly known as B.J. Upton could have to wait until May or June to begin painting what he hopes is a new masterpiece with the Atlanta Braves as Melvin Upton Jr. Upton went into a x-ray appointment last Friday thinking minor discomfort in his left foot would require only a few days of rest to go away. Instead, he was diagnosed with sesamoiditis (inflammation in the bone behind the ball of the foot) and was fitted with a walking cast. The 30-year-old center fielder is expected to be sidelined from all baseball activities until April.

“It’s frustrating, but at the same time I’m going to try to take the positive out of it,” the team’s website reported Upton as saying. “At least it’s now and not in August, when we’re in the middle of a pennant race. It’s something we can get a hold of now, knock it out and hope it’s not anything we have to deal with again…. I’m at a point in my career where I don’t let a lot of things get to me. Mentally, I’m in a good spot

ing booed. Smith who was the subject of much praise and scorn during his time with Atlanta was mockingly cheered after every three-point attempt. After going 2-6 from deep, Smith raised a finger to his lips to quiet the crowd.

Smith said afterwards, “All I’ve been doing was positive things in the community and with the basketball team. I mean those fans are fickle, very fickle. And you know, bandwagoners, so it really doesn’t mean anything to me.”

SHORT-HANDED SUCCESS ...

Saturday was a day of rest for Atlanta as four players sat out as the Hawks visited the Miami Heat. Al Horford, Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll, and Pero Antic all did not play during Atlanta’s 93-91 victory. The Hawks held a 64-53 lead entering the fourth quarter before Miami turned on the heat scoring 38 points in the final frame. Kent Bazemore hit a three with a minute left to extend the lead to 89-80 to help the Hawks hold on. Paul Millsap scored 22 and Dennis Schroder finished with 16 points and 10 assists to lift the short-handed Hawks.

Bazemore chipped in 15 on the night. With the win, Atlanta moved to 34-3 when holding opponents under 100 points.

UP NEXT… The Hawks welcome the Cavaliers to Philips Arena for the final time this season on Friday at 7:30 P.M. After losing its first meeting, Atlanta has won twice against Cleveland and with a win will take the season series three games to one.

and I like the way I’ve gone over the offseason.

I [will] work my hardest not to lose that. I’m pretty positive that I won’t.”

There is not much to lose based on Upton’s recent in-game performance. Since joining the Braves two seasons ago, Upton has hit a wretched .198.

POSITION BATTLES ...

The Braves’ spring training schedule began on Wednesday afternoon with a Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets (results were not available at press time). They faced Detroit on Thursday in advance of tilts with Washington, Detroit (split squad), the Mets (split squad) and then Houston on Sunday. Thus kicks off some intriguing battles for roster spots and starting jobs.

“I think this exhibition season is going to be fun because there is a lot of competition going on,” manager Fredi Gonzalez told reporters earlier this week. “Competition is good…. If these spring training games didn’t count, we wouldn’t play them. It’s pretty simple.”

Figuring out Atlanta’s Opening Day lineup will not be so simple. With Upton out, Eric Young Jr., Eury Perez and Todd Cunningham are contenders to man center field. Zoilo Almonte and Jonny Gomes will try to prove their worth to platoon in left field. Veteran southpaw Wandy Rodriguez is among those hoping to win a spot as the rotation’s fifth starter.

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS SHAKE ROSTER WITH RECENT MOVES

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

Th

ree veterans were cut this week to free up cap room as the team looks to head in a different direction this season. Running back Steven Jackson, guard Justin Blalock, slot receiver Harry Douglas and defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi rounded out the starters cut from the team.

Jackson joined the Falcons as a free agent on March 15, 2013 in hopes of carrying the load as the feature back in Dirk Koetter’s offense but in two seasons with the Falcons, lack of production and injuries sent the front office in a new direction. In two seasons with the Falcons, Jackson rushed for 1,250 yards on 347 carries with 12 touchdowns. He also added 53 catches for 339 yards and one receiving touchdown.

Massaquoi, a former Central Gwinnett Black Knight, was selected by the Falcons in the fifth round (164th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Troy and played in 39 games with seven starts and totaled 60 tackles (42 solo),

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

FIGHT NIGHT BREAKS OUT AGAINST SOLAR BEARS

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Gladiators picked up two first period goals on Saturday in Orlando, but a poor third period doomed them to a 5-3 loss. Gwinnett (17-33-3-2) received power play goals a minute apart late in the first period from Zach Yuen and J.P. Labardo to take a 2-1 lead over the Solar Bears (26-20-4-2) heading into the second period. A Dyson Stevenson goal at the 7:42 mark gave Gwinnett a commanding 3-1 lead, but the whole complexion of the game changed later in the period.

The physicality of the game increased at the 16:18 mark when things started to boil over after a Mark Guggenberger save. Gwinnett’s Geoff Paukovich started a kerfuffle with Scott Tanski which began a full-ice brouhaha. The referees managed to calm things down, but Solar Bear goaltender Garret Sparks wanted in on the action and called out Guggenberger from across the ice. Before the two goalies could settle things in the middle of the ice, Stevenson came flying through the zone to meet Sparks

13

six sacks, and two passes defensed.

Blalock, a member of the Texas Longhorn’s national championship team was selected by the Falcons in the second round (39th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. He started all 125 games in which he played, including 102 consecutive games between 2007 and 2014. Blalock anchored the line for 15 games last season. Blalock started 15 games in 2014.

Douglas has been a receiver with the Falcons since Matt Ryan’s rookie year in 2008 but was cut after playing in 91 games and earning 26 career starts with the Falcons. Douglas totaled 3,130 receiving yards on 258 catches with eight touchdowns in his career.

WELCOME TO ATLANTA ...

In the midst of significant roster changes, the Falcons extended the contract of linebacker Stupar. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound backer was originally selected by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round (230th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. He spent time with the Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Jacksonville Jaguars before being claimed off of waivers by the Atlanta Falcons on August 31, 2014. Stupar has played in 27 career games, primarily on special teams. In 2014, he appeared in 15 games and finished the season ranked second on the team with nine (seven solo) special teams tackles.

and a full on battle ensued. The scrum led to ejections for Stevenson and Sparks but things were just getting started.

Just a minute later at the 17:10 mark, Brock Montgomery of Orlando began another fracas, this time barreling into Guggenberger on a save attempt. Patrick MacGregor came to the rescue of Guggenberger and grabbed Montgomery and tossed him into the boards while Alexandre Carrier and Carl Nielsen tried to start separate fights to coax Guggenberger into an ejection situation. MacGregor, Carrier, and Nielsen earned ejections from their roles in the fight while Montgomery was sent to the penalty box. After the air had cleared, Orlando grabbed momentum and picked up a shorthanded Denver Manderson goal to cut the lead to 3-2 entering the final frame. The Solar Bears would go on to net three more unanswered goals to race past Gwinnet, 5-3. Joe Howe who came on for Sparks after the ejection, saved all 14 shots he faced.

FAN FAVORITE BACK IN TOWN...

On Tuesday Gwinnett claimed former Glad Tyler Murovich off waivers. The 25-year-old forward from played in 127 regular and postseason games for the organization from 2011 to 2013.

Orlando released him on Monday. “We are excited to have Murv back here in Gwinnett,” said Gladiators Interim Head Coach Andy Brandt.

“We know he will come to compete every night and lead both on and off the ice.”

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Vol. 11 Iss. 8 | March 6-12, 2015

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