Vol. 12 Issue 8

Time to look great!

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 8 | MARCH 3 - MARCH 9, 2016

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

The Impossible Dream | Pg. 4 What Liberty County must do to conquer Jonesboro’s three-year reign over Class AAAA.

LET IT BE ME Pebblebrook and Westlake battle for Georgia’s coveted Class AAAAAA crown | Pg. 7

Welcome to my world | Pg. 9 Tucker to challenge McEachern’s lineage of championship success in Macon.

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Vol. 12 Iss. 8 | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rhonda Rawls

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

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COLUMNISTS

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ON THE COVER

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PREP COVER

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy

MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein

PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS: Ricky Dimon (Braves) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons, GA Tech)

Kyle Sandy (GSU, Kennesaw, Hawks, GHSA)

STAFF WRITERS Tyler Andrews Ned Kaish

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Copyright 2016 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is digitally published every week on ScoreAtl.com. 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 | GHSA BASKETBALL

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF TY FREEMAN

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SANDY’S SPIEL

CARDINALS FACE UPSET-MINDED LIBERTY COUNTY

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

onesboro and Liberty County clash in the boys Class AAAA finals, setting up another Jintriguing matchup and challenge for the two-

time defending champion Jonesboro Cardinals.

Potential pitfalls checkered No. 1 Jonesboro’s path to Macon but it hasn’t stopped the Cardinals from soaring to a potential three-peat.

Jonesboro opened the year with a bumpy start, dropping its first two games of the season to AAAAAA No. 3 Norcross and Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC). With Austin Donaldson (GSU) and Tracy Hector (KSU) both graduated it looked as if the Cardinals’ reign of dominance was finally coming to an end. MJ Walker Jr. had different ideas. The star junior brought his game to the next level and has averaged 22.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists while lead-

ing Jonesboro to a perfect mark in Region 4.

Talented teams such as No. 6 Walnut Grove, No. 7 Eagle’s Landing and Henry County all had chances to knock the Cardinals from their perch but were unable to as Jonesboro turned them all back. Playing the best of the best has helped mold Coach Daniel Maehlman’s toughnosed team into a machine. Jonesboro took third-place in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic, their only loss coming to the nation’s No. 1 ranked team, undefeated Chino Hills (CA) 12493. In the state tournament, potential matchup problems proved to be no worries. They blasted Worth County 81-47, who was led by 6-foot-8 Auburn signee Anfernee McLemore and Brandon Moore. In round two, an emotional state championship rematch presented itself. The

SANDY’S SPIEL 2

MORGAN COUNTY AND JENKINS STAR IN FINALS REMATCH

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

T

hey meet again. Macon has become a March mainstay for the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs as they take their third straight trip to the Centreplex. In 2013-14 Charlemagne Gibbons oversaw Tookie Brown’s destruction of Buford for the program’s first and only title. In his first year as head coach Jamond Sims took the Bulldogs back to the title game last year but they fell to Jenkins on a last second layup from senior Eric Johnson 62-60. With 3,000-point scorer Tookie Brown now leading Georgia Southern in scoring as a freshman, Morgan County got its season off to an inauspicious start losing to Cherokee 57-52 at Rockdale County’s Battle at the Rock tournament. Things quickly got better as they defeated Class AAAA’s No. 4 Lithonia 44-41. After winning the Region 8 title and blowing out Pepperell in round one 71-30 and

knocking off North Clayton 67-54 in the Sweet 16, the Bulldogs ran into Laney for the third time this year and sixth time in two seasons.

Morgan County won the rubber match in the Elite Eight this year, beating Laney 55-50 while holding Charleston Southern signee Christian Keeling to five points after he entered averaging a team-high 24. Florida Atlantic signees Jailyn Ingram and DeVorious Brown were the difference makers as Ingram poured in 24 points and Brown netted 12. After the emotional victory the Bulldogs entered their Final Four meeting with No. 6 South Atlanta hungover, falling behind by as many as 16 points and taking a 40-25 deficit into the half. Freshman Alec Woodard and senior Jordan Ford helped key the comeback. Woodard sank all 10 of his free throw attempts in the fourth quarter en

Cardinals dispatched of Carrollton last year 5550 in the title game and this year broke the Trojans’ heart again with a 51-50 win. Looking like Carrollton finally exposed a vulnerability in the Cardinals, instead Jonesboro drilled No. 8 St. Pius in the Sweet 16 winning 57-37. No. 3 Grady was the next Region 6 team to test the Cardinals in the Final Four powered by Bucknellcommit Avi Toomer averaging 23.6 points per game but again it was Jonesboro beating Grady at their own game by outscoring them 77-49, holding Toomer to 17. Walker and Tariq Jenkins both pumped in 22 points while Eric Lovett added 10.

PANTHER PRIDE

The Panthers were one of the many teams that fell at the hands of Jonesboro last season, losing 71-43 in the Final Four. This time, it’s No. 2 Liberty County trying to turn the tables and break No. 1 Jonesboro’s spell over the rest of Class AAAA. Coach Julian Stokes sees Coach Daniel Maehlman’s MJ Walker Jr. and he raises him with a star junior of his own, Davion Mitchell. Mitchell, an Auburn-commit, is an electrifying guard netting over 24 points per game and more than seven assists. He and junior Richard LeCounte, a five-star UGA football-commit, power a devastating Panther offense that jumped out on No. 4 Lithonia 16-0 in their 81route to 18 points while Ford scored a teamhigh 22. Brown hit the game-winning three with one second left right after Frank Bailey of the Hornets tied the game with a three with 7 seconds left, stinging South Atlanta for a stunning 64-61 win. Morgan County freshman Alec Woodard set a school-record with 10 threes in a game this season and can definitely heat up beyond the arc.

CHAMPS ARE BACK...

The defending state champions had a questionable start to their season, needing overtime to beat Creekview 74-67 at the Dai’Jon Parker Classic. No. 5 Jenkins has righted the ship since their sluggish start and are back to playing a fast brand of basketball centered around one of the state’s best juniors and a guard who transferred in from nearby Savannah High School. 6-foot-5 junior forward Trevion Lamar does it all for Coach Bakari Bryant. He averages 16.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. The versatile big man can score both inside and out causing matchup problems for defenders. Zion Williams brings over stability at the point guard position and is the team’s second leading scorer as a junior.

Williams and Lamar have replaced the output left by Eric Johnson and Malik Benlevi (GSU).

68 Final Four victory. Mitchell dropped gamehigh 33 points while LeCounte tacked on 19. A key to their evolution from being a good team to a great team has been the development of Will Richardson as a reliable third option. He scores 13 points per game as a sophomore, leaving the future looking extremely bright for Liberty County. They have won 25-straight games including playoff wins over Columbia (78-60) and Monroe (71-61) in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Their only loss came back on Dec. 5, the third game of the season losing to Statesboro 75-74 in double overtime. Last year in their semifinal loss to Jonesboro, the Panthers held a 19-18 lead after one but were outscored 53-24 the rest of the way. Mitchell was kept in check by the stifling Cardinal defense. He finished with 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting while committing four turnovers. LeCounte didn’t fare much better, tacking on 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. On the other side, Walker torched the Panthers for 30 points and five assists. Coach Stokes is in his first year as the head man after Coach Willie Graham resigned following last season. He will need to devise a game plan to get Mitchell open looks while slowing down Walker on the other end.

Photo courtesy of Edward Blackmon Johnson hit a layup with 3.6 seconds left to capture the Warriors’ first-ever state title. On their march to Macon the Warriors have ended some of the state’s best Cinderella stories.

They eliminated Jackson-Atlanta in round one 79-69. The Jaguars snuck into the tournament after stunning 22-3 Westminster in the region tournament. In the Sweet 16 it was Jackson County falling to Jenkins 70-51. The Panthers going from 4-22 to 18-12 while winning their first state playoff game in 51 years before running into the Jenkins buzzsaw. Next it was No. 2 Calhoun seeing their 27-0 season come to an end without a state title, falling 84-78 in the Elite Eight. Lamar scored six points late in the fourth to stave off the comeback while Williams added a game-high 21 with three three-pointers in a row coming in the third quarter to extend their lead. The Warriors jumped out to a 35-20 halftime lead over No. 8 Cedar Grove in the Final Four. The Saints battled back to cut the gap to 62-59 with 3:20 to play, but Jenkins answered back with a 6-0 run of its own to close the game taking a 68-59 decision. Lamar scored a game-high 21 along with senior Dimetri Chambers.

Photo courtesy of Terrius Ferguson

©2015 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved. For official contest rules, visit choa.org/comeback.

Vol. 12 Iss. 8 | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016

This comeback athlete had a long road back. Today it’s 8.5 miles.

Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback.

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Allatoona

Macon

Behind Mylashia Yancey’s 25.8 point per game average, the Rebels have gone a perfect 30-0 heading into their Class A-Public state championship game with Terrell County.

Yancey averages 9.1 rebounds and 3.3 steals as well and she is no stranger to the big stage. In last year’s 67-54 title game loss to Taylor County, she poured in 28 points and 14 rebounds.

The Bucs are 31-0 after surviving Cedar Shoals 48-46 in a wild finish. Michael Johnson hit two free throws with five seconds left to sneak past the Jaguars. In order to put together a perfect season, they will have to beat Miller Grove, the state’s most dominant program in decades.

The city of Macon will be the center of attention this weekend as Georgia’s top basketball teams make their way to the middle of the Peach state.

Expect fireworks, storylines and emotion all weekend long as GPB TV will be covering the action live starting at 3 P.M. on Thursday.

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

Turner County Girls

SCORE LIST

By Craig Sager II

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Kennesaw State

Hawks

Aroldis Chapman

The Owl’s 11-win season was its best since 2009-10, but for another year, Kennesaw State failed to make the big dance. It was a step in the right direction this year but dreams of being Cinderella, much like Georgia State last season, were dashed in the quarterfinal round against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday.

Even without Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala the Hawks still couldn’t beat the Warriors, falling in overtime 109105, keeping Golden State’s perfect home record alive.

Six Hawks scored in double figures, but so did six Warriors. Atlanta get beat on the boards which resulted in 21 more field goal attempts for the champs.

The Yankees’ new flamethrowing lefty closer acquired from the Cincinnati Reds was slapped with a 30-game suspension after his domestic violence case. He got into a kerfuffle with his girlfriend which resulted in a despicable he-said, she-said dispute about what happened afterwards. Hopefully he has learned his lesson.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Kyle Sandy

The two-time Class AAAAAA girls defending champs finish the girls 2016 season Saturday night against the Tucker Tigers for the 6A crown. McEachern head coach Phyllis Arthur continues to maximize her players’ talents. Whether it was getting stars to share the spotlight, overcoming injuries or finding new stars to step up to fill the roles of allstate talent, Arthur has kept the Indians at the top tier of the state’s largest classifications.

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.

The Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1994 this season and have made it count with an inspiring run to this year’s Class AAAAA finals, where they will face Southwest DeKalb. In Class AAA, Jackson-Atlanta was 0-8 all-time in the playoffs before completing a run to this year’s finals, where Morgan County awaits.

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.

MCEACHERN’S COURT

IMPRESSIVE TURNAROUNDS

A SUPER EIGHTH

Four rounds of playoff opponents could not prevent rivals Wesleyan and Holy Innocents’ from meeting in the finals for the second straight year and setting up for what will be the programs’ eighth head-to-head in the past two seasons.

Wesleyan took last year’s state title after going 0-3 against the Golden Bears in the regular season, which marked the programs’ 11th basketball state crown

SUPRISING UNDERDOGS

Greenforest Christian and St. Francis square off in both the boys and girls A-Private final. The St. Francis boys aim for a third straight state title, but will be underdogs to the massively talented and top-ranked Greenforest Christian Eagles. The Eagles have held the top ranking the entire season and have been widely regarded as the best team in the Peach state regardless of classification.

CHAMPIONSHIP PACE

Pace Academy has 10 losses, started the year 2-8 and grinded through a national circuit of top programs before completing its March to Macon where the Knights will face Region 5 champion Manchester in the Class AA championship. Pace Academy already took home the Class AA football title this school year so this could be a historic year for the young school.

WHEELCHAIR FINALS

The Gwinnett Heat and Houston Sharks meet Friday morning at the Macon Centreplex for the 19th Annual Interscholastic Wheelchair Basketball State Championship.

With redemption on their mind after falling to the Sharks in last year’s contest 44-24, the Heat arrive at the Centreplex with a 6-1 record, losing only to the Sharks 33-14 this season.

The three-time reigning champion Sharks are averaging 55 points per game.

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TRIVIA QUESTION

WHAT TWO SCHOOLS BECAME THE FIRST TO SWEEP BOYS AND GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TITLES FOR A SECOND TIME (HINT: 2010)?

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

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SANITY AT LAST

“I’ve got nothing but respect for the Wesleyan Lady Wolves and we’re just honored to be on the same court with them next week and have a chance to battle it out,”

- Holy Innocents’ head coach Tony Watkins

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Undefeated teams left in the state (Turner County girls, Allatoona boys)

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State titles won by the Wesleyan girls basketball team

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State titles won by the Miller Grove boys basketball team

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Finals Matchup guaranteed to crown a first-time state champ (Veterans vs. AmericusSumter)

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Times that Holy Innocents’ and Wesleyan have played in the past two seasons

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Times that Holy Innocents’ has defeated Wesleyan in the last two seasons

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First half turnovers forced by Wesleyan in its quarterfinal win over Head County

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Points per game scored by Turner County’s Mylashia Yancey this postseason

Vol. 12 Iss. 8 | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016

ON THE COVER

5A-6A BOYS PREVIEW

REGION 3 RIVALS BATTLE FOR 6A CROWN

KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

CLASS AAAAAA:

New faces littered Westlake head coach Darron Rogers’ roster this season and has helped turn a 13-15 team a year ago into a statewide power contending for its first state title since winning in 1999 and 2002. In 200910 the Marcus Thornton-led Lions fell to Milton in the championship 56-46 after Thornton, a recent UGA graduate, injured his ankle in warmups and had to sit out after the pain was too much to bear. This year’s version of No. 2 Westlake is anchored by another forward who has made an impact in his first year as a Lion, Chuma Okeke. The talented junior forward scored 22 points in their win over No. 8 Newton in the Final Four, 64-59. The Lions have been tested all year long coming out of Region 3, the state’s best. They will attempt one of the hardest feats in sports, beating a team not three times but four times in a single season.

They have beaten No. 7 Pebblebrook 76-70, 82-72 and 79-57 in the Region 3 champion-

ship. Outside of the region, the Lions peppered their schedule with some of the nation’s best.

Two of their four losses have come to teams out of state, No. 3 in the country Montverde Academy (FL) 76-54 and Memphis East 6958. The road to Macon has been a treacherous one and the most difficult in Class AAAAAA. Westlake has had to survive No. 3 Norcross (61-50), No. 6 Shiloh (44-43) and No. 8 Newton (64-59) in rounds two through four. Jamie Lewis is one of the best sophomore guards in the country while Danny Lewis is no slouch himself. Ronald Bell has brought a toughness inside to pair with 6-foot-9 Michael Durr and 6-foot-6 Raquan Wilkins.

Pebblebrook head coach George Washington hopes the fourth time is a charm and that they can soothe the fresh wounds from a year ago when a controversial call went in Wheeler’s favor to help the Wildcats win the state title 5958 after two Jaylen Brown (Cal) free throws with 0.6 seconds left stunned the Falcons. Though

they lost standouts Derek Ogbeide (UGA), Ty Hudson (Clemson) and Trhae Mitchell (South Alabama), the dynamic duo of Collin Sexton and Jared Harper (Auburn) have the No. 7 ranked Falcons back on the attack in Macon. The two form the highest scoring backcourt in the state.

The diminutive Harper is a fearless flamethrower willing to shoot threes from anywhere on the court which has helped him average close to 28 points and even 10 assists per game. Sexton, a junior, has been a key addition and has seen his recruitment sky rocket as he too averages over 28 points a night. As explosive as Coach Washington’s backcourt is, others have stepped up their play as of late to take some pressure off their shoulders. Junior JJ Smith is a new face to the Georgia circuit and is an Ole Miss-commit.

His high-flying aerial maneuvers makes him one of the state’s most entertaining players to watch whether he is catching alley-oops from Harper and Sexton, or grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. In their 77-70 win over Milton in the Final Four it was Smith who scored nine of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Sexton hung 35 on the Eagles and enters the state championship red-hot.

Uncharacteristically, Harper h a s been slowed d o w n , held to 11 points in each of his last two games.

Stepping up has been sophomore Dwight Murray who scored a career-high 23 in a 78-71 Elite Eight victory over No. 5 McEachern.

CLASS AAAAA

Miller Grove hasn’t lost to an in-state opponent all year long and are on a mission to grab their seventh title in eight years. Overseeing the Wolverines is none other than Sharman White who has compiled a 243-41 record over his last nine seasons.

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The catalyst for the Wolverine offense is McDonalds All-American and UConn signee Alterique Gilbert. From his point guard position he is averaging over 20 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals per game. He finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in their 66-41 Elite Eight win over No. 8 South Paulding and stepped up even more when the light shined the brightest. In the Final Four against No. 3 McIntosh, Gilbert got the best of Will Washington putting together 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four steals. The X-factor however was 6-foot-7 UAB football signee Raylon Richardson who tacked on 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Miller Grove’s depth wore down the Chiefs like so many teams before them. Aaron Augustin, Tae Hardy, Colin Young and Joshua Jackmon all played their roles to perfection as Augustin poured in 18 points alongside Gilbert in the backcourt. So far, Richmond Academy in the Sweet 16 has given the Wolverines their toughest test, holding a 47-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter before bowing out 6457.

At a perfect 31-0, No. 2 Allatoona is the only undefeated team left in the state looking to put an exclamation point on a fairy tale season.

The Bucs are back after losing to Brunswick in the state championship last year 49-32 and are hoping for a better shooting performance this time in Macon. Allatoona’s calling card is defense led by Coach Markus Hood. Allatoona will play steady defense regardless of its opponent, the question is whether they will be able to score enough. Sophomore Trey Doomes and senior Ephraim Tshimanga make up one of the most underrated backcourts in the state, but even they have never seen the likes of Alterique Gilbert and Aaron Augustin. Doomes is the team’s leading scorer at over 14 points per game and holds a Kennesaw State offer while Tshimanga is good for 12 a night. Even though they are undefeated, Allatoona enters their championship game with the most dominant program of the past decade as underdogs, which could play into their favor if Miller Grove isn’t ready for a grueling and methodical defensive war.

Photos courtesy of Joshua McJunkins and Ty Freeman

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2016 9AM - 3PM ATLANTA FALCONS PRACTICE FACILITY | 4400 FALCON PARKWAY | FLOWERY BRANCH, GA 30542

THIS INTERACTIVE AND EDUCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACHES FORUM IS DESIGNED TO FOCUS ON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TOPICS RELATED TO COACHING A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM AND DEVELOPING STUDENT-ATHLETES. COACHES WILL PARTICIPATE IN BREAKOUT SESSIONS AND HEAR FROM SPEAKERS, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE ATLANTA FALCONS COACHING STAFF, THAT WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH NEW TOOLS TO CONTINUE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LANDSCAPE OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

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MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND: ATLANTAFALCONS.COM/COACHESFORUM

PREP SPORTS

TUCKER LOOKS TO SPOIL INDIANS’ THREE-PEAT

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

T

he two-time Class AAAAAA defending champs and three-time state champion McEachern Indians look to add a fourth state title in the past five seasons Saturday night against the Tucker Tigers in the 6A title game.

McEachern head coach Phyllis Arthur has maximized talent over the years in ways that speak for themselves. Whether it was getting star players to share the spotlight, overcoming injuries or finding new stars to step up to fill the roles of all-state talent, Arthur has kept the Indians at the top tier of the state’s largest classification. McEachern has made one its challenging four-game playoff slate look par for the course with dominating victories. After opening the postseason with a 90-33 steamrolling over Valdosta, the Indians handled Archer 8749. In the quarterfinals, McEachern sent upsetminded Westlake home with a 62-45 victory

and then exploded for 81 points in its 81-70 win over West Forsyth in the semis. West Forsyth’s 6-foot-5 star Jenna Staiti scored 51 points last Saturday, but it was the collective ball movement and speed of McEachern that was the deciding factor. West Forsyth led 41-36 at the half before McEachern piled on a 45-29 scoring advantage in the second half. Point guard Jada Lewis finished with 36 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter. McEachern exhibited its ability to close out games in the quarterfinals as well. The Indians used a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to break open its win over Westlake. Lewis scored 13 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter and Que Morrison (19) and Chanel Wilson (15) accounted for the other 34 of McEachern’s 40 points. The Indians will once again rely on ball movement and perimeter shooting to account for its shortage of size.

In the second-round win over Archer, Lewis dished out 15 assists as Wilson and Morrison added six assists each. Wilson hit five threepointers for her playoff-high of 27 points. The last girls team to three-peat in the state’s largest classification was Collins Hill in 2007. Former No. 1 overall pick and two-time Naismith Prep Player of the Year Maya Moore led Collins Hill to the first two titles in 2005 and 2006 before the three-peat was completed.

TUCKER TIGERS… Tucker’s first state title came in Class AAAAA during the 2013-14 season with an 83-63 victory over rival Southwest DeKalb and the Tigers made their debut in Class AAAAAA the following year. A bitter-tasting 50-30 loss to Mountain View ended that 2014-15 season in the second round. This year’s team has completed the March to Macon with a 17-game winning streak and avenged last year’s playoff loss to Bears to fuel their current run to the finals. The Tigers opened the playoffs with an 81-63 win over Campbell and piled on a 72-54 victory over Mountain View in the secondround.

In the quarterfinals, eight players finished with at least four points. Bria Bass finished with 15, Najla Shamsid-Deen had 12 and Mariya

Trimble finished with eight to lead the team effort. Tucker was playing without first-team allregion player Kierra Johnson-Graham, who sat out with an injury. Johnson-Graham and Bass each finished with 19 points in the win over Mountain View and complement each other’s production well.

Johnson-Graham returned from her shoulder injury in the semifinals and netted 16 points as Tucker cruised past Douglas County 79-66. Bass led Tucker with 19 points, including 15 in the first half as the Tigers sat on a 41-32 lead at halftime. Shamsid-Deen finished with 17 points, Morrow turned in a 12-point performance and Chiqueria Cook chipped in eight points. The key to stopping McEachern will have to be with patient shooting and a pace that will not favor the speedy Indians. Tucker has shot an efficient 61 percent from the field this season. The 6-foot height of JohnsonGraham will be a major factor as she’ll look to control the paint like West Forsyth was able to do with its star in the semifinals. Morrow, Bass, Shamsid-Deen, Johnson-Graham and Mariya Trimble are all capable double-digit scorers that must collectively spread out and wear down McEachern’s defense.

Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Vol. 12 Iss. 8 | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

BULLDOGS SNAP LOSING SKID

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

A

fter three straight conference losses and four conference losses in the past five games, Georgia got back in the win column with an 80-66 victory against visiting Ole Miss on Saturday. J.J. Frazier scored 26 points and Kenny Gaines netted 23, while connecting on 10 of their 18 3-point attempts.

“I just feel like I played desperate,” Gaines said. “That was kind of the team motto.”

Yante Maten finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the victory and helped get the bitter taste out after the three-game skid that included a loss to Auburn, which is currently 12th in the SEC.

“Our spirit was down because I think they felt our (NCAA) bubble burst, and maybe it has,” said Georgia coach Mark Fox. “We talked a lot today about playing with determination and I was pleased with our team’s effort.”

GAME OF RUNS…

A trio of early 3-pointers from Gaines

GEORGIA STATE

EARLY LEAD SLIPS AWAY

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

J

oey Roach cracked a 3-run homer to give Georgia State (5-3) an early 3-0 lead in the first inning against No. 13 Georgia Tech (8-0) but the Panthers were unable to hold on at Russ Chandler Stadium on Tuesday falling 11-6.

Garrett Ford went four innings and allowed five runs to earn the loss. Alex Hegner lasted just two outs before giving up five runs making it a 10-2 deficit. Freshman Brandt Stallings powered the Georgia Tech offense going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and 4 RBIs. Stallings was a two-time state champion at nearby King’s Ridge Christian.

Roach finished the day going 3-for-4 with three runs scored. After early trouble in the opening frame, Georgia Tech starter Cole Pitts settled in and allowed three runs over four innings while striking out seven.

“I thought it was a competitive game, and for the most part, I’m relatively happy with the way we played,” head coach Greg Frady said.

“We hit with them, we hit home runs, we didn’t

helped Georgia gain a 25-13 lead but the Rebels charged back with a 16-2 run that included a stretch of 13 straight points and took a 29-27 lead. Gaines and Frazier finally got Georgia back on track and after each connecting on 3-pointers, the Bulldogs took a 33-32 halftime lead.

The second half was equally built on large runs and Ole Miss grew a 49-41 lead after a barrage of 3-pointers. Georgia had the answer and used a critical 11-0 run to reclaim a 52-51 lead. Georgia later led 60-58 before closing the game with its last seven points.

“Kenny was doing a lot of scoring by himself early on and I told him that Yante and I were going to help him,” Frazier said. “He was carrying a load, defensively guarding Moody and coming back and leading us offensively. I just wanted to take some pressure off him.”

Ole Miss hosted Mississippi State on Wednesday night, while the Bulldogs hit the road for a trip to South Carolina. Georgia sits at 8-8 in conference play and is currently sixth in the conference. Georgia already beat South Carolina this season in a 69-56 Feb. 2 clash in Athens. Following Thursday’s trip to Columbia, the Dawgs close the season at home with Alabama on Saturday. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip and will be broadcasted on ESPN 2.

make any errors, but the game got away from us in the middle part of the game. When you give up eight runs in two innings, it’s really hard to win like that.”

GOING OUT WITH A BANG

Markus Crider and T.J. Shipes won their 80th game in a Panther uniform, fourth most in school history, as Georgia State (15-12, 8-10) won on Senior Day last Saturday against Appalachian State 83-70. Shipes posted 11 points and seven rebounds in his final home game while Crider went for nine points and seven rebounds. Kevin Ware finished with 14 points and four assists in his Panther finale. Jeremy Hollowell led Georgia State with 18 points and seven rebounds in the much needed win.

“I am extremely honored to be able to coach that group of young men who are seniors,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “That was my first recruiting class with Markus, T.J. and R.J., and we asked those guys to take a leap of faith. Tonight was the 80th time those guys won and that is a special number. To win 80 games in four years is a tremendous honor.”

MARCH MADNESS

The Panthers head to Louisiana to wrap up the regular season, as they attempt to claw their way to a better seed in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. On Thursday they visit Louisiana Lafayette and on Saturday meet ULMonroe, two teams ahead of the Panthers in the conference standings.

GEORGIA TECH

JACKETS COME UP JUST SHORT TO NO. 11 LOUISVILLE

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

G

eorgia Tech entered Tuesday’s matchup with No. 11 Louisville riding a four-game winning streak. The Jackets recent success has been evident of the continuing progress of a team that lost eight of its first 10 conference games to start the season.

It was a tense ending in Louisville on a night where the senior transfers were honored. Louisville’s Chinanu Onuanku’s underhanded free throws gave the Cardinals a 5449 lead that was erased 18 seconds later with four straight points from the Jackets. Marcus Georges-Hunt made two free throws after a Flagrant 1 foul and Adam Smith hit a layup right after. With the lead cut to 54-53, Damion Lee followed Onuanku’s clutch free throws with the game-clinching foul shots that made it a 56-53 final.

Lee’s free throws required converting a 1-and-1, and after the second one rolled in, the Yellow Jackets desperation attempt to force overtime rimmed out.

KENNESAW STATE

IMPROVED OWLS SEE SEASON END

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

ennesaw State’s best season since 2009-10 K came to an end in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament as the Owls (11-20) fell to

Florida Gulf Coast (18-13) on Tuesday, 74-64.

Leading scorer Kendrick Ray battled with foul trouble while Yonel Brown, in his final collegiate game, went down with a left ankle injury before returning to score a game-high 19 points. Ray scored 13 in the loss.

The Owls trailed 58-52, but back to back turnovers by freshman Kyle Clarke opened the flood gates with eight minutes to play. Christian Terrell scored a team-high 15 for the Eagles while Zach Johnson added 14 and Marc Eddy Norelia posted a 14-point 12-rebounds doubledouble. The Owls were killed on the glass, outrebounded 39 to 25. Aubrey Williams led the team with seven boards off the bench.

COACH SKINNER’S THOUGHTS

“I was very fortunate to have these young men because they continued to work throughout the year. They always came to practice and worked hard. Because of that, it allowed us to

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“When you get open shots, you’ve got to make them” said Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory…We were down 3 and I thought we had two really, really good looks at the rim -two wide open 3s by two of the best 3-point shooters -- so you’ve got to live with that.”

COSTLY MISCUES...

Charles Mitchell led Tech with a teamhigh 15 points. Tech committed 17 costly turnovers that ended up leading to 15 Louisville points. The Yellow Jackets also shot a sub-par 37 percent from the field. Georgia Tech’s final contest of the regular season is a home showdown with Pittsburgh. The two teams last met on Jan. 6 in Pittsburgh, where the Panthers escaped with an 89-84 victory. Tech trailed 42-36 at the half but made it interesting by cutting the lead to 83-77, despite falling behind 73-58 midway through the final quarter.

Pittsburgh started the season 14-1, but has gone 6-7 in its 13 games since. The Panthers did however pull out an impressive 7662 win over No. 15 Duke on Sunday in their final home game of the season. Pittsburgh visited Virginia Tech on Wednesday and will close their season with the Jackets on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff.

Georgia Tech is currently tied with Florida State at 7-10 in SEC play with only NC State (4-12), Wake Forest (2-16) and Boston College (0-16) trailing.

continue to improve. We’re going to add some more pieces, but we would like to have some of the guys leaving to return. That being said, it was a very enjoyable experience and that’s because of the players on the team. There were no real distractions, guys hung in there and continued to work. They gave us their best effort. I can’t complain about the effort. Physically, the guys really worked at it and I’m very pleased with that. We would like to believe that the program is going to continue to improve. The players that are leaving definitely set a tone for what it takes for us to be successful at Kennesaw State.”

A-SUN ACCOLADES

Kendrick Ray was awarded Atlantic Sun Newcomer of the Year and was elected to the A-Sun All-Conference Second Team along with senior Yonel Brown. Ray made a major impact in his first eligible year since transferring from Quinnipiac. He averaged a team-high 18.7 points per game while handing out a team-best 2.8 assists. He formed a dynamic backcourt with Brown who netted 18.6 on average while collecting 2.5 assists. After a modest start to his career, Brown led Kennesaw State in scoring his final two seasons. Brown was recruited out of Gwinnett County’s Berkmar High School.

FUTURE OWLS?

On March 11 Kennesaw State will be hosting its elite camp inviting talented high schoolers they are interested in recruiting. Ahmad Rand highlights the group as one of many players close to fulfilling their dreams of playing college basketball.

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ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS CAN’T GET OVER THE HUMP

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Hawks (33-28) pushed the champs to the brink, taking Golden State (54-5) to overtime on Tuesday but couldn’t seal the deal, falling 109-105. Six Hawks scored in double figures paced by Paul Millsap’s 19. Millsap also added on seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and four blocks. Atlanta came back from down 14 points to force overtime against the Curry-less Warriors. Draymond Green hit a prayer with 40.2 seconds left in overtime, an off-balance three, to drive the dagger into Atlanta’s heart.

“It’s just a desperation heave,” Green said.

“It’s just one of those things; sometimes the ball just bounces your way, and that one fell for me, unlike a lot of the other ones.”

Green stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and four steals to go with his one block. Klay Thompson led all scorers with 26 points as like the Hawks, six Warriors scored. Atlanta shot 46.3 percent from the field and buried 12 threes while holding Golden State to just 39.8 percent shooting but still couldn’t hand the Warriors their first home loss

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES OPEN SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE WITH TIE AGAINST BALTIMORE

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Atlanta Braves contested their spring training Grapefruit League opener on Tuesday and it resulted in a 4-4 tie with the Baltimore Orioles after 10 innings. Baltimore took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning and extended the margin to 4-0 in the third before Atlanta clawed back. The Braves crossed the plate once in the sixth, once in the seventh and twice in the eighth to even the score. Williams Perez, who is expected to have a spot in Atlanta’s five-man rotation, got the start and allowed one run in two innings of work. Offensively, the Braves got themselves back into the game with an RBI single by Hector Olivero, an RBI double by Daniel Castro, an RBI single by Ryan Lavarnway and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Reid Brignac. First baseman Freddie Freeman quieted some concerns about his lingering wrist issue with a ground-rule double in the first inning.

“Freeman is fine,” manager Fredi Gonzalez told the team’s website. “His first at-bat, you couldn’t ask for any better test than that.”

of the season. They pounded the Hawks on the glass with 18 offensive rebounds which led to Golden State firing up 23 more shots.

“They made a couple of tough shots, crazy shots, and offensively we didn’t get quite enough to go down for us,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

Dennis Schroder provided a spark off the bench for Atlanta with 17 points and nine assists. Al Horford posted 17 points and nine rebounds while Kent Bazemore chipped in 15 and nine rebounds against the team whom he started his career with.

GETTING OVER THE HUMP

The Warriors outrebounded Atlanta 62-50 and grabbed 11 more offensive rebounds. The Hawks’ lack of rebounding has been a problem all year long, ranking 27th with 41.6 rebounds per game. To remedy the problem, Atlanta announced on Tuesday that the team was signing veteran power forward Kris Humphries.

He was waived by the Suns on Sunday after averaging 7.3 points in four games. Humphries at 6-foot-9, is an 11-year veteran who was the 14th overall pick in 2004 by Utah out of Minnesota. Six years into his career he enjoyed his first true success averaging 10 points and 10.4 rebounds with New Jersey and the following year in 2011-12, 13.8 points and 11 boards. Since his two strong seasons, he has bounced around between Boston, Washington and Phoenix.

ANDRUW ON BOARD …

Former Braves’ star Andruw Jones spent last week in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. evaluating the team’s young outfielders. As it turns out, Jones was also being evaluated. Upper management liked what it saw in the 38-year-old and offered him a position as a special assistant to the baseball operations department.

That is the same title assumed by longtime teammate Chipper Jones, 43, who accepted his new role with the club this past December.

“It’s going to be fun,” the younger Jones told the team’s website. “We’re just trying to be a part of the organization that we were with for a long time and where we started. We’re trying to help and rebuild it back to where it used to be as a competitive organization for a long time.”

Jones, a native of Curacao who won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field during his 17-year career, will assist the Braves on international initiatives during the regular season. His primary role, though, will be related to helping the up-and-coming outfielders in various capacities. Jones has been working extensively of late with Mallex Smith, who arrived in Atlanta from San Diego along with Jace Peterson in the December 2014 trade involving Justin Upton.

Smith could be the Braves’ center fielder of the future and he may even have a shot at breaking into the big leagues in 2016.

ATLANTA FALCONS

QUINN SEARCHES FOR INTANGIBLES AT SCOUTING COMBINE

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

The NFL Scouting Combine spotlights the physical attributes of the League’s top incoming talent, but Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is searching for the intangibles to booster his 2016 squad. Quinn says that the intangibles are what he is specifically looking for during the process.

“That part, for some guys that have some questions that they’d like to have answer and be in front of some guys, I think it’s really important,” Quinn said at his Wednesday press conference. “As we got through this interview process with the players, that’s part of the one where you connect and find out whether if it’s 15 minutes or you schedule some time afterwards to find out more about one another and if it’s a good fit. Those interviews that take place are really important.”

RODDY FALCON

The answer is still uncertain. Several reports so far this offseason have alluded to the possibility of White being let go by the Falcons.

GHSA BASKETBALL

RIVETING STORYLINES FOCUS CHAMPIONSHIP LIMELIGHT

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

A

ll roads lead to Macon, but not every path is the same. Georgia enjoyed one of its deepest talent pools in recent memory with parity sprinkled throughout the Peach State.

Region 3 has reigned supreme this year in Class AAAAAA sending three teams to the Elite Eight before No. 2 Westlake and No. 7 Pebblebrook have separated themselves from the pack. It will be the fourth meeting between the Lions and the Falcons, a series that has been dominated by Westlake sweeping the three games. Pebblebrook has some unfinished business to attend to however after losing to Wheeler 59-58 on two free throws with 0.6 seconds left in last year’s AAAAAA championship.

A familiar face returns to the Centreplex after a year off in No. 1 Miller Grove. The Wolverines are back to reclaim the crown behind McDonalds All-American and UConn signee Alterique Gilbert. Additions of Aaron Augus-

“He’s someone we certainly have such respect and admiration for as we are building this team together,” Quinn said Wednesday. “We aren’t into that decision yet and when we do, regarding the team building processes, we’ll fill you in.”

White, who has played 11 seasons in Atlanta after being drafted by the Falcons in 2005, saw his targets decrease significantly in the first year of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s tenure here. After finishing 2014 with 125 targets and 80 catches while missing two games due to injury, White received 70 targets and 43 catches through 16 games in 2015.

The wait to determine whether he’ll be suiting up for the Falcons in 2016, however, continues.

“We are still in the process of everything that we are going through,” Quinn said.

MOCK DRAFT

ESPN draft expert Todd McShay agrees with Quinn’s “need for speed” approach, saying he believes Atlanta will draft with that first in mind.

“I think linebacker is one spot they could try to upgrade to improve the speed of their front seven,” McShay said at the NFL Combine. “To me, Jaylon Smith coming out of Notre Dame is a possibility; Darron Lee from Ohio State would make a lot of sense, he’s a guy who can cover and run sideline to sideline. I think upgrading the speed of that defense is one of the priorities.”

tin, Tae Hardy and Colin Young have propelled Coach Sharman White’s team back into the limelight as they search for their seventh title in eight years. Standing in their way will be No. 2 Allatoona, the state’s last unbeaten team.

Coach Markus Hood will try to put a capper on a perfect 32-0 season with the school’s first ever state championship.

No. 1 Jonesboro attempts to make it three-straight championships in Class AAAA if they can slow down the powerful scoring duo of Auburn-commit Davion Mitchell and UGA football-commit Richard LeCounte of No. 2 Liberty County.

Class AAA has been wide open all year long but in the end it was No. 1 Morgan County and No. 5 Jenkins who have driven crash course to Macon for a rematch of last year’s epic 62-60 Warrior victory.

No. 3 Pace Academy has caught fire since its 2-8 start to the year. Wendell Carter Jr. the nation’s top junior leads the Knights into battle with No. 10 Manchester in the AA final.

Class A-Private No. 1 Greenforest has been the state’s most devastating team and they will try to end defending two-time state champion No. 2 St. Francis and McDonalds All-American Kobi Simmons’ hold over the classification while in A-Public seven-time champ No. 1 Wilkinson County gets a rubber match with No. 4 Hancock Central.

Vol. 12 Iss. 8 | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016

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