Score Atlanta Vol. 11 Issue 9

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 9 | MARCH 13-19, 2015

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

Macon A Statement | Pg. 4 Kyle Sandy tells us what he learned after championship weekend in Macon.

Fever Pitch | Pg. 8 Baseball and soccer season hits one quarter mark.

PATHS OF WINNING Star-driven Wheeler and McEachern leave Macon as 6A state champs | Pg. 5

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Vol. 11 Iss. 9 | March 13-19, 2015

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

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ON THE COVER

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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.

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

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SAGER SAYS

STEPHENSON GIRLS COMPLETE CHAMPIONSHIP RUN, LANEY TAKES HOME FIRST-EVER CROWN

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he Stephenson Jaguars were the only No. T 3 seed to reach this year’s state finals, and they faced a Mays team that coaches this post-

season believed you would need a perfect game to beat. But with momentum on their side entering the matchup, the Jaguars scored just 23 points in the first half but used a 23-13 scoring advantage in the third quarter to edge Mays 6556 and take home the Class AAAAA state title.

Prior to Friday’s championship matchup, the third-seeded Jaguars had lost twice to Mays in the past two months. A 64-46 loss on Jan. 20 was followed by a more respectable 53-51 defeat on Feb. 13 and head coach Dennis Watkins knew that it was mistakes and not talent that had held his team back.

“I knew we could beat them,” said Watkins following the game. “We made a lot of mistakes

the first two times we played them. I told them if we just limit the mistakes we can win.”

Mays jumped to a 27-23 halftime lead, but once again, it was the Jaguars’ turnovers that gave Mays the extra scoring opportunities. Stephenson committed 12 turnovers in the first half that the Raiders turned it into 12 points. Mays also outscored Stephenson 10-5 in second chance points in the first two quarters.

“At the half, I just told them to keep our composure. Mays didn’t hurt us in the halfcourt set in the first half. They scored most of the points off our turnovers, so we knew that if we protected the ball it would limit their opportunities in the second half and it worked.”

Stephenson came out in attack-mode in the third quarter and took advantage of its depth by drawing charges and taking the ball

SANDY’S SPIEL

WHAT I LEARNED IN MACON

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

hat a weekend! The March to Macon was W everything that I had hoped. Nine out of the 14 games were decided by single digits

and every game was up for grabs in the fourth quarter except for one. We saw some nail-biting finishes, questionable calls, and all-out passion.

Sitting courtside for the first time, I was able to see in person some of the best players not only in the state but the entire nation.

I witnessed D-1 players steal the show with Jordan Harris, Malik Beasley, Kobi Simmons, Derek Ogbeide, James Walker, and Tookie Brown all carry their teams with their scoring. I also saw some unsung heroes come up big with DaJohn Williams and Eric Johnson giving their teams state championships.

So what did we learn this week? Let’s take

it class by class. In Class A-Public, Calhoun County held off a late rally from the Patriots.

I learned that: Seniors find ways to make plays in the clutch. Quenten Taylor was the star of the game until he picked up his fourth with 4:26 remaining in the third. He came back in the fourth and scored one more bucket to give him 20 on the night. Both he and Sherrod Williams finished with 20 points to lead the way for the Cougars but it was senior DaJohn Williams’ 18th point of the night that would give Calhoun County the crown.

St. Francis battled with Greenforest in Class A-Private and came away with a 96-81 victory for its second straight title. I learned that: Stars shine brightest on the biggest stage. Greenforest had more size and had

right into the bulk of the Mays defense. One of the Jaguars’ biggest strengths can be their bench and coach Watkins knew his team could take advantage of this depth if they could get Mays into foul trouble.

“Mays usually plays six girls so our whole plan this week was to get them in foul trouble,” revealed Watkins. “We knew if we could get to their bench that we would be fine.”

Offensively, Stephenson saw its most balanced game of the postseason. Terrianna Cave led the way with 14 points, including 2-2 from the foul line in crunch time. Davion Wingate and Miracle Gray each finished with 13 and Chloe Culpeper chipped in with eight. Nine total Stephenson players scored points and Breanna Saunders, the only one without a basket, contributed two rebounds, a block and a steal in just seven minutes of action.

“This is just a testament of the hard work of every member of this team,” said Watkins.

“You put in the effort and this is the result. A championship” Mays was led in scoring by Kamiyah Street, who finished with 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting. Raiders’ teammate Harlyn Wyatt notched a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds but did her damage at the foul line.

Wyatt netted 10-of-15 free throws but was held to 4-of-14 shooting from the field. This

marks Stephenson’s third state title and first since 2008.

strong guard play, but FSU-signee Malik Beasley, Xavier-signee Kaiser Gates, and five-star junior Kobi Simmons were too much as they combined for 73 points. The St. Francis girls edged South Atlanta Christian 47-45 after SACA turned the ball over on its final possession and Maya Dodson converted at the buzzer to knock off the team that ended the Lady Knights’ season a year ago.

though their team didn’t come out on top. Aliyah Collier was a superstar in Laney’s win over Beach recording 24 points and 19 rebounds.

Carrollton was denied a sweep of the state titles in AAAA and came away empty handed after the Trojans could not feed Montae Glenn in the second half and after the Lady Trojans couldn’t find a bucket in the fourth quarter. I learned that: Jonesboro has the best defense in the state bar none. The Cardinals flew around the court and locked down the bigger Glenn in the second half.

Stephenson grabbed the title after beating Mays in the AAAAA girls final. I learned that: It is hard to beat a team three times. Davion Wingate and Miracle Gray refused to let the Jags drop another one to the Raiders. Brunswick’s size overwhelmed Allatoona in the boys championship and won going away, 49-32.

In overtime, McEachern and Te’a Cooper defeated Norcross 58-51. Wheeler beat Pebblebrook by one in the AAAAAA boys game.

I learned that: Stars get calls and free throws win championships. Jared Harper split a pair for Pebblebrook and gave them just a one point lead instead of two. Jaylen Brown subsequently got fouled on the other end and iced it with two from the line.

Photo courtesy of Kent Johnson/AJC.com.

BACK AT IT…

Class AA saw the Wesleyan Wolves capture their 11 state title and their seventh in eight years. The boys game featured Crawford County and its raucous fan base against Seminole County. I learned that: Jordan Harris is the best player in the state of Georgia. The junior exploded for 41 points after draining three after three and cramming dunk after dunk. Mark Fox got a steal in this kid who will only continue to improve.

Morgan County fell to Jenkins 62-60 in the Class AAA final after Eric Johnson broke Bulldog fans’ hearts with a layup with 3.6 seconds remaining. I learned that: Morgan County can pack a gym out. Just over an hour away, the Bulldog fans filled the gym to the rafters to see Tookie Brown’s final game. It was a standing room only crowd and they were treated to possibly the best game of the weekend, even

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME…

Class AAA Laney’s Aliyah Collier put together another incredible postseason performance as the Wildcats outpaced Beach 70-55 for their first-ever state title. Collier netted a game-high 24 points and added a career-high 19 rebounds. The senior also added eight assists, seven steals and four blocks.

“She [Alliyah] is ready for the next level,” said Laney head coach Otis Smart following the game. “She is a great leader, a great teammate and her effort is even better.”

Collier’s surrounding cast got going early and the Wildcats took a 19-11 lead into the second quarter but once Beach started to chip away at the lead in the second quarter, Collier would time and time again be the answer. Collier finished with 11 of the team’s 13 final points in the first half and found Gemyia Brown for one of her eight assists for the other two points.

Laney netted 26-39 free-throw attempts as Collier led the way with 16-of-20 shooting.

Beach used 7-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc to make up for the discrepancies in points in the paint (Laney 32-18) and fast break points (Laney 12-2).

Photo courtesy of Terrance Johnson.

Vol. 11 Iss. 9 | March 13-19, 2015 before Brown got to the line and netted both attempts for the win.

Clemson-commit Ty Hudson led Pebblebrook with 19 points but committed a gamehigh eight turnovers, including four in the opening quarter.

“We knew we wanted to come out and set the tone defensively,” admitted Lipscomb. “It was going to require one of our best defensive games of the season for us to beat a team like Pebblebrook.”

ON THE COVER

GHSA STATE TOURNAMENT

WHEELER, MCEACHERN CLAIM 6A TITLES IN THRILLING FASHION

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

G

eorgia high school basketball’s three-day marathon of state championship games started with a bang and ended even better as the Wheeler boys and McEachern girls took the 6A titles to wrap up a weekend filled with buzzer-beaters and late-game heorics.

McEachern and Norcross squared off in the 13th of 14 state championship games that went through the Macon Centreplex last weekend and after their overtime finish, Wheeler and the Pebblebrook Falcons took the court for the grand finale.

Wheeler’s Jaylen Brown, the No. 2 overall prospect in the country, shot a perfect 1212 from the foul line, including a pair of makes with .5 left to give Wheeler a 59-58 victory over Pebblebrook in the boys Class AAAAAA state championship on Saturday in Macon. Pebblebrook trailed throughout the game until an 8-2 run in the fourth quarter gave the Falcons a 5551 lead. Shembari Phillips ended the run with a corner three to cut the deficit to 55-53 but Pebblebrook junio Jared Harper found Kevin Murph for a dunk with 1:42 left to put the Falcons back up by four 57-53. Brown used his ability to get

to the basket and force contact from that point forward before closing the game with 6-6 foul shooting in the final 1:38 to fuel a state championship-clinching 6-1 scoring run.

“I had no doubt once Brown got to the line,” said Wheeler head coach Doug Liscomb about Brown shooting for the win. “He is pure ice at the line.”

Brown finished with a game-high 22 points but logged just 28 minutes after getting into early foul trouble. Phillips, a University of Tennessee-signee hit the only two three-pointers of the game for either team and finished with 17 points.

“Shembari kept us in the game,” said Lipscomb.

Pebblebrook scored 20 of its 32 points in the paint after the half and UGA-signee Derek Ogbeide was a force inside. Ogbeide finished with 22 rebounds and 14 points.

Jared Harper struggled getting open looks against the Wheeler defense and shot just 3-14 from the field en route to a 10-point performance. Harper drew a foul with 7.8 second left and hit one of two to put the Falcons up 58-57

THREE FOR FOUR… The McEachern Indians (24-6) had a chance to win the championship in regulation with a picture-perfect scenario against the Norcross Blue Devils (28-5) Saturday evening in Macon but instead used an 8-1 scoring edge in the extra frame to secure the program’s third state title in four seasons with a 58-51 victory.

The Indians found themselves tied with Norcross (50-50) and had Tennessee-commit and McDonald’s All-American Te’a Cooper at the line with a chance to end the Blue Devils’ hopes right then and there. The Indians were in the double bonus, had the momentum on their side and their leader at the foul line but she missed both and Norcross could not find an open look on its last possession of regulation.

The game ended with McEachern’s 8-1 run and this was a theme throughout the previous four quarters. The Blue Devils, who’d held opponents to under 30 points eight separate times this year, mounted a 17-7 run in the second quarter. Norcross also held Cooper to three points and pushed her into foul trouble, which would’ve been an ideal formula for toppling McEachern. Cooper picked up her third foul at the 3:30 mark and would sit on the bench the final two minutes of the quarter and Norcross took a 32-25 lead into the half.

In the third quarter, Norcross began committing a slew of fouls and quickly found itself on the wrong side of a game-changing 14-5 run which got McEachern back in the game.

With four minutes left in the fourt quarter, Cooper picked up her fourth foul but answered with a baseline drive and basket that killed any momentum that could have shifted to the Blue Devils’ favor. As the clock ticked past 4:00 in the final quarter McEachern was clinging to a slim lead when Cooper picked up her fourth foul. However, Norcross’ Taylor Mason answered with two free-throws and a three-pointer to tie the game with :57 remaining. McEachern coach Phyllis Arthur called a time-out after Mason’s three-pointed to calm

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her troops and set the play that would see Cooper draw the foul and miss both free-throws.

“Okay, look, I missed two free-throws with the game in hand. After that I knew we had to stop them,” said a relieved Cooper after the game. “As soon as we got a chance to win it in overtime, I knew we had it.”

Cooper took only :30 to drive for a lay-in which gave McEachern a 52-50 lead. Norcross’ Ty Gillespie found herself at the line with 2 minutes remaining but only converted one freethrow, it would be the last Blue Devil point of the year. Jada Lewis added a floater with 1:40 left to extend the lead and added two clutch freethrows with less than a minute remaining to extend the final run to 8-1 and secure the repeat.

Coach Phyllis Arthur said of her team’s resilience after seeing Cooper miss the possible game-winning free-throws, ”It’s hard to describe, I knew we wouldn’t go down. Norcross was being physical. I told them that we needed to be physical too. Te’a and Jada (Lewis) are my eyes and ears out there.”

Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman.

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Jaylen Brown

Jordan Harris

New York Jets

The No. 2 ranked senior in the nation coolly sank two free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining to give Wheeler a 5958 state championship over Pebblebrook. Brown proved his mettle by going a perfect 12-12 from the line en route to scoring 22 points in his final high school game.

This kid is only a junior? The UGA-commit dropped 41 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Crawford County in the Class AA state championship. Harris showed an arrange of skills, snagging rebounds, draining threes, and rocking the rim. Mark Fox got a steal.

New GM Mike Maccagnan has opened up the check book and has delighted Jets fans with the signings of Darrelle Revis, Buster Skrine, and now possibly Antonio Cromartie. Gang Green should have one of the fiercest secondaries in the league now behind new head coach Todd Bowles.

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

NEW FALCONS

The free agency period has started and the Falcons have signed some veteran players that should bolster the defense and offensive line. Linebackers Justin Durant and Brooks Reed as well as offensive lineman Mike Person were all starters for their teams last year, and did some good things. I can’t wait to see them in action this season.

MINOR INJURY

Mike Minor will start the season on the DL after suffering an injury to his shoulder. That is actually good news considering they thought he would need to have surgery. Minor is looking to bounce back after a season where he had a 4.77 ERA and a 6-12 record. Let’s hope he can bounce back from the injury and have a strong 2015 season.

HUGE NIGHT AT PHILIPS

The Hawks put on a clinic against the Sacramento Kings on Monday as they scored a season-high 130 points to win their 50th game of the season. The Hawks also recorded 20 three-pointers and 42 assists, which is league high. The Hawks keep on soaring, and they need this momentum as they gear up for the playoffs next month.

HOOP DAWGS

The Bulldogs had a strong regular season, and they enter the SEC tournament as a No. 3 seed. This means they have a double-bye and will play the late game on Friday.

But no matter what happens in the SEC Tournament, the Bulldogs will likely make it to the NCAA Tournament because of their record in conference play.

STATE CHAMPS CROWNED

It was an exciting weekend in Macon as 14 teams earned the right to be called state champs. The Wheeler boys won its first title since 2009 and Jonesboro boys won their second consecutive title. The McEachern girls won its third title in four years while the Buford girls won its fourth title in seven years. Great weekend for Macon and the GHSA.

WHO’S NOT

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Michael Johnson

Georgia Tech

Mike Minor

The former Georgia Tech defensive end was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday after signing a five-year, $43.75 exactly one year ago. Johnson was a flop and was a culprit of why the Bucs finished with the worst record in the league. He recorded just four sacks and was not the elite pass rusher Tampa had hoped to have signed.

Tech’s woeful season ended in typical fashion on Monday. The Jackets fell 66-65 to Boston College in the first round of the ACC Tournament and finished the season 12-19. A whopping 13 of Georgia Tech’s 16 losses against ACC foes were by single digits. Talk about getting stung.

Atlanta’s top lefty will start the season on the DL due to inflammation in his rotator cuff. It is always hair raising the see the word ‘rotator cuff’ in the same sentence as a ‘pitcher’, but for now, it looks like the Braves have dodged a bullet and should have Minor back in a few weeks.

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.

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TRIVIA QUESTION

HOW MANY ASSISTS DID THE HAWKS DISH OUT IN MONDAY’S 130105 VICTORY OVER SACRAMENTO? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

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SANITY AT LAST

11

State titles won by the Wesleyan girls basketball team

6

State titles won by the Wheeler boys basketball team

73

Combined points by Malik Beasley, Kobi Simmons and Xavier Gates St. Francis’ championship win

41

Points by Jordan Harris to lift Seminole County to the 2A state title

“This is just the first step in putting our roster together and I am fired up about getting to connect and work with all of our guys come April 6”

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A season-high assists for the Hawks against the Kings on Monday

130

A season-high points for the Hawks on Monday

63

Games it took the Hawks to reach 50 wins this season

- Coach Dan Quinn on a successful Day 1 of Free Agency.

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Weeks until the 2015 Corky Kell Classic returns to the Georgia Dome

Vol. 11 Iss. 9 | March 13-19, 2015

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SPRING SPORTS

MARIETTA BOYS AND GIRLS MAINTAIN FINE FORM; MUSTANGS BLANK LAMBERT

BY RICKY DIMON & KYLE SANDY

M

arietta’s boys and girls continued their hot starts to 2015 with victories on Monday. The girls (5-1) cruised past Osborne 10-1 on the strength of five goals by Ashton Adams.

Kennedy Folse notched a hat-trick as well, while the Blue Devils also saw Gracie Mutimer and Brooke Adams find the back of the net. On the boys’ side, Marietta (6-1) trumped Creekview 3-0. C.J. Gidson, Walter Guerrero and Andrew Estrada scored goals in support of the shutout by goalkeeper Diego Corvalen.

Another incredible individual performance came from Greater Atlanta Christian’s Kaylann Boyd, who scored six goals in a 10-0 whitewash of Berkmar on Monday. Halle Huff provided the Spartans’ four other goals. Greater Atlanta Christian’s girls, who also beat Stratford Academy 8-1 last Thursday, are 4-2 on the season. They have dates next week with Pace

Academy and Lovett. The boys lost to Stratford Academy 2-1 and will look to get back on track against Berkmar on Wednesday and Thomasville on Friday prior to next week’s matchups with Pace Academy and Lovett.

In Class A, Providence Christian and Mt. Paran Christian squared off on Monday. The Providence Christian girls pulled out a 3-2 victory thanks to a pair of goals by Ashlee Thompso and one goal plus one assist from Anna Bougas.

It was a different story in the boys’ match, as Mt. Paran Christian rolled 5-0. Jake Mezei found the back of the net four times and Jackson McLarty added a goal for the Eagles.

Another head-to-head split came in a blockbuster showdown between powerhouse programs St. Pius X and Westminster last Wednesday. The St. Pius X boys cruised to a 3-0 shutout, but Westminster’s girls won 3-1. Both

teams at St. Pius X will go up against Starr’s Mill on Wednesday and Hillgrove on Friday.

One of the biggest surprises developed last Friday when Houston County’s boys went on the road to stun McIntosh 3-0. McIntosh had been 52-0-1 in its last 53 outings, a stretch that included an 8-1 blowout of Houston County in the 2014 Class AAAAA championship.

The Chiefs will hope to get back on track with a tough test against Northgate on Friday.

ON THE DIAMOND ...

Last Friday Lambert, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation and defending state champs, fell to Kennesaw Mountain 3-0. Mustang pitcher and Clemson-signee Ryley Gillam hurled a one-hit complete game shutout as Kennesaw Mountain picked up another signature victory and remained undefeated. Gillam struck out 11 batters in the dominant performance against Class AAAAAA’s team to beat. The Mustangs are loaded with talent and are poised to make a deep run this season. Zach Goodman (Clemson), Tyler Stephenson (Georgia Tech), Cole Buffington (The Citadel) and Reggie Pruitt (Vanderbilt) all are division-one signees. Elsewhere in 6A, Archer has rolled along to start the season at 7-0 while allowing just seven runs.

The defending Class AAAAA champions Houston County have struggled out of the gate starting just 3-5. The Bears lost seven games

all season a year ago. Heritage-Coosa defeated defending AAAA state champion Carrollton 10-4 on Saturday. Dylan Bice limited the Trojans to three runs (two earned) in six innings of work while Logan Haga knocked home two runs with a double and Isaac Miller collected one RBI with his two hits. Hephzibah, just a seven win team a season ago, has already won five games and is undefeated. The Rebels have powered past opponents in dominating fashion, scoring 62 runs and allowing just two.

Senior Darryl Hammond has yet to allow an earned run in his 12 innings of work and has struck out 29 batters while surrendering just two hits. He has also mashed at the plate hitting .562 with seven RBIs. Teammate Stephen Justice leads the team with nine RBIs and is also hitting .562.

In AAA, Pierce County suffered its first loss of the season last Tuesday at the hands of Berrien, 7-6 and now sit at 5-1 overall. The Buford Wolves finished a four game set at the LaGrange Toyota Invitational Tournament winning three of their four games. The Wolves placed third in the tournament and had Jake Higginbotham, Kevin Coulter, and Joey Bart selected to the All-Tournament team.

Photos courtesy of Sonny Kennedy, Georgia Bennett Photography and Walton HS.

Vol. 11 Iss. 9 | March 13-19, 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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Vol. 11 Iss. 9 | March 13-19, 2015

Score Atlanta Boys Soccer Rankings Class AAAAAA

Class AAA

1....................... Brookwood 2...............................Walton 3...........................Campbell 4..................Chattahoochee 5............................ Lambert

1................Dawson County 2.............................Calhoun 3..................... Westminster 4..................Blessed Trinity 5...........................West Hall

6................................Duluth 7................... Meadowcreek 8.............................Wheeler 9.............................Marietta 10................ North Gwinnett

Class AAAAA 1................................Dalton 2........................ Greenbrier 3................ Houston County 4...........................McIntosh 5........................ Starr’s Mill

Class AA 6............. Heritage-Conyers 7.........................Gainesville 8...........................Sequoyah 9......................... Riverwood 10...............Glynn Academy

1..Greater Atlanta Christian 2...................... Thomasville 3.......................... Wesleyan 4.................Holy Innocents’ 5................................ Lovett

6.................Eagle’s Landing 7........................Whitewater 8...........................LaGrange 9.......................... Carrollton 10.........Southeast Whitfield

1..............................Paideia 2........... Stratford Academy 3........... Atlanta Intl. School 4.........Fellowship Christian 5......First Presbyterian Day

Class AAAA 1...........................St. Pius X 2........ Woodward Academy 3............................ Johnson 4....................North Oconee 5..........................North Hall

6..................Coahulla Creek 7..................Oconee County 8............................ East Hall 9.............................Jackson 10.............................Islands

Score Atlanta Girls Soccer Rankings Class AAAAAA

Class AAA

1............................Harrison 2.............................Grayson 3...................... East Coweta 4.............................Lassiter 5...............................Walton

1..................Blessed Trinity 2..................... Westminster 3............................. Decatur 4.........................Adairsville 5.................Dawson County

6....................South Forsyth 7.............................Lambert 8........................... Parkview 9......................... Collins Hill 10.................................Pope

Class AAAAA 6.................. Pace Academy 7................................ Dublin 8....................... Benedictine 9...................... Long County 10............Riverside Military

1...........................McIntosh 2........................ Starr’s Mill 3..........................Northgate 4..........................Columbus 5........................Gainesville

6...........Savannah Christian 7..... Savannah Country Day 8.................St. Anne Pacelli 9..........Landmark Christian 10.............Hebron Christian

1................................Marist 2........ Woodward Academy 3...........................St. Pius X 4............................Veterans 5...............................Buford

Class A

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6............................. Calhoun 7...................Savannah Arts 8................Lumpkin County 9..................Oconee County 10..................Pierce County

Class AA 6............. Heritage-Conyers 7.......................... Alexander 8.........................Greenbrier 9........................River Ridge 10............................... Rome

1..Greater Atlanta Christian 2................................ Lovett 3.......................... Wesleyan 4..................Pace Academy 5......................St. Vincent’s

6............................ Spalding 7........................Whitewater 8..................... Locust Grove 9.................................Grady 10..................Mary Persons

1......First Presbyterian Day 2.........Fellowship Christian 3..............................Paideia 4...............Athens Academy 5.......... Savannah Christian

Class AAAA

6................. Holy Innocents’ 7..............................Bremen 8....................Lamar County 9..................... East Laurens 10.............................Harlem

Class A 6..... Savannah Country Day 7............................. Aquinas 8...............Hebron Christian 9........ Providence Christian 10......................Brookstone

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

MEN’S BASKETBALL ENTERS SEC TOURNEY

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

es, the regular season is in the books for college basketball. Georgia ended theirs with 20 Y wins and goes into this week’s SEC basketball

tournament as the third seed in the conference.

The Bulldogs got their by virtue of a win over Auburn in their last game of the season.

Plus, they were able to leapfrog LSU and Texas A&M to get to that point.

With Georgia landing the three seed for the tournament, they will not play until Saturday night. Would you like even more good news? The Bulldogs would not have to face undefeated Kentucky until the conference tournament finals, should both teams make it to that point.

As of right now, Georgia will have to wait and see who wins between South Carolina/ Missouri on Wednesday night. Then, they’ll have to see who emerges from the Ole Miss and winner of that Wednesday game contest.

Many NCAA tournament field predictors still have Georgia making it to March Madness.

That said, surely head coach Mark Fox and team will be trying to pad that resume even more for the tournament committee.

GEORGIA STATE

PANTHERS CLINCH REGULAR SEASON TITLE; WORLEY DAZZLES

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

I

t came down to an instate battle that pitted the old guard (Georgia State, 22-9) vs. the newcomers (Georgia Southern, 21-8) to decide the regular season Sun Belt champion on Saturday. The Panthers fell to the Eagles just a month earlier, 58-54 and had their sights set on revenge. Georgia State did just that as they dominated Georgia Southern, 72-55 to win its second consecutive regular season title. R.J. Hunter, who had struggled with his shooting percentage for the bulk of the season, exploded for 35 points on 8-of-17 shooting to lead the Panthers to another title. Hunter finished 16-of16 from the line and forced the issue offensively. The junior scored 23 points in the second half after Ryan Harrow was injured. Harrow suffered a mild hamstring strain and scored five points in 14 minutes of play.

Jelani Hewitt and Trent Weideman finished with 17 and 15 points respectively for the Eagles. They managed to cut the lead to 38-34

SEEKING SHELTER…

We were tipped off a few weeks ago at the quarterly athletic association meeting that plans were moving forward for this indoor facility to be closer to becoming a reality. Earlier this week, those words gained traction with the athletic department releasing artist renderings of the building.

The images were posted on the athletic department’s official website, GeorgiaDogs. com. An attached statement from J Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity was also on the page.

The proposed location is already on the site of the Butts-Mehre Athletic Complex off Lumpkin street in Athens.

Georgia’s football and track programs already use that area of campus. The proposed indoor facility looks as if it would take up real estate that is currently being used as practice field for the Bulldogs football program.

In the written statement, McGarity says they are still very much in the planning phases of this project. However, he does add that donors are already showing a lot of interest in funding this athletic facility.

This facility will be used by more programs than just football. McGarity says that more information about the progress of this facility will be added to GeorgiaDogs.com, as it becomes available.

The good news is that it looks like reality is in the future for the indoor facility at Georgia.

with 15:30 to play, but the Panthers answered with a 14-7 run capped off by two R.J. Hunter threes to put the game out of reach.

“When I came to Georgia State, a lot of people told me how hard it would be to win here,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “I was thinking a lot about that this morning. We have done a lot of great things here in four years, but I also know that this season is not done yet. The support from our alums, fans and students has been incredible and seeing everyone packed into the arena today made me extremely proud and I know I made the right decision to be a Panther.”

HARROW HONORED ...

On March 24, senior guard Ryan Harrow will be honored by the Atlanta Tipoff Club as the Georgia’s Men’s College Player of the Year. The ceremony will take place at the Georgia International Convention Center. Harrow ranks 13th in the nation in scoring at 20.2 points per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field.

WORLEY WHIRLS A GEM ...

In game two of a doubleheader with Troy on Saturday, junior Katie Worley tossed a nohitter. She struck out 14 batters en route to Georgia State’s first no-no since 2011. The Panthers (16-2) won 4-0 and recorded a program record 12th straight victory. Monday Worley was named Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career.

GEORGIA TECH

BASEBALL CONTINUES HOT PLAY, WINNERS OF 7 OF PAST 8

BY COLIN HUBBARD | CHUBBARD@SCOREATL.COM

C

oaches stress the importance of a fast start to a season, and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are taking that to heart. The Yellow Jackets are off to a 12-4 start including seven wins out of their last eight games. The Jackets are coming off of their first ACC three-game series, and took two out of the three games from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this past weekend. After dropping the first game in 12 innings 3-2 the Jackets won the remaining two games, outscoring the Irish 15-8 to give them a 2-1 record in ACC play. The 2-1 start is good enough for a share of the lead with Virginia in the Coastal division. The Jackets concluded their 8-game home stand coming off of a 16run drubbing of Georgia Southern this past Tuesday, 22-6 behind four RBI from Blake Johnson. Johnson finished his night at the plate going 2-3 and added a homerun. With the Jackets already up 18-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Johnson stepped up to the plate with ideas of

KENNESAW STATE

BASEBALL WINS SERIES AGAINST UAB; NEW FOOTBALL PAGE UNVEILED

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

I

t was a strong weekend for the baseball team as they were able to take two of three games from UAB at Stillwell Stadium.

On Friday, the Owls won 8-4, and the Owls scored those eight runs on 13 hits, which is the most hits they have produced this season. Chris Erwin led the Owls, going 3-for-4 at the plate. The Owls also got a combined two homers and five RBIs from Grant Williams, Kal Simmons and Colin Bennett.

“We scored a lot of runs early with some home runs,” Head coach Mike Sansing said to KSUOwls.com. “It was nice to see our guys aggressive at the plate.”

On Saturday, the Owls defeated the Blazers again 6-3 to secure the weekend series.

The pitching was the story for the Owls as Travis Bergen and A.J. Moore allowed three runs on 11 hits. Bergen earned his second win of the year by allowing just one run and striking out five batters in 6.2 inning of work.

“Bergen threw a lot of pitches today, but

increasing the damage. And with one swing of the bat Johnson did just that as he sent a ball out of the park for the grand slam homerun to give the Jackets 22 runs, their most of the season. Georgia Tech will now head into Durham North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils in a three-game series starting tomorrow night. Duke is coming off of two losses at the hands of the North Carolina Tar Heels and is currently one game behind the Jackets in the ACC standings.

FITTING ENDING…

The Georgia Tech men’s basketball team managed to stop the bleeding in what has been disastrous season after losing in the first round of the ACC tournament to Boston College, 66-65. Freshman guard Tadric Jackson led the Jackets in scoring with 16 points on 6-of15 shooting from the field. The one point loss runs the Jackets total to seven losses by three points or less. The Jackets’ Marcus GeorgesHunt was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a broken foot against the North Carolina Tar heels in their last regular season game of the season. The Jackets will now wait and see if their name gets called for an NIT tournament bid but will likely hang it up for the year and be ready to go for the 2015-2016 season come next November.

I thought he pitched well for us.” Sansing said after the game.

But Sunday was not the same story as the Owls fell in the finale 8-5. Pitcher Gabe Friese was strong for the Owls, allowing three earned runs in 7.2 innings, and the Owls led 5-3 going into the ninth inning. But the Blazers bats woke up in the ninth, scoring five runs to secure the win.

The Owls looked to bounce back on Tuesday as they took on Georgia State, but the Panthers were able to run past KSU 13-3. Both teams battled early in the contest as they were tied at three after the third inning. But the Panthers scored nine runs in the fourth inning, and the Owls could not bounce back. They will try to break the losing streak this weekend when they travel to Winthrop for a three-game set.

FOOTBALL UPDATE…

With the spring game right around the corner, the KSU Athletic Department has established a Gameday Central page on KSUOwls.com. There, you can find any information about the team, the stadium, tickets and upcoming games.

One of the things mentioned on the page is tickets concerning the spring game. The ticket for the game is part of the season ticket package, so season ticket holders have their ticket already. If any tickets for the Black and Gold game become available, more information will be released in two weeks.

Vol. 11 Iss. 9 | March 13-19, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS PROVE THEY ARE BEASTS OF THE EAST

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

A

tlanta (50-13) became the first team to 50 wins this season on Monday when they clobbered the visiting Sacramento Kings (2141) behind 20 3-pointers and a season-high 130 points, 130-105. The Hawks jumped out to a quick lead and led 33-20 after the first quarter and did not allow the Kings back in the game. A 43-point second quarter delivered the early knockout blow and handed the Hawks a 76-54 advantage heading into the half. While the Kings shot a respectable 48.1 percent, Atlanta was unconscious hitting 60.2 percent of its shots and nailing 20-of-36 from deep, good for 55.6 percent.

Kyle Korver who had been slumping since the All-Star break, found his form and buried six threes en route to a team-high 20 points. DeMarre Carroll also pitched in 20 while Al Horford and Jeff Teague both finished with 18 points of their own. Teague once again masterfully ran one of the NBA’s most unselfish offenses collecting 13 assists while turning it over just three

ATLANTA BRAVES

NINE BRAVES PITCHERS COMBINE FOR SPRING TRAINING NO-NO

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

Y

ou don’t see this every day—and you will never see it in a regular-season game: nine pitchers combined for a 10-inning no-hitter last Sunday as the Braves tied the Houston Astros 2-2 in a spring training tilt in Kissimmee, Fla. Cody Martin got the start and went two innings; the other eight pitchers took the mound for one inning apiece. They were Jim Johnson, Josh Outman, Brandon Cunniff, Ian Thomas, Mauricio Cabrera, Lucas Sims, Justin Jackson and Jairo Heredia.

Houston scored twice off Cabrera in the seventh inning. The first two batters walked, another was hit by a pitch and two runs scored on consecutive groundouts. Martin, an outside contender for the fifth spot in Atlanta’s starting rotation, walked two and struck out three.

Braves’ pitchers walked a total of nine Astros, although Johnson, Cunniff, Jackson and Heredia delivered entirely clean sheets.

“I knew [they had a no-hitter going] from

times. “We’ll pass up a good shot to get a great shot,” said Carroll, who scored all of his points in the first half, “When you have guys that don’t care about the glory, this is the result.”

THE TEAM TO BEAT? ...

Time and time again the Hawks have been doubted. Pundits refuse to believe Atlanta as a true title contender, but once again the Hawks silenced the doubters as they defeated the fast charging Cavaliers (39-25) for the third time the season, 106-97. With the win, Atlanta clinches the season series three games to one.

The home standing Hawks came out of the gates red hot and took a 36-19 lead into the second quarter. The emotion of legend Dominique Wilkins’ statue being unveiled along with the retro jerseys had the team focused and ready to deliver. Carroll harassed LeBron James all night and held him to 18 points and forced nine turnovers. “I wanted to be a gnat,” Carroll said. “You know, when you’re outside in the summer, and you can’t get that gnat away from you.” Six Hawks scored in double digits highlighted by 19 points and nine rebounds from Al Horford and Dennis Schroders’ 15 points and eight assists off the bench.

UP NEXT ...

Atlanta kicks off a season long six game road trip against Western Conference teams.

The journey begins Wednesday night at 9 P.M. against the Denver Nuggets (23-41).

like the sixth inning on,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said afterward. “It didn’t feel like it. What did we end up walking? Eleven? Nine? I’ve never seen that. Only in spring training do you see weird stuff like a 10-inning no-hitter and 2-2 score.”

The Braves had a record of 3-4-2 following back-to-back wins over the Nationals and Mets on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

This weekend’s slate of action includes games against the Tigers, Mets, Astros and Blue Jays.

EYJ OFF TO HOT START ...

You also don’t often see a player who is 2-for-11 at the plate impressing to a greater extent than almost anyone. Eric Young Jr., however, has a .400 on-base percentage as of Tuesday night’s spring training action thanks to three walks and a hit-by-pitch. The 2013 National League stolen base leader also has three steals.

Young, who is on a minor-league contract but in contention to at least temporarily replace an injured Melvin Upton Jr. in center field for Atlanta, also hit the difference-making two-run homer in the recent victory over Washington.

“Coming in on a minor-league deal might be the chip on his shoulder that he needed,” good friend and frequent workout partner Jonny Gomes told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

“It’s a good reality-check. It happens quick in this game. He’s hitting the ground running, just like I’m sure he wanted to…. Speed doesn’t slump; that’s known in this game.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS BULK UP LINEBACKING CORPS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Atlanta Falcons announced Tuesday that they have agreed to terms with linebacker Justin Durant, guard Mike Person, and linebacker Brooks Reed. The club has also agreed resigned running back Antone Smith.

“We are excited about adding these guys to our team,” said Head Coach Dan Quinn.

“We believe that they all possess skill sets that fit our schemes and will be pieces to what we are putting together. This is just the first step in putting our roster together and I am fired up about getting to connect and work with all of our guys come April 6.”

Durant was originally selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round (48th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft out of Hampton and played four seasons in Jacksonville before signing with the Detroit Lions in 2011. After two seasons with the Lions, Durant signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2013. He has played in 95 games with 80 starts while totaling tackles 512 tackles (406 solo), 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, five forced fumbles, three fumble re-

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

GLADIATORS SHAKE UP LINEUP WITH TRADES

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

T

he final meeting of the season between the East division leading Florida Everblades (3713-2-4) and the cellar dwelling last place Gwinnett Gladiators (17-36-3-2) turned out to be as lopsided as the matchup looked on paper. Gwinnett got hammered 7-2 at home on Sunday after four goal second period busted things open.

After allowing a goal just 1:02 into the game the Gladiators answered with two Greg Carey goals.

Carey netted his 11th goal of the season during a power play and less than five minutes later picked up his 12th on a Garry Nunn feed.

A Florida goal would tie the game heading into the second period where the action was dominated by the Everblades. Gwinnett managed to outshoot Florida, but four out of the Blades’ eight shots were sent past goaltender Mike Lee. Four different players would score during the period. Lee would subsequently be yanked and replaced by Mark Guggenberger.

Six unanswered goals led by Matt Marquardt and Brant Harris’s two apiece highlighted the

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coveries, and 19 passes defensed.

Person was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round (239th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Montana State. He spent time with the 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, and Seattle Seahawks before being claimed off of waivers by the St. Louis Rams in 2013. Person has played in 17 games in his career, including all 16 games last season.

Reed was a 2011 second round pick by the Houston Texans out of Arizona. He started 52 of 59 career games, recording 211 tackles (122 solo), 14.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in four seasons in Houston.

OTHER MOVES…

Prior to Day 1 of free agency, the Falcons were deep into their offseason roster changes.

Atlanta released starters RB Steven Jackson, WR Harry Douglas and OG Justin Blalock while waiving DE Jonathan Massaquoi. Defensive tackle Corey Peters and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon are being sent to the Arizona Cardinals.

The Falcons did retain the contracts of QB T.J. Yates, kicker Matt Bryant along with FB Patrick DiMarco, DE Cliff Matthews, LB Nate Stupar, S Charles Godfrey and WR Eric Weems.

Linebacker Allen Bradford, a 6th Round pick out of USC in 2011 and wideout Nick Williams, an undrafted free agent out of UConn in 2013, are early newcomers to the roster.

onslaught for the Everblades.

This Friday at 7:35 P.M., the South Carolina Stingrays visit the Gwinnett Center for the final time this season.

WALKER DEALT ...

Forward Brendan Walker was traded on Monday to the Utah Grizzlies for future considerations. The 22-year-old had been with the team since 2013 and appeared in 110 games. He was third in scoring on this year’s team with 15 goals and 27 assists accounting for 42 points.

Walker led the Gladiators in shot attempts this season with 149. Last season he led Gwinnett with 22 goals.

NEW ATTACK LED BY LUCIANI ...

The Gwinnett Gladiators announced that they have traded for Toledo Walleye forward Anthony Luciani in exchange for defenseman Joe Stejskal. Luciani will key the Gladiator attack now that Walker has been traded. The 24-yearold has had a terrific season with Toledo leading the team in scoring with 58 points on 21 goals and 37 assists. He should bring a much needed lift to one of the ECHL’s lowest scoring teams.

The forward spent the previous three seasons in the Florida Panthers organization, splitting his time between the Cincinnati Cyclones and the San Antonio Rampage from 2011 to 2014. Stejskal had been Gwinnett’s leading defensive scorer tallying 22 points. Luciani should be ready for action in Gwinnett’s next game this Friday.

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Vol. 11 Iss. 9 | March 13-19, 2015

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