Archive for the ‘3ABlog’ Category

Are the Buford boys and girls now the favorites in Class AAA? They might get a few votes after dismantling Dawson County on the road earlier this week.

All those tough non-conference games paid off for the No. 6-ranked Buford boys, who traveled to Dawsonville and handed No. 1 Dawson County its first loss of the year. The Wolves rolled to a 53-36 win over Dawson and held the Tigers scoreless in the second period. Buford (9-5, 6-0) outscored Dawson 20-0 and held them without a point for more than 11 minutes. Kyle Doyle scored 25 points and Isaiah Williams added 19 for the Wolves.

In the girls game, No. 1 Buford got a career performance from Kaela Davis rolled to a 71-57 win over No. 7 Dawson. Davis, a recent Georgia Tech commitment, had a career-best 43 points. She hit five 3-pointers, was 13-for-24 from the field (5-for-7 on 3s), and made 12 of 15 free throws. Davis also had eight rebounds, five steals and one block. Buford improved to 10-3 overall and 6-0 in the league.

Can …

Continue reading Are Buford boys and girls the best? »

The first real showdown of 2013 will be tonight when Buford travels to Dawson County in game that has statewide implications on the girls and boys side. The game is a rare instance when all four teams are in the state rankings.

The two Region 7-AAA powers meet in Dawsonville and will determine the early favorites in the league. The girls game starts at 6 p.m. and features No. 7 Dawson and No. 1 Buford, while the ensuing boys game features No. 1 Dawson and No. 6 Buford.

The Buford girls, led by Georgia Tech commitment Kaela Davis and Notre Dame commitment Kristina Nelson, are 9-3 overall and 5-0 in the region. The Wolves are a stout defensive team, having allowed no more than 29 points to their five previous region opponents.

The Dawson County girls are led by Sheyenne Seabolt and Carly Gilreath, who recently scored her 1,000th career point. Ashley Parker has given the Tigers a strong insider presence, too.

The Buford boys are 8-5 against a killer schedule, but are 5-0 in the …

Continue reading Tuesday showdown: Buford at Dawson County »

When it comes to defense, the Central Carroll girls know what it takes. The Lions won their third straight game, a 51-24 victory over Haralson County on Friday. During that stretch Central has not allowed more than 29 points.

Sherae Bonner scored 17 for Central (8-4, 1-0 Region 4) and Wesli Simmons added 10.

The Lions (8-4) have been defensive-minded all year. In their last six wins the opposition has not scored more than 39. Central’s only losses have been to Class AAAAA Villa Rica and AA power Bremen.

Sonoraville girls improve to 13-1

Sonoraville won its fourth straight, a 59-41 victory over North Murray, and improved its record to a school-best 13-1. Carrie Cheeks scored 23 points as Sonoraville remained unbeaten in Region 5-AAA. The Phoenix have won their games by an average of 21.6 points. Their only loss came to crosstown rival Calhoun.

Southwest girls tested by Central

The Southwest Macon girls survived a scare from rival Central Macon, breaking things open in the …

Continue reading Central Carroll winning with defense »

When the next basketball rankings are produced, you may see Dawson County jump into them with both feet  – the boys and the girls. Dawson County won the boys and girls divisions of the Battle of the States Tournament in Hiawassee.

The boys (13-0) beat Murphy, N.C., 62-22, in the championship game. Will Anglin scored a career-best 26 points in the final for the Tigers. Dawson County’s Tyler Dominy was named tournament MVP.

The Dawson girls (12-1) beat Union County 69-35 in the final. Sheyenne Seabolt, the tournament MVP, had 21 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game. Carley Gilreath added 17 points. Seabolt scored 67 points over three games, including 23 in each of the first two games.

Dawson County isn’t the only team likely to move into the rankings when they are published on Sunday. What other AAA teams do you believe need to move in? Who needs to drop out?

Cartersville boys win two tournaments over break

The Cartersville boys stayed busy over the Christmas break, …

Continue reading Dawson boys, girls make their case »

In the first battle of the year between two of the state’s basketball powers, Savannah came out on top. The No. 2-ranked Blue Jackets emerged with a 55-46 win over city rival and No. 1 Johnson last Saturday. That may be enough to put Savannah back at the top of the rankings when the new polls are released in January.

Savannah (5-1) got 18 points from Jermaine Williams and 15 from Jamal Norman. Johnson (5-1) was led by Saadiq Muhammad with 15 points. The Atom Smashers played without Tim Quarterman, an LSU signee, who was not injury but was not with the team. His absence was not explained.

The two giants meet again on Jan. 26 at Johnson. Last season Johnson beat Savannah twice during the regular season, but the Blue Jackets beat Johnson for the region championship and wound up finishing second in Class AAAAA.

Savannah will be busy over the next two weeks. Coach Tim Jordan’s team will play in the Sweet Sixteen tournament in Orangeburg, S.C., on Dec. 20-22, and then compete in the …

Continue reading Will Savannah be new No. 1? »

It’s always a big deal when North Hall and East Hall meet on the basketball court. It’s even more important when the boys and girls teams from both squads are ranked in the top 10.

In this particular early season showdown, it was North Hall that ended up getting the better end of the deal.

The No. 7-ranked North Hall boys opened the Region 7 schedule with a 72-69 overtime win over No. 5 East Hall. Remarkably, North Hall never led the game until overtime. In the girls contest, the No. 6 North Hall girls scored a relatively easy 58-49 victory over No. 3 East Hall.

Adam Kelly made 15 of 17 from the line and scored 33 points to lead North Hall. Ebo Smith also scored 20 points for the Trojans, now 4-1. Daniel McCreavy scored 18 points for East Hall, now 1-2. In the girls game, Sydney Cleveland scored nine of her 17 points in the third quarter and Taylor Phillips added 15 points for the unbeaten Trojans (4-0).

The two teams meet again on Jan. 22 at East Hall.

Both teams will …

Continue reading Basketball: North Hall means business »

Questions that should be answered next week in the Class AAA championship game between St. Pius and Buford:

Can the Buford defense slow down the St. Pius option? After putting the kibosh on Cartersville’s aerial circus on Friday, the Wolves will be asked to again stuff the run. Cartersville managed only 24 yards of offense in the second half after starting the game with a 10-0 lead. Only this time they’ll be asked to do it against one of the best running teams in the state. The Golden Lions had 279 yards of total offense against North Hall in the semifinals, with fullback Ryan Braswell rushing for 131 yards of that.

Is the St. Pius defense up to the challenge? The Golden Lions have one of the state’s best defensive coordinators in Jerry Stewart, who served in the same capacity during Parkview’s glory years. Pius has some good size and can expect to face some pounding by Buford’s big offensive line, but they’ll have to stop the Wolves exceptional backfield of Dontravious Wilson …

Continue reading Questions for Buford-St. Pius final »

Four of the state’s best offenses have advanced to the semifinal round, which means the Final Four has the potential for some high-scoring shootouts.

North Hall and St. Pius are both run-oriented teams and Cartersville likes to wing it around the park. Buford is more balanced, although the Wolves lean toward the running game, too.

Here’s how the offenses stack up:

• Buford has scored a total of 509 points (39.1) and has scored 58 points (19.3) in the playoffs. The Wolves have scored a high total of 63 points and been held to a season-low of 13.
• Cartersville has scored 520 points (40.0) and has scored 101 points (33.7) in the playoffs. The Purple Hurricanes have scored a high total of 63 points and been held to a season low of 21.
• North Hall has scored 529 points (40.7) and has scored 103 points (34.3) in the playoffs. The Trojans have scored a high total of 63 points and been held to a season low of 13.
• St. Pius has scored 458 points (38.2) and has scored 143 points (47.6) in …

Continue reading Get ready for lots of points »

Many people expect Region 7 to be one of the best regions in the state for boys and girls teams. Early results indicate those prognostications may be on target.

Among the boys teams, Dawson County and North Hall are both 2-0, while West Hall, White County and Fannin County are all 3-1. Buford, one of the favorites, is 1-2, but those losses have come against AAAAA power Westlake and AAAA power Eagle’s Landing.

On the girls side, East Hall and North Hall are both 3-0, Banks County and Dawson County are 2-0, and White County is 3-1.

Favorites open fast in Region 6

The race is already on in Region 6, too, where the Decatur, St. Pius and Blessed Trinity boys have already won three games. Throw in Woodward Academy and you can tell it’s going to be a competitive year.

Fans will be able to get an early taste of the competition this week. On Tuesday night, Woodward Academy travels to Decatur and St. Pius is at Cedar Grove. On Friday, Decatur is at Blessed Trinity and Towers is at St. …

Continue reading AAA basketball: Region 7 lives up to reputation »

The Class AAA football champion is going to come from North Georgia.

That was determined Friday night when Buford, Cartersville, North Hall and St. Pius all won their quarterfinal matchups. This week’s semifinals will feature No. 3 Buford at No. 6 Cartersville, and  unranked North Hall at No. 7 St. Pius. St. Pius won a coin flip on Saturday morning to determine the site of that game.

Cartersville 21, Thomson 13: The No. 6-ranked Purple Hurricanes improved to 13-0 by knocking off No. 1 Thomson 21-13 in Cartersville, as quarterback Brooks Barden threw a pair of touchdown passes. The Canes advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2004, when they lost to Washington County in the Georgia Dome.

Cartersville took the lead on a touchdown pass from Barden to Hayes Lynn. Thomson tied the game before the half on a 2-yard run by William Bussey and went ahead with 10-yard run by Torrie Battle in the third period, although the extra point was blocked.

Cartersville responded by …

Continue reading Final Four flush with North Georgia teams »

There are no dark horses left in the Class AAA football playoffs. The remaining teams either won their region championship or finished second.

This is an elite field. Six of the eight teams still playing in the quarterfinals were ranked all season. Cartersville joined the rankings on Sept. 10 and North Hall was ranked on two occasions.

Here’s a look at this week’s playoffs:

No. 3 Buford at No. 2 Carver: While both teams have ample offenses, their true strength is on defense. Buford (11-1 on the field, 9-3) has five shutouts, including last week’s 13-0 win over No. 8 North Oconee. In the first round of the playoffs, Cedar Grove became the first team to score more than 20 points on the Wolves this season.

Carver’s defensive numbers aren’t as gaudy; the Tigers have only two shutouts. Carver (11-1) limited No. 5 Peach County to only 17 points in winning that showdown. Carver’s only slipup was a 33-0 loss to Colquitt County, a quarterfinalist in AAAAAA. A key for Carver will be …

Continue reading Which of the elite with survive? »

Now that there are only eight teams left in the playoffs, it’s a good chance too take a glance back and rank the regions. After a season full of bragging and boasting, which league really is the best?

Here’s how the quarterfinals stack up:

Thomson (Region 3) at Cartersville (Region 5); Buford (Region 7) at Carver (Region 2); Washington County (Region 3) at St. Pius (Region 6); Peach County Region 2) at North Hall (Region 7).

Three of the four games feature a team from middle Georgia against a team from Atlanta. Since there are no real south Georgia teams in Class AAA, this is as close as you’ll get to a North vs. South brawl.

Here’s how each region stacks up, from the best to the bottom:

Region 3: This little five-team region had two teams (Thomson and Washington County) reach the quarterfinals. Jefferson County and Dodge County went down fighting, too, in the first round. There’s a lot of firepower concentrated in this league.

Region 2: Carver Columbus and Peach County are …

Continue reading Ranking the regions »

Now that the wheat has been separated from the chaff, the real business of the state football playoffs can begin. Each one of the eight region champions survived the first round and only two of the No. 2 seeds were picked off. None of the state’s ranked teams were beaten on the first week.

That leaves this week’s schedule with some outstanding football games. Here’s how they rank in order of quality.

The best games

No. 3 Buford (10-1 on the field, 8-3) at No. 8 North Oconee (10-1): North Oconee has the sort of versatile attack that could challenge Buford’s defense. Kawon Bryant is an exceptional running back and Nick Colvin does a lot of different things at quarterback. But Colvin hurt his shoulder last week against Ringgold and may not play. If he can’t go, North Oconee’s chances diminish considerably. The big challenge is for the North Oconee defense, as Buford has scored 41 or more points in eight of its last nine games. Prediction: Buford:

No. 4 Washington County (10-1) …

Continue reading Things to watch: Good, better, best »

It turned out to be a historical night for the Johnson High football team on Friday.

The Atomsmashers drove all the way from Savannah to Douglasville and came away with the school’s first victory in a state playoff game. Johnson upset Chapel Hill, 33-23, which was also the first postseason win in school history. Johnson moves on to play No. 1-ranked Thomson in the second round.

Johnson (5-6) had not made the postseason since 2008. Since 1959 it had played an eleventh game on just three previous occasions. The Atomsmashers went 10-2 in 1992 and beat Savannah in the region playoff, but lost to Warner Robins 41-0 in the state playoffs.

Johnson took a 25-10 lead in the second half. Shyheim Roberts threw three touchdown passes: a 67-yarder to Darrel Myers, a 55-yarder to Rekwan Cooper, and a 5-yarder to Myers. Roberts also scored on a 13-yard run. Roberts wound up completing 14 of 22 passes for 280 yards, with Myers catching five balls for 152 yards.

Chapel Hill tried to get back …

Continue reading Johnson makes playoff history »

The last time Buford came close to losing a game – one not decided by an administrator – was on Sept. 7. That’s the night Gainesville rolled into Tom Riden Stadium and rode the hot hand of quarterback Deshaun Watson to a 19-15 upset win.

Buford actually handled Watson for most of the night, but failed to close the deal in the fourth quarter. Gainesville won the game, but Buford suffered many self-inflicted wounds that night. Since then it’s been lights out. Eight straight on-the-field wins, four of them by shutouts, and a head of steam going into the playoffs.

But the Wolves didn’t get their traditional cupcake first-round opponent. They’re up against a team with an outstanding quarterback, the best they’ve seen since that fateful night against Gainesville. Question is: Does Cedar Grove have enough juice to pull off a huge upset?

Saints fans feel good about their chances. No wonder. Quarterback Johnathan McCreary, a Vanderbilt commitment, has completed 74.4 percent of his …

Continue reading Can Cedar Grove shock the world? »