Wednesday, February 2, 2001
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Wednesday, February 2, 2001 |
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Hoopsters wrap up regular season with big games By MICHAEL BOYLAN This is the final week of the regular season in basketball and teams are looking to enter their area tournaments with confidence and momentum. For some teams, things are going extremely well. For others, their final two games of the season will be telling. The Starr's Mill Lady Panthers look very strong right now. They faced Jonesboro on Friday night and won 60-54, as Alison Horne led the team in scoring with 17 points, while Stephanie Gresham added 14 points. The boys, playing without top reserves Patrick Keyes and Adam Linton, due to illness, and Jason Laney, who was visiting a college, also lost leading scorer Donny Lampen early in the third quarter with a sprained ankle and lost to Jonesboro 63-51. Starr's Mill led 15-14 after the first quarter but trailed 29-28 at the half. The Cardinals started pulling away in the third quarter and scored 14 of their 20 fourth-quarter points at the free throw line. Brett Zondervan led the team in scoring with 14 points, while Lampen and Gary Kubik each added nine. Kubik's points came from three three-pointers. Starr's Mill played at Morrow last night and will host East Coweta this Friday. McIntosh played at Evans last Friday night. The Lady Chiefs defeated won 39-37, while the boys dropped their third game in a row, losing 60-52. The girls came out blazing, jumping out to a 9-0 lead and leading 19-4 after the first quarter. McIntosh stayed in control in the second quarter leading 27-16 but the lead was cut again in the third quarter to 34-29. With less than six minutes to go, Evans tied the game at 34, but the Lady Chiefs hung on to win. Lyndsey Murphy led the girls in scoring with 18 points, while Whitney Wallis added eight points. The boys went back and forth with Evans at a fast and furious pace. The two teams were tied at 18 points a piece after the first quarter, but Evans pulled ahead, 32-27 at the half. The lead widened to 43-32 after the third quarter but McIntosh couldn't overcome the deficit. The Chiefs fell to 6-7 in region play. Neil hubble led the team in scoring with 15 points, while Josh Burr added 11 points. McIntosh will play their final two games of the season at home. They hosted Henry County last night and will face Lovejoy this Friday with games beginning at 7 p.m. Sandy Creek faced Union Grove last Friday night and the Lady Patriots won by the skin of their teeth, 39-34. Despite going 9-of-34 from the free throw line, Sandy Creek won their second consecutive region game. Tiffany Paschal led the team in scoring with 18 points, while Colay White added eight. Sandy Creek hosted Westlake last night and will host Jones County this Friday. The boys defeated Union Grove as well, 73-48. Though the Patriots won by 25 points, the score was close until the fourth quarter. L.T. Lockett led the team in scoring with 24 points, while William Belton added 18 and Aaron Honeycutt added 10. "Our final two games are very important," said Coach Rick Francis. "We need the fans to come out and be the sixth and seventh men and women and give us a boost." The Patriots lost to Westlake and Jones County on the road this season and need the wins to secure a better seeding in the region tournament. |
