Wednesday, February 19, 2003
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Wednesday, February 19, 2003 |
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Patriots win region championship, Tigers also make states By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Sandy Creek boys basketball coach Maurice Triche and his team set some goals at the beginning of the season. The first was to win 18 games and the second was to qualify for the AAAA state basketball tournament. They accomplished both of those goals in the region 4-AAAA tournament. After beating Lithia Springs 52-51 and earning a spot in the region finals against Douglas County, the team altered their goals to include winning a region championship. The Patriots achieved that goal and have amended their goals once again, this time hoping to bring home a state title. In the Lithia Springs game, Andrew Gardner hit the game winner for the Patriots. Sandy Creek was down 33-13 at the half but tightened their defense in their second half and mounted a comeback. The Patriots outscored Lithia Springs 39-18 in the second half to capture the win. Kevin Craig scored all 23 of his points in the second half, 17 of which came in the third quarter. Gardner scored eight points, pulled in 14 rebounds and made four blocks. In the game against Douglas County, the Patriots found themselves down 45-43 at the half. Douglas County built a seven point lead in the third quarter but hit a wall. Sandy Creek played a near perfect game, taking care of the ball and hitting big shot after big shot. The Patriots had a chance to win it in regulation but ended up completing the upset in overtime, winning 88-85. Craig scored 30 points and puled in 11 rebounds, while Gardner scored 14 points, nabbed 15 rebounds and recorded four more blocks. Triche also credited his "super sophomores" (Aaron Caruthers, Charles Belton and Kevin Lott) with outstanding performances helping the team get the championship win. Caruthers scored 24 points, while Belton added 12 points and, more importantly, leadership at the point guard position, and Lott played great defense. Both Lithia Springs and Douglas County were ranked highly in the state for AAAA. On Friday, Sandy Creek gets a chance to face another highly ranked team, Statesboro High School, which was ranked third in the state in AAAA. The game will be played at Lithia Springs High School at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. To get to Lithia Springs High School, take 1-20 west to Exit 41 (Lee Road). Go left one mile to the traffic light at East County line Rd and turn right. "This team has grown so much since the first game this year," said Triche. "We've proven we can play with the best and we are not ready for the season to be over yet." Fayette County's boys basketball team will also be playing in the state tournament this week. The Tigers placed fourth in region 4-AAAAA and will get to open the state playoffs on their home court. Fayette County lost a close game to Lovejoy on Thursday, 65-61. The Tigers had a 20-18 lead at the end of the first quarter but trailed Lovejoy 35-29 at the half before tying the game at 47 at the end of the third quarter. With two and a half minutes remaining, Fayette had a 61-59 lead but Lovejoy turned it up a notch and captured the win. Dexter Manley led the team with 21 points, while Sheldon Harris added 16 and Matt Heckman added 11. In the game against East Coweta, the Indians had an 18-17 lead at the end of the first quarter but Fayette County battled back and took a 31-28 lead at the half. By the end of the third quarter, the Indians had a 45-42 lead but the Tigers weren't done yet. The two teams swapped the lead several more times and Fayette County tied the game at 57 with two minutes to go but East Coweta took control and won 66-59. Sheldon Harris scored 17 points for the Tigers. Fayette County will open the tournament against Beach at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
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