It was a tough weekend overall for the local basketball teams.

The Fayette boys and girls dropped both games against Westlake.

Fayette County came close to stunning the second-ranked Lions, but Westlake escaped Fayetteville with a 65-59 victory in a Region 2-AAAA clash.

Westlake led 19-11 at the end of the first quarter, thanks to a 12-1 run in the final five minutes of the quarter. Fayette charged back with a run of its own in the second half, 16-3, and led 36-31 at the half.

The Tigers (6-3, 4-1 region) maintained their five-point lead in the third quarter, but Westlake’s Ray Willis was unstoppable late, giving the Lions a significant edge.

Noel Johnson led the Tigers with 28 points, while Willis finished with 33.

Fayette was back in action Saturday, losing to Parkview 59-47.

The 10th-ranked Lady Lions defeated Fayette 47-43 in the early game.

Westlake took a 22-17 lead at the half and widened the margin to 10 early in the third quarter, before the Lady Tigers mounted a charge with outstanding play from Sasha Sims and some key shots from Kristene Walker and Chasity Welch.
Fayette (6-3, 4-1 region) held a brief lead and led 42-41 with under a minute and a half to play, but the Lady Lions held on for the win.

The Lady Tigers lost their second straight game Saturday, 44-38 to Parkview.

Jenee Brooks led Fayette with 10 points.

Fayette’s boys and girls were scheduled to play region rival Northgate tonight.

Starr’s Mill entered Friday night’s clash with Region 2-AAAA rival McIntosh seeking its first win of the season.

The Panthers got it, holding off McIntosh in the final seconds for a 52-51 victory in Peachtree City.

Two free throws by Colin Elias expanded Starr’s Mill’s lead to 49-45 with 38.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Vince Brown electrified the home crowd and boosted McIntosh’s comeback hopes with a 3-pointer that slashed Starr’s Mill’s lead to 51-48 with 18.8 seconds remaining.

McIntosh’s Michael Chisholm hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but the Chiefs fell one point short of forcing overtime and, consequently, left their home court with a heartbreaking loss.

It was by far the most complete performance of the season for Starr’s Mill (1-4, 1-3 region).
Starr’s Mill essentially won the game at the free throw line, where it was near perfect, making 20 of 24 free throws.

McIntosh was 6-of-13 from the free throw line.
Starr’s Mill’s balanced scoring attack was led by Colin Elias (13 points), Andrew Davis (12), Justin Smith (11), Paul Vogel (eight) and Mark Conard (eight).

McIntosh’s Cameron Rich led all scorers with 20 points, including four 3-pointers. The Chiefs could have used Rich’s sharp-shooting skills late in the fourth quarter, but he fouled out with 5:26 to go.

The Chiefs (2-4, 2-4 region) had one other player score in double figures, Robert Chubb, who added 11.
McIntosh’s boisterous student section, which usually gives the Chiefs an advantage, might have cost McIntosh the victory.

Late in the first half, a McIntosh student directed a remote-controlled mini-blimp above the court for a few minutes. McIntosh was assessed a technical foul for delaying the game.

Davis, who was fouled before the balloon hovered above the court, sank four consecutive free throws, points that would come back to haunt the Chiefs.

Starr’s Mill lost the following night, 90-58 to Westlake.

McIntosh bounced back with a big non-region win Saturday, 79-58 over East Coweta.

An 8-0 run with three minutes left in the fourth quarter and a 14-1 run to close the game helped the Chiefs put away East Coweta for good.

The girls game between McIntosh and Starr’s Mill also came down to the wire, with McIntosh eking out a 34-33 victory.

The victory raised McIntosh’s overall record to 4-3 and region record to 3-3.

Two of the smallest players on the court, McIntosh’s Morgan McCrory and Olivia Tucker, delivered the biggest shots of the game in the final seconds.

McCrory’s driving layup tied the game at 33 with 41 seconds left, and Tucker sealed the win by hitting one of two free throws with less than 20 seconds remaining.

Starr’s Mill (1-3, 1-3 region) had a chance to leave the court with a win, but a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Tempest Ponds was off the mark.

The Lady Panthers squandered a 17-9 lead at halftime.

Tucker led all scorers with 11 points.

Alexis Shaffer scored a team-high nine points for Starr’s Mill.

The Lady Chiefs played again Saturday, scoring seven consecutive points to overcome a five-point deficit in overtime and beat East Coweta 49-47.
Erin Justice’s short-range jumper was the winning basket for McIntosh.

Starr’s Mill’s girls also played Saturday, losing to Westlake 60-29. The Lady Panthers were led by Shaffer and Chesley Savage, both of whom scored eight points.

Starr’s Mill’s boys and girls are scheduled to play host to Creekside tonight.

Whitewater’s girls suffered a heartbreaking loss Friday, 31-28 to Creekside.

The loss dropped Whitewater to 4-5 overall and 1-2 in the region.

Whitewater was led by Jackie Gittins (13 points, five rebounds) and Kailey Sweatman (six points, six rebounds).

Whitewater’s boys (1-7, 0-3) also lost to Creekside, 58-39.

The second-ranked Landmark Christian Lady War Eagles won their fifth consecutive game Friday, 53-22 over Region 5-A rival Greenforest Christian.
Landmark improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in Region 5-A with the victory.

The Landmark boys (3-3, 0-2 region) weren’t as fortunate, losing to Greenforest Christian 69-59.
Landmark’s boys and girls were scheduled to play host to Bremen yesterday.

Sandy Creek’s boys and girls were off last weekend. Both teams were scheduled to play host to Region 6-AAA rival Cartersville last night.

The Our Lady of Mercy Bobcats (5-1, 0-1 region) won both games they played last weeekend, 56-48 over Galloway and 61-56 over Fellowship Christian.
Mercy’s girls (3-3, 1-0 region) split the two games they played last weekend, beating Galloway 36-30 and losing to Fellowship Christian 43-34.

Mercy’s boys and girls teams were scheduled to play host to Southwest Christian Academy last night.

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