Local basketball teams started the second half of the season last weekend, playing numerous games.

The Fayette County boys (10-6, 6-1 region) and girls (11-4, 6-1 region) came out victorious against Region 2-AAAA rival Banneker in their first games back since the holiday break.
Led by three players who scored in double figures, Noel Johnson (26 points), Cuincy Carruthers (23) and Addison Flynn (14), Fayette’s boys defeated Banneker 73-64.

Fayette’s girls crushed Banneker 63-18. Every girl on the Lady Tigers’ roster scored, the first time in three years that has happened.
Anma Onyeuku scored 12 points to lead Fayette. Other high scorers for Fayette were Sasha Sims (eight points) and Arielle Register (seven).
The McIntosh Chiefs (6-4, 3-4 region) won both games they played over the weekend, 63-26 over Region 2-AAAA rival Woodward Academy and 55-41 over non-region opponent Newnan.

Jeremy Lampkin and Robert Chubb both scored 11 points for McIntosh against Woodward.
Cameron Rich scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the opening 16 minutes to lead McIntosh over Newnan.

The Lady Chiefs (6-4, 3-4 region) split the two games they played, losing to Woodward 47-28, then beating Newnan 42-34 Saturday.

Erin Justice scored 10 points and Laura Higgason added eight to lead McIntosh against Woodward.
Higgason and Justice both scored 12 points for McIntosh against Newnan.

The Starr’s Mill Panthers lost two games over the weekend, both to non-region opponents, 62-47 to Our Lady of Mercy and 57-52 to East Coweta in double overtime.

Mercy’s Dominique McDermott torched Starr’s Mill for 25 points in Starr’s Mill’s first loss of the weekend.

The Bobcats clamped down on the Panthers defensively in the late game, holding Starr’s Mill to 10 points in the first half, which concluded with Mercy in front 22-10.

Two free throws by McDermott gave Mercy a double-digit lead (16-6) with 7:17 left in the second quarter. Mercy remained ahead by double digits the rest of the way, thanks mainly to the play of McDermott, a diminutive point guard whose energy gave his team a spark and whose ability to slash to the basket gave Starr’s Mill fits.

The Bobcats led by as many as 20 late in the third quarter, but Starr’s Mill made a couple of valiant comeback attempts late, twice cutting Mercy’s lead to 11 in the fourth quarter and once to 10 with three minutes remaining.
Mercy quashed Starr’s Mill’s comeback hopes with a game-ending 7-0 run that included four points from McDermott.

It was the second time this season that Mercy, a team that plays in Class A, defeated a local team from Class AAAA; in their second game of the season, the Bobcats beat Class AAAA opponent Whitewater 61-53 in Fairburn.

Mercy had two players score in double figures, McDermott and Nnamdi Moh (11 points). Richard Obiora and Jake Lethbridge both added eight for Mercy.

Starr’s Mill was led by Paul Vogel (nine points), Justin Smith (seven) and Colin Elias (seven).

The Lady Panthers (5-8, 2-5 region) won both games they played over the weekend, 46-29 over Our Lady of Mercy and 39-35 over East Coweta.
In their victory over Mercy, the Lady Panthers were in control from start to finish; they held a double-digit lead from late in the first quarter all the way to the conclusion of the game.

The game was essentially over by halftime, with Starr’s Mill holding a commanding 30-8 lead.
Mercy rallied in the third quarter, opening the quarter with a 12-0 run that trimmed Starr’s Mill’s lead to 10. Alexandria Miles led Mercy’s comeback, scoring eight of her team-high 11 points in the quarter.

The Lady Panthers responded with a run of their own, 10-4, to close the quarter with a comfortable 40-24 lead.

Starr’s Mill has shown significant improvement since the beginning of the season; in its first six games, the Lady Panthers averaged less than 30 points per game. In their last six games, the Lady Panthers have averaged right around 50 points per game.

Marissa Ring scored a team-high 11 points, Alexis Shaffer had nine and Karlie Bureau and Tempest Ponds each had six for Starr’s Mill.
In addition to Miles, Mercy’s high scorers were Camille Thompson (nine points) and Kelly Tolcher (seven).

In its victory over East Coweta, Starr’s Mill scored 11 points in the final eight minutes, with nine points coming from the free throw line.

Alexis Shaffer had a double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds), plus three steals, for Starr’s Mill. Marie Jubb added eight points, nine rebounds and five steals.

In addition to the games they played against Starr’s Mill, the Our Lady of Mercy boys (8-5, 1-3 region) and girls (4-4, 1-1 region) faced Region 5-A opponent ELCA Saturday. The Mercy boys defeated ELCA 68-64, and the Mercy girls, led by Kelly Tolcher’s 12 points, also defeated ELCA, 40-34.

The Landmark Christian War Eagles (4-5, 0-3 region) and Lady War Eagles (10-1, 3-0 region) both played two games over the weekend.

Landmark’s boys lost both games, 64-57 to ELCA and 67-40 to Chestatee, and Landmark’s girls won both games, 60-43 over ELCA and 53-40 over Chestatee.

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