Sonoraville, Calhoun wrestlers qualify for state after solid Sectional showings
The Firebirds will send 12 grapplers to Macon, while Calhoun is sending four.
It was a weekend of resounding success for both the Sonoraville Fire- birds and Calhoun Yellow Jacket wrestling squads at the Area 4-AAA traditional Sectionals this past weekend at Jefferson High School, with each program advancing multiple wrestlers to state competition in Macon.
The Firebirds qualified 12 wrestlers for the state tournament. After the
WRESTLERS,
and made it a two-possession game for the Lady Phoenix.
Coahulla Creek was able to add a quick two points and then strategically fouled Alexa Geary to send her to the line with less than 10 seconds remaining. With the pressure on, Geary was able to seal the win by hitting both free throws and making the score 53-49.
The Lady Phoenix were led on the night with huge performances from Geary and Parks, who both finished with 22 points.
Head Coach Stephanie Caudell was overjoyed by her team’s performance when it matter most. She noted that her squad wouldn’t be where it was without the immense amount of support it receives on a nightly basis and during tournament play.
“It’s always our goal at the beginning of the season to compete for the region championship,” Caudell said. “By achieving that goal, it just shows that all of the hard work that the girls put in throughout the season and off-season paid off. I think the way our girls played this week represented our school and community well. We really appreciate all of the support we get from our players’ families, our student body and faculty, and other community members. It’s great to be able to share the victory with all of those folks.”
Caudell went on to say that the key was to try and match the intensity from Coahulla Creek.
“Coahulla Creek is a very solid team,” Caudell said. “They have good size, good shooters, and are well-coached. We knew we would have to match their intensity for 32 minutes. We had to earn every single basket, and we had to keep our composure at the end. We did a really good job making clutch free throws in the 4th quarter – something that makes a huge difference in a close game.”
The No. 1-seeded Lady Phoenix will take on Cherokee Bluff in the first round of the AAA state playoffs on Friday starting at 7 p.m. at the Furnace.
Calhoun boys 51 North Murray boys 56 (Region 6-AAA finals)
Despite a resilient and top-notch effort on both ends, the Calhoun Yellow Jackets couldn’t extend its region title streak on Saturday, coming up just short in a tightly-contested battle with the top-seeded North Murray Mountaineers 56-51.
It was a game defined by physical, gritty play near the rim, and was ultimately decided by which team could rise above the other on the free-throw stripe as the clock wound down.
The first quarter featured some stiff defense by both teams, although North Murray (23-4) put together one of its best offensive stretches of the contest and closed the period on a 6-0 run to establish a 13-10 lead.
The two squads turned things up a notch offensively in the second quarter, as both traded a pair of deep three-pointers. However the Jackets (15-10) couldn’t muster enough offense to completely close the gap, with North Murray holding onto a 29-25 advantage at the half.
Gage Maffetone was largely responsible for keeping Calhoun afloat by notching 15 points in the first 16 minutes of play.
As the third quarter began, the Jackets offense seemed to turn a corner, and for the first time in the game Calhoun was able outscore the Mountaineers 15-12 in the quarter. The game was any team’s for the taking as the Jackets trailed by only one point heading into the fourth quarter.
The final period featured a number of lead changes, but the Jackets couldn’t keep up with North Murray in the end,
Maffetone led the Jackets with 18 points, 12 coming from behind the arc. Davis Allen was also in double figures with 11.
North Murray was led by Haydon Hulett with 17 points. Ladd McConkey with 12, and Dante Tidwell added 11 for the region champs..
Calhoun head coach Vince Layson, says that he’s proud of the way his team battled down the stretch despite the defeat.
“It was a rough game,” Layson said. “Our guys were resilient all night and just fought hard. It was a game of quick runs all night, where they would go up and we would come back with ours. It just should how resilient we are.”
Layson went on to say that even though it was a loss, they still were in it until the end.
“That North Murray team is a good ball team,” Layson said. “They have been one of the best teams all year and we took them down to the wire. We had an opportunity to win it, and that’s all you can ask for. Our guys battled hard, but now we have to move on and get ready for the playoffs.”
The Jackets (15-10) will go into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed from the region and take on East Hall in the first round of the AAA state playoffs on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Calhoun.
Gordon Central girls 53
Rockmart girls 59 (Region 7-AA semifinals)
The Gordon Central Lady Warriors fell in heartbreaking fashion on Friday against the Rockmart Lady Jackets in the 7-AA semifinals by a score of 59-53.
This was a game that featured two of the top players in the northwest Georgia area, as Gordon Central’s Mercedes Coleman and Rockmart’s Keyarah Berry battled against each other all night.
The first quarter was tight as both teams got going early on offense as it was 12-12 at the end of the period. Coleman led the GC with nine, while Berry led Rockmart with 10.
The second quarter featured some back and forth play between the two teams, as Rockmart (18-7) was able to grab the lead heading into the half at 29-25.
The third quarter was a quarter full of runs, as Gordon Central (13-10) was able to go on a 6-0 run half way through the quarter to close the gap to 1. Rockmart had a 9-2 run of its own to close the quarter and lead by eight heading into the fourth 46-38.
Berry was able to catch fire in the third and score 13 points of Rockmart’s 17 in the quarter.
Gordon Central came battling back to cut the deficit to two in the fourth, but a controversial charge call stopped all the momentum for the Lady Warriors in the period. Coleman was able to keep Gordon Central close by putting up 11 points in the quarter, but it was not enough as Rockmart would hang on for the victory.
Coleman had an unbelievable night for the Lady Warriors, as she ended with 32 points. Lelia Culberson was also in double figures with 11.
Rockmart got the huge boost they needed from Keyarah Berry, who had 42 points on the night for the Lady Jackets.
Gordon Central head coach Matt Swanson praised Coleman for her performance throughout the game.
“She’s a winner and such a competitor,” Swanson said. “It was fun watching her and Berry battle back and forth all night long. I’m proud of Mercedes (Coleman) and all the girls for never quitting all night even though we got down a pretty good bit a few times.”
The Gordon Central Lady Warriors moved onto the third place game after the loss to Rockmart, where the team fell to the Model Lady Devils on Saturday by a score of 53-44.
Coleman once again led Gordon Central with 17 points.
Despite the pair of late-tournament losses, it was another successful run for Gordon Central, and it will head into the AA state tournament as the No. 4 seed from Region 7. They head to Douglass this Friday and take on the Lady Astros at 7 p.m.
Sonoraville boys 46 Coahulla Creek boys 51 (Region 6-AAA quarterfinals)
The Sonoraville boys season came to a close in a highly-competitive contest against the higher-seeded Coahulla Creek Colts last Thursday.
The Phoenix (10-16) shot well during the game, but couldn’t quite generate enough offense to keep pace with the quick-strike Colts. Coahulla Creek (17-11) led the majority of the early going in this one, maintaining a 12-7 advantage after one quarter of play and a narrow 20-18 lead approaching the half.
The tables turned in the fourth quarter, as Sonoraville knocked down a pair of three-pointers and temporarily snatched a 32-28 lead in the early portion of the fourth quarter. However, with the game knotted at 46-46 with less than a minute left, the Colts converted a number of clutch free throws to pull ahead and secure the win.
In the scoring column, Landon Jones contributed 15 points for the Phoenix, all on five three-pointers. Also chipping in was Murray Somers with 12 points and Chris Rush with nine points.