Bobcats rally late to win season debut
With a roster featuring 10 of 11 players who were getting set to play their first-ever college basketball game, Georgia Northwestern head coach David Stephenson knew his young, freshmen-heavy team would need to grow up in a hurry once the season began.
The Bobcats took the first step toward doing just that this past Wednesday.
Down three points at home to the junior varsity squad from Hiwassee College with just 37.5 seconds to play, the Bobcats found a way. Scoring the game’s final seven points, they raised the curtain on the 2017-2018 season in style, thrilling the home crowd at the Rossville Athletic Center with a 71-67 victory.
Freshman Bryce Waters scored the final five points, including a fall-away jump hook that he converted into a three-point play that put Georgia Northwestern back into the lead for good with 19.4 seconds remaining. After the Tigers missed a three at the other end, the 6-foot-6 Waters grabbed the rebound and drove coast-to-coast for a layup with 5.9 seconds left to seal the win.
The Bobcats, who trailed by as many as seven in the second half, rallied to take a 63-59 lead with 5:15 to go. But save for a Justin Smith free throw with 2:20 to play, Georgia Northwestern was held scoreless for nearly five full minutes down the stretch.
Hiwassee took advantage of the Bobcats’ dry spell and went an 8-1 run. Two free throws by Jermaine Thompson with 37.5 seconds left gave the Tigers a 67-64 advantage.
Georgia Northwestern would miss twice on its ensuing possession before a put-back by Davian Wheeler with 22.9 seconds remaining pulled the Bobcats within one. The home team would then catch a break when Hiwassee stepped on the end line while attempting inbound the ball, giving the Bobcats possession under the Hiwassee basket.
After an initial pass, Waters came cutting down the lane and took the ball in the paint,
getting bumped in the process. However, the former Sonoraville High standout was able to keep his body in control long enough to muscle in the shot.
“I knew we were in the double bonus,” Waters explained. “I also knew we were down one and I knew I need to make (the shot). I got up a little hook shot and it went in.”
Waters led the way for the Bobcats in his first collegiate game, scoring 11 of his teamhigh 17 points in the second half, including a 7-for-9 performance at the foul line. He also ended a solid night with six rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.
“I was a little nervous at first tonight, but as it went on (the game) kind of came to me a little more,” Waters said. “We could have shot it a little better tonight, but we’ll keep learning from each other and learning how we play.”
The two teams stayed within one possession of each other for much of the first half, which saw five ties and nine lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points in the first 20 minutes as the Tigers took a 35-31 lead into the locker room.
But the Bobcats would turn up the pressure defensively with a press in the second half and it paid dividends. After Hiwassee shot 41.2 percent from the field in the first half, they shot just 27 percent (10- of-37) over the final 20 minutes, while Georgia Northwestern (46.2 percent from the field in the opening half) shot an even 50 percent (12of-24) in the second half.
“I think the potato is always the key for us,” Stephenson said. “The big potato press, it seemed to change the game.”
Davian Wheeler finished with 11 points and Kolbi Suttles added 10, mostly on drives to the bucket. Tyler Phillips, who sunk the first shot attempt for the Bobcats this season on a three-pointer just eight seconds into the game, scored nine points and had eight rebounds, while 6-foot-7 Micah Wheeler had eight points and eight boards. The sophomore is the Bobcats’ lone returning player from last season.
Aloy Ufere had 18 points to lead the Tigers.
Trinity Baptist 72, GNTC 51
The Bobcats couldn’t keep the magic going on Friday as they dropped the opener of the Trinity Baptist College Classic to the host school in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Eagles led wireto-wire, opening up a 10-point lead eight minutes into the contest and taking a 35-25 lead into halftime. They were able to pull away in the second half as the Bobcats shot just 25 percent from the floor and 53 percent at the free throw line.
Phillips had 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals for Georgia Northwestern, while Waters added nine points and five boards. Suttles finished with eight points,
followed Davian Wheeler with seven points and Micah Wheeler with six points and seven rebounds.
Jykale Walker had 13 points for the Eagles.
Florida National 100, GNTC 70
A hot-shooting Florida National University squad dropped the Bobcats to 1-2 on the season Saturday afternoon as they pulled away for a 30-point victory on the second and final day of the Trinity Baptist Classic.
The Bobcats trailed 60-46 at intermission, but couldn’t keep up with the Conquistadors, a fellow USCAA member, especially in the second half.
Fabian MacDonald and Terrence Johnson had 19 points each for Florida National (3-2).
Phillips dropped in 19 points for the Bobcats, adding nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Waters added 14 points and five boards, while Suttles and Davantae Kimble finished with 11 each.
The Conquistadors controlled the glass, outrebounding the Bobcats, 45-29.
Georgia Northwestern will play in Powell, Tenn., this Thursday at 7 p.m. against The Crown College before returning home on Saturday to face longtime rival West Georgia Tech at 3 p.m. in the Rossville Athletic Center.
The game will also serve as Food Drive Night for the Bobcats. Free admission will be given to fans who donate a non-perishable food item at the door.