The Bulldogs recover after loss to Jackets
♦ Cedartown boys finish third in 46th Annual Hilburn-Patterson Haralson County Invitational
Bulldog basketball enjoyed fun matchups against quality opponents in the 46th Annual Hilburn-Patterson Haralson County Invitational Tournament last week.
Cedartown’s boys team finished third in the tournament while the Lady Bulldogs came in sixth in Tallapoosa.
Cedartown’s boys tangled with a familiar foe in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday. The Bulldogs faced off with Temple, a squad that has been a regular non-region opponent for CHS over the past couple seasons.
The Tigers led by as many as nine points in the first half, but stout defense from the Bulldogs — paired with a ferocious comeback led by
Ronald Knight and MJ Holiday — led Cedartown to a 54-48 come-frombehind victory.
Holiday scored 22 points in the win and Knight finished with 12 points, with all coming in the second half. Xavier Holiday added eight points and Billy Darden ended with seven points against Temple.
“We didn’t play well in the first half because we tried to play as individuals,” head coach Benjie Frazier said. “The halftime adjustment was to play as a team rather than individuals, and it worked.”
The Bulldogs advanced to the tournament semifinals on Wednesday, where they were set to take on Rockmart. As expected, it was a classic Polk County clash at Jane Williamson Court.
The back-and-forth battle lasted until the very end. Rockmart head coach
Vic Calhoun had the opportunity to draw up a game-winning play with six seconds left and did so successfully as Rockmart guard Jakari Clark was left open at the top of the key in the waning moments and converted a buzzerbeating 3-pointer to hand the Jackets a 48-47 triumph.
Clark’s 24 points led either side, but Cedartown’s leading scorer was MJ Holiday with 21 points. Quinlan Cothron, DJ Whatley, and Knight scored five
points each in the heartbreaking loss.
Frazier said after the game, he told his players to “not let that loss define the season. They made one more shots than we made.”
Cedartown finished up action in the Haralson County Invitational Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 30. The Bulldogs played the host Rebels in the third-place game and dominated from start to finish.
A smothering defensive attack helped CHS build a 21-6 halftime lead, and the Bulldogs continued to pour it on in the second half of a 52-27 win in Tallapoosa.
MJ Holiday finished with 16 points against Haralson County. Knight scored nine points, Cothron and Xavier Holiday added six points each, and Bayron Ortiz-Valladares tallied five points off the bench.
“I was pleased with how our kids responded on Thursday,” Frazier said. “We know we let one fall through our grips against Rockmart. I told them that was in the past and it was over, so let’s move on.”
Overall, Frazier stated that his team was not happy with their third-place finish. “We were not pleased with third place but we know if we executed better, the outcome would have been different,” Frazier said. “That’s not taking anything away from Rockmart and the shot that Clark made, though.”
Holiday was Cedartown’s only AllTournament selection. The senior guard averaged 19.7 points per game and led the Bulldogs to wins over solid Temple and Haralson County teams.
“MJ is a team leader and I expect him to continue to do what he has done,” Frazier said. “He has been leading the young guys in a positive way and is providing leadership through the ups and downs. MJ really displays the ‘it factor’ that coaches talk about.”
The Lady Bulldogs, on the other hand, finished sixth in the Haralson County Invitational Tournament. Cedartown’s girls, who were already hampered by injuries to veterans Marycille Brumby and Ivari Boozer, had to play without starters Kendal Pace and Makayla Jordan in Tallapoosa. CHS lost 67-6 to East Paulding in the first round. Annakate Bussey was the only Lady Bulldog to score more than once as the freshman finished with four points.
The Lady Raiders, who are now coached by former Cedartown head coach Eddie Gambrell, went on to win the tournament championship.
The Lady Bulldogs returned to action on Thursday in the fifth-place game. Head coach Levi Wigley was able to get a much better outing from his young team against Bremen but Cedartown still fell 53-23 to an experienced Lady Blue Devils squad. Freshmen Maryn Barrow and Hayvin Barclay scored seven points each on Thursday.
Both of Cedartown’s basketball teams return to play this week with region contests. The Bulldogs (4-5, 2-1) and Lady Bulldogs (2-6, 1-2) will head north on Tuesday for Region 7-4A showdowns against Northwest Whitfield. Games in Tunnel Hill will start at 6 p.m. and 7:30.
CHS will have a non-region road doubleheader against Cartersville on Saturday with games beginning at 6 p.m. and 7:30 in Bartow County.