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2B
♦ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2007
Demons beat Panthers in OT; Warner Robins girls roll
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Nate Clay had seven points
in overtime, including two
baskets in an 8-0 run for
Warner Robins High, which
held off Perry High 73-62 for
a home-court win in a thrill
ing 2007-2008 season opener
Tuesday for both basketball
squads.
Clay and Johnny Enos each
scored on stick-backs in that
deciding run for the Demons,
looking towards a season of
youth after the graduation
losses of the likes of Pierre
Miller and Kenny Willis.
Enos had nine points, but the
big scoring bulk came from
Jared Fluellen’s 27 points.
Perry High, meanwhile,
isn’t short on basketball vet
erans like Kameron Felder
and Roderick Jones in a time
with a few key players still
taking the Panther football
team deep into the state play
offs. Felder and Jones each
scored 15 points while fellow
veteran Antonio Hubbard
had 11. Chase Russell, one
of the guards trying to keep
things together in place of
football quarterback Casey
Hayward, banked in a 3-
point shot with four seconds
left in regulation.
The Panthers led the game
42-36 going into the fourth
period and gained a seven
point edge, 48-41, as Jones
nailed a 3-ball off a spread
offense.
It was Warner Robins’
Kenny Fluellen who had 14
second-half points with eight
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Perry’s Antonio Hubbard goes behind Warner Robins’ Ricky Ritter for the score.
SEASON’S
From page iB
The Lady Hornets upend
ed George Walton Academy
- usually a regular in the
semifinals - in the first
round.
“And they had a, lot of
height,” said Eubanks. “So
that was a major upset for
us. We’d always like to have
height, but we’re not going
to have that. I think we have
potential to be very good and
you can tell them that, but
until they believe it and have
confidence in their game and
come away with some big
victories ... you have to wait
until that happens.”
In fact, the new season
already began for Westfield
in terms of girls basket
ball with two games in the
Tattnall Square Tip-Off
Tournament Nov. 19-20.
The first game was against
Stratford, a school Westfield
hasn’t beaten in about four
years. Eubanks said they
handled the Stratford press
well in the first quarter, but
didn’t handle a 1-3-1 trap in
the second quarter.
The next game was against
Mt. de Sales. The coach said
they missed some good scor
ing chances early resulting
in an eight- to nine-point
deficit for most of the game.
But, Westfield made a charge
late and had a chance for the
win at the end.
“But we didn’t capitalize,”
said Eubanks. “If you come
away with some wins like
that, you start believing. To
me, we are that close.
“We have the quickness.
We have 10 or 11 players
who can play, all about even.
The one thing we are looking
in a row on a charge that had
the Demons back in front 49-
48 with 3:48 remaining. Two
more lead changes later, J.
Fluellen hit a 3-pointer from
a comer with 27 seconds left
for a 55-52 lead.
The Demons needed just
one make in a two-shot trip
to the line, but couldn’t get
any. That gave Russell the
opportunity to make his tying
shot off the backboard.
Warner Robins never
trailed in overtime as it start
ed the extra four minutes of
play with four made shots at
the line.
Both the Demons and
the Panthers made up for
a sloppy first quarter full
of turnovers and offensive
fouls. Hubbard scored a
three-point play after a steal
for a five-point Perry lead.
Near the end, Clay passed
off the Enos in transition,
but for the visitors it was an
8-6 edge through those eight
minutes.
J. Fluellen opened the
second quarter with a 3-
pointer at a comer. Hubbard
answered with another scor
ing drive to the basket with
a foul shot. The teams set
tled their play down with
the Demons getting big play
from another new varsity
face, Stephen Edwards. He
had seven points in the final
five minutes of the half with
a 3-pointer and a stick-back.
Felder scored from 3-point
land in the quarter, but it
was Enos ending the half
with a trey and 25-21 lead for
Warner Robins.
for (this year) is one of those
springboard games.”
So what will be the key
for Westfield getting that
‘springboard’ win? While the
tallest player on the roster is
5-8, Eubanks is hoping that
the speed and hustle edges
will be on his side.
“You can wear your oppo
nent down because you are in
better shape, you’re causing
a lot of havoc on the defen
sive end,” said Eubanks. “I
think we’ve gotten better
defensively in our presses.
In the past we didn’t (cause
a lot of problems) because
we made mistakes with our
youth.
“Offensively, we have a lot
of shooters. With that quick
ness, you can beat people off
the dribble. If they play a
zone, we have enough shoot
ers to go to and score. But
because of the lack of height,
you only get one opportunity
because you can’t get a lot of
offensive rebounds. We have
to make our opportunities
count.”
The coach is also aware
that with a young team can
come great plays for one
stretch of a game, and then
stretches of mental lapses
in the same contest. So, if
nothing else, he’s always
telling his players, “Don’t
hurt yourself.”
On Westfield’s sched
ule, First Presbyterian and
Deerfield-Windsor each has
a player 6-1. Eubanks said
both these teams along
with Stratford, MDS and
Pinewood are all capable of
winning the title.
“We want to have a win
ning season,” he said. “In my
21 years this is the tough
est schedule I’ve ever played.
There are no weak teams on
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Warner Robins’ Symone Wilkerson gets a little too up-close-and-personal with the basketball while battling for a
rebound in the Demonettes’ win over Perry Tuesday in Warner Robins.
In the third period, Jones
tied the game on a trey while
Hubbard put Perry back
ahead with an end-to-end
ran. Felder took over with
eight points (two 3s) leading
Perry to the six-point edge
our schedule.”
Jake Walls knows there’s
a difference between bas
ketball played in the sum
mer and in the winter. He
saw some great things from
his Westfield boys basket
ball squad when the Hornets
played in 2007 summer camp
games. He said if that’s an
indication of things to come,
then the Hornets are on
their way to closing the gap
with the top contenders in
GISA AAA.
Walls took the Hornets to
the Mercer camp in Macon
for two weekends of competi
tion against both GISA and
GHSA competition.
“We competed and got
a lot of wins,” said Walls,
whose team begins its high
school season at home today
(Saturday) against Mt. de
Sales. “We executed all the
things I wanted to execute.
I was very pleased with the
summer.
“We have a very tough
schedule through Christmas.
Obviously our region is good.
I think the outlook is good,
and I’m proud of the way
we’ve worked.”
That Mercer camp com
petition included Jackson
High, Mclntosh High from
Atlanta, Houston County
High (a win for the Hornets)
and Perry High.
One key component of
competitive basketball Walls
is trying to build at Westfield
is depth. He brought up
some of the great college
programs, like the back-to
back NCAA champions from
Florida and the winnings
teams at Kentucky, and the
one thing they had in com
mon was depth.
“I have confidence in
SPORTS
heading into the final quar
ter.
WILKERSON PACES
DEMONETTES
Symone Wilkerson had 26
points to lead Warner Robins’
girls to a convincing 65-35
win against the Perry High
Lady Panthers that opened
the new season on Tuesday.
Warner Robins blew open
what was a 10-point half
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Lady Panther Kim Burgess grabs a rebound.
everybody on that roster,”
said Walls. “There are prob
ably nine guys who right
now are going to play a lot
of minutes. Our mentality
is going to be attack the ball
defensively. That’s our iden
tity, what we do best. When
you play a system like that,
you want to have depth.”
Walls expects the identi
ty for Westfield on offense
to change dramatically this
season. He had one of the
state’s top centers in Nash
Murph as a senior, and that
led to a methodical pace with
the basketball.
“We’re still growing offen
sively,” said Walls, who will
have experience in the back
court from Casey Young and
Keenan Malone. “I’m anx
ious as anybody to see what
happens Saturday. What
we’re trying to preach is,
‘attack the basket.’ We have
guys we’re still developing
as shooters ... but we have
some slashers, guys who are
aggressive.
“We still have a lot of con
fidence in Matt Amrit (6-4
junior), who I think can do a
lot of the things Murph did.
We’ll try to get him the ball
inside some. But I do think
we are going to be more
attacking on offense. There
could be five or six guys who
average seven to 10 points
a game. That means we are
attacking the way we want
to.”
Walls also acknowledged
that there is still a gap to be
filled in Westfield’s classifi
cation in terms of the com
petition. He said Deerfield-
Windsor is a club that
was so impressive in that
same Mercer camp that the
Knights should be consid
ered one of the best high
time game, 31-21, with a
defensive shutout of Perry in
the third period. Wilkerson
had 11 of the 17 Demonette
points to go with three steals,
one of which turned into an
offensive rebound basket for
teammate Shanerica Parks.
Tiandra Billings added a
steal and assist to Stephanie
Duncan in that quarter.
Perry’s Kim Burgess had
school teams in Georgia ...
period.
“Their point guard led his
AAU team to the final eight
in a national tournament
this summer,” said Walls.
“Deerfield-Windsor can play
with anybody.
“We’re not trying to cap
ture the moon this year. We
do want to close that gap. We
are increasing our potential
to pull off an upset, where
as last year I didn’t think
it was possible. Our expec
tation this year is to beat
Southland. One of our team
goals is to be in the region
championship game.
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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
five points in a row for her
team to start the fourth quar
ter. The visitors got as close
as 18, 53-35. Shay Newberry
led Perry with 14 points while
Burgess finished with 11 and
Brianna Brown eight.
Warner Robins’ Quinshay
Williams had a nine-point
first quarter, 11 for the game.
Lakeisha Colbert added
eight.
“Obviously we want to
move to the point where
we are the team to beat.
That takes a lot of effort and
intensity.”
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