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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Westfield splits basketball contests with Stratford
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
John Thomas Rust’s 30th and
31st points in Monday’s basket
ball game at Westfield lifted the
Hornets to a 69-68 non-region
win against Stratford Academy of
Macon. It was the third win in
COMING: HC girls and boys finish third, WR fourth at Clayton swim meet, See Saturday’s HHJ for more or visit our website at hhjneyvsxom
OT the name of the game from weekend action
Bears edge Panthers; Panthers edge Demons
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
How evenly matched is high
school basketball in Houston
County? Well, in back-to-back cross
over boys games over the week
end 32 minutes of regulation time
wasn’t enough to decide a winner.
Both of them involved Perry High
School, and the one that went in
the Panthers’ favor - 64-63 - was
at the Warner Robins High gym
Saturday.
At the Perry High gym, it was
Houston County High, as the
visitors, coming from behind to
force overtime and then defeat the
Panthers 64-62.
PERRY-WARNER ROBINS
Panther Reggie Davis hit a short
jumper in the lane with 55 seconds
remaining in overtime for what
would be the game-winning basket
against the Warner Robins Demons.
The home team gave itself a sec
ond-chance at the winning shot
with 16.6 seconds showing on the
clock. But with Davis combining
with Cortez Riley on defense, the
Demons didn’t get another good
look at the basket.
The lead switched between the
Panthers and Demons in overtime
about as many times as it did
in regulation. Kenny Fluellen of
Warner Robins hit the tying basket
with two seconds left in the fourth
quarter to make it 59 all. He then
put his team ahead in the extra
session, 61-60. It went from Perry
being up 62-61 to Warner Robins
taking a 63-62 advantage to Davis
making the last score of the night.
The Demons led by as many as
eight in the second quarter while
the Panthers enjoyed that same
kind of advantage in the fourth.
Fluellen led all scorers with 24
points while Davis was high man
for Perry with 11 points.
Fluellen, in the first quarter,
made two pretty no-look assists on
consecutive possessions. Trevelyn
Williams and Johnny Enos were
the recipients of those passes
with Enos making a 3-pointer for
Lady Hornets' Gilliam signs
with Columbus State
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Five games in one day with a state championship on
the line (three of those games being elimination contests).
A string of 57 straight scoreless innings (give or take an
out).
Kelsey Gilliam has done some quality pitching while
wearing a Westfield softball uniform. Those who saw her
career in high school and travel ball know there’s more to
come at the college level, and Gilliam’s chance will come
as a member of the Columbus State program beginning in
the spring of 2010.
Gilliam signed her letter-of-intent with Columbus State
in front of an assembly setting with her fellow Lady Hornet
seniors and coach Julie Brooker by her side Friday in the
Westfield recital hall.
“Her work ethic and dedication to the sport has helped
her become one of the most dominant pitchers and hitters
to ever play in our league,” said Brooker, a former college
player herself at the University of Georgia. “Kelsey’s tal
ent and ability in both the offensive and defensive facets of
the game are what attracted the attention of the Columbus
State coaches. We at Westfield are very proud of her accom
plishments.”
Gilliam’s role as the ace of the Hornet circle began her
sophomore season in 2006. It was that year that Westfield
won the GISA AAA championship, and Gilliam pitched all
five games from 10 that morning to 10 that evening, some
of the games even, going extra innings.
See GILLIAM, page iB
SPORTS
three games to start the 2008-09
Westfield boys season, and it saved
the Hornets from the embarrass
ment of letting a 17-point third
quarter lead slip away.
Westfield was leading by five,
37-32, at halftime. When Stratford
pulled within two at 39-37, the
Hornets ripped off 15 points in a
Warner Robins’ first lead.
Tevin Riley of Perry answered
with a 3-ball and Cortez Riley made
an open basket to put the Panthers
back on top. Brian Henderson, the
Demon point guard, ended the
quarter scoring off his own steal,
but the Panthers maintained the
edge at 11-10.
With a Davis 3-pointer and
Williams scoring two times, there
were three lead changes early in
the second period. Fluellen and
Tevin Riley later exchanged bas
kets, but it was a Fluellen stick
back from the foul line that put
Warner Robins up five, 24-19, at
3:20.
The Demons were up as many as
eight on yet another put-back for
Fluellen, but the Panthers fought
there way back to within three, 30-
27, at halftime.
Perry scored the first five of the
second half to tie things up 32-32,
Max Vickers hitting a 3-ball at
6:08. Another steal for Henderson
turned into a go-ahead hoop for
T.S. Whitmore, and Fluellen broke
another tie with a 3-pointer (37-
34). But, Tyler Kendrick of Perry
leveled things yet again from out
side the arc.
The Panthers went on a 10-0
run with the Kendrick 3. Point
guard Cornelius Warren put in an
offensive rebound, as did Davis. On
a kick-out assist for Tevin Riley,
Davis also connected from long
range. The lead was as much as
seven, 44-37, but after another
Demon comeback T. Riley ended
the third with a stick-back for 46-
41.
When Josh Leggette of Warner
Robins scored a baby hook on the
boards, it meant another tied score
at 48-all. Quinton Stripling coun
tered on the Perry offensive glass,
but a Whitmore assist to Williams
tied it one more time.
Even an 8-0 Panther run and 58-
50 lead with less than three min
utes to go wasn’t enough. Perry
showed patience with its offense
and got a Cortez Riley offensive
See GAME, page iB
row to lead 54-37. Rust had seven
of nine points in part of the streak
while point guard Casey Young
rewarded Chris Brown’s steal with
an assist back to Brown on the
break.
Stratford, however, brought a
lot of 3-point shooting to the Perry
gym, and shooting like the Eagles
X
“ ■ . j-.-; * y-'-
— * l
. TV
ENI/Gary Harmon
Perry’s Roderick Jones attempts to block the shot of Houston County’s Geo Stotts during the two teams’
game Friday in Perry.
St- •*-A i- f Ipilf'^ i F j
’iff-sir * m **'
ENtyGary Harmon
Westfield’s Kelsey Gilliam signs a softball scholarship with Columbus State during a
ceremony Friday at the school. Lending support are Coaches Julie Brooker and Jeff
Eubanks, front, as well as Lady Hornet seniors.
exhibited was just what brought
it back to a competitive basketball
game. Colby Hinson, Stratford’s
quarterback from football, capped
off a 10-0 run for the visitors that
ended the third at 54-47 Hornets.
While Rust had eight more points
early in the fourth, Hinson and
David O’Shaughnessey combined
SECTION: B
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008 ♦
for three 3-pointers to bring the
Eagles within one, 59-58, with 5:30
remaining. When Rust brought his
game total to 29 points, it was
the last time the Hornets would
change the scoreboard for almost
four minutes of game action.
At the three-minute mark,
See WESTFIELD, page 3B
Lowndes
wins HC
Bear Duals
From staff reports
Lowndes High, in what is
certain to not be its first
tangle with Houston County
High, won the 2008 Houston
County Bear Duals on
Saturday by defeating the
host Bears in the champion
ship finals.
Rutland High, which was
in the five-team pool with
Houston County, came in
third.
There were 10 teams
in all competing, includ
ing Northside and Warner
Robins, both of whom are
also a part of the wres
tling Area 1-AAAAA with
the Bears and Lowndes.
Northside went 2-2 in its
pool matches while Warner
Robins struggled at 1-3.
For Houston County
and first-year coach Mike
Malcom, three wrestlers
won all five matches. Tyler
Heck was 5-0 at 140 pounds,
. See DUALS, page jB