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♦ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008
2B
Lady Bears, Demonettes post wins over Lady Panthers
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Both Tom Mobley and Sid
Baxley always got to sit back
and watch Greg Nix coach
high school basketball teams
from the bleachers.
This year, they are find
ing out what it means to
match wits with the former
Houston County High boys
boss. Though both Mobley’s
Warner Robins High’s and
Baxley’s Houston County
High’s girls basketball teams
were victorious against Nix
and his new Perry High Lady
Panthers, the veteran coach
es saw it won’t be easy hav
ing Nix as an adversary.
“They never gave up. They
never quit,” said Baxley after
Friday’s Lady Bear win, 74-
47, at Perry High. “It was
sloppy, but we’ll take it.”
Kim Warr, Houston County
sophomore and new starting
point guard for Baxley, had 21
points and nine steals. Alexis
Hewitt, the senior leader at
center, had 16 points while
Natalia Stevens had nine.
Lay Lay Rountree scored
23 for the home Perry Lady
Panthers. Rountree in fact
got the game going with con
secutive 3-point field goals.
Hewitt countered those
scores with two stick-back
buckets, but she had to sit
with two quick fouls with
two minutes left in the quar
ter. It was a steal by Warr, an
assist for Sharonda Aldridge
and Jayde Sparks basket
that gave Houston County
the lead for good at 7-6.
Perry’s Destiny Duhart
GAME
From page iB
rebound, and Ryan McGhee’s
quick penetration got him an
assist to Roderick Jones.
It was a span of 10 sec
onds for Warner Robins to
get a stick-back for Williams
and Leggette steal and assist
to Fluellen to make it 58-
57. The Panthers’ struggles
at the foul line (one make
in three late tries) set up
Fluellen’s tying shot.
Williams had 10 points
for Warner Robins. Tevin
Riley and Kendrick each
had nine while Cortez Riley
and Warren each scored
seven. Warren also had four
steals, and Leggette had four
thefts. ,
For Perry it was the third
win of the season against the
one loss to Houston County.
The Demons left home still
looking for the first win; they
fell for the second time this
season to Dublin High on
Friday, 77-59, at Dublin.
HOUSTON COUNTY-PERRY
In a well-played contest
by both sides, it was reserve
senior Brandon Scott who
made the difference for the
Houston County Bears in
overtime. The lead between
the Bears and home Panthers
Northside girls, boys fall to Peach; off to 1 -3 start
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Don’t be too concerned
about the 1-3 start for the
Northside High girls bas
ketball team. Head coach
Cassandra Wilson came into
the season with plenty of
returning starters, only none
of them are starting at the
GILLIAM
From page iB
For 2006, Gilliam was 16-
8 with 122 strikeouts and a
1.35 earned run average. The
following year the ERA went
down to 1.04 as she went 12-
6 with 109 whiffs.
In her recently completed
senior year, the two-time
Region 3-AAA Player of the
Year, with the help of her 57-
inning scoreless streak, set
career marks with 19 wins
and a 1.03 ERA.
Also in her senior year,
Gilliam turned things
on at the plate to become
Westfield’s top offensive
threat. She hit .436 with 18
runs batted in.
“I got a really good offer,
kept it a one-point game on
the offensive boards, but with
a Warr assist to fellow sopho
more Krisit Malohi in the
paint, the Lady Bears were
up 13-9 after one period.
Both Warr and Erin Powell
scored on steals to begin the
second quarter. It was a steal
from Michaela Harris, assist
for Jasmine Bowman and
basket for Stevens that put
Houston’s girls up 22-13. Tae
McGhee of Perry answered
a 3-ball from Warr with one
of her own to end the half,
the Lady Panthers trailing
by eight 27-29.
After cooling down for the
rest of the half, Rountree was
back with a 3-ball to open
the third quarter (29-22 HC).
Warr was still making things
tough on defense with two
steals, a basket for herself
and an assist to Sparks in
an 11-0 Lady Bear run (41-
22). Warr also hit from long
range, but only after Perry
got a steal from McGhee
and back-to-back scores by
Rountree.
Stevens’ end-to-end basket
after a steal put Houston up
20, and the quarter ended at
52-30.
Nix and the Lady Panthers
weren’t through playing,
however, as after a timeout
in the fourth they went on a
10-0 run capped by a McGhee
3-pointer (55-40 HC). Sparks
broke the string with 4:50
remaining on the offensive
boards. Perry wouldn’t let
the Lady Bears run much
time off either as Rountree
got her team one last field
goal on a steal.
changed hands four times.
Scott was responsible for
two, once on the offensive
boards (61-60), and with just
over a minute left he put in
his own steal to win it.
Actually, another reserve,
Buddy Bivins, had as much
to do with the win with, with
20 seconds to go, he took an
inbound pass and ran off lots
of time with great dribbling
on the move.
Kendrick gave the Panthers
one of their OT leads with a
nice reverse lay-up driving
the baseline, and the other
with a second-chance shot off
penetration.
Houston County’s scor
ing was spread out among
Brandon Davey with 14
points, Jarrid Nunn with 13,
Roger Stanton with 11 and
Geo Stotts with 10.
Perry got 18 points from
Kendrick, 17 from Jones and
nine from Davis.
Kendrick in fact had five
quick points to start the
action leading Perry to a 10-
2 lead. The Bears answered
with 10 in a row, five com
ing from Nunn and two on
a turnover basket by Stotts.
On a steal by Jones, Perry
got the lead back from out
side the arc and maintained
it, 15-14, going into the sec
ond period.
Stanton and Cortez Riley
exchanged 3-point baskets
moment due to injury.
The Lady Eagles lost at home
Saturday to Peach County,
which came after a one-point
loss to the Lady Trojans in
Ft. Valley last Tuesday. Also
in that record in a two-point
loss at Savannah High School
to open the season.
So for now Wilson is relying
on freshmen and sophomores
and they have a very good
program,” said Gilliam
about her decision to attend
Columbus State. “All the
girls are really nice.
“(The coach) said I will
have to work my way up and
I have to give everything I
have. If I can show that I can
do it, I’ll be pitching a lot. He
said if my hitting’s real good,
I’d get (to bat).”
That coach is Brad
Huskisson. The upcoming
2009 season will be his first
full year as Columbus State
head coach after previously
serving as an assistant.
Gilliam’s, rise to the level
of college prospect began at
the age of 4. She got her first
invitation to play travel ball
with the Georgia Heat at age
10. One would be surprised
The Lady Bears returned
home on Tuesday and
improved to 2-1 by beating
Starr’s Mill 47-33.
PBnY-VIMRNER ROBiIS
Warner Robins’
Demonettes, coming off a
thrilling two-point win, 56-
54, on Friday at Dublin High,
improved to 4-1 on Saturday
by topping the Perry Lady
Panthers at home 63-45.
Danielle Gazaway had 22
points, Kenyona Armstrong
had nine points and Courtney
Johnson eight.
Perry got 17 points from
Rountree and 12 from Tiffany
James.
Just like in the game with
Houston County, the Lady
Panthers looked to estab
lish an outside game early
and got the first 3-pointer to
fall from McGhee. Gazaway
came back with two fast
break assists to Johnson.
While Warner Robins used
the press to get early turn
overs, it was Perry turning
that around with takeaways
in the half-court zone. It led
to a Courtney Clowers steal
and four points for Rountree.
McGhee’s steal and score put
her team up 9-7.
The Demonettes closed the
quarter on a 7-2 run that
featured a Gazaway end
to-end hoop and stick-back
for reserve forward Jilesha
Orange. Warner Robins led
14-11 and didn’t trail again
the rest of the contest.
With Gazaway and
Quinshay Williams lead
ing the transition game, the
home team built a nine-point
in a quarter where the lead
changed hands five times.
Kendrick grabbed several
offensive rebounds in the
game; he scored on one for
one of those changes at 28-26
Panthers.
Another player to make
a sudden impact, Houston
County’s Vince Stewart had
four points and a steal in put
ting the Bears back in front
30-28. Despite Cortez Riley
and Davis scoring on stick
backs, the Panthers were
down 34-32 at the break.
How many times did the
lead change hands in the
third quarter? Five. Jones
got that show started with a
3-pointer (35-34), but Nunn
countered with three points
the old fashioned way.
Davis threw the ball to
Jones in the post for an assist
and connected on a 3-pointer.
For Houston, Stanton cashed
in on Bivins’ steal and assist
while Stotts had a lob assist
to Davey.
Perry took the lead into
the fourth, 51-49, as Jones
crashed the offensive glass
after a Houston turnover.
Jones also blocked six shots
in the second half and over
time.
The Panthers led as much
as five, 57-52, on Vickers’
second-chance score. Stotts
cut it down to one, 57-56,
by also converting a second
to get her through these inju
ry problems, which include
two knees and a back issue.
She hopes to get her regulars
back by tfre time Region 1-
AAAAA games begin on Jan.
6.
The Northside boys dropped
to a similar 1-3 mark with
Saturday’s 69-56 loss at home
to Peach County. Coach Ken
just what it is she relies on
as her dangerous “off-speed”
offering.
“I have seven pitches,” she
said. “My best pitch is prob
ably my knuckleball. That
throws them off a little bit.”
Part of Gilliam’s devel
opment as both a pitcher
and a hitter is weekly visits
(“almost every Wednesday
night”) the last seven years
to northern Atlanta for
instruction from Erin Ball, a
former college pitcher.
“She helps with funda
mentals. If I’m doing some
thing wrong, she’ll correct
me,” said Gilliam. “I have
a hitting coach, too, Laurie
Shepherd. I see her after I
pitch eveiy Wednesday. She’s
a big influence.
“My other influences would
SPORTS
mmr'
ENl'Gary Harmon
Houston County’s Jayde Sparks drives to the basket as Perry’s Jasmine Davis and Lay
Lay Rountree trail. The layup was part of action between the two teams Friday at Perry.
edge. Jasmine Davis of Perry
had two steals in the quarter
with both she and Rountree
getting points. With an
Armstrong 3-pointer, Warner
Robins led 26-19 at the half.
Perry was only down
three early in the third on
a Rountree trey (26-23 WR).
. The home team broke it
open, though, on a 7-0 run
capped by Williams’ score
and steal of an inbound
pass. At 1:15 of the quarter,
Diamond Hudson hit a 3-
' ' '
ENI Gary Harmon
Houston County’s Jarrid Nunn shoots a long two in the Bears’ game against the Panthers
Friday at Perry.
chance. Perry, in the last 91
seconds, was l-for-4 at the
line. Though Houston also
missed two free throws late,
Price reported a staggering
8-for-28 showing at the foul
line for the Eagles in addition
to several missed lay-ins.
“We were just out of sync,”
he said. “I guess we were ner
vous playing our first home
game.”
Greg Fields had 15 points
while Major Linwood and
Kenya Ward each had eight.
be coach Brooker and my
travel ball coach Jeff Pope.
He’s really good.”
Gilliam won two national
tournaments while with the
Georgia Heat to go with her
state high school title.
The future for her is
wide open even beyond the
four years she’ll give to the
Columbus State program.
She has an interesting pri
mary choice of academic
studies, but she’s also aware
of the post-collegiate playing
opportunities and the chance
to provide the same men
toring that benefited her all
these years.
“I’m thinking about major
ing in criminal justice,” she
said. “That’s subject to
change. I’m not sure yet.”
ball, and Nevia Lewis took in
a steal with 29 seconds to go
(39-31 after three).
Gazaway and Hudson
nailed from long range early
in the fourth. It was a 17-
point game, but Perry got as
close as 12,49-37, with a steal
and assist from Rountree to
James. Johnson answered
that with a put-back to start
a 7-0 spurt.
• In the Demonette vic
tory against Dublin Friday,
Gazaway had 23 points and
it was Stanton scoring the
tying hoop, 58-58, with two
seconds showing in regula
tion.
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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Warner Robins led 22-21 at
halftime. Mobley said the
team was down six, though,
with two minutes left in reg
ulation.
The comeback was sparked
by defense and steals.
Lakeisha Colbert tied the
game at the foul line, and
then made the clutch steal
with 30 seconds remain
ing. Mobley called for a play
isolating Gazaway, and she
responded with a five-footer
at seven seconds.
• The Bears improved to
3-0 overall on Saturday with
a 64-53 win at home against
Starr’s Mill.
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