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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Lady Hornets overcome new TSA players
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Taking on Tattnall Square
Academy and its new players
transferred in from Westside-
Macon, Westfield’s girls basketball
team held on for a 64-61 Saturday
Eagles score comeback win on Aussie guests
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
The Northside High community wanted Trinity
Grammar School’s basketball players and coaches
from Sydney, Australia, to enjoy their stay in the
International City, but not that much.
On the Eagle court Monday in Warner Robins,
Northside outlasted Trinity 65-55 after trailing
for almost three-fourths of the game. The Eagles
held Trinity without any points until there was
3:09 left to play, but Northside had already surged
ahead behind the offensive rebounding prowess of
center Pierre Solomon.
Trinity had just 10 players in uniform for the
varsity game, but was handling the full-court
pressure from Northside’s deeper roster and
running up leads in double figures. The Eagles,
however, cut it down to a 49-45 game, and forced
four turnovers to begin the fourth quarter. With
Trinity’s 6-6 center, freshman Phil Chircu, on the
bench, Kenya Ward penetrated to the basket to
tie the game 49-49 at 5:52.
Chircu returned to the court, but it didn’t deter
guard Major Lynwood from taking the ball to
the hole and giving Northside the lead for good.
Trinity had another pair of forced turnovers,
and it was Solomon taking over on the offensive
glass. He had six points build the insurmountable
advantage.
Solomon scored 14 points as did Eagle backup
guard Dejuan Mitchell. Greg Fields had 11.
Chircu was one of three players for Trinity to
score 15 points. Nikolas Miljkovic, a 6-3 junior,
and Harry Shields, a 6-2 junior, were the other
two.
Once both teams heard the national anthems
of each country represented, Trinity sprinted out
to a 15-4 lead in more than three minutes. K.J.
Morton, coming off the bench, hit a 3-pointer and
made a steal in Northside’s response, a 7-0 run.
Freshman Lewis Chu of Trinity and Mitchell
exchanged 3-point makes, but it was Chircu’s
two cuts into the lane (plus a block) and Shields’
reverse lay-in driving baseline, that staked the
visitors to a 28-14 lead after one period.
Northside’s pressure got Solomon two field
goals in the second, and with steals from Fields
and Demario Black Trinity didn’t score for almost
three minutes. Chircu reestablished himself on
both ends and lifted his team to a 35-26 lead at
the half. It could have been worse for the Eagles
as Trinity missed eight foul shots.
Kenny Carroll’s 3-pointer in the third pushed
the Australians to a 42-30 advantage. While they
moved the ball well and scored against the Eagle
defense, the home team struggled from outside
until Morton and Mitchell combined for five
perimeter points.
See EAGLES, page jB
■ < ■ ■!
Perry’s Michael Walker is fouled as he shoots in the Panthers’ game at home against Worth County Friday.
Bears stay unbeaten sweeping WR, Panthers
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Heading into its annual
Chick-Fil-A Bear Brawl, the
Houston County High boys
basketball team improved
in Macon to improve to 3-2 on the
season.
“In 22 years, she’s the best
I’ve coached against. We couldn’t
stop her,” said Lady Hornet boss
Jeff Eubanks about “Peaches”
Campbell, one of those former
to a perfect 5-0 with week
end wins against county
rivals Warner Robins High
and Perry.
The Friday game at
Warner Robins High also
meant a 1-0 start to Regioh
SPORTS
OF
I ill ’
ENI/Gary Harmon
Northside’s Greg Fields goes in for a layup as a Trinity Grammar School player attempts a
block. The action was part of a game/visit hosted by Northside of the Australian school.
1-AAAAA for Jody Dean’s
club. The Bears won that
one 87-80 with four players
scoring in double figures.
Geo Stotts had 18 points,
Brandon Davey 17, Buddy
Bivins 15 and Jarrid Nunn
Westside players who had 34 points
in Saturday’s contest. Farron
Harris, a new point guard for
Tattnall Square, had 14 points.
Westfield countered with 15
points and 15 rebounds from fresh
man post player Jeannia Rust and
12.
. Bivins, starting at point
guard for Dean, came back
on Saturday with 20 points
as Houston topped the Perry
Panthers 71-57.
See BEARS, page 6B
12 points (3-for-5 in 3-pointers)
from Sheldon Hiley. Haley Way,
with four clutch foul shots in the
fourth quarter, also scored 12.
“I didn’t know how good they
were,” said Eubanks, again prais
ing Tattnall’s new additions.
Old digs, new team
Nix's Lady Panthers
top HC in Bear Den
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
It really didn’t matter to
Greg Nix that the game was
in the Houston County High
Bear Den, his home for sev
eral years of his basketball
coaching career.
The Perry High Lady
Panthers, his current team,
needed a win. They got it,
65-53, against the Houston
County Lady Bears Saturday
thanks to strong outings
from Lay Lay Rountree and
Kenisha Wilson.
Perry’s girls won for the
first time since opening the
season with a victory against
Hawkinsville at home on
Nov. 25. In between were
five straight losses, includ
ing a home game against
Houston County on Dec. 5.
“We’ve been getting bet
ter,” said Nix.
Rountree had 13 points,
nine assists and four steals.
Wilson, in the post, regis
tered a double-double with
15 points and 10 rebounds.
Netting 10 points each were
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2008
Tattnall was coming off a Friday
loss to Deerfield-Windsor, and the
Lady Hornets took advantage of
severed two-foot or closer shots in
the first quarter to lead 17-6 after
eight minutes.
See HORNETS, page 6B
Demons
swim to
first at
Eagle Invite
Special to the Journal
Warner Robins High
School’s boys swim team
(47-4) placed at the Eagle
Invitational Saturday at
Fort Valley State University.
The Demons, who improved
to 47-4, had 84 points. The
field consisted of 18 teams
from throughout Georgia.
Northside High from
Columbus was second with
81, while East Coweta had
77 and Bainbridge High had
71.
The relays combined
accounted for 36 points. The
Demons won the 200 Free
Relay with team members
Michael Gregory, Jordan
Car huff, Stephen Persson,
and Jackson Smith.
“This year we have a depth
of swimmers with at least
nine guys who can sprint a
50 in 26 seconds or less, said
Coach Barb Hawkins. “We
are trying to find the top
four who can consistently
swim the 50 in 24 seconds.
Smith was the leading scor
er by earning a second place
in the 200 IM and a third
in the 100 Back for a total
of 13 points. Paul Poorman
finished strong with a third
in the 500 Free and a fourth
in the 100 Breastroke for 11
points.
Gregory scored 9 points in
the 100 fly and 50 free with
Carhuff bringing in five
from the 200 Free. Richard
Skillen earned four points
and a personal best in the
200 Free while Stephen
Persson had three points,
and Bill Hops 2 points.
The Demonettes (42-8)
placed third with 67 points
See SWIM, page 7 B
Destiny Duhart and Tae
McGhee.
“Lay Lay wants it,” said
Nix. “She had a lot of help
tonight. She was making
good passes, and Wilson and
Duhart all finished strong at
the basket. That made the
difference. We played good,
tough defense and rebound
ed the ball.”
Diamond Holmes, off
the Periy bench, had eight
points and eight rebounds.
For the Houston County
Lady Bears, Natalia Stevens
had 14 points and Kim Warr
13 as the young guard combi
nation for coach Sid Baxley.
Alexis Hewitt had 11 points,
eight in the first quarter.
Foul trouble made the senior
center a non-factor in the
final three periods.
That first quarter was a
big Hewitt show, however,
as she converted assists
in the post for back-to
back baskets. Warr and
Stevens worked together
for another in an opening
See TEAM, page 6B
5B