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BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 6B
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016
High School Basketball Previews: Bethlehem Christian Academy
BCA boys hope mixture of experience, youth is the right recipe
LOOKING FOR BETTER THINGS
Bethlehem Christian Academy boys basketball coach Mike Elmankabady,
seen here talking with his team during a game last season, said the Knights
have shown improvement heading into the 2016-17 campaign. File photo
By Scott Thompson
Sports Editor
Bethlehem Christian
Academy’s boys basket
ball team had plenty talent
last year, but playing cohe
sively was often a chal
lenge. according to coach
Mike Elmankabady.
Heading into this season,
which opened Monday,
Elmankabady has already
seen positive signs from a
team trying to improve on
a 2015-16 campaign that
saw it miss the GISA Class
AAA playoffs.
“I think we’re a scrap
pier team and much more
intense than we were a
year ago,” Elmankabady
said.
“Our defensive intensity
is much better and if we
can do a much better job
on that end of the floor and
do a better job of sharing
the basketball and getting
good ball movement when
we have possession, we’ve
got a chance to be a much
better team.”
The 2016-17 Knights
are a mixture of experi
ence and youth as they are
replacing six seniors from
last year’s squad.
Senior guards Michael
Tuscano and Chase Rose-
land are returning starters,
and senior Tristen Green,
last year’s sixth man, will
start at the post.
“Tristen is one of our
team captains, and he’s a
very scrappy and feisty
player.” Elmankabady
said.
“One of the main things
we lack as a team is size
overall, but he’s got that
ability to jump and do
some good things for us in
the paint.”
The Knights also gained
a pair of Apalachee trans
fers in brothers Drew and
Ray Peevy.
Both will be starters,
and Ray Peevy. a freshman
point guard, has already
caught Elmankabady’s
eye.
“He’s come in from day
one and done some very
good things,” Elmankad-
bady said. “He’s got a ton
of natural ability. We’re
really excited about his
youth and how far he’s got
a chance to go.”
The Knights also have a
handful of seniors expect
ed to give them minutes off
the bench, including Tan
ner Still. Austin Bennett
and Tim Baldwin.”
“We’re still senior-heavy
when you start going down
the bench, but we’ve got a
few young guys there as
well who are also going to
have to contribute.”
But even as there’s opti
mism the Knights can go
further this year, they’ll
still have to navigate a
tough Region 1-AAA,
which includes powers like
the Heritage School and
Holy Spirit Prep.
“Both those teams have
always got a great crop of
players, and they both have
got distinguished coach
es who are well known
through the AAU ranks,”
Elmankabady said. “Then
you also have Loganville
Christian and Trinity,
Sharpsburg, who should
be pretty good, too.
“If we shoot the ball well
and continue to play smart,
aggressive defense, we feel
like we can compete with
any of those guys.”
BCA girls look for more consistency on both ends of floor
By Scott Thompson
Sports Editor
Offensive consistency
and confidence were prob
ably the two main things
lacking last year for Beth
lehem Christian Acade
my’s girls basketball team
last season.
The 2015-16 campaign
saw the Knights win only
five games and be elimi
nated in their region tour
nament.
“We definitely had way
too many turnovers in cru
cial spots during games,”
said BCA coach Karen
Parker, whose team opened
its season Monday.
“We need to be able to
do a better job of shooting
this year, and a lot of that
means taking shots. We
had opportunities last year,
but the not the confidence
to take that shot when we
could have.
“I feel like this year will
be different, and our girls
are more apt to have that
confidence in their abili
ties.”
The Knights return three
starters from last season,
but other than that, a whole
slate of new faces is com
ing in.
“But those new faces are
bringing with them a lot
of speed, which is a good
thing for us,” Parker said.
Leading the charge will
be senior point guard Bai
ley Brown, the Knights’
leading scorer from a year
ago.
“She’s a very good
ball handler,” Parker said
of Brown. “She is very
fast and will be our cap
tain throughout the year.
I wouldn’t expect her to
come off the floor hardly
any unless she just gets
into foul trouble. She’s
really what makes us go.”
Sisters Catherine and
Rebecca Doolittle, junior
and freshman, respectively,
will also start at guard for
the Knights.
“Catherine is a great
scorer, but she’s also a
great passer so she will be
one of our assist people,”
Parker said. “Rebecca is
very fast. She can han
dle the ball well and has
shown some really great
shooting abilities from the
perimeter in practice.”
Rounding out the start
ing lineup will be forwards
senior Braylyn Shepherd
and sophomore Olivia
Morgan, who cracked the
rotation down the stretch
last year after a string of
injuries.
“Braylyn is a great
rebounder who can put the
ball back, and Olivia has
been showing a lot of good
things in practice,” Parker
said.
Stella Byrd. Katherine
Gano and Callie Birt are
expected to be the main
contributors off the bench
for the Knights, who have
only had a chance to have
their entire team together
in the last couple of weeks,
BIG ASSIST
BCA junior Catherine Doolittle will be one of the Knights’ top passers return
ing to the team this season. File photo
Parker said.
“We face a lot of teams,
especially in our region,
that play club ball all year-
round together,” Parker
said.
“We’re a smaller school
than most of the teams in
our region, and several
of our girls play multiple
sports so it’s harder to be
prepared when the season
rolls around compared to
some of the bigger schools
in our region.
“I think we’ve got a real
ly good chance, though, to
fare better this season.”
LEADING THE WAY
BCA senior point guard Bailey Brown will be a key
part of the Knights’ offensive plans. File photo
ATHENS
Bon w
ORTHOPEDIC CLINIC
~ _r_
K
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t ■
Dr. Fields
Dr. Fields is an Orthopedic Surgeon, who received his
medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia.
He completed his residency at West Virginia University,
Morgantown, West Virginia. Dr. Fields did a fellowship
in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopic Surgery at the
Orthopedic Research of Virginia.
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