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thesylvaniatimes.com The Sylvania Times Wednesday, March 20, 2024 - Page 3
TENNIS TEAMS ROLL INTO REGION TOURNAMENT
LADY GAMECOCKS STEAMROLLED
THROUGH LAST WEEK
GAMECOCK NETTERS WINNING
STREAK AT FOUR
Steamrolling their way to three 5-0 wins
last week, including two of their three regular
season region matches, the SCHS Lady
Gamecock netters of Kyle Reynolds improved
to 8-5 overall, 2-0 in 3-A Dl. Scheduled to
finish region play when Bryan County came
to the SCHS courts yesterday, the team awaits
its next matches in the region tournament in
Claxton on March 26. The Lady Gamecocks
will be shooting for their fourth consecutive
region title.
While it was not quite as dominating as
their previous region win over Metter, it was
still decisive as the Lady Gamecocks whipped
homestanding Claxton 5-0 last Friday. Lyla
Johnson (6-1, 6-2), Caroline Boswell (6-0,
6-1), and Emma Rose Griner (6-3, 6-0) won
easily at singles while the doubles teams of
Garyn Howard/ Jayla Lovett (6-1, 6-0) and
Nicole Zheng/ Ryland Reynolds (6-1, 6-4)
finished the sweep
Opening region opponent Metter provided
the Lady Gamecocks with little opposition in a
5- 0 straight set win on March 12 on the SCHS
courts. It was Johnson (6-0, 6-0), Boswell (6-
1, 6-0), Griner (6-2, 6-2), Kerrigan Bogart/
Reynolds (6-2, 6-2), and Howard/Lovett (6-0,
6- 0).
A trip to Wrightsville on Wednesday to face
the 2023 Class A D2 state mnner-up Johnson
County Lady Trojans saw the Lady Gamecocks
return home with an impressive 5-0 win. JoCo
did graduate three seniors but there are still a
number of returnees. Winning were Johnson
(6-1, 6-4), Boswell (6-0, 4-6, 12-10), Griner
(6-1, 6-1), Bogart/Reynolds (6-0, 6-0), and
Howard/Lovett (6-1, 6-0).
With the region tournament coming up
next week individual records for the Lady
Gamecocks have Johnson at 9-4, Boswell at
10-3, and Griner at 7-6. All three have started
every match at their respective singles slots.
Five players have participated in combinations
of seven different doubles teams, combining
for a 14-12 record. Most of the season has
seen Howard, Lovett, Bogart, and Reynolds,
but Zheng moved into the lineup in Claxton.
The third doubles team of freshman Aleyiyanna
Blount and sophomore Nicole Zheng battle.
Zheng moved to number two last week (photo by
Dana Doss)
Freshman Caroline Boswell (10-3 at #2 singles)
hands the ball off to Burke County's Bridgett
Sloop (photo by Dana Doss)
Junior Tucker Thomas (6-5 as part of four doubles
combinations) reaches for a forehand (photo by Dana
Doss)
Winners of four straight to raise their
record to 8-5 on the season, the SCHS
Gamecocks of Kyle Reynolds gained
shutout wins in their first two region
matches last week. Bryan County was here
yesterday for the final regular season 3-A
Dl match before SCHS hosts the boys
region tournament on March 27. On that
date the team will be looking to claim its
fourth consecutive region title.
Avoiding the rain to finish their second
region match of the week, SCHS faced
Claxton’s homestanding Tigers who were
unable to fill a full lineup as they had no
number two doubles. The Gamecocks
lost but one game as singles players John
Boswell, JD Hall, and Noah Boykin all
won kby shutout while Josh PateFWhit
Morgan were 6-1, 6-0 winners.
The region lidlifter on March 12 went
exactly as expected, an absolute cakewalk
for the Gamecocks. Winning 60 of 62
games, the Roosters claimed three 6-0, 6-0
wins - Boswell, Hall, and Patel/Morgan -
with Boykin and Bo Doss/Tucker Thomas
each losing a single game. In their pair
of region matches last week the Red and
White won 108 of 111 games played.
In Wrightsville on March 13 the
Gamecocks faced a nonregion Johnson
County Trojan team that reached the state
quarterfinals in Class A D2 in 2023 and
used two third set tiebreakers to claim a
3-2 win. While the very ending was rather
anticlimactic, a 6-4, 6-0 win by Boykin at
number three singles, the overall match
was very entertaining for fans. JoCo won
the first two matches completed with
Boswell falling 5-7, 3-6 and two doubles
(Thomas/Michael Weaver) falling 2-6,1-6.
SCHS won the remaining three matches,
including three setters for Hall (6-3, 4-6, 12-10) and PatePMorgan (5-7, 6-4, 10-3) and,
when Boykin won, the Red and White had a three set win.
Through the team’s 13 matches records show Boswell at 7-5, Hall at 9-2, and Boykin at
8-2. Nine different combinations of doubles teams have been fielded by Reynolds using
Boykin, Morgan, Thomas, Patel, Weaver, Kade Chandler, and Doss. The nine different
teams have struggled to a 13-12 record.
Freshman JD Hall (9-2 mostly at #2) prepares to return
a volley (photo by Dana Doss)
ALAILAH SCOTT NAMED GBCA ALL STATE
SCHS senior Alailah Scott was named to the Georgia
Basketball Coaches Association All State team last week. She
led the team in scoring this season with a 15.8 ppg average.
She finished her career with 928 points and 145 three-pointers,
second best all time (photo by Francina Sanders)
RED AND WHITE COMPETE
IN FIRST TRACK MEET
After a lengthy wait the SCHS
Gamecock and Lady Gamecock track
teams opened their 2024 season last
Thursday in Metter. The teams will be
back in action tomorrow in Claxton
beginning at 3:30. Last week’s meet
included SCHS, host Metter, and
Jenkins County. In their opening meet
each team finished third.
First place finishes for the boys went
to Amaree Bulloch (1st in the 400
with 51.08), TaCorey Grant (tied for
1st in the high jump with 5-10), and
the 4x1 relay (44.4). Jordan Gresham
was second behind Bulloch in the 400,
Luke Sowell was second in the 1600,
Grant was third in the long jump, AJ
Beths was third in the 200 and second
in the high jump, and Braylan Brown
was third in the 300 hurdles.
Leading the way for the Lady
Gamecocks, who picked up a trio of
first places were Jaliah Roberts (1st in
the shot with 30-8 and 1st in the discus
with 81-5) and Brianna Roberts (1st in
the 100 hurdles at 17.66). Others who
gained points for SCHS were Gabby
Jackson (3rd in the shot), Kaziah
Kirkland (3rd in the high jump),
Jasiya Webb (2nd in the 400), and the
4x1 relay of Jaliah Roberts, Brianna
Roberts, Kiarah Scott, and Webb.
AR&UNJM MORE ON REGION PLAY,
THE H&M
MARCH MADNESS
AND FILLER
The three week Region 3-A Dl baseball schedule
that consists of three, three-game series, got started
last week and, if anything was learned, this is going
to be an interesting schedule. Our washout in Metter
on Friday could make it really, really, interesting. That
make-up game, sometime after the final regularly
scheduled region game on March 29, could decide all
sorts of things, possibly every spot in the standings.
Claxton, outscored 120-4 by the three current members
of 3-A Dl a year ago, pushed Bryan County (6-5 and
8-4) in two of their three losses to the Redskins last
week. They could be a spoiler. Something to look
at, I just don’t believe that anyone is going to rough
roughshod through the region, 7-2, if Claxton pulls an
upset (just not against us), might do it. When I write
for the paper next week the season will be two-thirds
over and when you read that paper, except for make
ups, the season will be 89% over. Man time flies in
four team regions. We do thank Savannah High for not
fielding a team to complicate things Augusta-style.
You will read more about this in the April 3
Sylvania Times after the tennis teams have won their
fourth consecutive region titles on March 26 (girls)
and March 27 (boys). Do you realize that the tennis
teams have gone unbeaten in region play during the
four years in Class A? That trend may continue for the
2025 and 2026 seasons as well. We will see. Can’t
count those Cockerels and Pullets until they hatch.
Neither tennis team has lost a region match since
April 1, 2019. On that date the boys lost the 3-AA
tournament semifinal to A. R. Johnson Magnet and
the girls lost the 3-AA tournament championship to
Davidson Fine Arts. Both of those were stunners.
Metter is in the driver’s seat in soccer and
Woodville-Tompkins is probably going to be the odd
team out at playoff time for the second season in a
row. The final playoff arrangement is going to come
down to the last day - Tuesday, March 26 when we
go to Metter and Claxton goes to Bryan County. We
currently sit in fourth place; a position to which we
are very unaccustomed. Now healthy, I look for us to
finish strong. A repeat championship is going to be
very, very tough. Look for some tie breakers to enter
the picture after that last day. In a tie, the things to
remember are head-to-head, goals allowed in head-to-
head, and goal differential in head-to-head (maximum
of three goals per game). There are more.
Well March Madness is upon us. Who do you
have? Who do I have? I have no one in particular. An
underdog is always a lot of fun - a 16, a 15, or even a
14 seed. My big line is just not someone from the Big
Ten or the northeast. The SEC is preferable. A team
from the swansong season for the PAC 12 is okay too.
Burton Kemp
Unless otherwise noted all
articles in Sports are written
by Burton Kemp, Sports Editor
My wishes are the same for girls or boys. It would
be fun to see the Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV return to
prominence, but not this season.
Professional baseball season is upon us again. The
Braves are stacked and sure to make the playoffs.
Hopefully they won’t go cold all at one time again. As
I still have DISH and they do not carry Bally Sports,
my chances to watch the Braves will be few and far
between. Colleges are into conference play at this
point. If their first series is any indication, GSU is not
going to be a strong contender in the Sun Belt. Maybe
come tournament time things will start to click. UGA
softball is very, very strong, ranked 5th as I write
this. Unfortunately Oklahoma is number one. Did
you notice that Sun Belt member Louisiana Lafayette
ended the Lady Sooners winning streak?
You can tell by the content of some of the paragraphs
in this column that it was another one of those week’s
with nothing in particular jumping into my head. The
playoff talk is maybe a week early. The late, greatest
of Gamecock athletic fans, Carol Schroeder often told
me that she depended on my column to understand
how the future playoff scenarios looked for the various
sports at SCHS. I always say that I never know just
how many or how few folks read my column. I always
knew that she did.