About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2023)
FAYETTE COUNTY Wednesday, February 1,2023 Fayette County News B1 Special to the FCN The Starr’s Mill girls and McIntosh boys com pleted a season sweep in round two of the basketball Battle of the Bubble on Saturday afternoon. In the opener, the Lady Panthers ramped up the defensive pressure, pulling away in the second half for a 56-36 victory. McIntosh opened the game strong. Led by nine points from Kendall Davis, McIntosh led 14-6, but Brooke Godown hit a three-pointer to trim the gap heading into the sec ond quarter. The Panthers stayed hot, using treys from Jack- son McDaniel and Ali Mor rison to swing in front. Sunny McQuade scored nine points in the first half to take a 27-21 lead into the break. McIntosh tried chip ping away at a double-digit deficit with a Shanyah Brown putback and a Jayla Jackson corner three- pointer. A pair of McKinley Heiden three-pointers cooled their momentum as Starr’s Mill led 45-33 head ing into the final frame. The Panthers kept pressing on defense, keep ing the Chiefs from getting into a rhythm offensively, and they pulled away down the stretch to win by 20, 56-36. Starr’s Mill was led in scoring by Godown with 11 points. McQuade scored nine, and Heiden and Gabby Roach each added eight. The win runs the Lady Panthers’ record to 12-8 overall. Davis led the Chiefs with 18 points. Brown scored nine, and Jackson added seven. The loss drops McIn tosh to 8-13 overall. In the boys’ game, McIntosh made its money in the paint, powering to a 68-51 win. The Panthers had no answer for McIntosh’s big- man duo of Uche Iloh and Theo Elwell. Their blend of size, quick feet, and pass ing made the pick and roll deadly all night. Scott Stevens hit a pair of three-pointers early for Starr’s Mill, but the Chiefs still built an 18-8 lead after one quarter. Jeremiah Williamson added another Panther trey to pull within seven, but an Elwell to Iloh alley- oop was an emphatic an swer. Both sides heated up from long range as Cayden Olvey and Stevens hit for the Panthers, but Landon Dolhancyk and Jack Zene- bis countered for the Chiefs. Brandon Cheri drilled a buzzer-beating three to send his team into halftime ahead 33-25. McIntosh brought the fireworks to open the sec ond half. Iloh threw down a pair of thunderous dunks to bring his student section to their feet, and Elwell converted a three-point play to bump the lead into double digits. Tyler Mull- ner drained a three-pointer to help push the Chiefs to a 51-34 lead heading into the fourth. The Chiefs kept their ri vals at arm’s length down the stretch, sealing a 68-51 non-region win. Iloh and Elwell each scored 23 points. Iloh was 10 of 11 from the floor and added 12 rebounds, four , Starr's Mill Split Battle of the Bubble Bound 2 Above and below, Uche Iloh sends the student section into a frenzy with a thunderous dunk. A 11 B assists, and five blocks. El- chipped in nine points, is 15-7 with eight straight well also posted nine re- Brandon Cheri posted victories, bounds and three blocks, eight assists. The loss drops Starr’s Landon Dolhancyk With the win, McIntosh Mill to 6-15. Above and below, Brooke Godown led Starr's Mill to victory with 11 points. Jayla Jackson goes up for two over a defender.
