About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 2023)
ft FAYETTE COUNTY OPORTS Wednesday, February 22,2023 Fayette County News B1 Fayette Boys Beat Whitewater for Region Championship Special to FCN It was a cat fight for the region crown, with the Fayette County Tigers surging in the second half to fend off the Whitewater Wildcats 72-61 for the re gion boys championship. “It feels good, especially with this young team,” Fayette Coach Andre Flynn said of winning the region title with a team starting three sophomores. “It’s been a process. It’s been a very enjoyable process. I don’t think anyone ex pected it after we lost Kaleb (Banks to the Uni versity of Indiana), but they pulled together. They work really hard.” The first half was a bat tle. Whitewater jumped out to an early lead, shak ing off an RJ Kennedy and one dunk, to go up 13-7. The Tigers clawed back to tie it at 15-15 after one quarter. The second quarter continued the back-and- forth as the lead traded hands several times, with Fayette leading 32-30 at halftime. The Tigers knew they were in a fight from the feisty Wildcats, and Flynn urged them to keep their confidence in the second half. “We were pressing a lit tle bit. I told them, ‘Don’t get frustrated’,” he said. “Once we started rolling, it’s tough to stop us.” The team responded with an 8-0 run out of the break, and they built a double-digit lead over the course of the quarter. Bar ron Ofosu hit a three- pointer late to pull Whitewater back within 53-39 heading into the fourth quarter. Braeden Ofosu started the fourth hot, scoring on a three-point play, then notching a steal and dunk to get within 13. Fayette kept them at arm’s length though, even with three- pointers coming from Bar ron Ofosu and Ashtain Preston, to win 72-61. Sean Van Dorn dropped a double-double for Fayette with 27 points and 20 rebounds. RJ Ken nedy posted 28 points, five rebounds, and three as sists. Christian McAllister chipped in 10 points. Barron Ofosu led the Wildcats with 20 points, and Braeden Ofosu fol lowed with 13. Seyi Dara- mola added 10. The Tiger boys host New Hampstead in round one of the state playoffs, while Whitewater hosts SE Bulloch. The Fayette County Lady Tigers finished as re gion runner-up, dropping a close game to Trinity Christian, 46-44. Trinity dominated the first quarter, building a 16- 3 lead. The second quarter started to tilt a bit back in the Tigers’ favor. Deyla McCoy scored four straight points with a drive to the hoop and a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to 18-8 at halftime. The Tigers kept coming after the break. An even scoring load with buckets from Megan Ohonde, An drea Hope, and Kylah Hall tied the game at 21-21, and Emily Nwuha scored three times in a row as the Tigers pulled in front by four. Trinity fought back, but a Bri’Ann Freeman basket in the paint made it a 31-30 Fayette lead heading into the final frame. Trinity got hot, swing ing in from 42-39 heading into the final minutes. Ohonde and Nwuha scored on putbacks to pull in front 43-42, but the Lions surged ahead. The Tigers had a shot to tie it at the end, but their free throws with fractions of a second left would not fall. With the loss, the Lady Tigers enter the playoffs as a two seed where they host Islands in round one. The Starr’s Mill girls also qualified for the play offs as a three seed. They travel to play Wayne County. Sean Van Dorn dropped a double-double with 27 points and 20 rebounds. Submitted Sandy Creek Sweeps Region Titles Special to FCN It was a Sandy Creek sweep as the Patriots de fended their home court to win a pair of region cham pionships on Feb 16. The Lady Patriots fended off a fierce foe, beat ing the Carver Panthers 51- 46. “It feels good, of course,” Sandy Creek Coach Tishay Lewis said of winning a re gion title. “These girls worked hard, so it feels good to have something to cele brate.” Sandy Creek dominated the first half. Janae Walker capped it with a steal and bucket in the waning sec onds to lead 30-17, but Carver would not go away. The lead dwindled to single digits midway through the third quarter, and a Walker and one was needed to keep the Patriots ahead 41-33 heading into the final frame. They were able to fend off Carver down the stretch, thanks to a few key buckets. Shayla Cox hit a three- pointer to stay ahead 45-34, and Walker sank a pair of free throws to lead 51-40 with under two minutes to play. Carver added a pair of buckets late, but Sandy Creek’s defense held them off at the end to win. Janae Walker led the way with 24 points, 16 of them coming in the second half. Shayla Cox and Jaylyn Durham each added eight points. The Lady Patriots enter the playoffs with a 15-11 record. They host Adairs- ville in round one of the state playoffs. “They’re moving the ball. They’re passing the ball a lit tle bit better,” said Lewis. “We’ve still got a few things that we need to work on, but we’re pulling it together slowly but surely.” The Sandy Creek boys rolled though Cedar Grove in the late game, 76-52. The sixth-straight region championship is something the team doesn’t take for granted, even as they have won 80 region games in a row. “It feels great to win the region title again. I never take winning things like that for granted or overlook it,” said coach Jon-Michael Nickerson. “We don’t wake up for these early morning workouts and practices for nothing. We appreciate any thing and everything we earn. The Patriots raced out to a 9-0 lead, then withstood a brief Saint rally. Vic Newsom capped the quarter by beating his man off an iso play and dropping it in with a finger roll to lead 23-10. They kept firing, using late three-pointers from Amari Brown and Newsom to build a commanding 37- 23 halftime lead. The second half was more of the same as they put the game out of reach after the break. It was a balanced attack, as Amari Brown led with 19 points, followed by Vic Newsom with 18, Micah Smith with 17, and Jaren Al exander with 10. The Patriot boys enter the playoffs 21-6 overall. They host Ringgold in round one. They’ve been the top- ranked team in Class AAA all season, and they have the elusive first state champion ship dead in their sights. “This team is tough. They play extremely hard, and they are always striving to play for one another. Our practices have been ex tremely competitive and heated,” said Nickerson. “We just have to continue to focus on the present day. Tomorrow can wait. Take care of the present is our mindset.” Fayette's Flynn Nets 500th Win It was a historic night for Fay ette County basketball. On top of winning the region champion ship to continue a streak of 23- straight state playoff appearances, boys’ Head Coach Andre Flynn notched his 500th career win. “Itfeels great. I had no idea,” said Flynn. “I appreciate all the guys that helped me get to 500, all the players and all the coaches. It’s great, but it’s a team thing. ” The win over Whitewater ran Flynn’s career record as a coach to a remarkable 500-201. Mon-Sat: 10-7 • Sun: 12-5 35 Hudson Plaza • Fayetteville Michael’s Shopping Center 770-460-7511 www.PlayltAgainSportsGa.com Golf Equipment For All Skill Levels
