About Lake Oconee news. (Greensboro, GA) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2017)
Justin Hubbard Sports Editor NASCAR format change necessary It’s been a long time since I watched an entire NASCAR race. I believe the last one was the 2014 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr., my favorite driver, won his second Daytona 500 after a six-plus hour rain delay. For many other fans, they’ve been turned off of the product for even longer. A part of me will always love NASCAR, but I must admit my desire to watch it has waned. As a student at UGA, I stood in line for hours several times waiting for the student gates to open so I could scramble toward my pre ferred seat and hope I got there before someone else. I did all that just to stand for another three to four hours watching the actual game. But I’d honestly rather do that than sit comfort ably at home and watch a full-length NASCAR race. The quality of racing is not what it once was, though the last couple years brought slight im provements. Races are too long and drivers often hang around the back for much of the race, trying to avoid trouble, particularly at the two superspeedway tracks (Daytona and Talladega). For the most part, if you watch the final 20 laps or so, you’ve seen the best part of the action. NASCAR’s television ratings have dramatical ly decreased over the last several years because of it. A league that was once able to boast it was the “fastest-growing spec tator sport in America” has struggled keeping its longtime fans around. That’s a problem with no obvious, quick solution. And Dale Jr., the sport’s unquestioned most popular driver, missed most of last season, causing many more fans to tune out. His history of concussions - and age - indicates his time com peting full-time could draw to a close sooner SEE HUBBARD » C4 GREENE COUNTY The Tigers look on in disappointment as the final minutes tick off the clock, sealing their loss to Warren. Justin Hubbard/Staff Greene County boys lose three straight Justin Hubbard justin@lakeoconeenews.us M embers of the Greene County boys basketball team were the last ones to leave the Warren Comity High School gym last Saturday night after losing 75-66. As the players walked out of the visitor’s locker room, all that could be heard was the hum of the school bus awaiting them just outside the doors of the gym. Their mood was somber, understandable after a three-game skid, which followed three games during which they scored more than 90 points. Tigers head coach Steve McNease didn’t even attempt to mask his frustration when asked about the way his players performed during the three-game losing streak after easily winning three games in a Justin Hubbard/Staff SEE TIGERS » C2 Desmond Dunn drives to the basket off a fast break to try and make a layup. MORGAN COUNTY Morgan boys slip to No. 2 in state after losses Justin Hubbard justin@lakeoconeenews.us The Morgan County boys basket ball team is now the second-best team in Class AAA in the state, ac cording to the most recent AJC poll. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution bumped Morgan from the top spot this week in favor of Westside Macon. The Seminoles (15-3 as of Monday) haven’t lost since Dec. 28 and have easily beaten their last three oppo nents, capped off by a 104-58 victory over Kendrick High School. Morgan, however, dropped two consecutive games last week, snapping an 11-game winning streak. The Bulldogs (14-5 as of Monday) lost to Florida-based teams Fort Lauderdale High School, 55-53, and Lincoln, 60-54. Morgan bounced back with an emphatic 101-44 drubbing of Jackson County last Tuesday and an 83-44 win against Franklin County last Friday. The Bulldogs played at Hart County this past Tuesday. They’ll face East Jackson, Putnam County, Jackson County and Monroe Area in the coming two weeks to close out the regular season. Morgan’s girls saw their four-game winning streak snapped last Friday against Franklin County. The Lady Lions beat the Lady Bulldogs 66-61 in a tight affair. The loss was another chapter in the Lady Bulldogs’ up-and-down season. They’ve had multiple winning and losing streaks and struggled to rep licate their success from the 2015-16 season, in which Morgan went 28-2. Fortunately for the Lady Bulldogs, they were third in Region 8-AAA as of Monday. They traveled to face region opponent Hart County this past Tuesday and will play East Jackson, Jackson County and Monroe Area during the final two weeks of the season. Lls?sss& N ' DM All «•*«“!"* 2016 CHEVROLET 27101N!tCorumbiaTStBllMilledgeville CHILPRECHEVY.COM * CHILPRECHEVY.COM * CHILPRECH 2016IIUIPALAS AND AS LOW AS DRECHEVY.COM* CHI LDRFCHEVY.COM *19.995 O I F o 50 m o i m < o o 3
