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Jrsyth County News-Friday, January 15,1999
Revenge!!
NF girls
smash
Lady Cats
By Alton Bridget
Sports Correspondent
The North Forsyth Lady Raiders
basketball team defeated the
Gilmer County Lady Bobcats, 62-
49, Tuesday night at home to
improve their Region 7-AA
record to 4-4 and overall record
to 9-7.
It was a sweet win for North,
coming just a few days after los
ing to the Lady Cats in Ellijay
Friday night.
The Lady Raiders were leading
by just two points going into the
last quarter, but were able to
outscore Gilmer by 11 points to
insure the victory.
In the last quarter, Lauren
Gaines and Jennifer Stewart hit
early baskets to increase the lead
by six, before Amanda Parker hit
a field goal for the Lady Cats.
Immediately, Gaines answered
with a triple and Stewart had
another basket to give the Lady
Raiders a seven-point lead.
In the quarter, Gaines had seven
points, Crystal Carlyle had five
and Stewart four. Julie Hicks,
Cassie Bennett and Deidre
Lotspeich had two points each in
the quarter.
“Tonight everyone played well,”
said Tracey Tipton, coach of the
Lady Raiders. “Everyone hustled
and everyone contributed. I like
for our team to have a balanced
scoring attack.”
“Also, some of the players who
normally do not come up with big
plays and big points when we
See NF GIRLS, Page 2B
ka;'jg';sjag
SF boys move' up. Dogs drop in 7-AA race
Overtime
loss at home
painful for
Central
By Stephen Underwood
Sports Editor
Fighting for a share of second
place in the Region 7-AA stand
ings, the Forsyth Central boys
basketball team couldn’t quite get
over the hump Tuesday night at
home.
The Bulldogs went into their
matchup with Cartersville with a
chance to move within a game of
the top, but could neither hold an
8-point lead forged early in the
second half or turn the tide when
they had the chance to at the end.
The result was a disappointing
56-54 overtime loss that dropped
them to fifth in the loop behind
the Purple Hurricanes, Pickens,
South Forsyth and Fannin
County.
“You have to give Cartersville a
lot of credit,” said Central head
coach Greg Dirst whose team
dropped to 5-3 (6-8 overall).
“They came in here with eight
players (two, including a starter,
were out sick) and whipped us.
We played hard ... but we
couldn’t stop Chris Dietsch or Tie
Fezzia.”
Dietsch couldn’t buy a basket in
the first half, going l-for-8
against the Bulldog *D’, but came
back to finish with a game-high
See FC BOYS, Page 2B
Season-best effort buoys Lady Dogs
despite 67-45 loss to Cartersville
By Stephen Underwood
Sports Editor
They may not have won, but the progress made
by the Forsyth Central girls basketball team
Tuesday night against Cartersville was unmistak
able. And it added up to their best game of the sea
son.
Make that best quarter, best half and best game.
Held in the 20s or worse for total points in many of
their games, the Lady Bulldogs exploded for 21 in
the third quarter alone - also marking the first time
they had outscored an opponent in a quarter.
That they lost 67-45 seemed of less consequence
at the end than the fact that they actually netted 45
Another super fall
for Forsyth County
teams and athletes
By Stephen Underwood
Sports Editor
Sixth in a series
The fall was once again exciting
as county football, softball and
cross-country teams excelled.
August
22nd - The South Forsyth
softball team gets the year off to
a successful start by winning the
10-team Forsyth County
Invitational. They come back
from the losers’ bracket and win
three straight, including two from
Gilmer County. Forsyth Central
wins three of five and takes
fourth.
22nd - Hundreds of young
sters fill Raider Valley for the
Forsyth County Youth Football
Association’s annual preseason
jamboree..
The Great 8 and the
NFC & AFC title games $
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_ . . Photo/Stephen Underwood
Bruising action
Central’s Brent Howell (23) and Travis Elmore (50) try to battle
the Hurricanes underneath.
points. The strides were big for coach Steve
Barnes’ squad.
Capable senior Amanda Coffield stepped up and
led the barrage, scoring eight of her team-high 16
points in the third period. Her game total included
four 3-pointers, two of them in the third.
Lora Raines got four of her eight points in the
same stanza, and Darla Smith had all four of hers.
Samantha Schupp got another triple in that quarter
and finished with five. Ashley Hawkins and Kelby
Pruitt totaled three each for the game.
“It was definitely the best game so far,” confirmed
Barnes. “I’m proud of what they did. They moved
See FC GIRLS, Page 2B
26th-27th - Central softball
has one of its best games of the
season, overwhelming South 17-
1 after losing to them Saturday.
The Lady Eagles top the Lady
Dogs in a 9-8 thriller the next
day. North Forsyth also opens
with a sweep of Cartersville,
beginning what will be a state
championship campaign.
28th - Forsyth’s varsity prep
football teams open with the
annual preseason jamborees.
North plays at Duluth, South at
Crawford County and Central in
Rome.
September
lst-3rd - North sweeps South
in a softball home-and-home to
take control of Region 7-AA. The
next day, the Lady Raiders beat
Central with a 17-run fourth
See REVIEW Page 3B
ts
. Photo/Tbm Brooks
Tough IT
AN a part of the War Eagle defense, Taylor Ownbey (16), Mark Nash (24), Lance Callas 56)
and Doug Gibson (6) try to stop Hart County. The South gridders were definitely one of the
highlights of the Forsyth fall sports scene.
Monster buck shot
in Forsyth
PAGE3B Qi
War Eagles drill Warriors
to move up to 3rd in loop
By Alton Bridges
Sports Correspondent
“This was the best game we
have played all year,” was the
way South Forsyth War Eagles
basketball coach Richard Porter
described his team's 57-46 vic
tory Tuesday night.
This was the first time South
had won in Cleveland since
Porter took over. With the victo
ry, South is now 5-2 in Region
7-AA (5-10 overall) and moved
into third-place with Forsyth
Central’s loss to Cartersville.
Johnny Jimenez scored 16
points and Derek Drew and
Austin Burger - the latter back
after missing a couple of games
- scored 14 points each.
“We got behind early because
White County started off hot,”
said Porter. At the end of the
first quarter, the War Eagles
were down 17-10, but by half
time they had closed it to two.
White County was ahead 29-
27 starting the third quarter
when South’s defense took con
trol of the game. “In the second
But a heartbreaking loss
suffered by Lady Eagles
By Alton Bridges
Sports Correspondent
“White County played at the
top of their game,” said Debbie
Blake, coach of the South
Forsyth Lady War Eagles after a
heart-breaking 60-59 loss to the
Lady Warriors in Cleveland
Tuesday evening.
The loss dropped the Lady
War Eagles’ record to 4-3 in
Region 7-AA. The visitors had a
chance to establish themselves
in the No. 3 spot in the loop, but
instead are now in a huge pack
for3rd-7th.
Katie Vaughan led the team in
scoring with 19 points. Lisa
Sibenaller had 14 points and 13
rebounds. Jennifer Thompson
had 12 points and Jacquelyn
Evans had eight.
“We had the consistency in
scoring that I like to see,” said
Blake. “When everyone con
tributes, we normally win. It’s
just that White County moved
their game to a higher level in
half, and especially in the third
quarter, we picked up the tempo
on defense,” Porter said. “We
would get up by 13 or 14, and
they would hit a 3-pointer.”
The Warriors had ten 3-point
ers in the game.
But the War Eagles shot 57
percent from the floor in each
half. “Drew and Burger were
hot,” said Porter, “not playing
did not seem to bother Burger.”
Josh Campbell added seven
points to the total, Justin White
four and Josh Tyson two.
“I was happy with the win and
the way the kids played,” said
Porter, “but after the game the
officials came to me and said
that they enjoyed calling the
game because our kids were a
‘class act.’ It makes me proud to
know that others notice what a
great bunch of kids we have.”
Porter also complimented the
officials, “They didn’t call many
fouls,” he said. “They let both
teams run and play and that’s
what the game is about. It was
See SF BOYS, Page 2B
the first and last quarters. They
are to be congratulated.”
South got off to a slow, .start in
the first quarter and trailed 18-
10 at the buzzer. In the second
quarter, the Lady War Eagles
scored 20 points and their
defense held the Lady Wriors
to just 13. At halftime, White
County led by just one point,
31-30.
At the end of the third quarter,
South led by scoring 15 points
while their defense held White
County to 12. South went into
the last quarter leading 45-43,
but White outscored them 17-14
to win the game.
“We played well, but came up
just a bit short,” said Blake. “I
don’t like to make excuses, but
we still have not gotten over the
Christmas Holidays. Going 11
days without a game is too
much. We looked good at times
and other times, we broke down.
In the next couple of games, we
See SF GIRLS, Page 2B