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Sports
Bth-graders
tip it off at
North MS
The North Georgia Middle
School Bth-Grade Tournament
starts at the North Forsyth MS
gym beginning Wednesday and
continuing through Saturday.
Boys and girls teams from South,
North, Otwell, Vickery Creek,
Dawson Co. and Lumpkin Co.
will be participating in the event.
Games start at 4:30 p.m. each day,
except Saturday when the third
place games begin at 10 a.m. with
championships following.
The top two teams receive a first
round bye to Friday’s semis.
Dawson (10-0) and Vickery Creek
(8-2) earned that honor for the
girls; Lumpkin (9-1) and North (7-
3) did the same for the boys.
Wednesday’s action includes
matchups between the 3rd and
6th-seeds in each event, while
Thursday’s features the No. 4 and
5 teams. First-round winners and
the “bye” teams will be matched
in Friday’s semis. Saturday’s 3rd
place games begin at 10 a.m., with
the championships at 12:30 p.m.
Trophies go to the top three
teams, all-tournament players and
Academic Award winners.
Complete matchups - plus last
week’s complete 7th-grade scores,
all-tourney and Academic Award
winners - will appear in the
Thursday Forsyth County News
Sports Extra.
Not a sweep:
FC boys top
War Eagle TVs
Friday night’s basketball
action at SFHS included not
just three South wins, but also a
47-36 triumph for the Forsyth
Central JV boys. Jacob Cantrell
and Nathan Hester led the way
with 14 points each, with four
others netting at least three.
Central led by six after a quar
ter and increased the margin in
the second half. Josh Freeman
led South with 12 points.
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Photo/submitted
Lady Bullpups - 7th-grade girts champs
Front row (L-R): Melissa Cochran, Amy Mohr, manager Anna Franks,
Samantha Key, Whitney Gravitt and Lindsay Wagoner. Back: Ashley Gravitt,
Katie Long, Collette Cochran, Nicole Hamilton, coach Nancy Carter, Misty
Lamb, Katherine Perkins, Angela Kearns and Sara Grizzle.
Lady Pups make
miracle run from
No. 5 seeding
By Jonathan Hamilton
Sports Writer
Calling a team’s championship run a
“Cinderella Story” may seem like a tired
cliche - but how else to describe the
incredible tale of a squad that started a
six-team tourney seeded fifth with a 2-8
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, Photo/Tom Brooks
Hoop it up
Jonathan Chase and Cliff Bowen tip it off In the SFHS Alumni
game Saturday.
Fun for War Eagle alums
By Alton Bridges
Sports Correspondent
Designed for fun - and to see
how skilled those who lit up the
scoreboard in the past are now -
the annual South Forsyth HS
Alumni Game was held
Saturday to preface the JV and
varsity action with Milton.
The game was a lot more fun
on Saturday than it would be on
Sunday, when the sore muscles
and aches would appear just
when the Falcons were getting
This Week in Fishing y/iX
with Ken Sturdivant
RAGE2B
Otwell and North take 7th-grade titles
record?
The Otwell Lady Bullpups got hot at the
fight time of the season - the North
Georgia Middle School 7th-grade
Basketball Tournament. After topping
Lumpkin County Thursday, they stunned
previously unbeaten Dawson County in
the semifinals (29-24) and 7-5 North
Forsyth (29-21) in Saturday’s champi
onship.
“My feet have barely touched the ground
today,” said Lady Bullpup coach Nancy
Carter Monday. “I always had confidence
in them. I just can’t say enough about this
team.”
See GIRLS, Page 2B
beat by the Broncos.
About 15 former War Eagle
eagers showed up and were
divided into the “Violators” and
the “Buccaneers.”
The score was tied until the
last shot when the Violators
were called for goal tending.
The call gave the Bucs a three-,
point victory, 80-77.
Cliff Bowen of the ’,91 War
Eagles, and now a local adult
rec Star, led the Violators with
See SOUTH, Page J2B
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Wildcats - 7th-grade boys' champs
Front row (L-R): Manager Zac Yates, Dusty Holtzclaw, Joel Hensley, Ryan
Wittington, Alex Sexton and manager Nathan Vaughn. Second: Tyler Smith,
manager Zac Dunkerley, Wes Gravitt, William Hansard, Mitchell Meadows,
Adam Teems, Christopher Light and Justin Hamilton. Back: Coach Bill Ruma,
David Patterson and Matt Womack.
County teams
vie for position
in 7-AA race
By Stephen Underwood
Sports Editor
The four teams that advance to the Class AA state
basketball tournament from Region 7-AA may be
determined solely on results from the region tourney
- but who one has to play to make state will be
determined by some very important games in this
final week of the regular season.
There is still plenty to win, and lose, for Forsyth
teams as they play out the final two or three games.
On the girls’ side, battles for first and third took
another twist. With Fannin County surprising No. 3
state-ranked Pickens County in overtime Friday, the
teams are tied atop the 7-AA standings (see graphic
at right) and are likely to finish that way.
While avoiding 7th-place - and a first-round
matchup against the Lady Dragons or Rebels - is the
main key, getting third in the region is still important
to South Forsyth and North Forsyth.
South’s game Tuesday with Cartersville leads off a
week that includes Lumpkin Co. Friday and White
Co. Saturday. The Lady Eagles control their destiny
for third. North has to win one or two and hope for
help. Both need at least one win to avoid the top two.
Central is in the driver’s seat for third in the boys’
race; South has to hope it can win three and that the
Dogs lose at least one. But both will avoid the top
two seeds in the first round and have to contend with
either each other, Gilmer County or Fannin County.
Raider hoops teams fall at Pickens County
By St&phen Underwood
Sports Editor
North Forsyth’s varsity basketball teams each suf
fered losses against Region 7-AA-leading Pickens
County teams Saturday.
The Lady Raiders dropped into a tie for fifth in the
loop with a 77-60 loss to the state No. 3 Lady
Dragons, while the Raider boys were still in search
for their second region win after a 66-42 defeat.
North’s girls still have a good shot at third in 7-AA
if they were able to beat White County Tuesday and
upset Fannin County Friday.
Despite eight big first-quarter points by Cassi
Bennett, North fell behind in the first game 23-10 at
the first break. Pickens increased their lead to 39-20
at the half.
Alison Thomason scored 10 of her game-high 28
Wildcats boys
complete sweep
to the top, 46-22
By Jonathan Hamilton
Sports Staff
Champions are at their best when they
need to be.
So it was for the North Forsyth Wildcats
as they rose to the occasion and brought
home the boys championship of the North
What went wrong
for the Dirty Birds
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Georgia Middle School 7th-grade
Tournament.
After clipping Lumpkin County Friday,
44-37, they overwhelmed the Dawson
County Tigers Saturday, 46-22.
“I am really proud of the kids,” said win
ning coach Bill Ruma, his team finishing
11-1. “They worked hard as a team and
that was the key to our success this year.”
Well, teamwork was an important part,
but good shooting and a smothering
defense didn’t hurt, either.
The Wildcats built a 24-7 halftime mar
gin over Dawson with a sufficating 3/4-
court press and never looked back enroute
See BOYS, Page 2B
—.—
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Standings (thni SatJ
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Cartersville 13-1 15-3 ■
Pickens Co. 13-1 19-2
Forsyth Central 9-5 10-10
7-7 11-9
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White Co. 4-10 6-14
Lumpkin Co. >l2 4-l»
North Forsyth 143 1-20
fZfWc* 7-44 Chwwill
Pickens Co. 13-1 N/A 1
Fannin Co. 13-1 N/A
I
Cartersville 8-6 N/A J
South Forsyth 7-6 N/A
White Co. 7-7 N/A
North Forsyth 7-7 N/A
Gilmer Co. 6-8 N/A 1
Lumpkin Co. 2-13 N/A
Forsyth Central 0-14 N/A
—-
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points in the opening stanza, while Katie Frye had
eight of her 16 in the second.
North outscored Pickens 40-38 in the second half.
Another highlight was a 14-for-14 performance from
the free throw line.
Deidre Lotspeich had seven of her team-high 15
points in the fourth quarter. Bennett wound up with
14, Crystal Carlyle added eight (six in third) and
Stephanie Pass seven (all in fourth).
The Raider boys fell behind by 20 in the first quar
ter, but can take solace in that they were outscored
by just four the rest of the way. :
Marc Shirley led North with nine, while Smiai
Tailant added eight and five others had four each.
With Valorie Bennett netting 26, the NFHS 9tb
grade girls also posted a 48-36 victory. Bennett and
Jacque Stewart combined for 15 in the fourth quartor
as North outscored Pickens 19-5 for the win.