Newspaper Page Text
a The Houston Home a
Journal
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19,1990-SECTION B
r 4 _
i*'
Mark Blumen
HHJ Sports Writer
It's Christmas
tournament
time again
Last year 1 did my first Christmas
basketball tournament and I thought
I would have had enough basketball
to last a lifetime.
Well, the lime has come for an
other basketball tournament at
Perry High School and I've already
witnessed enough basketball to last
at least half of a lifetime.
But, I'm enjoying it and the tal
ent in this year's tourney seems to
be better or at least comparable to
last years.
Although Warner Robins lost
three players off of last years team
(Paul Hibbitls, Zcdrick Womack
and Diamond Neely) and Central
again looks to be the favorite in the
boys bracket, in this type of tour
nament anything can happen.
1 don't sec too many upsets hap
pening, but one thing is for sure;
All the games will be real
competitive and should go down to
the wire.
Perry could play the role of
spoiler especially with die addition
of Ken Sikes back in the lineup.
I've talked with Coach Carl
Thomas Monday afternoon and he
feels this may or may not be a good
tournament for Sikes and backup
point guard Sterling Hayward.
Both have been out for a few
games. Hayward with the flu and
Sikes with... Well, I won't go into
that.
They both will be a little rusty
when it comes down to it and may
be just a tournament to work them
back into playing condition.
It should be a basketball lovers
dream.
Many people should show up (I
hope so because I've always said
basketball is a fans game and teams
play belter with the crowd support.
Especially if it's the home crowd.)
and hopefully Perry can gel back on
the winning track.
In the girls bracket. Southeast
returns all three of the girls from
last year’s tournament and should be
the odds-on-favorite to repeal as
champions.
Dodge County is in this year's
tournament and should be a con
tender.
Coach James Kinchcns squad
made it to the finals in last years
contest and provided he gels the
added support from his players other
than Deidre Williams, he could
make it there again.
Northeast comes in with a super
star of their own, Yolanda Chester.
They may be a sleeper in the
tournament and Peach County has a
star of their own in Natalie While.
All in all, the whole tournament
will be a sight to see.
My predictions for the tourna
ment will be Central and Dodge
County in the championship for the
boys and Dodge County and
Southeast Macon in the girls finals.
Dodge County will hold true to
form and upset Central. This will
be the second year in a row that the
mighty Chargers have fallen in the
Championship.
I'm looking for Southeast to
make it two in a row for the ladies.
I just hope Perry can make it to
the third place finish in both the
boys and girls action.
If both squads play the way they
know how, this is not 100 unlikely.
Thomas added that his squad
turned the ball over 37 times
against Dodge County on Saturday
and if they do this, they may be in
the fifth place game as they were
last year.
A couple of wins for the team
and all will be forgotten about the
1-4 start the team has gotten off
100.
A couple of losses and people are
going to be talking about the team
Please see BLUMEN, Page 4B
Panthers fall victim to Crawford Co.
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Journal photo by Mike E. Terry
Ken Sikes and Tazari Green go for the blocked shot on
the Crawford County player. The Panthers lost 74-70.
Christmas tournament in full swing
NORTHEAST MACON
Boys bracket
TUB. 5:30
PEACH CO.
THU. 5:30 THU. 8:30
CRAWFORD CO.
TUE. 8:30
PERRY
sth SAT. 8:30 ISt
SAT. 2:30 SOUTHEAST MACON
WED. 5:30
WARNER ROBINS
FRI. 5:30 CENTRAL MACON FRI. 8:30
WED. 8:30
SAT. 5:30
DODGE CO.
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Journal photo by Mike E. Terry
Lady Panther Deidre Williams goes over the Crawford
County players for two of her game high 15 points.
Perry sports
Complete coverage of Perry High, Westfield, Recreation leagues & Outdoor news
Panthers improve on perimeter despite
loss in the Christmas tournament opener
By MARK BLUMEN
Sports Writer
For the second year in a row the
Perry High School Panthers lost
the opening round game in the
Christmas Crossroads Invitational
tournament game.
This time the Crawford County
Eagles came to town and look a 74-
70 victory to advance to the win
ners bracket Thursday evening.
The game was not without con
troversy throughout and when Mar
vin Stokeling’s basket with eight
seconds left in the contest was nul
lified Panther Head Coach Carl
Thomas was irate.
Perry trailed 72-67 with one
minute to go when Ken Sikes' 3-
pointcr, his third of the game,
brought Perry within two and the
Panthers got the ball back on a
traveling violation.
Stokcling scored on a driving
basket but the official waved off the
basket and tony Gibson connected
on two charity losses to seal the
victory.
Perry came out in the first period
and jumped out to a 17-11 lead
when Sikes hit with three seconds
left.
With 7:09 left in the first half,
Setarvin Jackson connected to give
Lady Panthers bench outduals
Crawford County in tournament
By MARK BLUMEN
Sport* Writer
The Perry High School Lady
Panthers opened with the Crawford
County Lady Eagles and with the
help of their bench and a 15-5
fourth period, look a 57-36 victory
Tuesday night in the Christmas
Crossroads Invitational Tournament
at Perry High School.
Perry could not shake the pesky
Lady Eagles from Roberta and held
a slim 9-5 lead at the end of the
first period.
All of Perry's scoring in the pe
riod came from Deidre Williams.
With 7:16 left before intermis
sion, Lekeshia Whitest hit the first
Perry basket by someone other than
Williams.
Albertina Davis answered with a
jump shot of her own and Perry led
13-5, but again the Lady Eagles
would not let up.
Crawford County answered with a
6-0 run to close the gap to 13-11.
and with 2:15 left had tied the game
at 15.
Perry promptly went to work
without the services of Williams.
"I don't like to make excuses because I could rational
ize and that's what I'm doing. I'm rationalizing these
losses. But, one time it was 25-5 in free throws. I don't
know how it ended up,"
Panther Head Coach Carl Thomas
Perry their largest lead, 10 points,
at 21-11.
Tazari Green scored to make the
score 25-18 with 5:35 left in the
half, but Crawford County went on
a 9-0 run led by five points from
Reginald Battle.
Sikes' three point play staked
Perry back to a five point lead at
32-27 with 2:35 left before inter
mission but Perry did not score the
rest of the half.
Perry led by a slim one point,
32-31 going into the loekerroom.
In the second half, Perry tried to
use their inside game, but Stanley
Smith answered Perry basket for
basket.
Smith scored 21 of his game
high 27 points to keep the Eagles
close.
"We made him look belter than
he was because of the foul trouble
we got into," Thomas said. "But,
he was a good ball player.
Dodge County/Central are
dubbed odds-on-favorites
By MARK BLUMEN
Sports Writer
For the second consecutive year,
Coach Randy Brown's Central Ma
con Chargers have been dubbed fa
vorites or at least co-favorites of the
Christmas at the Crossoads Basket
ball tournament.
Eight teams will vie for the title
with Central Macon and Dodge
County being the favored.
Last year, Brown's team went
into the tournament only to fall to
Warner Robins in the champi
onship.
Teams entering this year are
Peach County, Crawford County,
Warner Robins, Southeast Macon,
Northeast Macon, Perry, Central
and Dodge County.
Perry High School Head Coach
Carl Thomas feels the first game
between Dodge and Central could be
the pivotal contest.
"The other side of the bracket
should be the stronger bracket,"
Thomas said. "This ought to be
just an outstanding first round game
right here between Central Macon
and Dodge County. Those teams
played each other for years, but this
year they are not playing each
other, this will be their only lime
to play each other. I thought Dodge
County had the best athletes we
She was again in foul trouble had
been on the bench since the 6:08
mark of the quarter.
Perry went on a 10-1 run with
Chasity Thornton, Jhene Edes,
Bonita Billings, and Denise Hickey
all throwing in baskets.
Thornton had two in the spurt
while Hickey's came at the buzzer.
"One thing we tried to play some
of the young kids, just to gel them
out there and let them play. I
thought Chasity played good com
ing off the bench," said Perry High
School Lady Panthers Head Coach
James Kinchcn. "I thought all of
them played well coming off the
bench."
In the third period, Perry kept the
lead at eleven points throughout as
the Lady Eagles kept coming back.
When Allison Colbert hit a bas
ket with 4:00 left in the period,
Perry's lead was shaved down to
five at 29-24.
Davis' 3-pointcr built the lead
back to 11 at 40-29 with 50 sec
onds left in the half.
Edes again connected for her sec
ond basket with three seconds left
Smith and Gibson continued t
bring the Eagles back when Pen
would build the lead back to sou
points.
Sikes' 3-poinl basket with 6:o'
remaining in the third period gav
Perry a 40-36 lead but Smith tie
the game at 42 and Crawford look
five point lead late in the period.
Smith opened the lead to fiv
with a basket with two minutes k
in the third but two Derrick Ltl
wards baskets and a Sterling Hay
ward 3-pointer tied the contest ;
50.
Smith made two free throws i
four attempts to put Crawfoi
County on top 52-50 heading inti
the final frame.
The fourth quarter was a see sav
affair with neither team mountiiij
and holding a lead.
The game was tied twice and tin
Please see OPENER, Page 4P.
played against this year, Central not
withstanding."
The two teams will meet tonight
(Wednesday) at 8:30 p.m.
"They (Dodge County) had three
horses, Wilcox and this King kid
and Etheridge and their other ones
did a fine job loo," Thomas added
"But, those three kids can play.
They are a good pressing team.
This game is going to come down
to who can handle each others
press. Central has a ball handler
(Marcus Little) that is probably
good enough to beat it on his own
through dribbling."
Perry hurt Dodge County with
the press although the Indians made
some adjustments and came back to
rout the Panthers.
Thomas feels if Dodge Count>
can beat Central's press than th
Indians should win the game. II
they can't, Central will win it," he
added. "But, that's going to be a
good ball game."
Southeast is another team that
may prove to be a sleeper in the
tournament.
"They started off like a house on
fire, but Central Macon blew them
out Saturday night, just beat them
like a drum," Thomas explained
Please see TOURNEY, Page 4R
in the period and Perry led 42-31
heading into the final frame.
The bench proved 100 much for
the Lady Eagles in the fourth quar
ter as Perry went on a 10-3 run to
open the period and finally the
game was out of reach.
"Dec got in foul trouble so we
had to have some other help. We
got to have somebody else that can
play when she is in foul trouble,”
Kinchcn said. "We had problem
with man defense. They have a.
scrappy little team. 1 can't under
stand why they haven’t won any
ball games."
Perry was led by Williams' 15
points while Crawford was led by
Donna Grace with 10 points.
Perry now will move on to battle
Peach County Thursday at 7:00
p.m. in the second round of the
tournament.
Perry - Williams 15,
Thornton 12, Whitest 5.
Edes 4, Billings 2, Hickey
2, Ragln 3, Kendrick 6
Davis 8