Newspaper Page Text
PHS to defend title—2C
Perry sports
Hornets fail in their bid to upset Tattnall Trojans
Westfield
flies by
Monroe
By MARK BLUMEN
Sports Editor
After playing two games with
Monroe Academy and winning by
one point each time, the Westfield
Hornets took advantage of early
foul trouble to the Mustangs big
men and used 28 points from Andy
Sparrow to take a convincing 70-63
victory Thursday night at Monroe
Academy's home gym in the semi
finals of the GISA 2AAA region
playoffs.
The lead grew to as many as 21
points in the fourth period but the
Hornets running style of play let
the lead slip down to eight late in
the game and only a 3-pointcr from
Monroe's Micheal Cromer with one
second left gave the Hornets their
seven point victory.
Scott Lcverctt gave the Mustangs
an early 2-0 lead but Wade Hardy
and John Lambcrth scored on suc
cessive possessions to give the
Hornets a 4-2 lead.
the lead changed hands eight
times the rest of the period and was
tied on four occasions.
Westfield led 16-15 on a John
Gamble basket with less than 30
seconds in the period and the Mus-
Please see MONROE, Page 5B
W-ZL
W
Mark Blumen
HHJ Sports Editor
Westfield is
. ready for
state titles
It's press day and again I'm pon
dering what to discuss this week.
But, when I got to thinking
about the things going on in the
sports world here in Perry, I think
about the Hornets challenging for
the GISA AAA state title.
On Thursday, the Hornets pulled
off a great win on Monroe's home
floor and now they have to battle
mighty Tattnall.
Tattnall had their problems with
a pesky Mt. DeSales team on-
Thursday evening but Westfield has
had their problems with the Tro
jans.
Although this game is for the re
gion AAA championship, Westfield
will reach the state playoffs because
four teams advance.
The Hornets will have to battle
some of the nonregion teams next
week in the state playoffs held at
Stratford and Tattnall.
As I have said numerous times,
come tournament anything can
happen.
As far as the Lady Hornets go,
the team is playing at a .761 pace
(16-5) and that is trully phenome
nal.
I talked with Bert Brown on
Thursday evening and he was talk
ing about John Milledge and Wind
sor.
John Milledge is the defending
AA state champions and return all
their starters.
That impresses me but when a
team is hungry for a championship
anything can happen. I think coach
Campbell’s team is hungry for the
title and it's playoff time so
"Anything can happen."
In state's tournament it usually
does. All that has to happen is for
one player to get injured or another
team get a hot shooting night from
one of their players.
Against Tattnall, Friday night,
the Lady Hornets showed they could
play with any one winning against
them rather convincingly.
Congratulations on the region
championship.
|Bpi Agt '' 'Hfi' ft '' ’
> wk. f
aslMMMiaiig fl :ii Iff
' v ' If | -if H A
' 'V/* > y Js -ftpH % fj it :
m ... ■ 4 *
ft AL l wjjr J itl'
M? -m _ f fl| n
T>L.
M a
m /’* * 1- 4 ♦ ♦ ||P ’
Journal Photo by J.J. COOPER
Wade Hardy looks for someone to dish the ball off to in the
Hornets 70-63 victory over Monroe Academy Thursday night.
ta| BNMHI 1 MHB
, I m
The Lady Hornets celebrate a region championship
Friday night after defeating Tattnall Square 48-39.
Panthers open their 1991 track season
By MARK BLUMEN
Sports Editor
The Perry High School Panthers
track team is getting set to defend
their 4AA region championship
from the 1990 season.
Perry has 18 participants out for
the team with many more expected
to come out Monday but returns
almost the entire team that placed
second in the state championships
of a year ago.
Perry lost their top 400 meters,
200 meters and 400 meter relay
man, Forrest Johnson but returns
100 meter runner Ralph Thomas.
Thomas placed second in the state
championships last year as a fresh
man and should be a favorite to win
it this year as a sophomore.
Thomas will also compete in the
200 meters for the Panthers this
season to help fill the void left by
Johnson.
Perry will have a new coaching
staff this year with Max Vickers
and Glover Gibson sharing the du
ties with the boys track team and
Richard Jordan taking over for Ron
Wilson with the girls squad.
Tony Thrift will again assist the
field events and athletic director,
John Stephens will help as well.
Saturday, <i q
Feb. 23,1991 I D
The Panthers lost to Fitzgerald
61-56 in last year's championship.
Perry fell behind by 30 points
heading into the running events be
fore rallyirfg to drop a five point
decision.
Perry, as was the case with last
year's squad, will be real strong in
the running events but may be a
little weak in the field events.
"We have a complete team from
last year but they are the ones that
were on the second team," Gibson
said. "The main relay team, we
only have one returning and that is
Ralph Thomas."
Perry lost Darrell Johnson, For
rest Johnson and Avery Richardson
to graduation.
Ortiz Smothers of the 110 meters
hurdlers transferred to Macon
County.
"We're still weak (in field
events). We were weak last year and
we're going to be weak this year,"
Gibson added. "Jimmy Dunlap is
our standout and Carlos (Lester) is a
new comer and he'll be able to help
us out."
Others that will participate in the
field events are George Francis and
Check best fishing times—3C
Size advantage
aids Tojan win
By MARK BLUMEN
Sport* Editor
The Westfield Hornets fought an
uphill battle all evening, but in the
end the Tattnall Trojans used 31
points from Michael Deason to up
end the pesky team from Perry 75-
61 in the region 2AAA champi
onship game Friday night in
Forsyth.
"We did a heck of a job. I'm
proud of the way the kids played,"
said Hornets Head Coach Cater
Pierce. "We did a lot better than we
have in the last three or four years
and being number two isn't that
bad."
Westfield opened the game with a
basket from Joey Hawk but Tattnall
went on a 9-0 run to open a 9-2
lead with 4:38 left in the first pe
riod.
Hawk answered with two charity
tosses and after a Deason basket,
Wade Hardy hit a 3-pointer to pull
Westfield within four at 11-7 with
3:18 left in the quarter.
Westfield trailed 19-11 heading
into the second period.
the Hornets could not gain any
ground in the second period as Tat
tnall opened a 32-21 lead before
John Gamble cut the lead to nine
with 1:48 left in the half.
Andy Sparrow's basket with 57
seconds left had Westfield still
Tattnall went on a 9-1 run to
Lady Hornets use defense
to claim region championship
By MARK BLUMEN
Sports Editor
The Westfield Lady Hornets used
a good strong defensive stand in the
fourth quarter to preserve a 48-39
victory over the Tattnall Lady Tro
jans in the region 2AAA champi
onship Friday night in Forsyth.
"It was a very defensive game in
the fourth quarter," said Lady Hor
nets Head Coach Donna Campbell.
"They were getting only one shot.
Horsting and Santiago did a good
job on the defensive boards."
Westfield led 39-33 heading into
the final period as Erica Graham hit
a shot just before the four seconds
third period buzzer.
Tattnall shaved the lead to four
on a Skye Davidson basket with
6:56 remaining.
Christi Horsting answered with
one free throw but on her next at
tempt after the ball sat on the rim
for a few seconds, Tabatha Goss
knifed between the Lady Trojan de
fenders, grabbed the rebound and
drew a foul.
She converted both tosses with
6:12 left in the period. That would
be the last time the Lady Hornets
would score until 1:52 left in the
game.
Jarvis Felder in the high jump, and
Darrell Passinault, who has not re
ported to practice yet, will compete
in the poll vault as well as Randy
Mizell.
Mizell is currently on the Pan
thers baseball squad.
In the hurdling events Perry re
turns Alex Lane, Rico Simon and
Chris King.
"Last year we breezed through the
region with no competition," he
said. "Probably it was a disadvan
tage when we got to the state. In
Ralph's case, he had no one to push
him except may be Jackson and
they only met one time. I think
this year we'll have stiff competi
tion."
Perry will compete in four relays
as opposed to the two of last year.
The coaching staff is hopeful of
many more to compete. Gibson
added that some of the ones that
would be a welcomed addition are
Kelvin Minor, Arthur Billings,
Jerome Hayward and Jason Brown.
"These are key people we need to
come out," he concluded.
Joey Hawk goes up for two of his eight points in the
Westfield Hornets loss to Tattnall Friday night.
open a sizeable lead and the Hornets stretch.
were forced to foul down the Please see TATTNALL, Page 5B
Westfield led 42-35 at the time,
but Tattnall could only answer with
two free throws from Kristi Welch
and a basket by B. Brown to close
within three points at 42-39.
Westfield turned the ball over on
a five second violation. Defense
took a stand.
Westfield had another turnover
with 1;36 left in the game. Defense
took a stand.
Horsting grabbed a rebound and
was fouled with 1:36 left.
"The girls know how to win.
they work hard. You have to
give the players credit,"
Coach Donna Campbell
She converted her first of a one
and one to give Westfield a four
point lead. Goss rebounded the
missed second attempt again and
with 1:22 left Graham hit two free
throws.
The Lady Hornets converted five
free throws down the stretch to seal
Campbell's first region champi
onship in four years.
Jff
J|dR .^t.'
rWmig& » - :: -T ’ «*>
. aw
•'in Hjl jjf
MPw > *'.%. < , 4 f . „
Richard Jordan goes over some stretching exercises with the
girls track team. Perry opens track season in two weeks.
Journal
"Seemed like we controlled the
basketball more," she said. "We
knew coming in that Welch and
Skye Davidson were there top two
players. I thought the first half we
did a good job on them. We con
tained her a little better the second
half."
Campbell was named region
2AAA coach of the year as well af
ter taking the team to a 16-5 record.
Westfield finished 8-15 last year.
"The girls know how to win.
They work hard," she explained.
"You have to give credit to the
players. I work them hard but they
work hard."
Westfield led 17-9 at the end of
the first period and took a slim 28-
21 into the lockerroom.
Westfield (48) - A. Horsting 5 4-6
14, Santiago 1 3-4 5, Langston 1
0-0 2, Goss 2 4-4 8, Graham 3 4-7
10, C. Horsting 3 3-6 9 Total 15
18-27 48 (3-point goals - None
Fouled Out- None)
Tattnall (39) - Greene 0 0-0 0, R.
Davidson 1 0-0 2, S. Davidson 6 0-
0 13, Lane 4 0-0 8, Welch 3 5-6
11, Brown 1 1-23, Baynes 1 0-0 2
Total 16 6-8 39 (3-point goals - S.
Davidson Fouled Out - R. Davidson