SPORTS
Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
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gainesvilletimes.com
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
ATO\NTA BRAVES
A deal that works for both
Donaldson needed Braves, and Braves needed Donaldson
BY PAUL NEWBERRY
Associated Press
ATLANTA — Josh Don
aldson needed the Braves.
The Braves needed Josh
Donaldson.
Call this one a perfect
match.
The slugging third
baseman was officially
introduced to Atlanta on
Tuesday, joining the team he
cheered for as a youngster.
Donaldson agreed to a $23
million, one-year deal that
provides the sort of flexibil
ity both sides wanted.
“We were looking for a
middle-of-the-order bat,”
general manager Alex
Anthopoulos said after a
news conference at SunTrust
Park, less than 24 hours
after the team announced
the signing of catcher Brian
McCann. “We had to find a
way to get it done.”
Donaldson was looking
for a team that would pay
him big bucks, while giv
ing him a chance to show
he’s healthy after three
injury-plagued seasons.
He’ll make the same salary
he received this past season,
while setting himself up for
a much more lucrative deal
if he returns to MVP form.
Plus, he gets to play with
his favorite team from child
hood. Donaldson is a native
■ Please see BRAVES, 2B
ALYSSA POINTER I Associated Press
Newly signed Atlanta Braves player Josh Donaldson speaks
during a press conference at the Delta Sky 360 Club at
SunTrust Park on Tuesday, Nov. 27, in Atlanta.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL I St. Francis 76, Lakeview boys 58
HIGH SCHOOL
SCOREBOARD
Early measuring stick
Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Lakeview Academy’s Arturo Varela (30) goes for a lay up while St. Francis’ Jusaun Holt, left, and Sam Salama attempt to block his
shot on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at Lakeview Academy in Gainesville.
Lions’ hot start fizzles against top-ranked St. Francis in loss
Lakeview Academy’s Blake McIntyre shoots a layup with St.
Francis’ CJ Riley defending during the game on Tuesday, Nov.
27, in Gainesville.
BY NATHAN BERG
nberg@gainesvilletimes.com
The Lakeview Academy
boys basketball team kept
things close early against last
year’s Class A-Private state
runner up St. Francis. But a
hot start was not enough for
the Lions to keep up with the
Knights late, eventually fall
ing 76-58 at home Tuesday
evening.
“There was some good and
some not so good,” Lakeview
Academy coach Todd Cottrell
said.
“Wish there had been a lit
tle bit more good. In the first
half, we had some moments.
Then we got a little tired and
didn’t compete like we needed
to.”
The Lions (2-2) were led by
point guard Blake McIntyre,
who scored 20 points and
dished out five assists in the
loss. But McIntyre’s effort was
not enough to get the team
past the visiting Knights, who
currently sit atop Score Atlan
ta’s Class A-Private rankings.
“I thought we competed
hard, but we came up a little
short,” he said. “I think we
need to work on our tough
ness. If we get a little more
tough, we can hang
with guys like that.”
Early on, it
appeared Lakeview
Academy would have
a chance.
After the teams
exchanged a couple
of baskets to start the
game, McIntyre con
nected on a bounce
pass to Arturo Varela
in transition that netted
Varela an easy bucket and put
the Lions on top 7-6. A steal
and fast break score from
Holden Cooper on the next St.
Francis possession extended
the lead and incited cheers
from the home crowd.
As the quarter wound down,
Lakeview Academy
picked up 3-pointers
on three consecu
tive tries, with each
of Adam Cottrell,
McIntyre and Roman
Yaskulka getting in on
the action.
“We’re a good
shooting team,”
Coach Cottrell said.
“Our guards, espe
cially, can really shoot it.”
The Lions came out of the
first quarter leading 23-18, but
the game shifted back into St.
Francis’ favor.
After McIntyre started the
second frame with another
3-pointer, the Knights put
together a 13-2 run behind a
flurry of makes from guards
Dwon Odom and CJ Riley.
The quick turnaround forced
Cottrell to take a timeout.
“We had a harder time
keeping them in front of us,
and they broke our defense
down a little bit,” he said. “We
didn’t play some screens very
well, and that kind of let them
get a couple easy baskets.”
After the quick rest, the
Lions righted the ship some
what defensively, but scoring
continued to be hard to come
by. St. Francis ended the half
with a pair of put-back makes
from Chase Ellis following
rebounds on the offensive
glass and an emphatic dunk
from Odom at the buzzer
that gave the Knights a 39-34
advantage going into the half
time break.
Things didn’t get easier for
the Lions with the start of the
third quarter.
Ellis picked up right where
he left off, scoring a pair of
layups to start the half, and
Riley began to get hot from
behind the arc, hitting a cou
ple of 3-pointers to extend the
St. Francis lead.
Meanwhile, the Lakeview
Academy shots that had been
falling earlier in the game
stopped going down.
“We’ve got to work on our
toughness,” McIntyre said.
“If a shot doesn’t fall, it’s
just got to be our mindset that
we’ve just got to keep shooting,
keep going.”
McIntyre kept the Lions
afloat, hitting a 3-pointer and
a pair of free throws near the
end of the third quarter and
scored seven in the fourth
period.
A late Odom steal finished
off with a windmill dunk put
the exclamation mark on the
visiting Knights’ win.
“We’re going to have to be
a little bit better defensively,”
Cottrell said.
“We’re going to have to
have some newer guys step
up and provide some depth
for us.... I’m excited about this
group. I think they’re pretty
good. I think they’ve got a
pretty good future, but we’ve
just got to get better. ”
Cottrell
McNair leads
fruitful night
for Lady War
Eagles in win
Maggie McNair finished with a team-
high 16 points for the Chestatee High girls
in a 58-24 basketball win against Providence
Christian on Tuesday in Lilburn.
Also chipping in a big night for the Lady
War Eagles (3-3) was Emma Easterwood,
who had 15 points, while Christina Garcia
scored 10.
Next up, Chestatee hosts Johnson at 7 p.m.
Friday.
CHESTATEE BOYS 60, PROVIDENCE
CHRISTIAN 36: Kyle Bowmar led the War
Eagles with 12 points, followed by Jonah
Bull with 10. Also for Chestatee (4-1) Dylan
Travis scored eight points.
Chestatee hosts Johnson at 8:30 p.m. on
Friday in Gainesville.
GAINESVILLE GIRLS 75, CLARKE
CENTRAL 49: Tija Blackwell finished with
29 points for the Lady Red Elephants in
Athens. Leading 24-9 after the first quarter,
Gainesville went on to secure the victory.
Tia Shelton scored 18 points, while Lauren
Teasley had 15 for Gainesville (3-2).
Gainesville visits Marietta at 7 p.m. on
Friday.
JACKSON COUNTY BOYS 64, JOHN
SON 53: Junior Jesse Harbin led the Knights
■ Please see SCORE, 2B
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
UNG tournament
to host some of
state’s elite teams
The North Georgia High School Showcase
is Saturday at The University of North Geor
gia Dahlonega campus. Tickets are $10 for
general admission and $5 for ages 6-17. Chil
dren 5-and-under are free.
In the showcase, 32 of the state’s elite bas
ketball programs will battle it out over 16
games with eight games in the new Convoca
tion Center and eight in Memorial Hall. One
ticket is valid for entrance to both facilities
for all 16 games.
For the boys, 17 of the 20 teams reached
the 2018 playoffs and five made the final
four.
The girls have 11 playoff teams, five
which made the quarterfinals and two that
made the final four.
Compiled by Diana Lewis
North Georgia High School
Showcase games:
UNG Convocation Center
9:30 a.m.
Lumpkin County girls vs. Chestatee
11 a.m.
Lumpkin County boys vs. Chestatee
12:30 p.m.
Dawson County boys vs. Clarke
Central
2 p.m.
Rabun County girls vs. North Forsyth
3:30 p.m.
East Hall boys vs. Duluth
5 p.m.
Lambert boys vs. Newton
6:30 p.m.
Gainesville boys vs. Morgan County
8 p.m.
Grayson boys vs. Mill Creek
Memorial Hall
9:30 a.m.
Jefferson boys vs. Brookwood
11 a.m.
Jefferson girls vs. East Hall
12:30 p.m.
White County boys vs. Lakeview
Academy
2 p.m.
White County girls vs. North Gwinnett
3:30 p.m.
Mill Creek girls vs. Model
5 p.m.
Banks County boys vs. Collins Hill
6:30 p.m.
Dawson County girls vs. Banks County
8 p.m.
Lanier boys vs. Cedar Shoals
