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Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
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gainesvilletimes.com
★Saturday, December 1,2018
SEC CHAMPIONSHIP
JOHN BAZEMORE I Associated Press
Georgia quarterback Justin Fields (1) carries the ball against
Massachusetts during the first half of the game Nov. 17 in
Athens.
League’s 2 best
has been little
surprise in 2018
Associated Press
Nick Saban and Kirby
Smart posed stiffly behind
the trophy, forcing smiles
for the cameras.
Saban whispered some
thing in his former assis
tant’s ear, drawing a bit of a
chuckle.
Then, a quick handshake,
and off they went in opposite
directions.
It was a formality that had
to wait until the last day of
November.
But, really, they could’ve
done it months ago.
As soon as Ala
bama and Georgia
walked off the field
at Mercedes-Benz
Stadium almost 11
months ago — the
Crimson Tide in
triumph, the Bull
dogs in despair — a
rematch seemed
inevitable.
Now, it’s here.
On Saturday, at the very
same place where the Tide
captured the fifth national
title of the Saban era, these
two powerhouses will square
off in another game with
huge ramifications.
A Southeastern Confer
ence championship is on the
line, as well as a trip
to the College Foot
ball Playoff.
“We certainly
want to win every
game that we play,”
said Saban, who is
trying to guide the
No. 1 Crimson Tide
(12-0, 8-0 SEC, No.
1 CFP) to its sixth
national title in the last
decade — perhaps the great
est dynasty that college foot
ball has ever seen and not
far off the seemingly impos
sible standard he sets for his
program.
Fourth-ranked Georgia
(11-1,7-1, No. 4 CFP) is eager
to start a dynasty of its own.
Smart, a longtime assis
tant under Saban who
moved to Georgia in 2016,
has already shown he can
go head-to-head with his ex
boss on the recruiting trail.
Now, Smart is eager to
prevail on the field.
He sure came close
the last time these
teams met, watch
ing his team squan
der a pair of 13-point
leads before Ala
bama won 26-23
in overtime on a
41-yard touchdown
pass while facing
second-and-26.
“We obviously have our
challenges to try to continue
to play at the standard that
we’ve played at,” Saban
said. “I have no doubt they’ll
continue to have a very, very
good program.”
Despite all the titles, all
the chances to savor its lau
rels, Alabama never seems
to waver from the single-
minded focus of its coach.
As soon as the Tide wins a
national title, it starts look
ing toward the next one.
“We’ve been here
before,” nose guard Quin-
nen Williams said. “Every
body knows when it’s time
to come to work. You can be
beat any day. You can be the
best team in the country and
get beat.”
The Bulldogs made an
unexpected run to the
On TV
When: 4 p.m. today
Channel: CBS
national title game last sea
son, but this is right where
they expected to be in 2018.
Right where they expect
to be for years to come.
“Last year was a
shocker,” linebacker Juwan
Taylor said, “but this is
what it’s going to be like
at Georgia from now on.
Championships.”
Some things to watch for
in the SEC champi
onship game:
FOURTHQUAR
TER: If this game
goes down to the
wire, Alabama star
quarterback Tua
Tagovailoa could
see significant
action in the fourth
quarter for the first
time all season. He
has attempted — and com
pleted — just three passes
for 56 yards in the final 15
minutes. By contrast, Tago
vailoa completed seven
passes for 54 yards against
the Bulldogs in the fourth
quarter of last season’s
national title game. Geor
gia hasn’t faced many late
challenges, either.
The Bulldogs have
gone to the fourth
quarter with dou
ble-digit leads in 10
of their 11 wins —
the only exception
being a victory over
Florida, which they
led 23-14 with one
period left.
DOMINATING
THE EAST: Alabama hasn’t
lost to an SEC East opponent
in more than eight years.
The Tide has a 23-game win
ning streak over teams from
the opposite division since a
35-21 loss to South Carolina
on Oct. 9,2010. They are 4-0
in SEC championship games
during that streak, including
a 32-28 victory over Georgia
in 2012.
GEORGIA’S SECOND
ARY: Tagovailoa has put up
Heisman-worthy numbers
in his first season as the
starter , completing more
than 70 percent of
his passes for 3,189
yards and 36 touch
downs with just two
interceptions.
Georgia coun
ters with one of
the nation’s best
defensive backs,
lockdown corner
Deandre Baker.
The Thorpe Award
finalist has only two inter
ceptions, none since Week
3, but that’s because teams
rarely throw his way. It will
be interesting to see if Tago
vailoa goes right at Baker or
sticks with the plan used by
most Georgia opponents —
look to the other side of the
field, where the Bulldogs
start redshirt freshman Eric
Stokes but usually provide
plenty of help for the young
cornerback.
UNSTOPPABLE FORCE
VS IMMOVABLE OBJECT:
Georgia is a ground-oriented
team that has two backs
closing in on 1,000 yards:
D’Andre Swift and Elijah
Holyfield . If things are
going well, the Bulldogs will
hand the ball off on roughly
two-thirds of their offensive
plays.
Smart
Saban
Tagovailoa
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL I Chestatee boys 62, Johnson 59
Making shots in the clutch
War Eagles hit 11 of 12 at free throw line
BY SARAH WOODALL
swoodall@gainesvilletimes.
com
Kevin Strickland has
already witnessed his Ches
tatee High boys basketball
program win games in a
variety of ways this season.
Whether it’s been from
behind, holding on or pull
ing away from the pack, the
third-year coach has seen
it all. And for the second
time this season, the War
Eagles were able to close
it out from the free throw
line Friday night against
Johnson.
The War Eagles were a
near-perfect 11 of 12 from
the charity stripe, includ
ing 6 of 7 during the third
period, and got a pair of
well-timed baskets to hold
on for a 62-59 victory.
Cameron Gwyn, who
racked up a team-high 21
points, was a perfect 5 of
5 from the line for Ches
tatee (5-1), which snapped
a two-game losing streak to
Johnson and captured their
■ Please see RIVALRY, 4B
RIVERSIDE MILITARY 71, CHEROKEE BLUFF 67
Eagles close strong
Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Riverside Military’s Harrison Nash lays the ball up while Cherokee Bluff’s Griffin Neville defends during Friday’s
game in Flowery Branch.
Dabney hits floater in the final seconds to lock up win
BY NATHAN BERG
nberg@gainesvilletimes.com
When it mattered most in Riv
erside Military Academy’s basket
ball game against Cherokee Bluff,
Eagles coach Marvin Latham put
his trust in his best players. So with
the game tied up with less than 20
seconds left to play, Latham found
a way to get the ball to sophomore
guard Shad Dabney.
Dabney drove through the middle
of the paint, left his feet just past the
free throw line and connected on
a floater with under five seconds
showing on the clock. The shot went
down as the Riverside Military
bench erupted into cheers, giving
the Eagles a two-point lead in the
road win that would eventually fin
ish 71-67.
“It’s Shad Dabney,” Latham said.
“He’s a good player. You put the ball
in his hands and tell him to do some
thing with it, and we’ll live with the
results. When you’ve got good play
ers, sometimes you have to take the
good with the bad. Today was the
good, so I appreciate it.”
Dabney finished the game with 15
points, including his late, lead-taking
shot, while senior Isaac Teasley led
the Eagles (5-1) in scoring with 19
points. Junior Griffin Neville scored
18 to lead Cherokee Bluff (2-3).
Senior Connor Boyd added 16 points
for the Bears.
“Our whole thing was just come,
play physical and keep the game
Cherokee Bluff’s Bosko Norman attempts to get around Riverside Military’s
Orlando Stevens during Friday’s game in Flowery Branch.
close the whole time, and either me
or my boy Isaac Teasley was going
to take the last shot,” Dabney said.
“So we did what we had to do, kept
the game close, and I just hit a big
time shot to win the game.”
Early on, it didn’t appear the
Eagles would even make it a game,
as Cherokee Bluff’s aggressive press
defense stymied the visiting team in
the opening frame.
After Dabney hit the first basket
of the contest less than 10 seconds
in, the Bears went on a 17-4 run
behind a pair of 3-pointers from
Palmer Weaver.
The Eagles, meanwhile, strug
gled even to get the ball into play at
times, and managed only 13 points
through the first eight minutes. Still,
Latham said he did not make any
■ Please see EAGLES, 4B
SCOREBOARD
Lakeview Academy boys win in OT
Adam Cottrell led
Lakeview Academy with a
team-high 25 points, seven
3-pointers, in an overtime
81-70 win over Rabun Gap
on Friday. The Lions out-
scored Rabun Gap 13-2 in
extra time.
Blake McIntyre col
lected a double-double with
14 points, 10 assists and
five steals for Lakeview
Academy.
Arturo Varela (five
assists) and Holden Cooper
were also in double fig
ures with 14 and 12 points,
respectively. KJ Millwood
picked up 10 points and
eight rebounds for Lakev
iew Academy (3-2).
Lakeview Academy
faces White County at
12:30 p.m. today in the
North Georgia Showcase in
Dahlonega.
LAKEVIEW ACAD
EMY GIRLS 76, RABUN
GAP 73: Joelle Snyder had
18 points for the Lions in a
double-overtime win
against Rabun Gap on
Friday.
Also for the Lady Lions
(4-2), Eliza Snyder scored
17 points, while Savannah
Kinsey tallied 12 points.
Sadie Thrailkill finished
■ Please see SCORES, 4B
