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Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
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gainesvilletimes.com
Thursday, December 13, 2018
HIGH SCHOOL BASKCTBALL
Lions hold off Indians
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UNG basketball
teams to be featured
on national broadcast
AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Lakeview Academy’s Arturo Varela goes up for a layup with Tallulah Fall’s Matthew Weidner, left, and Winston Davis covering
him during the game on Wednesday, Dec. 12, in Gainesville.
The national spotlight will shine on the Univer
sity of North Georgia on Jan. 9.
The Nighthawks women’s and men’s Peach
Belt Conference basketball games against Colum
bus State will be nationally televised on ESPN3.
The Wednesday night doubleheader — dubbed
Operation Nighthawks of Honor Night — will fea
ture a ceremony honoring 12 University of North
Georgia alumni who were killed during, or asso
ciated with, the Korean War. The ceremony will
be a part of the broadcast.
The women’s game will tip off at 5:30 p.m., and
the men’s game is set for a 7:30 p.m. start. ESPN3
is available online at WatchESPN.com and on the
WatchESPN app.
Compiled by Nathan Berg
MLS
JOHN BAZEMORE I Associated Press
Atlanta United head coach Gerardo Martino
paces on the sideline during the second half of
the MLS Cup championship game against the
Portland Timbers on Dec. 8, in Atlanta.
Still no final
Lakeview s Cottrell ices game from FT line in 49-45 win
BY NATHAN BERG
nberg@gainesvilletimes.com
Lakeview Academy’s Adam Cottrell
didn’t hit many shots in Wednesday
night’s boys basketball matchup against
Tallulah Falls, but when the Lions
needed him most, his aim was true.
After allowing the Indians to storm
back from an 11-point Lakeview Acad
emy advantage to start the fourth quar
ter, Cottrell made it to the free-throw
line for a pivotal one-and-one with
under 30 seconds to play as the Lions
clung to a two-point lead. Cottrell con
nected on both attempts, pushing the
lead back to four and icing the Lions’
49-45 win in Gainesville.
“That’s clutch,” Lions senior point
guard Blake McIntyre said. “I know
he didn’t shoot it the way he
wanted to tonight, but just see
ing those free throws go in is
good for a shooter. It’s good for
his psyche. I’m glad he made
them.”
McIntyre led the team
with 17 points, including four
3-pointers in the first quarter
that helped the Lions (5-2) build
an early lead. Arturo Varela
added 13 for the home team.
Matthew Weidner dominated scoring
for Tallulah Falls (4-6), putting up 24 in
the Indians’ losing effort.
Both teams struggled defensively to
start the non-region contest. Weidner
was dominant for the Indians in the
post, scoring 10 in the opening eight
minutes. Lakeview Academy fought
back with constant ball movement and
careful shot selection.
The Lions managed to get McIntyre
open looks from behind the arc on three
straight possessions in the middle of the
quarter, and he connected on
all three.
“We moved the ball really
well in the first half,” Lakeview
Academy coach Todd Cottrell
said. “We were getting into a
little flow and a rhythm.”
The Lions faltered a bit to
start the second quarter, but
finished the frame strong. After
yielding a pair of layups to Wei
dner early in the period and struggling
to get open looks, the team flipped a
switch down the stretch.
Lakeview Academy ended the
quarter with a 10-0 run over the final
four minutes before the break. Varela
kicked things off with a pair of shots,
and McIntyre finished the streak with
an acrobatic layup he hit while going to
the ground while drawing con
tact. He converted the three-
point play to give the Lions a
six-point lead at halftime.
“I know I’m small, so I’ve
got to be able to do that, being
small,” McIntyre said of the
effort. “It’s just all coaching and
training.”
The Lions extended their
lead throughout the third quar
ter behind a strong start from
Roman Yaskulka and an efficient finish
from Varela.
Yaskulka scored the first basket of
the second half and made a couple
more shots near the midpoint of the
frame. His 3-pointer gave Lakeview
Academy a nine-point lead with about
two minutes left to play in the period.
Varela took things from there, scor
ing two of the last three baskets in the
quarter, including the final shot at the
buzzer that put the Lions up by 11 with
only eight minutes left to play.
Then, things started to go
awry for the hosts.
Weidner scored a quick two
baskets to start the final quarter
and hit a 3 that brought the Indi
ans within four points with four
minutes left to play. Sebastian
Herrera connected on a layup a
couple possessions later, mak
ing it a two-point game. But
Lakeview Academy’s defense tightened
up from there.
The Lions did not allow a single point
over the final two minutes, and Cot
trell’s free throws provided a safety net
for the team as it finished off the home
win.
“We’re a good shooting team, but
we didn’t shoot especially well tonight,
especially in the second half,” coach
Cottrell said. “... We’ve got to do a little
better job. ... We’re better when we
share, and we didn’t share very well in
the second half. That’s something we
can correct though, which is exciting.
We found a way to win on a night that
was tough.”
LAKEVIEW ACADEMY GIRLS 57,
TALLULAH FALLS 43: Sadie Thrailkill
had a 14-point, 11-rebound double-dou
ble for the Lady Lions (5-2), and Eliza
Snyder scored 20 points with eight
boards in the win.
Joelle Snyder was also in double
digits for Lakeview Academy with 14
points, while Savannah Kinsey contrib
uted eight rebounds as the Lady Lions
ran away with the home victory.
The Lady Lions will be action in
action on Friday at 6 p.m. when they
take on Franklin, N.C.
McIntyre
Todd Cottrell
agreement for
Martino to
lead Mexico
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gerardo Martino said that it’s possible that
his next job will be leading the Mexico national
soccer team, but a final agreement hasn’t been
reached.
Martino last week led Atlanta United to a
league championship with a 2-0 victory over Port
land in the MLS Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Martino has long been rumored to be next in
line to lead “El Tri,” but has consistently disputed
the reports.
Atlanta United announced in late October that
Martino had declined to renew his contract with
the club after its first two seasons.
Martino, speaking exclusively to The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution in his final interview before
flying home to Argentina on Monday for the
first time since January, said he has no dead
line to reach an agreement with the Mexican
Federation.
“I can’t say it’s totally official,” he said.
Martino experienced great success as Atlanta
United’s manager in leading it to a title as well
as a berth in next year’s CONCACAF Champions
League tournament. The team posted two of the
greatest scoring seasons in league history, as well
as two of the greatest goal-differences. Under
Martino, the team had the 2017 Rookie of the
Year Julian Gressel, as well as the 2018 MVP and
Golden Boot winner Josef Martinez.
“I really want to thank Arthur (Blank), Dar
ren (Eales), Carlos (Bocanegra) and Paul
(McDonough) for having confidence in me and a
thank you to everyone at the club who has helped
us,” Martino said. “A profound thank you to my
coaching staff and a big thank you to my players.
The success is a tribute to players from both last
year to this season. ”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Georgia Tech players motivated to give Johnson 1 final win
BY CHARLES ODUM
Associated Press
ATLANTA — Georgia Tech
players say they’ll have extra
motivation to send coach Paul
Johnson out with a win when
they play Minnesota in the
Quick Lane Bowl.
The 61-year-old Johnson
announced on Nov. 28 he is step
ping down after 11 seasons with
the Yellow Jackets. Geoff Col
lins was hired from Temple as
Georgia Tech’s new coach on
Friday, but Johnson will coach
the bowl game.
“Going out with your coach,
that’s pretty cool, you know?”
senior wide receiver Brad Stew
art said Tuesday. “That’s not
something people can say every
day.... It’s unique to kind of go
out with coach Johnson and be
by his side.”
Returning players will want
to make a good first impres
sion on Collins. But even they
say their priority is a successful
farewell for Johnson in the Dec.
26 game in Detroit.
“We’ve had the honor to
play for coach Johnson, for me
the past four years,” said run
ning back Nathan Cottrell, a
fourth-year junior. “He’s been
an awesome coach. When
you hear someone is retiring,
especially in this game, you
want to send them out on the
right note. We get a chance to do
that in Detroit. Hopefully we’ll
send him out with a win. It does
put a lot more motivation in our
heads, I think.”
Johnson is 82-59 at Georgia
Tech, including 7-5 this season.
He said he needs a break but
left open the possibility he could
return to coaching.
The Yellow Jackets began
bowl practice on Saturday.
Johnson has tried to keep
players on their normal routine.
“It’s only weird if you make
it weird,” he said Saturday. “To
me, it’s just like getting ready
for any other game. You’re just
getting ready to play a game.”
On Tuesday, Johnson had a
quick joke — aimed at his crit
ics — when asked if he found it
unusual to be freed of the nor
mal recruiting duties leading up
to the early signing period this
month.
“Shoot, I didn’t recruit for 11
years,” Johnson said, smiling.
“That was the party line, right?
I don’t know how we ever won
any games.”
Johnson relied heavily on
such under-the-radar recruits
as Stewart to play in his spread-
option offense. That made those
■ Please see JOHNSON, 2B
JOHN BAZEMORE I Associated Press
Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson
watches teams warm up before the first half
of a 2017 game between Georgia Tech and
Georgia, in Atlanta.
