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SPORTS
Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
Sftncs
gainesvilletimes.com
Saturday, December 22, 2018
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL I North Hall boys 46, Johnson 33
Back in the win column
SCOREBOARD
Locke
Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
North Hall’s Luke Voile fires off a shot during the game against Johnson on Friday in Gainesville.
Trojans start fast to
BY SARAH WOODALL
swoodall@gainesvilletimes.com
On the heels of six straight losses,
including a disheartening defeat via
buzzer-beater against Denmark the
night before, Tyler Sanders and his
North Hall High basketball team
were aching for something to finally
bounce their way.
The Trojans appeared to get an
early Christmas gift Friday night,
jumping ahead early to a double-digit
lead before fending off a furious sec
ond-half comeback by Johnson for a
46-33 win on their own Lynn Cottrell
court in Gainesville.
It was a whistle-marred contest
with spotty shooting throughout. But
after losing its last three games by a
combined five points, North Hall (4-9)
gladly takes this one. As for its coach,
Sanders can breathe a sigh of relief as
his squad enters a five-day lull before
gearing back up for the prestigious
end six-game skid
Hall County basketball extravaganza
that is Lanierland next Thursday.
“We needed this bad,” Sanders said
of his team, which find the win col
umn for the first time in two weeks.
“We lost three games in overtime
this year, lost at the buzzer last night.
We needed something to go our way
before we took a few days off.”
Johnson (5-5), falling in a 19-4 hole
after the opening period, found a sec
ond wind over the next two frames.
It managed to climb within four of
the Trojans with under a minute left,
though a slew of misfires coupled with
missed opportunities on some second-
chance baskets allowed North Hall to
pull away in the final eight minutes.
The Knights drew plenty of contact
in the game and were awarded the
double bonus by the second period, as
North Hall accrued 14 fouls to John
son’s six by the end of the first half.
■ Please see NORTH, 2B
North Hall’s Daniel Jackson lays the ball up against
Johnson on Friday in Gainesville.
carries
Flowery Branch
sophomore posted
triple-double in win
Ashlee Locke posted a triple-double
with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 11 blocks
as Flowery Branch topped Chaparral
(Colorado) 43-31 in the Nike Tournament
of Champions on Friday in Phoenix. Car
oline Wysocki led the Lady Falcons (7-2)
with 18 points and Ashley Woodroffe had
13.
EAST HALL GIRLS 74, MARIANNA
(FL) 49: Ivey Shadburn and Audrey Grif
fin both led the Lady Vikings (5-8) with
13 points each in the Beach Bash Tourna
ment in Panama City Beach, Fla.
East Hall moves on to face Chiles (Flor
ida) at 1:30 p.m. today.
CHEROKEE BLUFF BOYS 72,
WINDER-BARROW 56: Griffin Neville
had a team-high 28 points, including four
3-pointers for the Bears on Friday. Also
for Cherokee Bluff (8-4), Devon Wainer
added 10 points.
Cherokee Bluff visits Prince Avenue
Christian in Athens at 7:30 p.m. today.
BUFORD GIRLS 63, BANKS COUNTY
33: Tate Walters finished with 17 points
for the Lady Wolves (9-1). Also chipping
in, Sara Viti had 12 points and hit four
3-pointers.
Buford visits Archer today at 4:30 p.m.
DAWSON COUNTY GIRLS 64, PICK
ENS 49: Clemson signee Kaylee Sticker
led the Lady Tigers with 19 points. Also
for Dawson County (8-3,3-1 Region 7-3A),
Sophia D’Oliveira had 17 points.
Dawson County visits Sequoyah at 4
p.m. today in the War Lodge Invitational.
LAKEVIEW ACADEMY BOYS 69,
FLOWERY BRANCH 49: Adam Cottrell
recorded a team-high 28 points with five
steals and five boards
for the Lions. Arturo
Varela chipped in 16
points and picked up six
rebounds for Lakeview
Academy (7-4).
On Thursday, Lakev
iew Academy faces West
Hall in the first round of
Lanierland at 11 a.m. at
Chestatee High.
LAKESIDE GIRLS
52, LAKEVIEW ACADEMY 49: Sadie
Thrailkill tallied 12 points, seven
rebounds and six steals in the Providence
Christmas Tournament championship
game. Savannah Kinsey also had 12 points
for the Lady Lions (8-3), while Jackie
Allen scored 11 and had seven assists.
Lakeview faces North Hall in the first
round of Lanierland at 12:30 p.m. on
Thursday at Chestatee High.
Compiled by Diana Lewis
Cottrell
High school scores can be reported by
10:30 p.m. each night by calling 770-718-
3415 or email sports@gainesvilletimes.
com.
COLLEGE
FOOTBALL
Top talent
opting out
ofbowls
Associated Press
Dana Holgorsen can earn a
$25,000 bonus if West Virginia beats
Syracuse next
week in the Camp
ing World Bowl, a
game the Moun
taineers will play
without star quar
terback Will Grier
and left tackle
Yodny Cajuste.
Dave Doeren’s
contract with North
Carolina State calls
for him to receive a
the Wolfpack beat
Texas A&M in the
Gator Bowl. N.C.
State’s best players
on either side of
the ball (receiver
Kelvin Harmon
and linebacker
Germaine Pratt)
will not play.
Grier and
Cajuste, Harmon and Pratt are part
■ Please see EARLY, 2B
Holgorsen
$50,000 bonus if
Grier
COMMENTARY
Year in sports filled with highs, lows
AJ MAST I The Associated Press
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer watches during his team warm
up before the Big Ten championship against Northwestern on Dec. 1
in Indianapolis.
Wanted: a host for the sixth
annual Newby awards.
Yes, we’re in a bit of a bind,
though nothing like the good
folks at the Academy Awards.
You see, we never even got
to the point where Kevin Hart
accepted the honor, then had to
withdraw because people capa
ble of working the screengrab
function pointed out that he’s
posted some terrible things about
gay people.
I guess the lack of an actual
ceremony — not to mention
those all-important goody bags
they hand out backstage — has
stifled our search just a bit.
But we’ve still got time to rec
tify the situation.
Anyone interested?
Chris Rock? Billy Crystal? Who
has Ellen DeGeneres’ number?
(Insert sound of crickets.)
Well, since no one appears
interested in a major career
boost, we’ll resort to our usual
method for doling out the 2018
awards.
Without further ado, the
winners (using that term very
loosely) are:
INVERTEBRATE AWARD:
Always one of the most competi
tive categories in sports, this year
the choice is clear. While it’s
hard to deny the spineless won
ders at the World Anti-Doping
Agency, who went against the
PAUL NEWBERRY
pnewberry@ap.org
advice of pretty much everyone
except Vladimir Putin when they
in effect forgave Russia for its
massive doping operation, we’ve
got to go with those who looked
the other way for years when
faced with very clear evidence
of Larry Nassar’s serial sexual
abuse. Really, folks, this should
be an easy one. If you know of a
doctor, coach or anyone who is
abusing another human being,
report it. Nassar will spend the
rest of his miserable life behind
bars. Those who allowed him to
get away with his crimes for so
long are equally culpable.
URBAN LIAR 101: While
we’re on the subject of lacking
backbone, let’s not forget Urban
Meyer. The Rose Bowl will go
down as his last game, but we’d
prefer to focus on some other
achievements that came to light
during his final season as Ohio
State coach. Like spending the
better part of the past decade
hiding, denying, ignoring and
justifying the horrific behavior
of assistant coach Zach Smith.
Meyer served a three-game
suspension, returned to lead the
Buckeyes to another Big Ten
title, and then announced his
retirement. Of course, disgraced
coaches never just fade away.
Meyer says he’ll be back on cam
pus next year to teach a course
on character and leadership.
You can’t make this stuff up,
folks.
WORST FAREWELL TOUR:
Danica Patrick, who had far
more success on Madison
Avenue than she did on the
race track, closed her career in
appropriate style. The much-bal-
lyhooed “Danica Double” turned
into the Danica Dud when
■ Please see NEWBY, 2B
