The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, December 27, 2018, Image 14

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The times., December 27, 2018, Image 14

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Newspaper Page Text2B Thursday, December 27, 2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS AUSTIN STEELE I The Times East Hall’s Alexis Bruce takes the ball down court with North Hall’s Macy Clark close behind during the game Dec. 4 in Gainesville GIRLS ■ Continued from 1B It was nine years ago when Griffin first heard whispers of Georgia’s lon gest-standing invitational basketball tournament while with his former high school team in Columbus. Griffin, who attended a couple of games in recent years as a spectator, is eager to expe rience the Lanierland stage for the first time as a coach. “It’s incredibly exciting to be a part of the history of the tournament, and part of such an outstanding high school basketball atmosphere,” Griffin said. “... (Lanier land) is fun to be a part of. But from a program stand point, it’s such an important time to see how your kids will face some of the top tal ent and top teams, and how they’ll do in a tournament format .. and how they’ll compete in those pressures on them. It’s a really impor tant time for a basketball team to start to form who they might become.” Griffin’s Lady Red Ele phants (6-4) enter the tour nament as a No. 7 seed, and will face two-seed East Hall at 3:30 p.m. today. Gaines ville senior guard Tija Black- well is just nine points shy of 1,000 points for her career. Meanwhile, last year’s run ner-up East Hall (6-8) begins the quest for its 18th Lanier land title overall, and first since 2011. Harrison and Justice are others to experience Lani erland as a star player for Gainesville in the early 2000s. Harrison, a former assistant coach for the Lady Red Elephants, now leads a West Hall program which holds the No. 4 seed. BOYS ■ Continued from 1B start to the year, after drop ping their first four contests to begin the season. Wins over North Oconee and White County have gotten West Hall into the win col umn, but the team already sports a couple losses over Lanierland competitors (Johnson and Chestatee). Still, Cottrell said West Hall is a much better team than its 2-8 record seems to indicate. “They’re a really good team, and they do so many things well,” he said. “I know coach Pless does a great job. They’re very well coached. They’ve got several out standing players that we’re going to have our hands full with. Definitely a tremen dous challenge, and hope fully our guys compete.” In the second game, North Hall squares off with Flow ery Branch at 2 p.m. After a promising 3-3 start to the year, a six-game losing streak halted North Hall’s momentum in the early stages of the season. But the Trojans bounced back with a win in their last game against Johnson. First, North Hall will have to get through a Falcons squad that is still looking for its first win on the year. Though Flowery Branch remains winless through 10 games this season, Sanders said he was still weary of the size advantage his team’s first-round opponent holds. “They have a lot more size than we do,” he said. “I think we kind of have some contrasting styles. Whoev- er’s able to dictate the pace of play, I think will have a big advantage in the game.” At 5 p.m., Johnson goes up against East Hall. The Knights started the year off relatively strong against Hall County teams. Johnson came within three points of beating Chestatee and took down West Hall by nine in a pair of road games early on. The Knights’ most recent game was a 33-point outing and loss to North Hall. East Hall’s season has been marked by a number of important wins, including a perfect 4-0 start to region games. An 0-3 mark at the Carolina Forest Invitational brought East Hall back to nearly .500 on the year, but one of those losses came by a point and another by just two points. In the nightcap, Cherokee Bluff takes on Gainesville at 8 p.m. Now the Red Elephants’ coach, Graham is facing the man who held the same position through the 2018 season. Gainesville is off to a 4-6 record, and is playing its first opponent from Hall County all season. First-year Cherokee Bluff, meanwhile, is off to an impressive 8-5 start. Wood’s new squad has won five of its last six games, including last Thursday’s Lanierland play- in bout against Chestatee. Graham said he has great respect for Wood and the new Cherokee Bluff team, a team who’s top scorer — Griffin Neville — played for Gainesville a season ago. Still, he said the focus remains on his own team rather than their opponents as the group prepares for region play. “Our focus is more so on Gainesville and what we have to do,” Graham said. “But I do believe that as a whole, what (Cherokee Bluff has) done to get off in these first few ball games is awe some. I know they’ll be well coached. I’ll know they’ll be prepared. But our 14 guys in our locker room have to con centrate on us. Transactions FOOTBALL National Football League ARIZONA CARDINALS — Re-signed OL Will House to the practice squad. CAROLINA PANTHERS — Placed QB Taylor Heinicke on injured reserve. Signed QB Garrett Gilbert. DETROIT LIONS — Signed WR Brian Brown to the practice squad. GREEN BAY PACKERS — Placed DL Kenny Clark on injured reserve. Activated 0L Alex Light from exempt status. Signed TE Evan Baylis to the practice squad. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Released QB Phillip Walker from the practice squad. Signed TE Erik Swoope to the practice squad. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Signed WR Steven Dunbar Jr. from the practice squad. WASHINGTON REDSKINS — Signed LB Marquis Flowers. Signed WRs Carlos Henderson and ArDarius Stewart to the practice squad. Basketball/college Today’s Games No games scheduled Friday’s Games No. 7 Gonzaga vs. North Alabama, 9 p.m. No. 10 Virginia Tech vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore, 7 p.m. No. 11 Texas Tech vs. Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 7 p.m. No. 18 Marquette vs. Southern University, 8 p.m. No. 20 N.C. State vs. Loyola (Md.), 7 p.m. Saturday’s Games No. 3 Tennessee vs. Tennessee Tech, 1 p.m. No. 5 Kansas vs. Eastern Michigan, 2 p.m. No. 6 Nevada at Utah, 2 p.m. No. 8 Michigan State vs. Northern Illinois, 2 p.m. No. 12 Auburn vs. North Florida, 5 p.m. No. 13 Ohio State vs. High Point, Noon No. 14 North Carolina vs. Davidson, Noon No. 15 Wisconsin at Western Kentucky, 5:30 p.m. No. 16 Kentucky at Louisville, 2 p.m. No. 17 Arizona State vs. Princeton, 4 p.m. No. 19 Mississippi State vs. BYU, Noon No. 21 Buffalo at Canisius, 7 p.m. No. 22 Houston vs. NJIT, 4 p.m. No. 24 Iowa vs. Bryant, 8 p.m. Sunday’s Games No. 2 Michigan vs. Binghamton, Noon Women’s Top 25 Today’s Games No games scheduled Friday’s Games No. 4 Maryland at Penn State, 7 p.m. No. 10 Tennessee vs. Murray State, 7 p.m. No. 12 Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, 9 p.m. No. 24 Miami vs. Florida A&M, 7 p.m. Football/college Bowl schedule Wednesday’s games SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Dallas Boston College vs. Boise State, ccd., weather Quick Lane Bowl Detroit Minnesota 34, Georgia Tech 10 Cheez-lt Bowl Phoenix California (7-5) vs. TCU (6-6), late Today’s games Independence Bowl Shreveport, La. Temple (8-4) vs. Duke (7-5), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN) Pinstripe Bowl New York Miami (7-5) vs. Wisconsin (7-5), 5:15 p.m. (ESPN) Texas Bowl Houston Baylor (6-6) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6), 9 p.m. (ESPN) Friday’s games Music City Bowl Nashville, Tenn. Purdue (6-6) vs. Auburn (7-5), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN) Camping World Bowl Orlando, Fla. West Virginia (8-3) vs. Syracuse (9-3), 5:15 p.m. (ESPN) Alamo Bowl San Antonio Iowa State (8-4) vs. Washington State (10-2), 9 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday’s games Peach Bowl Atlanta Florida (9-3) vs. Michigan (10-2), Noon (ESPN) Belk Bowl Charlotte, N.C. South Carolina (7-5) vs. Virginia (7-5), Noon (ABC) Arizona Bowl TUcson, Ariz. Arkansas State (8-4) vs. Nevada (7-5), 1:15 p.m. (CBSSN) Cotton Bowl Classic Arlington, Texas CFP Semifinal, Notre Dame (12-0) vs. Clemson (13-0), 4 p.m. (ESPN) Orange Bowl Miami Gardens, Fla. CFP Semifinal, Oklahoma (12-1) vs. Alabama (13-0), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Dec. 31 Military Bowl Annapolis, Md. Cincinnati (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6), Noon (ESPN) Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas Stanford (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (7-6), 2 p.m. (CBS) Redbox Bowl Football/NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA y-New England 10 5 0 .667 398 322 Miami 7 8 0 .467 302 391 Buffalo 5 10 0 .333 227 357 N.Y. Jets 4 11 0 .267 330 403 South W L T Pet PF PA x-Houston 10 5 0 .667 382 313 Indianapolis 9 6 0 .600 400 327 Tennessee 9 6 0 .600 293 270 Jacksonville 5 10 0 .333 242 296 North W L T Pet PF PA Baltimore 9 6 0 .600 363 263 Pittsburgh 8 6 1 .567 412 347 Cleveland 7 7 1 .500 335 366 Cincinnati 6 9 0 .400 355 439 West W L T Pet PF PA x-Kansas City 11 4 0 .733 530 418 x-L.A. Chargers 11 4 0 .733 405 320 Denver 6 9 0 .400 320 326 Oakland 4 11 0 .267 287 432 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA y-Dallas 9 6 0 .600 303 289 Philadelphia 8 7 0 .533 343 348 Washington 7 8 0 .467 281 335 N.Y. Giants 5 10 0 .333 334 376 South W L T Pet PF PA y-New Orleans 13 2 0 .867 490 320 Atlanta 6 9 0 .400 380 391 Carolina 6 9 0 .400 343 368 Tampa Bay 5 10 0 .333 364 430 North W L T Pet PF PA y-Chicago 11 4 0 .733 397 273 Minnesota 8 6 1 .567 350 317 Green Bay 6 8 1 .433 376 369 Detroit 5 10 0 .333 293 360 West W L T Pet PF PA y-L.A. Rams 12 3 0 .800 479 352 x-Seattle 9 6 0 .600 401 323 San Francisco 4 11 0 .267 310 387 Arizona 3 12 0 .200 201 398 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division Sunday’s Games Miami at Buffalo, 1 p.m. Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Jacksonville at Houston, 1 p.m. Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Detroit at Green Bay, 1 p.m. N.Y. Jets at New England, 1 p.m. Carolina at New Orleans, 1 p.m. Arizona at Seattle, 4:25 p.m. L.A. Chargers at Denver, 4:25 p.m. Oakland at Kansas City, 4:25 p.m. San Francisco at L.A. Rams, 4:25 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 4:25 p.m. Chicago at Minnesota, 4:25 p.m. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 4:25 p.m. TODAY ON TV FOOTBALL ■ Independence Bowl: Temple vs. Duke, 1:30 p.m., ESPN ■ Pinstripe Bowl: Miami vs. Wisconsin, 5:15 p.m., ESPN ■ Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. Vanderbilt, 9 p.m., ESPN BASKETBALL ■ Missouri (Kansas City) at Creighton, 8 p.m., FS1 ■ NBA: Celtics at Rockets, 8 p.m., TNT ■ NBA: 76ers at Jazz, 10:30 p.m., TNT QUICK LU\NE BOWL I Minnesota 34, Ga. Tech 10 Not a fond farewell CARLOS OSORIO I The Associated Press Georgia Tech quarterback TaQuon Marshall (16) scrambles first half of the Quick Lane Bowl on Wednesday in Detroit. Paul Johnson drops his final game as Jackets coach before retiring after 40-year career BY KEN SUGUIRA Atlanta Journal Constitution There would be no glo rious send-off for Paul Johnson. The final game of the 11-year tenure of the Geor gia Tech coach -- and per haps of his 40-year career -- was a pummeling at the hands of Minnesota, a 34-10 defeat at the Quick Lane Bowl on Wednesday night at Ford Field with Geoff Collins, John son’s successor, looking on. The Gophers’ running game over powered the Yellow Jackets, and their defense bottled up Tech’s nation-leading run game, wearing down Tech in a way that the Jackets did to their opponents under Johnson. From the game’s start, Minnesota (7-6) controlled play, taking a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter and never leading by less than 10 points the rest of the way. With the Gophers’ mam moth offensive line collaps ing the Tech defensive front, running back Mohamed Ibrahim ran with explosive ness, gashing the Jackets for 224 yards and two touch downs, easily the most that an individual has rushed for against Tech (7-6) this season. The Tech offense, which entered the game averaging an FBS-best 334.9 yards, was held to under 206 rushing yards. The Minnesota defense, whose play drastically improved after a late-season dis missal of defensive coordinator Robb Smith, had all the answers for the Tech run game. Runs to the perimeter were outflanked. B-backs Jerry Howard and Jordan Mason, who had combined for an average of 100.5 rushing yards per game, were stifled up the middle, collecting 22 yards. Tech, which had gener ated 77 games of 30 points or more in his 11 seasons, went out with the lowest scoring total of its season. Johnson stuck with quarter- against Minnesota during the back TaQuon Marshall until the score was 34-10 and a little more than six minutes remained, at which point he put in backup Tobias Oliver. Not much went right for the Jackets from the begin ning and even before the game, as linebacker Charlie Thomas was suspended for a violation of team rules. Getting holes from the first drive, Ibrahim cleared 100 rushing yards before halftime. On offense, the Jackets didn’t gain a first down until their third possession and scored only a field goal before halftime, just the second time this season that they were unable to score a touchdown in the first two quarters. The Jackets played in a way that suggested a lack of focus. In the first half, Tech twice had to burn timeouts because the play clock was running down. On Tech’s third drive, which reached the Minne sota 29-yard line, Marshall and wide receiver Jalen Camp misread each other on a pass play, resulting in an incompletion, and then on second down Marshall made a critical mistake by trying to extend a counter option play that was blown up, resulting in an 8-yard loss that pushed the Jackets out of field-goal range. ilk Johnson ORANGE BOWL I 8p.m. Saturday, ESPN Tagovailoa, Murray back in the spotlight together Associated Press ALONZO ADAMS I Associated Press Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray (1) scrambles for a first down ahead of Oklahoma State defensive tackle Enoch Smith Jr. (56) in the second quarter of the game Nov. 10 in Norman, Okla. Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa have struck up a friendship over the past sev eral weeks, which shouldn’t be surprising considering how much time the quarter backs have spent alongside one another in that span. They were in Atlanta together at a college football awards show, where Tago vailoa took home the Max well Award. They were in New York a few days later for the Heis- man Trophy presentation, where Murray claimed the top prize. So maybe it’s fitting that they’ll both be center-stage again — this time, at Satur day’s Orange Bowl, where a berth in the College Football Playoff championship game awaits one of them. Mur ray and the fourth-ranked Sooners (12-1) will meet with Tagovailoa and the top- ranked Crimson Tide (13-0), with the new friends set to become foes for a few hours. “You know, it’s football. We all understand the level of respect we have for each other,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “We under stand it’s just competition. Off the field, it’s a lot differ ent. But on the field, you’ve got to go out there. It’s your job. You’ve got to compete for your team, for the uni versity, for the state.” And this time, for a shot at the national title. They were supposed to share the spotlight Wednes day morning at a media availability, but Murray was a late cancellation because of an undisclosed illness — one that doesn’t seem to worry the Sooners too much. Offensive coordinator Cale Gundy didn’t even know Murray was sick until he got into the car that took the Sooners to the interview site and realized his Heisman winner wasn’t along for the ride. Tagovailoa was walking without a limp Wednesday and declared his surgically repaired right ankle — it was scoped earlier this month to accelerate the healing of a high sprain — to be at about 80 to 85 percent. But now it’s Murray whose health status seems to be an issue, at least on some level. “Not worried one bit,” Sooners offensive lineman Ben Powers said. It has been a whirlwind few weeks for Murray, and it’s easy to see why he might be feeling a little worn down right now. Oklahoma got its bid to the CFP field on Dec. 2, and over the three weeks since all Murray has had on his plate is the award shows, finals, bowl practice, traveling to South Florida, debating his baseball-or- football-or-both future, and the not-so-small matter of prepping to face the defend ing national champions. The Sooners and coach Lincoln Riley went through a similar pre-CFP hectic time last year, when Baker Mayfield won the Heisman. Given that, Murray probably had a good idea what these days would be like. “He’s got a very cool, calm demeanor about him and he’s handled it extremely well,” Gundy said. “Obvi ously, you credit that a lot to coach Riley and having the opportunity to go through it with Baker. But Kyler’s personality and demeanor and everything is just very, very steady and level. He’s handled it very well.” Murray and Tagovailoa are the two most-decorated players in the nation this year, and finding separation between them is difficult. Oklahoma has the No. 1 scoring offense in the coun try at 49.5 points per game; Alabama is No. 2 at 47.9. Murray led the nation in pass efficency, with Tago vailoa No. 2 and both were well ahead of everyone else on that list. Tagovailoa was No. 1 nationally in yards per completion at 16.85; Mur ray was right behind him at 16.82. They’re not playing 1-on-l on Saturday, of course. But Tagovailoa is looking forward to the matchup, and expects Murray feels exactly the same way. “I think it’s going to be exciting,” Tagovailoa said.