Newspaper Page Text
4B Sunday, December 30, 2018
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
SPORTS
NORTH HALL WRESTLERS WIN
AT HOOK ‘EM HOLIDAY CO\SSIC
For The Times
The North Hall High wrestling program topped a 36-team field to win the Hook ‘Em Holiday
Clash on Saturday at Lambert High in Cumming. Finishing second for the Trojans were
Jacob Pedraza (120 pounds), Matthew Glenn (126), Jack Whitmire (132), Cody Smith (152),
Logan Hawthorne (195) and Seth Carlton (220).
M\NIERO\ND SCOREBOARD
Gainesville girls claim
third with 53-50 victory
Tia Shelton broke the
1,000-point career milestone
for the Gainesville High girls
as it beat Chestatee, 53-50,
in the third-place game of
Lanierland on Saturday at
West Hall.
Shelton finished with 22
points, while Tija Blackwell
chipped in 20 points for the
Lady Red Elephants.
Down by 3 entering the
fourth quarter, Gainesville
outscored Chestatee 15-9 in
the final period. On Friday,
Gainesville visits Haber
sham Central at 7 p.m. in
Mount Airy.
BOYS THIRD-PLACE
GAME: Lakeview Academy
knocked down 12 3-pointers
as it beat North Hall 74-44 on
Saturday at West Hall. Blake
McIntyre led the Lions
(9-5) with 20 points, while
Adam Cottrell finished with
13. Also in double figures,
Holden Cooper finished with
12 points and Arturo Varela
scored 10.
EAST HALL GIRLS
66, WEST HALL 39: Mag
gie Griffin finished with
15 points and Ashante
Peoples added 11 for the
Lady Vikings (7-10) in the
consolation bracket of the
Lanierland on Saturday in
Oakwood.
On Friday, East Hall visits
Greater Atlanta Christian
in Lilburn.
LAKEVIEW ACADEMY
GIRLS 64, CHEROKEE
BLUFF 52: Eliza Snyder
poured in a season-high 33
points for the Lady Lions,
along with three steals and
four rebounds in the conso
lation round of Lanierland at
West Hall.
Jo Snyder scored 11
points with three steals for
Lakeview Academy, while
Jackie Allen had 10 points
and five assists.
On Saturday, Lakeview
Academy hosts George Wal
ton Academy at noon.
Compiled by Bill Murphy
AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Flowery Branch’s Ashley Scott and North Hall’s Ansleigh Ferguson dive for a loose ball
during the championship on the Lanierland tournament at West Hall High.
GIRLS
■ Continued from 1B
double showings in the
previous two tournament
games, was held to two
points and no field goals for
the contest. Lady Trojans
senior Guard Maci Gillespie
was the only starter to score
in the double digits with 13
points, followed by Grace
Hollifield with five points.
Newton-Gonzalez was
pleased to see her play
ers take advantage of their
opportunities against a
North Hall squad that gutted
out a pair of thrilling victo
ries the previous two nights
— including the team’s over
time victory against Gaines
ville in the semifinals on
Friday.
“We knew they came off
two big games, you know,
two games where they had
to play really hard,” the
Lady Falcons coach said.
“We typically come out
pressing, but we knew they
had senior guards and a
really heady point guard in
(Maci Gillespie). So we just
decided to lock in on our
half-court defense, and I’m
really proud how we locked
in on that.
“I thought our help-side
defense was good, thought
we guarded Ferguson really
well, and we just locked in
on all five players.”
Gillespie scored the
game’s first basket for North
Hall within the first two min
utes of the championship,
though that time spent ahead
was short lived for the Lady
Trojans (11-4). Scott put
Flowery Branch ahead with
the first of two 3-pointers in
the period, and the Lady Fal
cons sprinted ahead with a
double-digit lead they would
not relinquish.
Scott’s second trey of the
half, this time from way out
side the top of the arc, beat
the buzzer to stretch Flow
ery Branch’s lead to 20-6.
After leading 27-10 at half
time, the margin gradually
ballooned to 36 by the final
period. It was all smiles for
the Lady Falcons after that,
hoisting the trademark gold
trophy in front of a packed-
to-capacity crowd.
“Just thinking going into
this, our first one, they
hadn’t won since 2003. So
that just tells you how hard it
is to win one,” Newton-Gon
zalez said. “But to be able
to win four-in-a-row, we’ve
had kids who just commit
ted to what we ask them to
do, really lock in with scout
ing reports and gameplans.
That is just a testament to
our kids, what they do and
believe in our system.”
BOYS
■ Continued from 1B
entered the final quarter up
by 11, and Hector made sure
his team finished off the win.
He hit his first trey of the
frame early — a response
to a Kylan Curry 3 on the
other end of the court. His
second 3-pointer came just
seconds after TJ Campbell
hit one for East Hall, about
midway through the game’s
last period.
The third was a dagger.
With Gainesville leading
by 13 and barely more than
two minutes left to play,
Hector drilled a 3-pointer
from the corner that gave
the Red Elephants a 16-point
advantage — their biggest of
the night.
The lead proved insur
mountable for the Vikings,
as Gainesville easily fin
ished things off from there.
Hector said the perfor
mance was the result of hard
work, “trusting the process”
and shooting 500 3-pointers a
day in practice.
“Repetition, repetition,
repetition,” he said. “That’s
how you get that result. ”
NFL
Falcons looking to end
season on positive note
JAE C. HONG I The Associated Press
Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan (2) looks to pass against the
Carolina Panthers during the first half of the game Dec.
23 in Charlotte, N.C.
Associated Press
Dirk Koetter doesn’t
think it benefits him or the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to
wonder what might have
been.
Win or lose Sunday’s
season finale against
NFC South-rival Atlanta,
the Bucs (5-10) will miss
the playoffs for the 11th
straight year.
The Falcons (6-9) have
had a tough go of it, too,
though they do have a shot
at ending their disappoint
ing season on a three-game
winning streak.
The performance of both
teams has been impacted
by injuries, but inconsistent
play has been a factor, too.
“You can’t play the ‘what
if’ game,” said Koetter,
who’ll soon learn if he has
accomplished enough in
three seasons to keep his
job.
The Bucs have the NFL’s
No. 1-ranked passing attack
despite Jameis Winston
beginning the season serv
ing a three-game suspen
sion for violating the NFL’s
personal conduct policy
and then struggling to hold
onto his starting job.
The defense has per
formed better, too, since
Koetter fired ex-Falcons
coach Mike Smith as defen
sive coordinator in Octo
ber. Still, he insists it serves
no good purpose to second-
guess whether he waited
too long to make the move.
“I do not play the ‘what
if’ game, ever, because it
doesn’t do any good,” Koet
ter reiterated. “You can’t
change what’s already
done.”
Quinn led Atlanta to the
Super Bowl just two years
ago. The Falcons lost sev
eral key starters on defense
early, and injured run
ning back Devonta Free
man appeared in only two
games before being placed
on injured reserve.
A five-game losing streak
ruined the prospect of
rallying for a playoff berth,
however Matt Ryan led
victories over Arizona and
Carolina the past two weeks
and a victory Sunday would
enable the Falcons to finish
on a positive note.
“I’m really proud of the
fight of our team. I think
they have demonstrated
resolve and leadership
when things are at their
hardest,” Quinn said.
“I think what I told
them, all of this will serve a
higher purpose in the end,”
the Falcons coach added.
“Through the years, I’ve
seen when that’s not the
case, and it’s tough to get it
back, but this team fights.
We’ve never backed off.”
The Bucs have lost three
straight, 10 of 13 overall fol
lowing a 2-0 start with Ryan
Fitzpatrick filling in during
Winston’s suspension.
Winston regained his
starting job only to be
benched and re-inserted
into the lineup again. The
No. 1 overall pick from the
2015 draft has thrown for
nine TDs vs. three intercep
tions over his last six games
Falcons at
Buccaneers
When: 1 p.m. today
TV: Fox
— five of them starts.
Koetter, who’s 19-28
since taking over the Bucs
in 2016, said his sole focus
is on putting the Bucs in the
best position possible to be
successful against Atlanta.
Some things to know
about the Falcons and Bucs
matchup:
WINSTON’S FUTURE?:
The Bucs face a number of
potentially tough decisions
in the upcoming offseason,
including whether Winston
is the team’s quarterback
of the future.
The fourth-year pro is
due to earn nearly $21 mil
lion next season, although
it’s only guaranteed in the
event of injury.
While Winston has
shared playing time with
Fitzpatrick, who’s 2-5 as
the starter this season, No.
3 quarterback Ryan Grif
fin is expected to be active
against the Falcons.
A podcast series from
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HISTORY OF
-HALLXOMT.Y-
How did Hall County take its current
shape? Why did people move into the
area, and how did the earliest settlers
survive? In the final episode of Hall
Tales, go back to the earliest days of
the county with host Johnny Vardeman
and guest Glen Kyle, director of the
Northeast Georgia History Center.
Listen to all Hall Tales Podcast
episodes here:
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This podcast edition of Hall
Tales is sponsored by
Hall County Government in
honor of its 200th anniversary.
