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Tigers Seek Momentum
The CHS men’s basketball team seeks mo
mentum heading into next week’s region tour
nament. PAGE 3B
IB
THE COMMERCE (GA.) NEWS
WEDNESDAY,
FEBRUARY 6,2008
Kolby Gilbert shoots for two of his sea- County. The Eagles had won seven of their
son-high 27 points Friday night in the East last eight games as of the weekend.
Jackson Eagles’ 83-62 win over Banks Photo by Mark Beardsley
Red-Hot Eagles To Start
Region Tourney At Home
EJ Girls' Basketball
Lady Eagles
Peaking At
Right Time
The East Jackson Lady Eagles
need a strong finish to the regu
lar season this week to prepare
for the region tournament start
ing Monday probably at Daw
son County. Following big wins
last Friday and Saturday coach
Amy Larimer thinks her team is
peaking at just the right time.
The Eagles, after a 61-52 loss
Jan. 29 to Dawson County
came back Friday night to beat
Banks County 49-48 when
Marley Pullian sank two free
throws with 9.1 seconds left
in the game, then knocked off
Oglethorpe County Saturday,
61-49.
“It was uplifting for the team
to pull out two wins, and espe
cially, such a hard-fought win
against Banks County,’’ said La
rimer, whose Eagles improved
to 9-14 overall and 2-6 in the
subregion. ‘That was a gutsy
performance by everyone, es
pecially Marley Pullian, to hit
the clutch free throws to win
the game. Our last two games
against Union County and
Fannin County will be tough,
but if we are on our game and
focused, we can give both of
them competitive games. We
need to finish this week strong
going into the region tourna
ment.’’
The Eagles were due to travel
to Union County Tuesday.
Results of that game were not
available by press time. They’ll
wind up the regular season Sat
urday, hosting Fannin County
at 7 p.m on Senior Night.
It appears that the Eagles, a
number five seed, will rematch
Dawson County Monday
at home to open the region
tournament, but that could
change. The Eagles got a nice
home-court advantage be
cause the first round is hosted
by the third-ranked boys’ team
— which happens to be East
Jackson. Essentially, the sixth-
ranked team in the subregion
travels to play the third-ranked
team, while the fifth-ranked
team travels to play the fourth-
ranked. The winners of those
games, plus the top two seeds,
play in the region finals hosted
by the highest-seeded boys’
team.
Please Turn to Page 2B
With just two games left before
the region 8A tournament, the
East Jackson Eagles have won
seven of their last eight games.
They’ll host the first two days
of the tournament Monday and
Tuesday, entering as the number
three seed.
“Unless something crazy hap
pens, we’ll play Banks County at
8:30 Monday,’’ said coach Brian
Turner. Rabun and Union Coun
ty will play an earlier game, with
the winners meeting Tuesday for
the right to advance to the quar
terfinals.
“We’d like to be No. 1 or 2 of
course,’’ Turner said. “We feel
like we’re one of the best teams
on our side of the region, but
we let a couple of games get
away from us, Dawson County
at home and Rabun County
at home. But we’ll be happy to
go in at number three and host
the first two games at our place.
Hopefully, we’ll get to the quar
terfinals and see what happens
there.’’
Monday’s match-up should
look good to the Eagles, who
beat Banks County 83-62 Friday,
a subregion victory sandwiched
between a shouldn’t-have 53-
51 loss last Tuesday, Jan. 29, to
Dawson County, and a Saturday
night victory over Oglethorpe
County, 83-55.
Tigers 53-Eagles 51
It was a game in which the Ea
gles had their chances — plenty
of them, Turner said — but let the
game slip away.
“We got off to a real good start,
leading 17-8, but give Dawson
County credit. They outscored
us 19-11 in the second quarter,
closing the gap to 28-27 at the
half.
“We were sluggish in the third
quarter,’’ Turner continued. “We
didn’t do a good job guarding
the three-pointers, which Daw
son County lives and dies by.’’
The Eagles came back. With
less than a minute left in the
Please Turn to Page 2B
CHS Wrestling
Tiger Wrestlers Still Seek Healing
The good news is that the Com
merce Tiger wrestling team won
the Gladiator Duals at Clarke Cen
tral High School last Saturday.
The bad news is that three Tigers
are out of action, one of them for
the season.
For that reason, coach Kend
all Love indicated Monday that
he would send the junior varsity
squad to Jackson County Com
prehensive High School yester
day (Tuesday) for a match involv
ing the Panthers, the East Jackson
Eagles and North Hall. Results of
that meet were not available by
press time.
“We’re just trying to recoup and
recover,’’ Love said.
On Friday and Saturday, the Ti
gers will take 1-75 south to Vidalia
for the Vidalia Sweet Onion Clas
sic, a 25-team tournament that
will give the Tigers a look at some
wrestling programs they haven’t
seen but who might be on the ho
rizon in the state tournament.
They’ll have to compete without
Please Turn to Page 3B Heavyweight Baxter Barnes takes on a Madison Co. wrestler at the Gladiator Duals Saturday.
CHS Girls' Basketball
Senior Morgan Mather scored 13 points as the Lady Tigers
beat Tallulah Falls on Saturday.
Photo by Mark Beardsley
Lady Tigers Riding A
2-Game Win Streak
When you’re 6-13 on the season, a two-game winning streak is nice
indeed, and for the Commerce Lady Tigers it couldn’t come at a
nicer time.
The Tigers knocked off Tallulah Falls Tuesday, Jan. 29, 56-18, then
beat Athens Christian Saturday, 59-41. They were scheduled to play
at Towns County yesterday (Tuesday), details of which were not
available by press time, and will host Lakeview Academy Friday on
“Senior Night.’’
The Tigers could finish as a number three seed by beating both
Towns and Lakeview, but as Towns is tops in the region, that’s some
thing of a tall order.
“Right now it is likely we will finish as a fourth seed,’’ said coach
Eddie McCurley.
That would put the Tigers in the “play-in’’ game with the number
five seed on the other side of the region, a contest that will take place
Monday at Prince Avenue Christian School, probably at 4:00. The
winner would play against Wednesday and could advance to the
Region 8A tournament Friday and Saturday at Towns County High
School. Details will not be finalized until after the region coaches
meet Sunday.
Senior Brittany Sewell sees the Tigers as much improved over the
beginning of the season.
“We’re getting better,’’ she said. “We’ve picked it up and gotten a lot
better. We’ve beat some of the teams we lost to at the beginning’’
Sewell sees the teamwork as improving — particularly in the area of
scoring, where she had to carry most of the burden early.
“I’ve gotten a lot of help from the other girls,’’ she said. “Against
Tallulah Falls and Athens Christian, just about everybody scored.
When Jessie (Flint) was out (a knee injury), our guards stepped up
pretty good.’’
CHS 56-TF 18
It was a rare game in which the Tigers took control early and never
gave it up. They pulled out to a 17-6 first quarter lead, put the game
away by halftime 32-9 and led 42-13 after three before coasting to a
56-18 victory.
Morgan Mather scored 13 to lead the offense. Brittany Beauchamp
added nine, Sewell and Kaylin Canup eight apiece, Felicia Grier and
Jasmine Sanders added five each and Jasmine Grier scored four and
Terra Hancock and Skylar Beasley contributed two apiece.
“That was a career high for Morgan Mather. I was particularly proud
of her,’’ said McCurley. “We had good, balanced scoring’’
CHS 59-ACS 41
A strong first quarter propelled the Tigers to their sixth victory.
They led 21-11 after one period, 35-20 at the half and 45-32 after three
periods en route to a 59-41 win.
“This was a team that beat us earlier in the year, but it was a game
I felt like we could win,’’ McCurley said. “This time we pressed them
and were able to force a good many turnovers in the first quarter,
and we converted them into points. Twenty-one is by far the most
points we’ve scored in a quarter.’’
Lauren Jones and Sanders scored 13 apiece for the Tigers. F. Gri
er added seven, Sewell six, Beauchamp and Hancock four apiece,
Mather three and Canup, J. Grier and Jessie Flint two apiece.
Flint injured a knee. As of Monday, her status for the rest of the
season was not clear.
“Jasmine Sanders and Lauren Jones shot the ball well,’’ noted Mc
Curley. “Lauren got off to a great start the first quarter. It was her
best shooting game as well as Jasmine’s best. They made some big
baskets from the outside and that seemed to get us into the flow of
the game.’’