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PAGE 2B - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS - WEDNESDAY. TANUARY 7, 2009
East Jackson Basketball
SPORTS NOTICES
Lady Eagles Defeat Carver, Prep For Dawson
By Brandon Reed
After a rough start to the DQ Classic
tournament at Hart County that result
ed in back-to-back losses, the East
Jackson Lady Eagles rebounded last
Tuesday with a victory over Carver,
Columbus to make them 4-7 overall.
Up next is a trip to Dawson County
Friday to face the Lady Tigers in a
region game. The two teams last met
up in the first round of 8AA tourna
ment play last season, where Dawson
County won 51-44.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Lady Eagles started out play
in the DQ Classic last Friday with
an opening loss to host Hart County.
The Lady Bulldogs took control of the
game early, pulling out to a 13-4 lead
at the end of the first quarter. Hart
County allowed only five points in the
second quarter while picking up 16,
taking a 29-9 into the half.
The Lady Bulldogs extended their
lead to 58-23 after three quarters and
coasted to a 72-35 win.
Autumn Wilbanks led East Jackson
with 13 points, while Dynelle Todman
had seven and Mikki McGinnis had
six.
Next up for the Lady Eagles was a
pairing against Monroe Area, a team
that has had its own struggles so far in
the season.
East Jackson took control early, and
held a one-point lead, 11-10, at the end
of the first quarter. The game remained
close through the second quarter, as
the Lady Eagles led 25-20 at the half
and 36-30 after three periods.
But the advantage slipped away in the
fourth quarter as Monroe Area rallied
and came away with a 55-47 win.
Shelby Johnson, Callie Moore and
Wilbanks led in scoring for East
Jackson with nine points apiece, while
East Jackson Wrestling
McGinnis scored eight. McGinnis led
in rebounds with 13, while Kaitlin Hill
pulled down seven. Moore also had
three.
"We are definitely in a slump right
now but I saw some good things in
the Monroe Area game,” coach Amy
Larimer said after the loss. “We were
aggressive both defensively and offen
sively and played with more intensity
than we have the last few games. If we
continue to play hard things will start
to look up."
Things finally did look up for East
Jackson in its next game, as the Lady
Eagles closed out the tournament
with a victory over Carver out of
Columbus.
After trailing in the first quarter,
12-10, the Lady Eagles came back in
the second quarter to take control of
the game, and move out to a 33-23 lead
at the half. East Jackson continued to
pace the game, moving to a 50-34 lead
by the end of the third quarter, then
held off a late charge by Carver that
saw them move to within five points,
winning 61-56.
Wilbanks led East Jackson with 28
points, while Johnson scored 13 and
Bralee Griffin eight. Caroline Hicks
led in rebounds with nine, while
McGinnis had seven and Wilbanks
and Griffin each had five. Johnson had
three assists. Hicks had four steals,
while Moore and Wilbanks both had
three.
"That was a much needed and well
deserved win,” Larimer said. “It was a
great team effort with everyone con
tributing. We played hard the entire
game and pulled out a gutsy per
formance. It was especially good to
get this win going into region play.
Hopefully we can keep the hard work
going."
Eagles Take Third At Georgia/Carolina Classic
Chalk up another solid performance for the East Jackson Eagles wrestling
team, as it finished first in its pool with Banks County, going 5-0, then went on
to defeat defending champs Jackson County for third place in the Georgia/
Carolina Classic at Hart County.
The performance came on the heels of the Eagles’ win at the Rumble on the
Ridge in Fannin County just before the holidays.
The Eagles were scheduled to face Loganville, Henry County and Woodward
Academy on Tuesday. Results were unavailable at press time.
Next up are the Area Duals Friday at EJCHS.
Community Activities
- Year End Chase Hosted In Nicholson
Cont’d from page IB
Former JCCHS athlete
Jeremiah Boozer finished
in sixth place overall, fol
lowed by EJCHS runner
Terry Miller.
Jackson County High
School runner Brittany
Aikens finished eighth
overall and was the over
all fastest female.
Chris Ruth of
Morgantown, W.V. fin
ished ninth followed
by Mitch Sosrow of
Anderson, S.C. rounding
out the top 10.
Taking the title of
Masters Female was
Rosie Laughlin of
Springfield, Mo., who
was just shy of the top
10 in the 11 place overall
finish.
Several current and for
mer student athletes were
involved in the race. A
complete list of finishers
can be found at http://
results.active.com.
One of the leading sup
porters of the club and
the race is Arcade police
chief Randy Williams.
Club race coordinator
Sue Kozlosky said that
Williams was a leading
factor in pushing the
club past the Year End
Chase and into a bigger
community project.
The proceeds from
the 5K went to the East
Jackson High School
cross county program.
Future race proceeds will
be donated to other com
munity health and fitness
programs that benefit
Jackson County.
The Dec. 27 race was
the first event of the East
Jackson Runners’ Club,
which is planning anoth
er event on Saturday, Jan.
10, at the Jackson County
Courthouse.
Those interested in par
ticipating can contact
race club coordinator
Sue Kozlosky by phone
at 706-757-5263 or email
at bluesheepinc@wind-
stream.net.
The club is open to all
members of the com
munity and meets on
the second and fourth
Saturday of each month.
Those interested in
joining or volunteering
can contact Kozlosky.
1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy. • Athens, GA
Fittings
Bag Evaluations
Repairs
Putting Green
Equipment
Apparel
• Baseball/Softball Starting At CPRD
The Commerce Parks & Recreation
Department will be accepting registrations
for its youth baseball/softball program
beginning Friday, Jan. 16 and ending, Jan.
30 (closed on, Jan. 19.)
Registrations will be received weekdays
from 1-5 p.m. at the Parks and Rec office
at American Veterans Memorial Park on
Carson Street. In addition, an extended
registration time will be available on, Jan.
31 until 7 p.m.
Birth certificates are required for all
participants. Parents of past players may
call 706-335-3236 to verify if a certificate
is already on file. Registrations will not be
accepted without a certificate.
• Entry Level Requirements: (T-Ball)
Girls must be 4 years old prior to Jan 1,
2009. Boys must be 4 years old prior to
May 1, 2009.
• Age control dates for softball and
Commerce Basketball
baseball in ail divisions prior to Jan. 1,
2009.
• Divisions include: T-Ball (age 4-5;
co-ed); Pee Wee baseball/softball (6-8);
Minor League baseball/softball (9-10);
Freshmen League baseball/softball (11-
12); Sophomore League baseball/softball
(13-14).
• Cost for T-Ball and Pee Wee divisions
for city residents is $45, non-city resident
is $65. Ages 9-14 is city $55, non-city $75.
For all divisions ages 9 and older, teams
will compete in the Dizzy Dean baseball/
softball. In Dizzy Dean, there are no bat
restrictions.
T-Ball, Pee Wee will be under the same
format used during the 2007 season.
The Rec office has sample sizes of uni
forms for convenience for proper fitting.
For additional information, call the Parks
and Recreation office at 706-335-3236.
Lady Tigers Prepare For Lakeview On Fri
By Justin Poole
Commerce High School’s Lady Tigers
had an up and down time at the Jackson
Christmas Tournament.
The Lady Tigers fell to Providence
Christian in the first round but came back
to defeat Hebron in the consolation game.
This week, Commerce faced Social circle
on Tuesday night. Results from the home
game were unavailable at press time.
On Friday, the Lady Tigers will welcome
Lakeview Academy to the Tiger Den.
Lakeview is going to be a challenge for
Commerce, but coach Eddie McCurley
believes that the team can make progress.
McCurley said the important thing is that
the girls learn more about the game and
compete well against each opponent.
During the Dec. 29-30 tournament
at Jackson County, Commerce faced
Providence Christian in the first round.
Providence finished second in the tour
ney, falling to Jackson County.
According to McCurley the Lady Tigers
played well in the first quarter but didn’t
respond when Providence started to score.
Commerce fell apart in the second half of
the game and seemed to give up, he said.
Commerce trailed 11-7 after one period
and 27-14 at the half. In the third period,
Commerce was totally shut out, allowing
Providence to stretch out to a 31-14 lead en
route to an easy 46-23 win.
Jaz Grier lead the Commerce team, scor
ing 11 points, and McCurley said that the
effort Grier was putting into the game was
visible. Lauren Jones added four points,
Logan Brown, Shekia Moon and Erica
Greene scored two apiece and Skylar
Beasley and Jordan Lord contributed a
point each.
Commerce fared better against Hebron
in the second game, winning 45-30.
The Lady Tigers jumped to a 12-7 lead in
the first period, maintained a 19-15 advan
tage at the half and outscored Hebron 6-2
in the third quarter to maintain a 25-17
lead.
McCurley credited the ladies for building
a lead steadily throughout the game.
“We did a better job in slowing down
some of their players,” the coach com
mented .
Grier led the scoring with 16 points and
was named to the all-tournament team
for scoring 27 points during the tourney.
Jones added 12 points in the Hebron game,
followed by Beasley with seven, Moon
with four and Brown and Lord with three
apiece.
Come Home
For The new year
BENTLEY
Assisted Living
JEFFERSON’S PREMIER
ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY
NEW YEAR'S GREETINGS FROM
BENTLEY ASSISTED LIVING AT NORTHMINISTER
FSef r/'/Fe/n//tj
50 SUMNER WAY • JEFFERSON, GA 30549
706-387-7000
WWW.NORTHMINSTER.COM