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February 13, 2008 Section b The Banks County News Sports Editor: Chris Bridges Contact: 706-367-2745 www.mainstreetnews.com First & Ten ★ ★ ★ chris@mainstreetnews.com BY CHRIS BRIDGES Bright things ahead for Lady Leopards I t’s confession time again. I wouldn’t have made many old-school journalism pro fessors proud last Friday night as I sat in the Banks County High School gym. You see, I admit that I was cheering as hard as anyone for coach Jerry King and his BCHS Lady Leopards as they battled visiting Dawson County during Senior Night. A couple of times late in the fourth quarter I even left my chair and was standing after a couple of late baskets by King’s squad allowed the Lady Leopards to remain in front. At times, it has been a trying experience for the BCHS var sity girls this season. However, those with any level of basketball knowledge know that good things are in store for this program. The reasons are evident. First, the man guiding and mentoring the program is certainly the right coach for the job. After working for several seasons as an assistant coach at Franklin County High School, King was hired to lead the BCHS program. A better hire could not have been made. I remember the first time I got to see King coach this season. Even though it was early and his players were still finding their way in his system, you could sense there was something special being built. As the season progressed, the team began learning King’s system and slowly, but surely, began to make improvements. While the team did not register a subregion win until the final regular season contest, the Lady Leopards were very close to doing so on several occasions. It always seemed that something would prevent the team from getting that first magical win. However, the team was playing well enough in so many areas that you knew a win was inevitable. Several teams almost fell victim to BCHS in recent games and Dawson County finally became that opponent Friday night. Given a little extra inspiration from Senior Night, the Lady Leopards played a strong game again but this time held on at the end to record the victory. Like many of the recent closes, the game was not decided until the final moments. The large crowd on hand seemed to also be energized by the effort being given on the court by the BCHS Lady Leopards. When it was over, King’s squad stood victorious 50-46. It was the ultimate momen tum booster going into this week’s Region 8-AA tournament. That’s why I couldn’t help but cheer Friday night. I couldn’t help but pull for the home team who had poured their hearts out in recent games only to see their hopes dashed in the final min utes or even seconds of a game. That’s why when the final buzzer sounded Friday night and the Lady Leopards had the higher total on the scoreboard, I couldn’t help but be a fan and give them a hand. When a team works like the Lady Leopards have you have to cheer them on, journalism ethics or not. And you have to be happy for a first-year head coach who has this program moving in a posi tive direction. Chris Bridges is sports editor of The Banks County News. Contact him at 706-367-2745 or by e-mail at chris@mainstreetnews.com. Region 8-AA Tournament BCHS teams fall in opening round of region play BY CHRIS BRIDGES The Banks County High School varsity basketball teams ventured into the Region 8-AA tournament Monday with upsets on their minds. Unfortunately, for the Leopards and Lady Leopards the stay in the postseason ended after one game. The BCHS Lady Leopards came close to advancing against Rabun County before ulti- mately falling 73-65. It was the best offensive outing of the season for coach Jerry King’s squad. “If you had told me going in we would have had two players score at least 20 points and we would score our highest point total of the season then I would have felt pretty good,” the coach said. “However, Rabun County was on fire in the second half. We kept scoring too, but it seemed everything they threw up went in.” Andrea Hunter turned in an impres sive outing with 24 points while teammate Lauren Kennedy, return ing from an injury, scored 20. BCHS led 31-26 at halftime of the region tournament game played at East Jackson High School in Commerce. “Our girls played hard,” King said. “We improved a lot as the season went on. I believe we have a bright future ahead of us.” The BCHS boys were unable to stop the offensive onslaught by East Jackson and fell in the opening round late Monday night. See Region on page 3B First Round: •BCHS girls 65, Rabun County 73 •BCHS boys 64, East Jackson 98 Lady Leopards close out regular season with subregion win BY CHRIS BRIDGES A fter coming close on several previous occasions, the Banks County High School Lady Leopards found the win ning combination in subregion play Friday night. Coach Jerry King’s squad defeated Dawson County 50-46 in the regular season finale as BCHS was not to be denied on this occasion. The win helped send the team’s three seniors — Andrea Hunter, Randi Seabolt and Allison White — out with a win in their final home game. “It was one of those games where I felt we were going to find a way to win,” King said. “It was a great momentum boost for us.” Lacey Saxon paced the Lady Leopards with 14 points while Hunter finished with eight and Erika Evans added seven. Lindsey McDuffie scored five points before leaving the game with an ankle injury while Jessica Grisham and Terri Cregar both added three points. “Down the stretch, we were able to find a way to score points when we had to,” King said. “We also had some key defensive stops. I thought our bench played really well. It was also a big night for our seniors. We’ve been playing hard. It was only a matter of making plays when we needed to.” Twenty two of the team’s 50 points were scored from players coming in as subs. It was an overall balanced scoring effort as 11 play ers scored at least two points Friday. King said Evans, McDuffie and Cregar each played well off the bench. A key stat in the win was the team’s 10 suc cessful free throws in the fourth quarter. The game remained close throughout with the lead going back and forth. Dawson County held a 10-6 advantage after the first quarter with BCHS taking a 25-22 lead into halftime. The Lady Tigers had moved back in front 37-34 after the third quarter. BCHS scored 25 points in both the first and second halves. Seabolt, White, Lauren Gibbs, Brittany Cook and Samm Kennedy all scored two points in the win, with many of their baskets coming at key points in the game with the score being close. ‘Down the stretch, we were able to find a way to score points when we had to.’ — Coach Jerry King BCHS Basketball: Regular Season Finale SENIOR CONTRIBUTION Banks County High School senior Allison White, playing in her final home game, helped the Lady Leopards record a subregion win against Dawson County High School Friday night. Photos by Lyn Sengupta Friday night’s win helped the team erase the memory of a 61-31 setback against Fannin County from earlier in the week. The Lady Leopards started the contest with Fannin County slowly falling behind 17-3 after the first quarter and 31-13 at halftime. Saxon was the team’s leading scorer with nine points followed by Evans with eight and White with five. McDuffie contribiuted four while Hunter scored three and Seabolt finished with two. BCHS was able to stay close with Fannin County earlier this season. The BCHS junior varsity Lady Leopards recorded a 34-30 win against Dawson County Friday night behind a nine-point performance from Chelsea Abercrombie, Madison Franklin and Katlin Parks. Ashley Morris, Deasha Beasley and Laura Pickens each scored two points in the win for coach Andy Brown’s team. The BCHS JV led 19-8 at halftime and con tinued to hold a 24-18 advantage after the third quarter. Brown’s squad was able to hold on in the game’s final quarter for the win to close out the 2007-08 season. Leopards fall to Dawson on Senior Night BY CHRIS BRIDGES The Banks County High School accomplished one goal against Dawson County High School last week. The Leopards managed to slow down the Tigers’ usual onslaught of baskets from 3-point range. However, in the end, visiting Dawson County still managed to spoil senior night for the Leopards by establishing an inside presence and recording a 79-52 win. Veteran BCHS coach Mike Ruth said his team continues to play hard, but seems to be lacking confidence at this point. “We are especially lacking confi dence on the offensive end,” Ruth said after breaking the game down and conducting practice Sunday afternoon. “I hate it we couldn’t get a win on Senior Night. However, people have to remember just how young we are are.” With just three seniors — Dustin Worley, Heath Jones and Chris McDuffie — on the roster this sea son, it has been a definite youth movement for Ruth and his coaching staff. Many players are as young as sophomores and many are seeing significant minutes at the varsity level for the first time. See BCHS boys on page 3B CHRIS MCDUFFIE 20 years of dedication LEOPARD MANAGER Kandy Parks was recognized last Friday night as serving as the Banks County High School varsity boys basketball manager for the past 20 years. Photo by Lyn Sengupta Middle School Basketball BCMS teams cap successful campaigns BY CHRIS BRIDGES The curtain has fallen on the 2007-08 basketball season at Banks County Middle School but the players and coaches are still reflecting on the suc cess enjoyed this winter. For the second year in a row, both the Leopards and Lady Leopards finished as runner-up in the Leopard Invitational and posted an impressive number of overall wins. Standout performances by several players helped pace the success enjoyed on the court. Coaches Steven Shedd and John Bertrang have also helped shape the BCMS basketball programs into winners and are helping make the teams at Banks County High School successful down the road. Shedd has been at BCMS for eight years. He coached the boys teams for three seasons before working with the girls for the last five. “Coaching is extremely rewarding for me,” Shedd said. “I guess my love for coaching comes from my dad and my love for sports in general. My dad coached me when I was very young and I think I picked up a lot of his coaching traits along the way.” In addition, Shedd said he believes without ath letics as an influence, he would not be the person he is today. “The best way I can explain coaching is that it is just fun,” the Lady Leopard coach said. “We always try to keep the fun in basketball. I really enjoy working with the girls and building relation ships. I think of our team as one big family and the girls on the team are like my own daughters during basketball season. There is a great sense of accom plishment to see things come together and for them to experience success as a team.” See BCMS on page 2B