Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, December 14,1994, Houston Times-Journal
Page 6A
Sports
Bombs Away! Panthers use 30-point
quarter to rout Houston County, 104-79
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Junior forward Natalie
Taylor goes up for the
layup in Perry's 58-31 win
over the Lady Bears of
Houston County.
Westfield girls slip past Tattnall Square, 50-48
By: PhIL CLARK
For the second time in less than
three weeks, Westfield coach Billy
Sellers had to convince his young
Lady Hornets that they could beat
the Tattnall Lady Trojans. It took
nearly lour full quarters to get the
job done, but Westfield pulled off
their second win over the Lady
Trojans. including the
championship of the Tattnall Tipoff
tournament in November.
In a close first quarter. Tattnall's
Phelieia Phillips hit a three-pointer
at the buzzer to give the Lady
Trojans a 13-10 lead. But ia the
second, Westfield suddenly went
cold, and went without a field goal
the entire second quarter, increasing
WESTFIELD BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Nov. 21 -22 Tattnall Square Tlpoft Macon
Dec. 3 DearfleM-WMsor Albany B-boys 1:30
Dec. 8 Tattnall Square Macon Bothß 4:00
Dec. 10 Pinewood Christian Perry Buoys 6:00
Dec. 16 John Mttledge Perry B-girls 5:00
Dec. 27-28 Tattnal Holiday Tournament Macon
Jan. 3 Monroe Albany B-boys 5:00
Jan. 6 'Windsor Perry B-boys 5:00
Jan. 7 Mount de Sales Perry B-grts 3:00
Jan. 12 *Hrst Presbyterian Macon B-girls 5:00
Jan. 17 Deerfield-Windsor Perry B-girfs 5:00
Jan. 20 'Southland Perry B-boys 5:00
Jan. 21 Tattnal Square Perry Both B 4:00
Jan. 24 'Stratford Macon Both B 4:00
Jan. 27 'Windsor Macon B-boys 5:00
Jan. 28 Monroe Perry B-boys 5:00
Jan. 31 Mount de Sales Macon B-glrfs 5:00
Feb. 3 'First Presbyterian Perry B-boys 5:00
Feb. 7 'Southland Americus B-boys 5:00
Feb. 10 'Stratford Perry Bothß 4:00
Feb. 15-17 Regonl-AAA Tournament Windsor TBA
Feb. 22-25 State AAA Tournament Stratford TBA
March 2-4 State Final Four MHledgevifle TBA
'Region 1-AAA Game
C-Team Schedule
Dec. 1 Stratford Away 6:00
Dec. 8 Southland Home 6:30 (2 games only)
Jan. 5 Windsor Away 6:00
Jan. 7 FPD Home 8:00 a.m.
Jan. 12 Southland Away 6:30 (2 games only)
Jan.l4 Monroe Away 8:00 a.m.
Jan. 21 Mount de Sales Home 8:00 a.m.
Jan. 28 Windsor Home 6:00
Jan. 28 Tattnall Square Home 8:00 a.m.
Feb. 4,6,9 C-Team Tourney Tattnal TBA
By: PHIL CLARK
Coach Carl Thomas loaded all
die guns, and let them fire away
Saturday night as the Panthers
blasted the Houston County Bears
in die first region 3AA South game
for both teams. Perry used a 30-
point second quarter to take charge
of die game, and Houston County
was never in it. Perry put six
players in double figures, including
four three-pointers by sharp
shooting Stan Gann. The Panthers
improved their record to 4-2 on the
years, and will take a Christmas
break before participating in the
second Bear Brawl at Houston
County December 27 - 30.
The 104079 victory marked the
first time the Panthers have gone
over die century m.trk, and diey did
it with 48 in die first half and 56 in
the second. In fact, Houston
County was hanging in pretty well
until die third quarter, trailing by
just thirteen at halftime. But Gann
began to bomg from long range in
the third, and Perry slowly pulled
away.
Gann had 19 points for the
Panthers, including those four
three-pointers, while Cory Duncan
and Rod Barnes had 18 each. Others
in double digits for Perry were
Derrik Webb with 14. including a
could pf three-pointers, Garnet
Curry had a dozen and Gene Arnold
ten. Four other Panthers contributed
to the scoring. Dominique
Robinson of Houston County
found the range for 28. leading all
scorers, while Chris Brown had 17.
But Perry held the rest of die Bears
in check.
The Lady Panthers improved to
3-0, 1-0 in the region, with a 58-31
win over the 1 ady Bears The Lady
Panthers. 11-15 last season, will
also play in die Bear Brawl after
Christmas. Coach Max Vickers
also got balanced scoring as Perry
cruised to a 30 16 lead at the half,
and the I ady Bears were never in
the g;une. Houston County drops 10
0-4. 0-1.
Please see PANTHERS, paqe 7A
the lead to 13 points, 30-17. Juice
Fryer hit a three-pointer to cut the
lead back to ten. and by the time
Mary Katherine Walker scored to
make it 37-30 with four minutes
left, W'estfield had begun a
comeback, and Tattnall's Richard
Reid called time out.
Tattnall then built the lead back
to ten at the end of three, 41-31.
Jennifer Smith, experiencing an
uncharacteristicly cold shooting
night, drew her fourth four with
5:52 left and had to sit out a while.
When Mary Kathemine Walker hit
a three-pointer with 5:27 left.
Tattnall called time again, this time
leading by just five points. 42-37
as the Lady Hornets began to climb
Houston Times-Journal 6 a
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Corey Duncan, Perry junior guard, drives for two
against Houston County. Duncan finished with 18
points in Perry's 104-79 victory.
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Jennifer Smith shoots for two over a Tattnall Square
defender in Westfield's 50-48 win over Tattnall
Square.
back into the game. At 5:07,
Windy Biggers scored to make it
42-39, and witli Smith back in the
game, the Westfield junior was
fouled and made one of two, cutting
the lead to two, but Phillips hit a
two-pointer to give the Lady
T rojans a four point advantage.
Juice Fryer hit a three, and when
Tattnall missed on thsi next
possession, Walker rebounded for
the Lady Hornets and Fryer hit
Smith on a break, giving Westfield
the lead with just over two and a
half minutes left, 45-44. But
Wednesday Dec. 14,1994
Carolyn Smothers got the lead right
back for Tattnall, and it see-sawed
back and fourth until Stephanie Barr
tied it at 48-all with 1:34 left.
The experience and leadership of
Jennifer Smith took over as the
Veteran Westfield center blocked a
Kara Griffin shot with 30 seconds
left and got the deflection, giving
Westfield the ball. Smith hit a
baseline jumper with four second
left, giving the Lady Hornets a 50-
48 lead, then intercepted the
inbounds pass after a T attnall time
Please see WESTFIELD, page 7A^
Who is this guy Biily
Sellers on sidelines?
By: PHIL CLARK
Who is this guy Billy Sellers,
who's high-energy animauon on the
Westfield sidelines has captured die
imagination of basketball fans and
reporters in this entire area? Many
believe he is the best thing to
happen to girls basketball at
Westfield in many years. Many fell
that he is a miracle worker. The
first part if true. The second, Billy
Sellers will discount. What he is,
though, is a very hard working,
very knowledgeable basketball
coach who has not necessarily
transformed the fortunes of die Lady
Hornets basketball team, but who
has transformed die thinking of die
players themselves.
Time was when this team was
down in the fourth quarter, you
could consider the game over. Not
any more. Even with just five
players on the squad past grade
nine. Sellers has convinced these
young players dial they can win.
That’s the first step in a successful
coaching prog nun. Just go back a
year to the football program for
more evidence.
Billy Sellers could surely be a
subject of television commercials. I
mean, where could Energizer get a
better exampl of "it just keeps
going and going and going"? And
don't be surprised if someone wants
to film his sideline antics, put it to
music, and release it as an exercise
video!
Now, then who is Uiis guy Billy
Sellers? He's a south Georgia boy.
bom in Dawson and educated at
Georgia Southwestern in Americus,
just a stone's throw from his home
town. Most of his coaching
experience has been in the GHSA,
although he did begin his coaching
career at Randolph-Southern in
Cuthbert, again just a stone's throw
from home That lasted just a year,
though, and Sellers took the head
girls job at Miller County High in
Colquitt. He stayed there for six
years before taking a position al
HogansviUe, but by the time he left
Miller, he was boys coach, not
GHSA crowns on line
By: PHIL CLARK
In a season that has seemingly
taken forever, the (II IS A will
finally crown their four state
football champions this weekend
in finals that will all be comprised
of south Georgia teams. The
season, remember, began back on
August 271 h with the triple-header
at the Georgia Dome and will end
Saturday night, seventeen weeks
after the first kickoff!
The Saturday affair at the Dome
didn’t bode too well fix the four
north Georgia hosts, did it? In the
12:00 noon matchup between
Brooks County and Central of
Talbotton. the visitors from deep
south Georgia used their superior
team speeo *o beat Central 50-26
and will now host the title game at
Quitman Saturday night. Ironically,
Brooks' only loss to a class A team
came to Charlton County in a
region game October 7th. But it
was that loss that will allow
Brooks to host the title game. Had
they won the game, and gone on as
the region 2A champions, they
would have been in the bracket that
would have them on the road this
week. The Brooks County coach,
by the way, is Maurice Freeman, in
this first year as head coach after
coaching in Macon for many years,
at Northeast under Steve Edwards.
You wonder how the Bibb County
system left Freeman escape. He was
won eleven game this year at
Brooks, three less than the four
Macon public schools combined!
Brooks will host Manchester, a
19-13 winner over fumble-prone
Macon County Saturday night in
the other class A se in-final game.
Manchester, also under a first year
coach, Greg Oglesby, capitolized on
Macon County turnovers to score
two early touchdowns, then
withstood a Bulldog comback to
escape with the winl. Manchester,
the number two team in the final
AP poll, has now beaten number
three Armuchee and number one
Macon County in back to back
weeks.
In AA, in the mid-afternoon
game at the dome, Washington
County continued their march to a
state tile with a convincing 35-7
For {he in {fte
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Phil L
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K Sports
girls. At HogansviUe, resumed
coaching girls basketball and
assumed the head coaching position
in baseball, as well.
If you think he didn’t come with
outstanding credentials, consider
this. Sellers has seven years
experience as a head coach in girls
basketball, four years as a head
boys coach, four years as baseball
coach, and during all of those years,
he was been a football assistant.
There's a humanitarian side to
Sellers that the average fan doesn't
see. While at Miller County,
Sellars took under his wing a
youngster names Selma Callaway.
Going nowhere in particular,
Callaway needed adult guidance. He
got it from Sellers who was
himself only in his lale twenties.
Gdlaway went on to become one of
the most sought alter running backs
in the state his senior years, and
finally signed with the University
of Georgia, where this year he was
a backup fullback and who will be
an outstanding player for the
Bulldogs. Sellers won't lake any
credit, but he deserves a lot for the
direction this man's life look
Now ;then. back to his present
job. He has convinced a young
Westfield le;un that they can win.
They probably won't win any
champshionships this year because
of their youth and inexperience, and
the presence of several veteran
outfits around the stale. But Ihcy
won't quit. Their coach doesn't.
Doesn't knw how. Doesn't know
how to tolerate it. He won't gain
any weight, either, the way he
bounces around on the sidelines.
What he will gain, though, is a
growing throng of admirers and
believers.
win over Carrolton. ranke second in
the final poll behind the Hawks.
Washington County will be on the
road Saturday night, playing the
region two champion Screven
County Gamecocks. The Golden
Hawks and Gamecocks is a title
match! Think the fealliers will fly?
Thomas County Central is
perhaps die most amazing playoff
team we’ve seen in years. They
have won b;ick to hack state titles,
despite losing two ami three games
in the regular season. They lost
three again this year, but once the
playoffs started, they have become
near incinvible, inarching through
four playoff opponents by scores of
35-7, 40-0. 34-0. and 31-7. the last
w in coming Saturday in the dome
against the top ranked AAA team
Dalton. Thomas County, by the
way, was unranked at season's end.
Thoma will now host the
surprising Dublin Irish, who beat
previously unbeaten and third
ranked Tucker 21-14 in the only
semi-final overtime game Saturday
night in Dublin. The Irish, the
number one team in region 2AAA,
were ranked tenth in die final poll.
AAAA will have all region 1
final as the Valdosta Wildcats beat
Southwest DeKalb in Saturday's
final game at the dome. The Cats
scored a safety to tie the game in
the final minutes, then kicked a
field goal on the ensuing
possession to knock off Buck
Godfrey's region 7AAAA champion
Panthers 40-37 to set up the title
game with Colquitt County, easy
winners over anodier north Georgia
unbeaten team, Marietta on Friday
night 34-3. Colquit beat Waldosta
10-7 in the regular season meeting
in Moultrie. Valdosta switched to a
shotgun offense alter that loss, and
have bene piling up points. But
Colquitt has one of the best
defenses in AAAA, so the rematch
should be a dandy. All four
championship games will be played
Saturday night and three of them
will be within thirty miles of each
other, in Moultrie, Thoinasville and
Quitman. Still have doubts .about
where the best football is played?