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Wednesday, December 14,1994, Houston Times-Journal Page 6A Sports Bombs Away! Panthers use 30-point quarter to rout Houston County, 104-79 k ■ mm m Snfc' _• ViH 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 kll i: W / ■■' Jfe. - - Jjj|- Corey Duncan, Perry junior guard, drives for two against Houston County. Duncan finished with 18 points in Perry's 104-79 victory. P v® ilwuß 4gH -Hr MJm In V SBii? , Yw /jm if ||F / M If I ■ ■ ; • . f! J|| 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 FtFFoorS’ Sene F'S’B/rg (F Bcbb/ FuQs/e Phil L Clark I 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?