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The road back opens with win over Fitzgerald
Perry overcomes big first half deficit, puts Hurricanes away with 77-70 win at home
ByALUNE KENT
For thl Times- lomMAL
Four players came off the Perry bench Friday
evening and gave the Panthers the edge against
Fitzgerald in the first round of the state tournament
held at Eric P. Staples Gymnasium.
Kris Asbury, Rashad Lester, Michael Robinson
and Jason Stripling combined for 22 points in the
77- 70 win over the Purple Hurricanes.
Asbury and Robinson each had two three-point
baskets during the game.
Coach Carl Thomas, remarking on his bench’s
performance after the game, said he was extremely
proud of them. “We do some things in practice to
make sure they are ready for games Tike this.
“To win a state title, someone that you aren’t
expecting will be have to step up. It might take all of
them, but if we get that kina of production from the
bench, we will be a factor,” Thomas continued.
“In a seven point win, 22 points speaks volumes,"
he added.
Donte Holmes put 11 points on the board for the
Panthers including five from the free throw line.
It was a poorly played first quarter for both teams.
The Panthers and the Purple Hurricanes played
three minutes before the scoreboard saw any action.
I ho first quarter ended with Fitzgerald ahead 13-12.
I lie second quarter didn't look much better for
the Panthers, with Fitzgerald ahead 26-18 with 3:32
left in the second quarter. Stripling and Dontarrius
Thomas both added two and Johnny Watkins hit
one from the foul line to ease Perry to within four.
Asbury drew a foul and another two points and
Striplings lay-up tied the score at 29 with less than a
minute iti the half.
PHe Panthers and Hurricanes traded foul shots
but Asbury’s score sent the Panthers ahead by two
until Fitzgerald hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.
The Panthers went into the locker room down 33-
32.
“At halftime, we discussed how well both teams
were playing. But we knew the tempo was in our
favor and we talked about trying to get them out of
their rhythm, “ said Carl Thomas after the game.
It took a few minutes into the second half,
though, as Perry and Fitzgerald traded baskets until
1 larvey started a 11-point run which included three
pointers by Dontarrius Thomas and Robinson.
During the last minutes of the third quarter Perry
field the Hurricanes to just two points, putting the
Panthers up 52-43 going into the fourth.
Defensively, Perry’s attack in the second half
crushed Fitzgeralds hopes. Both Harvey and
Times-Journal Photos by Jj Johnson
LINDSAY BALKOM (3) DRIBBLES FOR MONROE
Defending are Lina Arnold (12) and Rachel Moore (14).
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REBEKAH TREVITT (10) ATTEMPTS TO SHOOT
Defending for Lady Hornets is Beth Ann Murph (33)
Page 6A
Wed.. Feb. 24. 1999
Dontrell Green had big defensive plays. Harvey stole
the ball right out of Fitzgerald’s basket and on their
next possession Green tipped the ball out of their
hands into the waiting hands of Perry.
“Coach talked to us during the half, and we came
out and played good defense. vVe did what we had to
do,” said Watkins, who had a well-played second
half.
The Panthers kept an eight to 10-point lead
through out most of the fourth quarter including
Asbury’s double treys and a slam dunk by Harvey.
Fitzgerald fought back but were not enough for the
Panthers who scored 10 points in the last four min
utes of the game.
“We are still up and down as team," Carl Thomas
said. “We were sluggish tonight and I have to give
the other team credit for that. Its hard for the kids to
understand when we win by six and their coach is
fussing, but they didn’t play up to their potential in
the first part of the game.”
The Feb. 19 win brought closure to the Panthers
goal of not losing at home during the season and
puts them in the Macon Coliseum Feb. 26. Perry will
take on Americus at 4 p.m. in the second round of
the Georgia High School Association Class AA
state tournament.
Americus enters the competition after a 71-59
win over Putnam County in the first round.
Perry played Americus twice during regular sea
son competition. Harvey led Perry with 27 points
and Watkins nailed 20 during Perry’s 74-63 defeat of
Americus in early December at home. The Panthers
were not so lucky when they traveled to Americus,
falling by fls, in a game Carl Thomas calls “embar
rassing”.
“They are in a tough region down there and have
always competed well against us,” Thomas said of
Americus. “Our kids realize how much they humili
ated us down there, Friday’s competition should be
an excellent game.”
Americus finished third in their region and
Thomas expects them to run a lot of multiple
defense and to utilize the strengths of their “very
athletic” team. Four of the starters from Americus
were all-state football players including FSU signees
Fabian Walker and Alonzo Jackson.
“These are two teams that know a lot about each
other,’’said Thomas. “It could go cither way.”
Perry 77 Fitzgerald 70
Green 3, Holmes 11, Robinson 6, Watkins 11, Thomas 12,
Asbury 10, Harvey 22, Lester 2, Stripling 4
Three pointers Robinson 2, Thomas -1, Green -1, Asbury -
Split decision
Lady Hornets advance, eliminate Monroe 47-42
By PHIL CLARK
Times-lournai. Sports
MACON Some called it an upset, but the
Westfield Lady Hornets led region 2AAA top seed
Monroe most of the game and held on to win in the
opening round of the Georgia Independent School
Association state tournament Feb 17 at Stratford
Academy.
Lauren Byrd hit the first of her three 3-pointers
in the first quarter and Lina Arnold added two bas
kets as the Lady Hornets jumped out to an 11-8 lead
after a quarter as they held Monroe’s explosive
Lindsey Balkcom scoreless.
Byrd hit another 3-pointer in the second and five
other Lady Hornets pitched in as both teams put up
15 points, but Westfield held on to their three-point
lead at the half 26-23.
Monroe took their first lead of the game with
5:07 left in the third quarter on one of three
Rcbekah Trevitt baskets, her only three of the night.
The Mustangs went on to hold a 33-32 lead after
three quarters after Westfield center Laura Posey
went to the bench with her fourth foul with 2:16 left
in the period.
The Mustangs gained a 33-28 advantage, but a
Beth Ann Murph free throw and a 3-pointer by
Arnold with 1:10 left in the quarter cut the lead to
one.
It took just 48 seconds in the fourth quarter for
the Lady Hornets to regain the lead as Byrd nailed
her third 3-pointer of the night with 7:12 left.
Third quarter sputter ends year for Lady Hornets
By PHIL CLARK
Times-lournal Sports
MONROE After knocking
off a number one seed in their
opening game two nights earlier,
the Westfield Lady Hornets
couldn’t duplicate their pulsating
win over Monroe as the
Brentwood Eagles had just
enough to hold on for a 51-42
win.
Westfield made the game seem
a lot closer than the final score
suggests.
In a bid to reach the final four,
the Lady Hornets battled back
from a 37-29 deficit after three
quarters to overtake the region
4AAA second seed.
Westfield gained an early lead,
holding the Eagles to just four
points in the first quarter on the
way to a 12-4 advantage.
Even though the Eagles came
back with a 19-13 second quarter,
Westfield still held a slim 25-23
lead at the half.
The Hornets scored just four .
points in the third as Brentwood
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Times-Joumal Photo by Jj Johnson
RUNNING THE BALL - Perry (dark jerseys) climbed back into
the lead against Fitzgerald by running the ball past the visiting
Hurricanes. The win puts the Panthers in the second round of
the GHSA state tournament.
Monroe’s Balkcom, who has done it so often over
her career, brought the Mustangs back into the lead
with back-to-back baskets. Wendy Haygood scored
her only basket of the game to give Monroe a four
point cushion with five minutes left in the game.
Then it was Westfield’s turn as Posey hit a basket,
then Rachel Moore stole the ball before Monroe
could get it up court, and drove in for a tying layup.
Posey’s basket just 18 seconds later gave Westfield
the lead for good at 41-39 with 4:02 left to play.
Arnold hit a basket with 3:05 left to make it a
four-point Westfield lead, but Posey fouled out of
the game just ten seconds later, with 2:56 left to play.
But sophomores Rachel Moore and Julee Todd com
bined to increase Westfield’s lead to a half dozen
Todd scored off a Moore steal at midcourt.
Monroe tried to catch back up, though, and
closed the lead to three points at 45-42 before Byrd
hit a crucial free throw with 44 seconds left and
Monroe turned the ball over five seconds later.
Todd then pulled down an offensive rebound
after a missed free throw, and drew a Monroe foul.
After Todd hit one of her two shots to increase the
lead to 47-42, Monroe turned it over again in
uncharacteristic fashion.
Although Balkcom did manage 14 of her game
high 22 points in the second half, she got only eight
point support from the rest of the team over the final
two quarters as the Lady Hornets pulled off the huge
win in one of their most determined efforts of the
year.
The game was the final as a Lady Hornet for Lauren
Byrd, Laura Posey and Brandi Bazemore.
used two 3-pointers by Kena Veal
to launch a 14-4 quarter.
Holding Brentwood to just one
field goal over the fourth quarter,
the Lady Hornets caught up as
Lauren Byrd drew her team to
within four with 5:17 left in the
game.
Laura Posey then scored on a
putback after an offensive
rebound, cutting the lead to 41 -39
with 3:25 to go.
Just over a minute later, Lina
Arnold hit the tying bucket,
pulling the teams into a 41-41 tic.
The Eagles closed with a 10-1
run to win 61-42 and advance to
play top ranked and once beaten
Windsor Academy in a semi-final
matchup at Georgia College at
7:00 pm Feb. 26.
The game was the final as a
Lady Hornet for Lauren Byrd,
Laura Posey and Brandi
Bazemore.
Westfield (42) Bvrd 8, Posey 2, Arnold
19, Julec Todd 2, Beth Ann Murph 3,
Bazemore 4, Rachel Moore 4
Brentwood (51) Jesse Millet 12, Kena
Veal 19, Appel 2, Micole Veal 5, Denton 2,
Jackson 4, Mercer 3, Nobles 4.
Half-time: Westfield 25, Brentwood 23
3-pointers: Westfield 2 (Byrd, Arnold)
Brentwood 6 (Miller 2, Kena Veal 4
Westfield-Monroe box score:
Westfield (49) Lauren Byrd 12, Laura
Posey 7, Lina Arnold 14, Juice Todd 7, Beth
Ann Murph 3, Rachel Moore 6
Monroe (45) Lindsay Balkcom 22,
Haygood 2, Trevitt 8, Rose 4, Cromer 3,
Peters 6
Halftime Westfield 26, Monroe 23
3-pointers: Westfield 3 (Bvrd 2, Arnold)
Monroe 2 (Rose, Cromer)
e
Phil
Clark
Times-Joumal
Sports
Galarraga news
devastating
It's common knowledge now,
even if you're not an Atlanta
Braves fan, or a baseball fan for
that matter, that the Atlanta
Braves last week got some dev
astating news about first base
man Andres Galarraga.
The big, easy-going first
baseman was diagnosed with a
cancerous tumor in his back, and
will miss the 1999 baseball sea
son.
One must wonder now, how
much more of a baseball career
does Galarraga have? He’s
already 37, an age when most
players have long passed their
peak. To Galaragga’s credit, he
has kept himselfin remarkable
physical condition, and even
with the setback, he could still
have a few productive years left.
Let’s look at the productivity
the Braves will need to replace.
Last year, Andres hit .305, while
belting 44 home runs and
knocking in 121 runs. That will
be impossible to replace.
It also means a shuffling of
the lineup, both from a batting
order standpoint, and a defen
sive standpoint as well.
Galarraga is one of the best
defensive first basemen in base
ball, and there’s nobody in the
Atlanta organization who can
come close to him defensively.
Come to think of it, offensively
either.
It means, according to early
reaction out of the Braves' camp,
that Ryan Klesko will move to
first base, the position he played
through the minor leagues.
Klesko has been in the outfield
for a couple of years, now, and to
his credit, had improved enough
defensively that one didn’t
cringe every time the ball was hit
his way.
Klesko is a moody player. He
is far from consistent, and even
if he moves to first base, you still
have to replace Galarraga’s
offensive statistics. The Braves
simply can’t do it. , ti j: ,.
There has to be a whole new
line of thinking offensively,
especially if Otis Nixon becomes
an everyday player, or a platoon
Slayer with Gerald Williams.
lixon will hit nary a home run,
Williams maybe a few. So the
Braves will structure the offense
more around speed than power,
even though they will still have
Klesko, Javy Lopez and Chipper
Jones, and the newly-acquired
Brian Jordan in the lineup.
More than for his contribu
tion to the Braves, you must
think of Galarraga as a person as
he fights to come back from the
cancer. Right now, officials don’t
think surgery will be necessary.
They say the lymphoma of a
bone in his back can be treated.
It’s estimated the treatment,
including chemotherapy fol
lowed by radiation, will fast for
six months.
Andres has returned to his
home in West Palm Beach, Fla.
to begin treatment as the Braves
assemble at their spring training
site at Kissimmee, Fla.
Maybe it won’t be as bad as it
looks right now. The Braves,
after all, to have that awesome
starting pitching, with an ade
quate bullpen. They did add a
couple of good hitters in Jordan
and Brett Boone. Keith
Lockhart, who was in and out of
the lineup last year with a bad
shoulder, reportedly has recov
ered completely, and should be
alright for this season.
Walt Weiss, too, has recov
ered from injuries and should be
100 percent at shortstop.
Chipper Jones is trying to put
aside a disturbing personal prob
lem, and he, too, should have a
good season. Lopez in develop
ing into one of the best catchers
in baseball and should be good
for 25 or so home runs again.
It depends on how the Braves
use Jordan. If he’s used at the top
of the lineup for his hitting and
baserunning speed, he won’t be
looked to for a lot of home runs.
But the former St. Louis
Cardinal does have some pop in
his bat, if that’s what the Braves
want him to do.
I think, though, they will use
the speed they have acquired,
rather that rely on the long ball
as they have done in the past.
Even with Galarraga out for the
season, the Braves could be bet
ter than last year. With him,
they would have been unbeat
able.