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Houston County's Legal Organ Since 1870
Taylor quits Panthers
By James Tidwell
Sports Editor
Following Tuesday night’s
loss against Hawkinsville and a
series of solid practices, Perry
head basketball coach Brett
Hardy thought his squad had
finally turned the corner in this
difficult season.
Friday night, however, the 2-
10 Panthers were blindsided by
something they never saw com
ing.
Perry’s best scoring,
rebounding and shot-blocking
threat Shawn Taylor was a no
show for the game against
Peach County, and will be for
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Photo by James Tidwell
A capacity crowd stands for the presenting of the colors prior to the state of the 2003 Eagles Classic Friday afternoon in the
Northside gym.
Northside plays host to annual wrestling meet
By Will Kiernan
Sports Writer
WARNER ROBINS -
Centennial’s wrestling team
traveled to Northside to com
pete in the 2003 Eagle Classic
on Friday and Saturday to face
the best competition only to
find out that they were the best
competition.
Centennial easily took first
place at the event by outscoring
number two - Valdosta - by 38
points, the largest spread of
points in the entire 19-team
field.
“That’s why we come down
south, because there are good
teams down here and we don’t
want them to surprise us in the
See Eagles on Page 3B
Perry splits 4AAA matchup with WL
By Will Kiernan
Sports Writer
PERRY - Both region games
at the Panther Pit Friday night
were dominated from the start.
The Lady Panthers and West
Laurens Lady Raiders game
was an 84-48 blowout, in
Perry’s favor. The Raiders,
however, won by a 76-59 spread
in a game where size mattered.
“I felt like the effort was
there,” Lady Panthers’ head
coach John Chance said.
“Defensive pressure was the
key, (and) we got some baskets
in transition.”
The Lady Panthers’ record
improves to 12-1 overall and 5-
0 in the region, while their
male counterparts drop to 2-11
overall and 1-5 in the region.
The Raiders’ record
improves to 11-2 overall and 5-
the remainder of the season for
the Panthers.
“I haven’t talked to Shawn
yet, and only to someone from
his family,” Hardy said. “They
said that he had quit the team
and would no longer play for
us.”
No member of the Taylor
family was able to be reached
for this story.
According to the Perry sec
ond-year coach, there was no
indication Tuesday night would
be the last for the center in
Panthers crimson and gold.
“He hadn’t missed any prac
tice and I thought everything
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Photo by JamcN Tidwell
Houston County wrestler Daniel Busbee (top) goes for the pin against Northside wrestler Lenny
Tenneyson during the opening round in the 160 weight class at the 2003 Eagles Classic on Friday.
0 in the region.
The Lady Raiders drop to 7-6
overall and 3-2 in the region.
“Our game this year is more
of a post up, like the NBA runs.
We go inside, but if they double
then our shooters get the
shot,” Raiders head coach Paul
Williams said.
Girls
Perry 84,
West Laurens 48
Sports
Tuesday. January 14. 2003
was fine the last time I talked
to Shawn at practice on
Thursday,” Hardy said.
The 6-11 senior had become
Hardy’s first player to sign a
Division I letter of intent before
the start of the 2002-2003 sea
son as Taylor signed to play
with the University of Alabama
next year.
With the loss of the only
height they possessed, Hardy
says the Panthers will have a
markedly different look.
“We’re going to have to make
sure we start hitting our shots,
we don’t have much room for
error,” Hardy said.
rwi
Boys
West Laurens 76,
Perry 59
The girls’ game was inter
rupted with 3:45 left in the
first quarter to let the home
crowd know that senior Tassie
Mitchell had broken 1,000
career points with a 3-point
shot that placed her at 1,000
See Perry on Page 2B
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Photo by .James Tidwell
An official goes over a possession situation with Northside head coach Cassandra Wilson (left)
and Warner Robins head coach Tom Mobley during the Demonettes win Friday night.
Warner Robins pulls
off Northside sweep
By James Tidwell
Sports Editor
WARNER ROBINS - The
oldest rivalry in Houston
County was renewed once again
on the hardwood as Northside
traveled across town to face
Warner Robins in a Region
2AAAAA matchup Friday night.
When the final buzzer of the
had sounded at the Demons
gym, it was the host school
which had secured a sweep.
The Demonettes rolled to a
56-34 win in the girls, while the
Demons followed suit with a
much closer 65-53 victory.
“I thought we played as well
as we have played all year,” said
Warner Robins girls head coach
Tom Mobley.
With the win, the Demonettes
improve to 11-4 overall and a
perfelS 1 9 U 0' I'lMhe region, while
the Lady Eagles fall to 7-7 over
all and 4-4 in the region.
“We were able to take advan
tage of our height and outre
bound them,” Mobley said.
Warner Robins leaped out to a
11-0 lead over the first 4:36 of
the contest before Northside
player Danielle Dawsey connect
on her first of a pair of 3-point
ers with 4:13 remaining in the
first quarter and never looked
back en route to the win.
“We were able to take advan
tage of our height and outre
bound them,” Mobley said.
Northside trimmed the lead
to 13-5 on its next possession
but would not get any further
as the Demonettes extended the
advantage to 22-9 at the end of
the quarter and 38-16 at half
time.
The boys matchup proved
even tighter then the final score
indicated as Northside over
came a nine-point Demons lead
with 1:55 remaining in the
third quarter to knot the score
at 51-51 and 53-53 with 4:56
remaining in the game.
“I said all week that we can’t
let Northside slip up on us,”
Warner Robins boys head coach
Chip Malone. “I said it in prac
tice to the kids, I said it in the
hallways and I told it to anyone
who would listen. We can’t let a
team like Northside who does
n’t have a lot of wins to come in
B1
Photo by James
Tidwell
Perry head
coach Brett
Hardy
announced
Friday night
center
Shawn
Taylor (15)
had left the
Panthers.
here and beat us. I know some
people look at it as a rivalry
game, but I never have looked
at it that way. It’s just another
region game we have to win.
You don’t give a team who does
n’t have a lot of wins any
chance.”
Girls
Warner Robins 56,
Northside 34
m
The Demons heeded the call
of their coach the rest of the
night by shutting out the
Eagles the final 4:56 with a 15-
0 finishing run.
“We played hard,” said
Northside boys head coach
Kevin Smith. “We’re playing
really well. We’re probably the
best 5-and-whatever team in
the region. We’ve been building
confidence and believe we can
contend with anybody. We’re
just not playing a complete
Boys
Warner Robins 65,
Northside 53
game.”
With the victory, the Demons
improve to 10-3 overall and 5-3
in the region as the Eagles
dropped to 9-9 overall and 1-7
in the region.
See Demons on Page 3B