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Friday, February 2, 2007
Gifted Billingslea lifts Stephenson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two years ago, immediately after Stephenson had fallen to Collins Hill in the state championship game, Jaguars coach Dennis Watkins stood outside his team’s locker room at the Gwinnett Center and had a tête-à-tête with his young guard, Ashlie Billingslea.
The sophomore was disconsolate in defeat, and Watkins felt it imperative to get in her ear right then. “Just to let her know that pain is temporary,” the coach said. “Especially for such a young player who was used to winning, that was a tough loss to take.
“She was frustrated, and I wanted her to know that being in the Final Four as a sophomore was huge. She still had time.”
In that time, Billingslea has blossomed into a brilliant performer who no longer is subject to stretches of uneven play. Rather, the senior plays with a control and confidence that has led Stephenson to a 23-0 record with its 56-49 victory over rival Redan on Friday night.
“I took that talk to heart,” she said. “I’m not saying I’m sensitive, but whatever I hear — encouragement or criticism — I try to take it and enforce it in the team.”
That enforcement has wrought another fantastic season under Watkins, the accomplished coach with a steady temperament. The Jaguars’ No. 2 ranking in the state is a surprise to most, including the coach. But not Billingslea, whose bubbly personality is as delightful as her game.
“I expected this,” she said, her eyes wide, her smile bright. “I lot of people don’t know what goes on on the inside. In my other years, even though we won, we didn’t have a great chemistry.
“This team, we all hang out. We’re all friends. There are no problems on the inside. We’re all good friends, and that translates into good play on the court.”
Billingslea, a superb ball-handler and clever passer, was good in a lot of ways Friday, particularly when her team needed to hold at bay the hard-playing Raiders (10-8). Redan led by eight, but the Jags cut it to one at halftime. In the second half, Billingslea put her mark on the outcome.
In one stretch, she fed Rudie Denson for a 3-pointer. She sank a smooth 15-footer. She added another jumper. She had a steal that resulted in a Jylisa Williams layup. Stephenson led 52-45, and the game was in hand.
“Each year Ashlie has improved,” Watkins said. “She hits the jumper. She doesn’t realize she doesn’t have to do it all. She leads.”
It is noticeable that Billingslea seemingly can play the entire game without concern for getting fatigued. “I worked with the football trainer to improve my agility and strength,” she said.
Added Watkins: “She’s really worked hard. She’s earned everything she’s gotten through hard work. And that’s the same for the whole team. They work hard.”
Billingslea, who has signed with South Carolina, has a number of resources to aid the Jaguars’ cause, including Williams, a junior who plays with energy and passion.
But the Jaguars lack an imposing inside force, so they will rely on speed and hustle to challenge the likes of No. 1 Collins Hill and the other top teams in AAAAA.
“A lot of good teams out there,” Watkins said. “We lost five seniors. But this group plays hard, and there’s no substitute for hard work.”
Or a talented senior leader who makes things happen.
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Region races coming down to the wire
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Turner County put itself into position to go unbeaten in Region 2-A play by getting double-figure scoring from six different players Tuesday night. Led by Marquis Jackson’s 16 points, No. 4 Turner County seized control of the Region 2-A boys race by whipping Dooly County 91-54.
The Rebels (19-2, 10-0 in region play) meet second-place Wilcox tonight with first-place on the line. The Turner-Wilcox game is one of several around the state that could settle playoff seeds.
Some races going down to the wire:
BOYS
Region 6-A: Trion, Gordon Lee and Bremen all have two region losses. Trion could have the upper hand, particularly if the Bulldogs beat Excel Christian Friday, which would guarantee them at least a tie for first place.
Region 3-AAA: Glenn Hills, led by Jerel Stephenson’s 16.5 points per game, is 20-3 and 6-2 in the subregion, tied with Thomson for second place and a game back of first-place Washington County. Thomson and Washington County play Friday with first place on the line.
Region 7-AA: Coosa and Darlington are each 8-1 in region play. Coosa is 18-3 overall.
Region 1-AAAAA: Warner Robins scored 101 points in a win over Lowndes last week, but the Demons lost their hold on first place in the region by losing to Tift County 54-53 Tuesday night. Tift, which won the state title in 1996, is 16-6 overall and forced a first-place tie.
Region 3-AAAAA: Johnson-Savannah (17-5, 9-2) plays Beach with first place on the line. The Atom Smashers get 20 points and 14 rebounds per game from 6-foot-8 junior Toby Veal.
Good Stats, Bad Struggles: Harlem senior Demarcus Morris is averaging 14.9 points per game, but his Bulldogs are just 4-16. Morris scored 29 against Thomson last week and 21 against Butler … Elijah Pitts averages 12.6 points for 7-13 Hardaway.
GIRLS
Region 1-AAA: Worth County and Dougherty each have one region loss and will likely settle the region’s top seed Tuesday in Sylvester. Dougherty took a double-overtime win at home the first time the two teams played. Worth (19-2 overall, 6-1 region) gets back leading scorer Tia Lewis (14 ppg, 15 rebounds per game), who sat out the Rams’ win over Monroe Tuesday because of a violation of team rules.
Region 7-AA: With two games left, Armuchee (19-3) is tied for the south subregion lead with fellow Rome school Model … In the north, LaFayette (15-4, 7-0) looks to win its first girls basketball championship, according to coach Matt Swanson, whose club gets 12.5 ppg each from Jenny Link and Keri O’Neal.
Region 7-AAAA: Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe, led by high-scoring Kayla Weaver (21.8 ppg), looks to keep a clear path to a region title tonight against Northwest Whitfield. The Lady Warriors can claim the regular-season region title by winning that game and beating Dalton.
Region 1-AAAAA: Houston enters the weekend at 7-2 in region play, a half game ahead of Warner Robins (16-4) and Lowndes. Lowndes plays Houston tonight (Friday) and Houston plays host to Warner Robins Feb. 6. Warner Robins’ Cherie White surpassed 1,200 career points with a 17-point effort Tuesday …
Region 7-AAA: Pickens (17-4, 5-0) needs one win in its last two games to clinch its third straight subregion title. The 17 wins are the most by a girls team at the Jasper school since the 1999-2000 season.
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