AJC > Sports > Highschools > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February > 09
Friday, February 9, 2007
Wilkinson looking for revenge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With three state championships on his resume, Wilkinson County coach Aaron Geter would be hard-pressed to improve on his previous work.
By a cold mathematical measure, it’s already impossible this year. The Warriors went unbeaten in one of those championship seasons, and at 23-1, this year’s team already has that shortcoming, slight though it may be.
Behind 6-foot-2 Alabama signee Senario Hillman (26 points per game) and 6-9 Oklahoma State signee Martavious Adams (18 ppg), the Warriors have vanquished all comers except one. They lost at home 99-97 to Swainsboro on Dec. 8 despite 40 points from Hillman and 27 from Adams.
But there’s good news ahead: Wilkinson County has a shot at avenging that loss Saturday at Swainsboro in the final regular-season game of the year.
Big Turnarounds: Former Tift County boys coach Tommy Blackshear, now heading up the boys and girls teams at Cook, has engineered two of the state’s biggest in-season turnarounds. The Lady Hornets started off 3-8 but behind senior guard Letia Paige (24 ppg), they have rallied to 13-10 with games against Mitchell-Baker and Early County remaining.
Cook had six players returning off a team that won Region 1-AA last year, so the slow start was a disappointment.
“They didn’t come back ready to defend that title,” said Blackshear. Paige has led the way, topping 30 points four times, including a 31-point effort in a win over Class AAAAA Tift.
Likewise, the Cook boys are on a second-half roll after starting off 2-8. The Hornets are also 13-10 thanks to 23 points per game from Thomas Newsome and 22 points and 14 rebounds from Kelvin Martin, whom Blackshear said is averaging five dunks per contest.
Bear Market: Beware the Griffin boys in the state tournament. Their record (11-10 going into the Region 4-AAAA Tournament) isn’t pretty, but with the return of players from a GHSA-mandated ineligibility, injuries and the completion of the football recruiting season, they have returned to the state power that many observers are accustomed to seeing.
Behind post player Charles Corbin, who scored 26 points in Griffin’s win over Mt. Zion-Jonesboro Tuesday, the Bears have won 10 of 11 since a 1-9 start, clinched the top seed from 4-AAAA Division A and get the weekend off before starting region tournament play Wednesday.
Having A Ball: With team stars Chris Kupets (26.7 ppg) and Luvonte Rhines (21.3), it wouldn’t appear there is much scoring left to go around for Cedar Shoals, but the Jaguars may be developing a third option in Torrey Ball. The standout football player had 15 points, 20 rebounds, six assists, four steals and took a charge in Cedar Shoals’ 74-48 win over Heritage Tuesday.
Ware’s Wilson: Ware County’s Jacques Wilson is averaging 25 points and nine rebounds as the Gators push toward tournament play.
A Little Assistance: Trion point guard Dustin Rosser, enters the weekend with 120 assists, a key reason the Bulldogs finished first in Region 6-A …
Weaver Out: Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe star Kayla Weaver, who was leading the team in scoring, tore an ACL during Friday’s game against Northwest Whitfield. Weaver had 28 points and four assists before getting hurt.
Pickens Milestone: Allison Tennant scored her 1,000th point Saturday night for Pickens County, which won its third straight subregion title.
Clean Slate: Carrollton, ranked No. 2 in Class AAA, enters tonight’s scheduled game at Cartersville with a 24-0 record. The Trojans, who beat the Hurricanes 77-40 in the first meeting, have an excellent chance at finishing the regular season unbeaten.
Pilfering Point: Kendrick-Columbus point guard Mukia Myrick has 140 steals, an average of five per game for the 23-1 Cherokees. They have gotten double-figure scoring from sixth player Ashlee Barley over the past five games.
Meanwhile Across Town: Hardaway (22-2) is sharing the top spot with Kendrick thanks to balanced scoring from Sequoyah Griffin (14.4 ppg), Jessica Edwards (12.9) and Kelly Ellison (10.3).
Looking To Clinch: Worth County (21-3, 8-1) beat Dougherty to assume first place in Region 1-AAA, and can clinch the top spot with a victory over winless Monroe. The Rams have been bolstered by the emergence of Shatyia Williams, a junior forward who has averaged more than 10 points over the past five games.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: State Hoops Report
