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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Hoops houses we [heart]
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Take 10 sees a lot of basketball games during the season. We’re constantly in gyms, listening to students chant and shoes squeak. In our travels, we see the best gyms the state has to offer, along with the ones that aren’t up to snuff. These are our 10 favorite gyms to duck in out of the cold and catch a game.
10: Centennial — Nice setup with the stands encircling the court. They’ve also got a large area just outside the gym with plenty of food options for the hungry reporter/fan.
9: Johnson-Savannah — We don’t think we need any reason other than its name: The Reaction Chamber. Doesn’t hurt that they’ve got a top-10 team.
8: Kell — Plenty of parking and a new gym makes this a good place to catch a game. Really gets loud.
7: Tift County — Very fun place to watch a game, and the student section is one of the most animated in the state.
6: Decatur — They’ll get their nice new gym next year at the school, but the Bulldogs have been playing at the Rec Center for about 45 years now. While the place shows its age, it reminds us of what gyms looked like a generation ago.
5: Whitefield Academy — It’s another balcony-style gym with a great look to it. As good as the team has been in recent years, the place is often packed, and plenty of people hang over the railing around the top of the gym to catch the game.
4: Richmond Academy — This place has an old feel to it with football-style stands on one side and bleachers on the other, while the gym is built on the side of a hill. It’s a unique experience.
3: Norcross — With the team becoming a state power, the Norcross gym has gotten louder and more fun. You’re also likely to see a college coach or two while you’re there.
2: Marietta — The old gym had more history, but the new one has tons of seating and gives the Blue Devils one of the nicest spots to play in the state. The art on the walls, depicting the old Marietta High School, adds to the feel.
1: Westlake — Like Decatur, this is the last year Westlake will be here before moving into a new gym next season. This one is one of the best, though. The retired jerseys. The dim lighting that messes with opponents’ shots. The small size that adds to the decibel level. Nothing like catching a game at the Lions’ Den.
Go on. Take Ten. What’s your favorite place to watch a game? Where would you drive a couple of hours to catch a big matchup? Weigh in with your thoughts.
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Surprise! Dragons win Sham Slam
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wrestling writer Kurt Aschermann Jr. ranks the top wrestling teams in the state, regardless of class: Week of Jan. 28.
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Scoring slipup at Sham Slam
All the way up in Mt. Airy, some of the state’s finest teams got together for the Sham Slam at Habersham Central. Jefferson and Lafayette were so close that when the two teams left Habersham Saturday evening it was believed they had tied for the team title. Sunday, two scoring errors were found, giving the Class A Dragons a three-point tournament title.
Jefferson had 10 placers and four champions: lightweight outstanding wrestler Cam Thurmond (119), Jed Gurley (125), Jay Fowler (152) and Zac Crosby (160). Lafayette, the Class AA Duals champs, also placed 10 and had three champs: Preston McCalmon (103) Derek Murdock (135); and Derek Thompson (189). Northwest Whitfield (3rd), Wesleyan (4th) and Brookwood (5th) rounded out the top 5.
Pound for Pound Top 10 (last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
1. Collins Hill (1): Lost one match in three duals at Woodward Academy Duals
2. Union Grove (2): Unbeaten at Effingham County Duals
3. Jefferson (3): Continued fine season with win at Sham Slam
4. Harrison (4): Five champs in Whitewater Invitational romp
5. Cass (5): Bartow County champions again
6. Pope (6): Cruised to four wins at Classic Duals
7. Lafayette (8): Finished three points back of Jefferson at Sham Slam
8. Eastside (7): The Eagles remain AAAA’s Traditional favorites
9. Gilmer (9): Bobcats took weekend off; head back to dual competition Tuesday
10. Ringgold (10): Do they have enough to make a run at Class AAAA Traditional?
Did we do something wrong?
Despite coming off a Class AAAAA State Duals title and three dominant wins over Groves, Woodward Academy and Northview, Collins Hill dropped eight spots to No. 28 in this week’s Amateur Wrestling News Prep 40. The Eagles (35-2) only two losses are to AWN No. 12 Colonial Forge (Va.) and No. 27 Christiansburg (Va.) at the Battlefield Duals.
Dacula enjoying success
Got to hand it to Dacula, which continued one of the finest seasons in the program’s history. The Falcons, who already set the school record for dual wins in a season and reached the state duals for the first time, nipped Lovett by a 1/2 points to win the first Titan Cup at Blessed Trinity.
Dacula’s lower weights are as solid as any in Class AAAA and it showed this past weekend: 103-pound freshman Brandon Bullock and 119-pounder Noah Hunt won individual titles, while Frankie Miller dropped a three-OT thriller to Lovett’s Matthew Hines in the 112-pound final. J.C. Hall also picked up a title at 145 pounds.
“That’s the key for us is the lower weights,” said Dacula coach Jason Holcombe. “You get to our middle weights and we’ve got solid kids.
Dacula wasn’t the only story at the Titan Cup. The Pound for Pound editors followed a number of great storylines at Blessed Trinity. In the 140-pound final, Lovett’s Daniel Domanico won a 5-4 decision over Matt Bridges of Cherokee, although Domanico’s winning takedown was controversial. Either way, both wrestlers showed they’re the favorites at 140 pounds in Class AA and AAA.
West Hall’s Colby Yates not only cruised to the 130-pound final with three pins and a 14-0 major, but picked up his 200th career win in his first match of the tournament, a 57-second pin over Holy Innocents’ Alex Jesperson.
There weren’t any Outstanding Wrestler awards but PFP handed out its own set of medals:
• Lightweight — Michael Parker (Blessed Trinity) and Yates. Neither allowed a point all tournament in winning the 125 and 130-pound titles, respectively.
• Middleweight — Alex Maus (Kennesaw Mountain). Was a machine all weekend — collected three pins in a total of 2:33, then capped his 135-pound title and improved to 53-3 on the year with a dominant, 16-1 tech fall in the final.
• Heavyweight — Lee McMahon (Pickens County). Pinned his way to the 189-pound title.
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Pound For Pound
Best basketball, regionally speaking
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s top-ranked Norcross and No. 2 Wheeler and everyone else in the state’s largest class this season. If the two powerhouse programs take care of business as expected, they will meet the first week of March to determine the state Class AAAAA championship.
A slip by either could mean a meeting in the earlier rounds of the state tournament or not at all. Like the saying goes, there is still a lot of basketball left.
Norcross and Wheeler have distinguished themselves as the teams to beat. As the region tournaments are set to begin in a couple weeks, let’s take a look at where the best basketball in the state’s largest class has been played this season.
• 1: Region 6 — Wheeler rarely loses a regular-season game to an in-state opponent. Centennial has been a top 10 team all year, and Northview, with Ralph Sampson III, could play strong in the state tournament.
• 2: Region 5 — Marietta might be the hottest team in the state now that McEachern has coasted of late. Harrison, the leader on its side of the subregion, has been under the radar.
• 3: Region 2 — This might be the most balanced of the Class AAAAA regions in the state. There isn’t a standout team in the league, but Stephenson, M.L. King, Newton, Douglass and Redan are capable of making strong playoff runs.
• 4: Region 3 — Savannah and Johnson-Savannah have been the power teams from the league this season. Beach took a big blow when all-state guard James Fields left at the beginning of the year.
• 5: Region 4 — Much like Region 2, this region also is balanced without a standout team. Other than East Coweta and Paulding County, the rest of the teams could be a tough out in the playoffs.
• 6: Region 8 — Parkview and Berkmar have been battling all season for region supremacy, and Meadowcreek is on their tails. All three have top seniors who are candidates for region player of the year.
• 7: Region 7 — Norcross is cruising through the league with Peachtree Ridge in a rebuilding year. Collins Hill has no big non-region victories. North Gwinnett could be a tough out with Ebuka Anyaorah, who is becoming a household name among major college coaches.
• 8: Region 1 — Tift County, a semifinalist last season, and Coffee have been leading the region known for football. Tift’s biggest non-region victories were against Class AAA Sandy Creek and Class A Turner County. Coffee has no big non-region victories.
Post up: Who has the best Class AAAAA basketball region? Are Norcross and Wheeler on a course to meet for the state finals?
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