Prep Zone

By abcdefg

February 20, 2009 5:43 PM | Link to this

Is Tahj Tate playing for Wheeler?

By Wheelerfan

February 20, 2009 5:51 PM | Link to this

I didn’t see taj on the bench so I don’t know yet

By Wheelerfan

February 20, 2009 6:07 PM | Link to this

Tate is not playing

By Wheelerfan

February 20, 2009 6:09 PM | Link to this

Carl Cochran appears to be out as well

By abcdefg

February 20, 2009 6:15 PM | Link to this

Is Tate even on the bench?

By rob

February 20, 2009 6:30 PM | Link to this

Wheeler 22, Milton 12 early in 2nd quarter in Region 6-AAAAA boys semifinals.

Wheeler’s NC State bound forward Richard Howell dominating early with 10 inside points and a sweet alley-oop to Wake Forest bound Ari Stewart.

Wheeler is missing two key players with Tahj Tate suspended due to a school violation while while Karl Cochran is injured.

By Wheelerfan

February 20, 2009 6:30 PM | Link to this

Tate isn’t here wheeler is missing of their top 7 rotation

By AJC Dude

February 20, 2009 6:35 PM | Link to this

JC … Talk trash all you want, but making unfounded accusations won’t be tolerated. You’re in the process of being deleted.

By Wheelerfan

February 20, 2009 6:43 PM | Link to this

40 26 wheeler at halftime, the refs are poor at best right now, wheeler had an end of the half dunk disallowed, most of miltons points are off free throws, Milton was in the bonus in the first quarter

By rm

February 20, 2009 6:45 PM | Link to this

Wheeler 40, Milton 26…..Wheeler caps high-flying first half with a string of three-pointers from Howell, Stewart and Phil Taylor. Taylor, who is playing with a cast on his left wrist, capped it with a beautiful dip and under reserve lay up.

Stewart leads with 16 points, including three thunderous dunks. Howell has 13.

By abcdefg

February 20, 2009 6:53 PM | Link to this

wheeler must really be on to be up by 14 without tate or cochran. btw, any word on when tate will be back?

By Wheelerfan

February 20, 2009 7:08 PM | Link to this

53 42 end of 3, I think Tate would be back for state tourney, more bad officiating in the 3rd, calls are charges against wheeler and blocks on wheeler

By RM

February 20, 2009 7:10 PM | Link to this

Milton seemed to be on the verge of being run out of the gym after Howell dealt off an inside pass to freshman forward Charles Mitchell for a layin and a 49-33 Wheeler lead. But Milton got back in the game by ending the third quarter with a 7-0 accented by sophomore guard Dai Jon Parker’s trey to enter the fourth down 53-42.

By Wheelerfan

February 20, 2009 7:32 PM | Link to this

65 53 wheeler wins, ari phil and Richard all played very well, freshman Charles Mitchell provided solid relief off the bench with wheeler shorthanded

By AJC DUDE

February 20, 2009 7:42 PM | Link to this

Some early finals:

Redan 45, Greenbrier 30 Athens Academy 71, Lakeview Academy 70 Fayette County 96, McIntosh 61

By AJC DUDE

February 20, 2009 7:51 PM | Link to this

Another Final: Marist 48, Tucker 46

By rm

February 20, 2009 7:52 PM | Link to this

Wheeler 65, Milton 53 Final…..Wheeler’s Ari Stewart MVP of the game with 24 points and 7 block shots. Richard Howell added 19.

Milton led by sophomore guard Shannon Scott’s 14.

By rm

February 20, 2009 7:59 PM | Link to this

Centennial 19, Walton 9 (1:25 left in 1st period) with underrated senior guard Ryan Fleming leading the way with a three-pointer, two layins and a sweet pass off the backboard to a trailing Lorenzo Brown for a dunk.

By RM

February 20, 2009 8:22 PM | Link to this

Centennial 38, Walton 34 halftime of Region 6-AAAAA’s second boys semifinal game of the night.

Centennial ends half by scoring final five points in the high-paced game everyone expected.

Senior reserve Alex Coxworth’s driving layup and guard Ryan Fleming’s three-pointer at the buzzer did the trick for a Centennial team that beat Walton 91-90 a month ago.

By RM

February 20, 2009 8:43 PM | Link to this

Centennial 56, Walton 56…..Walton seemed poised to be over run but turned a 48-37 deficit into a 54-51 lead on a Glenn Rice Jr. three-pointer…..Centennial’s Lorenzo Brown ended the back-and-forth with a trey himself to end the quarter.

By Wheelerfan

February 20, 2009 8:57 PM | Link to this

Couldn’t stay for 2nd game but sounds like a good one

By centennial fan at home

February 20, 2009 9:10 PM | Link to this

hey rm how about an update - hope walton player aren’t out of control

By RM

February 20, 2009 9:13 PM | Link to this

Centennial 84, Walton 76 Final.

Centennial led by NC State signee Lorenzo Brown’s 29 with 21 of those in the second half. Fellow senior Ryan Fleming added 24.

Walton led by junior Ryan Harrow’s 24, Georgia Tech signee Glen Rice Jr.’s 21 and junior Gerald Williams’ 18.

6-AAAAA finals tomorrow 7:30 pm at Alpharetta High School between Centennial and Wheeler. Centennial won the earlier meeting in December.

Walton meets Milton in the third-place game that starts at 4:30 pm Saturday

By AJC DUDE

February 20, 2009 9:19 PM | Link to this

Good stuff, Rob … sounds like a dandy.

More scores trickling in:

Druid Hills 47, St. Pius X 37

S. Gwinnett 74, C. Gwinnett 46

Fayette County 96, McIntosh 61

Westlake 65, Riverdale 51

By Dirtyville

February 20, 2009 9:20 PM | Link to this

Hey centennial fan what did you mean about ” hope walton player aren’t out of control”?

By centennial fan at home

February 20, 2009 9:24 PM | Link to this

Thanks rm. Centennial could go all the way - must stay focused, mental toughness, and stay out of foul trouble. They are one fun team to watch. Lorenzo needs to change his name to Amazo. Hope Ga. Tech can handle the kid from South Atlanta and Rice Jr. - lots of ego.

By centennial fan at home

February 20, 2009 9:33 PM | Link to this

All they do during the game is just cry and talk smack - especially rice jr. they think they walk on water. they are CHEAP baby. Lorenzo owns all.

By centennial fan at home

February 20, 2009 9:37 PM | Link to this

rice jr. should change his name to el cheapo.

By Mays Class of 95

February 20, 2009 9:41 PM | Link to this

Mays 56 Sandy Creek 52

This was a good game by both teams but a little sloppy for the sure handed raiders. Lithia Springs High School has a excellent atmosphere for region play.

By Fin

February 20, 2009 10:18 PM | Link to this

Wheeler v Cent for the region again! Man..6-AAAAA is a great region..5 of the top 10 teams coming from here, that’s great!

Should be a good region championship game

By upsetcity

February 20, 2009 10:35 PM | Link to this

Wheeler dominated Milton and were never really threatened. Centennial is can beat you so many different ways and has 5 guys that can score. This could be a preview of the state championship game. Get there early!

By FCHSfan37

February 20, 2009 10:42 PM | Link to this

Wow. Huge win for Fayette County. During the regular season, it took double OT to top Mcintosh. I am very proud of the way they played tonight.

By webbwl

February 20, 2009 11:06 PM | Link to this

Marietta won by about 7 tonight

Mceachern won by about 10

By BW over Meadowcreek

February 20, 2009 11:13 PM | Link to this

Brookwood boys upset Meadowcreek by 1. BW and South Gwinnett play tomorrow at 7:30 for region 8 AAAAA title.

By hamma

February 20, 2009 11:42 PM | Link to this

All Dekalb region 2 5A finals. Both Redan and Stephenson girls and boys advance to the final. Girls championship at 5:30, boys at 7:00 at Newton High School on 02-21-09.

By Wheelerfan

February 20, 2009 11:55 PM | Link to this

Of course I am a little biased, but I would say is at full strength the best candidate…centenn from what I saw for a quarter has great team speed and mceachern is talented as well, those 3 are the likely ones

By dirtyville

February 20, 2009 11:58 PM | Link to this

Yes glen rice jr. talks a lot of junk on the court but i guess you do not see people talking junk to him as well. I guess your name shows your bias and how you think it is all one sided. BUT i do think they are poorly coached and that the current coach should have been fired years ago.

By JW

February 21, 2009 12:35 AM | Link to this

Lithia Springs 67 Sandy Creek 66

By bbfan

February 21, 2009 1:04 AM | Link to this

It will be a great game in 6AAAAA tomorrow night but I predict Wheeler over Centennial..go CATS

By oldtimer

February 21, 2009 8:36 AM | Link to this

I’ve been watching Highschool basketball for years ant the thought hit me last night. While other sports like football and baseball to name a few.. Have made a great amount of progress over the years.. Basketball has gone the other way. My highscool team from many years ago would have beaten any team that I have seen this year by 30. I cant say the same for other sports. A highschool baseball game today is equal to a college team from my day, but basketball is worse. where is the coaching? Where are the fundementals? I have never seen so much sloppy play at this time in the season. Just my thoughts.

By William

February 21, 2009 8:53 AM | Link to this

So much for my predictions of the “surprises” of Milton over Wheeler and Walton over Centennial. And, I am compelled to give HUGE KUDOS to Lipscomb and his Wheeler team. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but it was a full 32 minutes of:

1. discipline, hard work and hustle
2. team work
3. a deliberate half court offense with multiple passing each trip down the court, minimal turnovers and there were at least 15 possible borderline shots not taken that clearly would have been taken two weeks ago without a thought
4. Strong defense — all of the time.
5. Ari Stewart with his head in the game and giving a total effort on both ends of the court
6. Lipscomb fully engaged in coaching the players as opposed to just watching them run up and down the court and working the officials
7. Innovation: With this more deliberate game, Lipscomp went “big”, having 6’8” freshmen Charles Mitchell (a younger version of Howell size-wise) on the floor with Howell and Stewart for much of the game. Milton had trouble with this combination and Mitchell made a difference with 8 points, good D and several rebounds.

This was a different Wheeler effort and they deserve credit for a quick transformation after the loss to Walton. They were short handed as Tate didn’t show again and Karl Cochran was injured and didn’t dress. They dominated Milton and held them to 53 points, 15 of which probably came from the free throw line.

This was the 6th game Tate hasn’t been to, which leads me to believe that he might be history.

A couple of days ago, I had an exchange with WheelerFan09 and expressed a doubt that Wheeler could do just this. They surely did it I was surely wrong.

By mom of 3

February 21, 2009 9:29 AM | Link to this

Centennial can win it all tonight if they stay focused, cotinue to play well. Wheeler has a great team but we can win. Last night the officials overlooked several blatant fouls by Glen Rice, Jr. of Walton. I guess they were star struck or something.

By D-W00D Student

February 21, 2009 10:05 AM | Link to this

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Past 4 years of Dunwoody Basketball: 06 - State Champs 07 - Elite 8 08 - Final 4 09 - below .500, did not make State.

By Roswell alum

February 21, 2009 10:41 AM | Link to this

How many teams from each region make the State playoffs?

By wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 11:07 AM | Link to this

William: i agree with your post, i was sitting about 6 rows behind the wheeler bench and lipscomb was coaching at his best, enthusiastic, very into the game, and i could tell he wanted to win badly.. the only thing that kept the game under 20 pt blowout were the refs, they were atrocious in my opinion…i was not very impressed with milton at all… royal could be good but he plays with little aggression and intensity from the game i saw last night….milton was content to just shoot 3s and wait for a bad foul call to send them to the line…i could only stay for the 1st quarter of game 2 last night, lorenzo brown is a fantastic player and centennial’s speed is a great weapon, wheeler will have to make sure they rebound as I dont think centennial is a great rebounding team, they are built with speed and the play of brown, as he gets his teammates involved with a great set of ball skills and understanding of the game

By wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 11:08 AM | Link to this

and to add i dont think tate is off the team, he was suspended 20 days i believe, and it woud be up by the state tournament i think

By William

February 21, 2009 11:28 AM | Link to this

Thanks wheelerfan. Getting Tate back would restore the talent level and sure take pressure off the bench. But I have a couple of questions.

After 20 days off, how long do you think that it would take to get the rust off of him and get him back into the flow? Would trying to inject him back into the situation pose too great a risk to an emerging new and improved team chemistry that might be peaking at just the right time? Do you know what happened to Karl and when he might be back in uniform?

By Wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 12:40 PM | Link to this

William: good questions, tates biggest problem I think would be conditioning and timing as opposed to chemistry…. Not only has e missed games but he has missed every practice as well while being suspended…I think assuming wheeler can win their first rd game I think you sit taj that game and let him practice for over a week before he would come back for the rd 2 game…as for karl I’m not sure what his injury is, he was on the bench in sweats last night..karls loss is almost as hurtful as tates, though not as talented offensively, karl is the best perimeter defender and has a knack for being around the ball and making things happen, he is also quite capable of knocking open 3s when ari and Richard draw a crowd so wheeler needs karl back more than tate right now in my opinion

By Just Nasty & Mean

February 21, 2009 1:37 PM | Link to this

William,

Maybe you watched a different game that I did last night, but your comment of “minimal turnovers” is just plain wrong. Wheeler would have jacked Milton for—at least— another 15 points in just the 1st half if not for turnovers. Milton had—at least—8 pts. off of turnovers.
Disciplined—-Not even close…..

The Wheeler team has—no doubt— some great talent and great height. But what it lacks, and what has caused many of the losses (and let’s face it—for a team with this talent—they have given up lots of losses) is playmaking and “team” skills. It seems they are all looking for the ‘big show” slam dunk ESPN highlight moment.

I think it reflects on the coach who hasn’t put together a team as good as it could be.

I don’t have a dog in this hunt, but a structured team, with quickness and playmaking skills like Centennial—-IF they play THEIR game—can beat Wheeler—-AGAIN!

I can’t let this pass, however. The refs in last night’s game(s) were absolutely and abomination. What a pack of buffoons! Some of their calls were so ridiculous—if not childish, a blind man could have called it better.
The refs need to be flogged and NEVER ref again. Terrible doesn’t begin to describe just how atrocious these clowns were.

Luckily, and not to their credit—the best team won anyway.

Hopefully, a more level-headed crew will ref tonight’s game.

By knights

February 21, 2009 4:26 PM | Link to this

The speed and play making skills of Centennial wins the game tonight as long as Kam has a big game. He is a guy who if he plays well is a great forward, but is easily rattled and Wheeler’s big men might be able to do that. I agree, the refs were horrible, Walton was able to run in to the lane with the ball like it was football and the refs did not call it multiple times.

By dirtyville

February 21, 2009 7:04 PM | Link to this

Wheelerfan Do you really think tate deserves to be back on the team after is off the court problems. Hitting or pushing a teacher is a very big issue. Basketball is a privillge at the high school level and your off the court issues should be punishable by not being asked back to the team. I know academia is not a big concern at wheeler so why should he be back on the team? And people talk bad about glen rice tate is the same if not worse on and off the court.

By Wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 7:07 PM | Link to this

Early look during shoot around of girls halftime looks like Cochran is dressed for tonights game, still no Tate

By Fin

February 21, 2009 8:30 PM | Link to this

For clarification…I believe Tate was only suspended for 10 days, not 20 that keeps popping up. And for dirtyville..Wheeler not concerned with academics? You do know that it is a Magnet school right? And that they constantly are ranked in the top 5 high schools in the county?

Remember..there are three sides to every story..Side A, Side B, and the truth. Don’t believe everything you read…

Any score updates???

By Fin

February 21, 2009 8:32 PM | Link to this

Cochran had a sprained ankle..that’s why he was out

By Wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 8:50 PM | Link to this

39 26 wheeler at halftime

By Fin

February 21, 2009 8:53 PM | Link to this

@William…How do you say that Lipscomb isn’t doing a great job coaching? Wheeler has knocked off some of the top teams in the COUNTRY. That could explain some of the losses.

By dave

February 21, 2009 9:08 PM | Link to this

fin,

yes wheeler is a magnet school, but that in no way means that ALL students are part of the magnet program, just a small percent.

By Wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 9:13 PM | Link to this

58 40 wheeler thru three

By gangsta

February 21, 2009 9:18 PM | Link to this

I think you mean Walton as one of the top 5 in the country, not Wheeler.

By wildcat

February 21, 2009 9:24 PM | Link to this

dave, While not ALL students are in the magnet program, it is more than just a small percentage. As a student of wheeler and part of the magnet program, we make up over 1/4 of the school. There is about 500 of us out of the total 1700-1800 that make up Wheeler. The point I believe Fin was trying to make was that academics are important at Wheeler despite dirtyville’s beliefs. Even without the magnet program, academics are important to the Wheeler student body, although some students take their studies more seriously than others.

Back to the point of this blog, looks like Wheeler could pull through even with out Tate out there.

By wildcat

February 21, 2009 9:28 PM | Link to this

gangsta, You might want to reread what Fin said, he said top 5 in the COUNTY not COUNTRY and Walton, while a good school, is definitely not top 5 in the COUNTRY.

By Wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 9:29 PM | Link to this

73 54 220 left

By Wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 9:33 PM | Link to this

76 56 wheeler wins

By hamma

February 21, 2009 9:46 PM | Link to this

Redan Boy’s and Girl’s Region 2 5A CHAMPION! UT- signee Kenny Hall voted region player of the year. Alisha Andrews voted Girl region player of the year. GO RAIDERS.

By gangsta

February 21, 2009 9:47 PM | Link to this

oops, mis-read…well they used to be top 5 in the country, atleast when i went there…walton/wheeler would have been a much better finals, it’s always a great game when they meet up.

By Mugshot

February 21, 2009 10:19 PM | Link to this

Sounds like a Wheeler-Norcross rematch for all the marbles in 5A.

By Fin

February 21, 2009 10:26 PM | Link to this

wow…Wheeler by 20? Anyone who went to the game..can you give any insight as to how the game went?

Thanks

By Mr. KnowItAll

February 21, 2009 10:29 PM | Link to this

Gangsta,

Walton lost to Milton in the consolation game. Are you SURE it would have been a better final?

Centennial had beaten both Walton and Wheeler (at Wheeler) and undefeated in a VERY tough Region. Even though Centennial didn’t play their game tonight and lost soundly, I seriously doubt Walton could have faired any better.

Wheeler was hitting on all cylinders. The refs were a little inconsistent, but not an ultimate factor in the game—thank goodness.

Wheeler deserved to win tonight.

By William

February 21, 2009 10:56 PM | Link to this

Tonight was a dominant performance by a dominant TEAM playing dominant defense. There’s no other way to describe what Wheeler did to Centennial. Stewart and Hwoell were unstoppable. The “new” post- Walton loss Wheeler is one tough bunch. It is like watching teo different teams play.

But, they have to keep playing that way.

In the scores section of this paper, Collins Hill was reported as having beaten Norcross tonight. If that happened, I believe McEachern and Norcross will have to play each other in Round 2, if they advance in Round 1 as they should. That is also a BIG piece of luck for Centennial as it takes Norcross out of their bracket path to the final 4.

By wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 11:05 PM | Link to this

just got back from the game a few minutes ago…here my take…..lorenzo brown is all centennial has and that showed tonight in my opinion….kamrin belin was non-existent, and the other 2 guards, flemming and white ( i think thats his name) did little as well…wheeler opened the game 13-0 highlighted with three 3 pointers and an ari stewart dunk….centennial went on a mini run then and got it down to 6-8 points…wheeler stretched the lead to double digits in the second quarter and i am pretty certain centennial never got it under 10 pts midway thru the 2nd quarter……the lead was consistently anywhere from 11-17 pts for the 3rd quarter, with it expanding to 18-20 near the end of 3…wheeler was all over lorenzo all game, playing great defense on him….he made some nice shots throughout the game but was held in check for the most part…wheeler blocked a nice amount of shots and knocked away alot of balls from knight guards that tried to penetrate…..richard howell was unstoppable the entire game, he did what he wanted when he wanted….the supporting cast played good as well, tiller, cochran, and jerome each doing a good job….phil taylor hit some big 3s throughout the game, most coming after centennial would go on a mini 5-0 7-2 run and the lead would be 11 or so, phil would hit a 3, back to 14 plus pt lead…ari was solid, not spectacular but did have several big dunks that got the crowd going….thats my take on the game

By wheelerfan

February 21, 2009 11:06 PM | Link to this

whoa, william norcross lost?????

By Mugshot

February 21, 2009 11:07 PM | Link to this

My Bad Wheeler-Norcross can’t meet in Final but in the Round of 8. Also if Norcross gets by Meadowcreek in Rd#1 they will most lickely have to go play McEachern on the Road. The Bottom line is the Bracket with Norcoss-Wheeler is brutal but should produce the eventual champion.

By Fin

February 21, 2009 11:18 PM | Link to this

hey…where are you seeing the brackets?

By Mugshot

February 21, 2009 11:22 PM | Link to this

Want a Darkhorse to win it all? How about South Gwinnett. If they can get by Centennial in Round 2 at home its all downhill to the Championship game!

By William

February 21, 2009 11:25 PM | Link to this

I heard from a friend that went to the Norcross - Collins Hill game. According to him, it wasn’t one of those games where the better team plays like crap for 30 minutes and makes a late run to get close or win it close. Apparently, Collins Hill trailed for most of the game by 7 to 10 and came on from 4 minutes left to take it. Hats off to them.

By Mugshot

February 21, 2009 11:26 PM | Link to this

Hey Fin I have one printed out from ga.prepcountry.com & I am doing my best to fill it in. I can’t fill in all of the top half because of lack of South Georgia scores. I should start a site where everything is up to the minute. We do live in the Age of Technology and with all the Texting it shouldn’t be a problem getting scores.

By Fin

February 21, 2009 11:38 PM | Link to this

Mugshot…LOL..I started doing the same thing. Anyone have a winner on Region 7(5)A consolotion game?

By Fin

February 21, 2009 11:46 PM | Link to this

Anyone need any scores..maybe we can help each other out

By wheelerfan

February 22, 2009 12:02 AM | Link to this

so wheeler mceachern and norcross are on one side? that sucks for the tournament overall, 3 teams that should go far will play each other early on

By William

February 22, 2009 10:22 AM | Link to this

wheelerfan,

I thinks its a good overall situation for Wheeler, given the fact that you do want to get demolished in your region like Centennial to go over to the quarter bracket that Norcross vacated by losing to Collins Hill.

If you’re Wheeler, barring an upset, you know that you’ve got two relatively easy home games in Rds 1 and 2. You also know that you’ve got a tough round 3 game in any case, which most likely would have been most certainly McEachern. But, now either Norcross or McEachern will go home after Rd. 2. That is one less top team that Wheeler would likely have had to go through to have the Trophy in their hands.

And, to me as a fan, its an unexpected bonus, what a great early McEachern-Norcross matchup we fans might get to see.

You were right in your earlier post. Wheeler exposed Centennial for what they really might be, that is a team that can’t beat another team that has some size, plays good D, plays under control and doesn’t give them transition “trash” baskets. Wheeler did to Centennial exactly what Miller Grove did earlier in the season, just worse. I can’t believe the way C’s two “big” men were practicall nonexistent. Belin might as well not been in the building and Rodgers totally “punked” out and contributed little. It put it all on LB’s shoulders and he can’t do it all against a team like last night’s Wheeler.

By mr. top hat

February 23, 2009 8:09 PM | Link to this

Tahj Tate was back in school today and will most likely be playing in the first round game against Harrison on Saturday.

If Wheeler can beat Centennial as bad as they did in the region championship game without Tahj Tate, I definitely would not like to play against Wheeler when they do have Tahj Tate.

GOOOO WHEELER!!!!!!!

By wheelerfan

February 24, 2009 5:23 PM | Link to this

i wouldnt be surprised if tate is held out at least 1 game….he hasnt practiced or played for quite awhile