January 6, 2024 The Adairsville swim team won the Bartow County Swimming Championship on Saturday earning a fifth consecutive title for the Tigers. Adairsville finished with 343 total points. Woodland was runner-up with 257 points followed by Cartersville (234) and Cass (153). Adairsville’s Gabriel Greenway and Brayden Rizer won four events each to lead the Adairsville effort. Jaxon Leger, Dylan Barrett, Will Altizer, Eli Burke, and Luke Altizer each won two events for the Tigers. Cartersville’s Margherita Miniati was a four-event winner. Kat Conley won three events and Margo Walker had two victories on the day. Woodland’s Grayson Moore won two events to round out the multiple event winners in the meet. Event winners: ADAIRSVILLE Gabriel Greenway 200 medley relay, 200 free, 100 fly, 200 free relay Brayden Rizer 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 100 breaststroke, 400 free relay Jaxon Leger 200 free, 400 free relay Dylan Barrett 200 free relay, 400 free relay Will Altizer 100 backstroke, 400 free relay Eli Burke 200 medley relay, 200 ind. medley Luke Altizer 200 medley relay, 200 free relay Gavin Tatum 500 free Kaitlyn Queen 500 free Andrew Harris 400 free relay Victoria Loudon 400 free relay Bryce Salmi 400 free relay Callie Viktora 400 free relay CARTERSVILLE Margherita Miniati 200 medley relay, 200 ind. medley, 100 free, 200 free relay Kat Conley 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 100 backstroke Margo Walker 200 medley relay, 200 free relay Lainey Saunders 200 medley relay Layne Callan 200 free relay WOODLAND Grayson Moore 50 free, 100 free Emily Guin 50 free Natalie Guin 100 fly CASS Carson Brannon 100 breaststroke FULL MEET RESULTS:

The Excel Christian Academy boys led most of the way Friday night in a home matchup with Cornerstone Prep Academy but came up short in the final minute, 73-69. The Eagles raced to a 21-4 lead by the end of the first quarter but the visiting Cougars chipped away at that lead before pulling ahead for good with just 0:27 remaining in the game. Excel led 32-27 at halftime and 48-46 at the end of the third quarter. Ben Cobb of Cornerstone (7-4) led all scorers in the game with 29 points. David Jinks scored 24 points for the Eagles. Carter May followed with 17 points. Kamarion Profit and King Eleazer contributed 14 points each. ECA (2-12) visits Chickamauga next Thursday to take on Oakwood Christian.

The Lady Tigers built a 10-point lead by halftime and maintained their lead through the second half Thursday night in a 45-34 Region 6-AAA win over visiting LaFayette. Adairsville led 25-15 at the intermission and 37-24 by the end of the third quarter. Aliya McBryde scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Lady Tigers. Alissa Winters and Savannah Viktora added six points each. Jenna Baker led the Lady Ramblers (7-6, 2-3) with 10 points. The Adairsville girls (8-6, 4-1) play at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe on Tuesday at 6 p.m. In the boys’ game, the Tigers had a scoring run at the end of the first half and started the second half with another scoring run to build a healthy lead en route to a 66-48 win over the Ramblers. Tayshaun Jackson scored a game-high 26 points for the Tigers while Zachary Postell contributed an all-around performance with seven points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and three steals in the region victory. Leading 28-23 late in the second quarter, Adairsville went on a six-point run to close out the first half. The Tigers then scored the first six points of the third quarter to extend their lead to 40-23 and take full control of the game. Dawson Pendergrass led LaFayette (10-3, 4-2) in the scoring column with 20 points. In addition to Jackson and Postell, Adairsville got 10 points from Benjamin Abernathy, Xavious Nalls, and Kaden Scott scored eight points each. Chase Hilburn finished with four points and Gabriel Gomez added three. Adairsville (6-8, 3-2) visits Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe on Tuesday in a 7:30 p.m. tip.

The Cartersville boys basketball team overcame a slow start Wednesday at home to defeat North Paulding, 63-56. The visiting Wolfpack led 19-5 at the end of the first quarter and 35-27 at halftime. Cartersville then outscored North Paulding 18-10 in the third quarter to head into the final eight minutes in a tied game. The Hurricanes then outscored the Wolfpack 18-11 in the final period to earn their fourth win of the season. Nas Bennett scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Canes’ scoring attack. Reed Ezell and Kaden Baldwin followed with nine points each. Ced McClinic added seven. Myti Johnson led North Paulding (4-12) with 14 points. Gavin Hawk scored 13 points for the Wolfpack. Cartersville (4-8) visits Rockmart on Saturday afternoon. The Cartersville Lady Canes lost a tight struggle with visiting North Paulding Wednesday night at The Storm Center, 60-50. Cartersville led 33-32 at halftime after a slow start but trailed 45-42 after three quarters. The Wolfpack then pulled away with a 15-8 final quarter to finish with a ten-point win. Kaden McCorvey led North Paulding (6-8) with 14 points, Lillie Harris scored 13 points and Morgan Landrum added 12 for the Wolfpack. Senai Camper and KK Arnold paced the Lady Canes with 17 points each. Zoie Shiflett and Taff Bradley scored five points each. The Cartersville girls (6-8) will host Alexander on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

January 1, 2024 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com This week’s edition of Athletes Beyond Bartow covers the previous two weeks ending on Monday, January 1, 2024. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL; 3rd-yr. pro; QB; Clemson; Cartersville HS) … missed the first game of his career this past Sunday due to a sprained throwing shoulder. The injury was sustained in Jacksonville’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 24. Lawrence did not practice the entire week due to a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder. On Sunday, C.J. Beathard replaced him as the Jaguars shut out the Carolina Panthers, 26-0. In the loss at Tampa Bay, the 24-year-old QB was 17-for-29 passing for 211 yards and one touchdown. He threw a pair of interceptions and coughed up one fumble. Lawrence has dealt with multiple injuries this season, including a stint in concussion protocol and an ankle injury. Those setbacks, however, did not force him to miss any games. For the season, the 6-6 signal-caller has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 3,736 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Jacksonville (9-7) can win the AFC South with a victory on Sunday at the Tennessee Titans. The Associated Press reported on Monday that the Jags expect to get Lawrence and receiver Christian Kirk back for this Sunday's game. NBA G-LEAGUE ASHTON HAGANS — Rip City Remix (4th yr. pro; Cartersville native; Kentucky; Newton HS) … Hagans and the Remix completed the 16-game Showcase portion of the NBA G League schedule with an 8-8 record after defeating the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 117-103 on December 21. The Cartersville native had 19 points, five assists, three blocks, and three rebounds in that victory. Rip City, a first-year G League team and Portland Blazers' affiliate, has started the Regular Season schedule 1-1 after splitting home games this past weekend with the Delaware Blue Coats. Hagans scored 20 points with six assists, five boards, and one block in this past Saturday’s 126-122 win. He then scored 22 points with nine assists and eight rebounds Sunday in a 130-117 loss. This week, Rip City plays at the Salt Lake City Stars on Thursday and at the Mexico City Capitanes on Saturday and Sunday. CANADIAN BASKETBALL SUPER LEAGUE A.J. MOSBY, JR. — Sudbury Five (6th year pro; Alcorn State; Cartersville HS) … The Five started the 2024 season this past week with a home win over the London Lightning 124-113 and at the Kitchener Waterloo Titans, 122-114. Mosby scored 18 points with six rebounds and five assists in the opener. He then scored 23 points with eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one blocked shot in The Five’s first road game. Sudbury (2-0) plays at the Montreal Toundra on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. COLLEGE FOOTBALL JONAH GAMBILL — University of Memphis (R-Jr., Cartersville HS) … started on a Tigers’ offensive line that helped produce 530 yards of total offense in a 36-26 Liberty Bowl win over Iowa State. Gambill made starts in 10 games this season as Memphis finished 10-3. SHADRE HURST — Tulane University (R-Fr., Cartersville HS) … the recently named Freshman All-American started on the Green Wave’s offensive line that helped produce 252 yards of total offense in a 41-20 Military Bowl loss to Virginia Tech in Annapolis, Maryland. Hurst appeared in every game this year for Tulane as the Green Wave completed an 11-3 campaign. DEVONTE ROSS — Troy University (So., Cartersville HS) … made two catches for 11 yards on December 23 in the Trojans’ 17-10 loss to Duke in the Birmingham Bowl. Ross had at least one reception in 13 games this season and totaled 428 yards with three touchdowns as Troy went 11-3. WRESTLING BRYCE KRESHO — Franklin & Marshall College (So., Cass HS) … went 2-1 at the Sheridan Invitational on December 22 improving to 9-6 this season in the 141-pound weight class. Next on the Diplomats’ schedule is the David Lehman Open on Friday. CADEN McCRARY — University of North Carolina (R-So., Woodland HS) … finished 0-3 December 29-30 in his 133-pound bouts at the Soldier Salute tournament in Coralville, Iowa. The Tar Heels have home matches January 12 and 13 against Penn, Brown, and Harvard. TYLER McKNIGHT — Davidson College (Fr., Cass HS) … won his Round of 16 bout on Monday and will continue at the 21-team Chattanooga Southern Scuffle on Tuesday. COLLEGE BASKETBALL BRAXTON BENHAM — Berry College (Jr., Cass HS) …  Benham totaled 20 points, eight assists, eight rebounds, and four steals as the Vikings split two games in Belton, Texas. Berry lost to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor 85-78 and beat Concordia (Texas) 88-83 on December 19-20. The Vikings then dropped both games this past Friday and Saturday in a tournament at Trine University in Angola, Indiana. Benham totaled 24 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in losses to Trine (88-76) and Calvin University (Michigan)(79-74). On Monday, Benham scored 20 points, collected five rebounds, and had two assists and two steals in a 76-71 home loss to Christopher Newport. Berry (3-9, 0-1 SAA) hosts Rhodes College on Friday and Hendrix College on Sunday. CLAIRE DAVIS — Palm Beach Atlantic University (So., Cass HS) … scored 22 points and added four rebounds, one steal, one blocked shot, and one assist this past Saturday in a 79-63 Sailfish win at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. She also totaled 21 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, two blocked shots, and one steal in wins December 18-19 over Bowie State and Shaw University at the Fighting Knight Christmas Classic in Boca Raton. Palm Beach Atlantic (7-5, 1-3 Sunshine State Conference) returns to conference action Wednesday at home against Florida Tech. JA’KA’YAH DRAUGHN — Chattanooga State CC (Fr., Cartersville HS) … saw action off the Tigers’ bench but had no stat line in a 61-56 loss on December 20 at Dyersburg State CC. Chatt State (10-1, 3-1 Tennessee Community College Athletic Association) plays at Snead State CC on Friday night. JUSTICE HAYES — Point University (Jr., Cass HS) … in a home start this past Saturday against Truett McConnell University Hayes scored five points, grabbed five rebounds, and added two assists and two steals as the Skyhawks won 58-57. Point (6-7, 0-5 Southern States Athletic Conference) hosts Blue Mountain College (Mississippi) on Thursday night and Tennessee Southern on Saturday afternoon. T.J. PRINTUP — Tusculum University (R-Fr., Adairsville HS) … scored four points off the Pioneers’ bench this past Saturday in a 68-57 loss at UNC-Pembroke. He added six rebounds, two blocked shots, and one assist in the loss. Tusculum (3-7, 1-3 South Atlantic Conference) plays conference games Wednesday and Saturday at Emory & Hayes and Wingate.

December 30, 2023 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Playing in their third holiday tournament championship game in just over two weeks, the Cass Lady Colonels fell behind early and could not catch 5th-ranked Jefferson in the finals of the Jackson County Holiday Hoopfest in Hoschton. The Lady Dragons held off a strong charge by Cass in the fourth quarter to win 51-47. Jefferson, essentially playing in front of a home crowd, built a 22-11 advantage by halftime and extended that lead to 37-21 by the end of the third quarter. Cass rallied in the final eight minutes to narrow the deficit but could not quite catch the Lady Dragons who improved to 12-2 on the season. Michel Robbins scored 18 points to lead Jefferson. Karlee Law followed with 10 points and Delaney Dewitt added nine. Zion Hayes and Kaitlyn Godwin paced Cass with 12 points each. Kiana McDaniel contributed eight points and Olivia Woods added seven. Woods was named to the All-Tournament team. The Cass girls (10-4) return to action on Saturday at Rockmart at 1:30 p.m. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 34, ADAIRSVILLE 32 In the girls’ third-place game of the Adairsville Christmas Clash, Cartersville held off the host Lady Tigers 34-32. The two teams swapped leads the entire way with Adairsville leading 6-4 after the opening eight minutes; Cartersville up 17-14 at halftime; and the Lady Tigers leading 26-24 after three quarters. Senai Camper led the Cartersville scoring column with eight points. Taff Bradley and KK Arnold followed with seven points each. Ansley Griffin finished with four. Nayel Camper contributed three. LaKiaya Banks and Zoie Shiflett tossed in two points each and Allana Williams added one for the Lady Canes. Alissa Winters and Aliya McBryde scored six each for Adairsville. Ziyah Hicks followed with five points. Samantha Gough and Darby Adams posted four points apiece. Savannah Viktora contributed three points while NaXyria Roberts and Lily Roberts added two each. Alissa Winters and Naxyria Roberts were named All-Tournament for Adairsville. KK Arnold and Senai Camper were selected for the All-Tournament team for Cartersville. Adairsville (7-7) hosts LaFayette in a Region 6-AAA matchup on Thursday at 6 p.m. Cartersville (6-7) hosts North Paulding on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CASS BOYS 63, CRISTO REY-ATLANTA 52 Playing what head coach Kevin Cunningham called “our best performance of the season,” the Cass boys beat Cristo Rey-Atlanta 63-52 Saturday afternoon to win the consolation bracket of the Christian Heritage Christmas Tournament at the Riverbend Center in Dalton. The Colonels led at the end of each quarter but did not separate from the Flames until the final minutes. Cass led 15-6 after one quarter; 26-20 at halftime; and 40-37 at the end of the third quarter before finishing off an 11-point win. Jayden Foster and Tayvian McKibbins led the Cass attack with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Jason Brown-Harmon scored nine. Parnel Gamble contributed eight points. Kevin Henderson finished with six. Derrick Sams totaled five points. Jakai Baldwin and Camari Nettles pitched in four points each and Derris Reece added two. Jayden Crawford scored a game-high 24 points for the Flames. Ethan Minot scored 13 points and Trent Dean had 10 for Cristo Rey-Atlanta (7-7). Cass (4-7) has a 10-day break before returning to action in the Colonels’ Region 7-5A opener at Calhoun on January 9. CHATTOOGA 47, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 46 The Excel Christian Eagles swapped leads with Chattooga for most of four quarters Saturday afternoon but came up short in a 47-46 consolation loss. The Indians trailed at the end of each quarter until the fourth where they took the lead for good with only 12 seconds remaining. ECA led 22-13 after one quarter; 29-27 at halftime; and 38-37 at the end of the third quarter. Koi Dodd led three Indians in double-digit scoring with 12 points. Quarry Gibson and Brock Cooper contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Chattooga improved its season mark to 3-12. Zion Green led the Eagles’ offense with 15 points. Carter May, named to the All-Tournament team, followed with 12. Jayden Jinks scored 10 points. Kamarion Profit tossed in four points. Kingston Eleazer finished with three points and David Jinks added two for the Eagles. Excel (2-11) returns to action on Friday at home in an 8 p.m. start against Cornerstone Prep Academy. CALHOUN 73, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 52 The Tigers failed to keep up with Calhoun on Saturday in a 73-52 loss in the third-place game of the Adairsville Christmas Clash. Calhoun led 17-10 after the opening period before Adairsville narrowed the margin to 20-12 early in the second quarter. From there the Yellow Jackets went on an 11-0 run to pull away and never looked back. Adairsville’s Gabriel Gomez scored all 14 of his points, including four shots from behind the arc, in the third quarter to chip the Calhoun lead down to ten points. The Yellow Jackets responded with three consecutive three-pointers to extend their lead once again. Emaree Winston led Calhoun (5-6) with 23 points. Blake Hammett finished with 15 for the Jackets. Jace Johns and Bryant Arnold pitched in with 10 points each. Benjamin Abernathy scored nine points for the Tigers. Tayshaun Jackson and Xavious Nalls contributed eight points each. Zachary Postell and Jamarian Pullam finished with six each and Barrett Fuller added one point. Abernathy and Jackson were selected to the All-Tournament team representing Adairsville. The Tigers (5-8) will return to Region 6-AAA action on Thursday at home against LaFayette. NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 57, WOODLAND BOYS 48 The Wildcats lost a non-region game on Friday, December 29 at Northwest Whitfield 57-48. The Bruins improved to 9-3 on the season. The Woodland boys (5-7) have a final non-region game on Saturday, January 6 at Bowdon before starting Region 7-5A play on Tuesday, January 9 at Hiram.

December 30, 2023 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com All four local high school wrestling teams were in action on Saturday participating in the 15-team Guerilla Wrestling Duals hosted by Cass High School. The Colonels had a 4-1 day with wins over Lamar County, Northwest Whitfield, Dalton, and Troup County to win the Silver Bracket. The Cass loss came to a state title contender, Ola. Kriecg Roe, Hunter Barrett, Lee Camp, and Luka Jensen each won all five of their bouts on the day. AJ Piatt, Mason Tompkins, and Rowdy Duck had four wins. Ethan Harrington won three bouts. Jayce Bradford picked up a pair of wins while John Abernathy, Richard Martin, Wyatt Harris, and Nate Johnson had one victory each. Cartersville completed Saturday’s tournament with a 2-3 team record. The Canes beat Riverwood and Adairsville but lost matches with Central-Carroll, Dalton, and Northwest Whitfield. Talan Nix was 4-0 on the day for the Hurricanes. William Benson and Eaiden Neal both completed the day with 3-1 marks. Giancarlo Rivadeneyra was 3-2 in his bouts and Grey Williams had a 2-2 day. Wyatt Earwood, Tyler Phillips, and Delroy Hurst all collected one bout victory apiece for Cartersville. Adairsville finished the tournament with a 2-3 record. The Tigers earned wins over Woodland and Northwest Whitfield but dropped matches to Cartersville, Troup, and Gordon Lee. Howard Bailey and Jamien Long were the top performers for Adairsville. Both Tigers’ grapplers went 5-0 in the tournament. Cass will host the Region 7-5A Duals which will also include Cartersville and Woodland on Saturday. Adairsville will compete in their Area Duals on Saturday at Bremen. Editor’s note:  At the time of this publication, Woodland had not reported results. BSZ has been advised that Woodland rested most of their varsity wrestlers. Woodland results will be added to the story when made available.

December 29, 2023 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Adairsville girls and boys basketball teams — hosts of the Adairsville Christmas Clash — both lost their semifinal games on Friday night and will both play for third place on Saturday. The Lady Tigers led most of the way but were edged by Northwest Whitfield 46-43. The Tigers battled Long County to the wire before falling 63-60. NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 46, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 43 The Lady Tigers led through three quarters but were outscored 14-9 over the final eight minutes in a three-point semifinal loss. Adairsville led 12-8 after one quarter; 22-21 at halftime; and 34-32 at the end of the third quarter. Sloan Pender scored 10 points and Kennedy Baker added nine in a balanced Northwest Whitfield attack. The Lady Bruins improved to 7-2 on the season. NaXyria Roberts led Adairsville with 11 points. Alissa Winters and Aliya McBryde added eight each for the Lady Tigers. Northwest Whitfield will play Sonoraville on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the girls' championship game. Adairsville (6-5) will square off against Cartersville in the third-place game at 4 p.m. LONG COUNTY 63, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 60 Kaleel Anderson scored 28 points and Keshawn Smith had 13 as Long County outlasted Adairsville Friday night in a semifinal game. The Blue Tide led 29-22 at the intermission but the Tigers made it tight down the stretch cutting the lead to 42-40 going into the fourth quarter. Ben Abernathy finished with a double-double for the Tigers. He poured in 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Tay Jackson followed with 15 points and collected nine boards. Zac Postell and Xavious Nalls added eight points each. Long County (11-1), led by former Adairsville coach Reggie Wilkes, will play Sonoraville for the tournament championship on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Adairsville (5-7) will play Calhoun in the third-place game on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

December 29, 2023 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com For the third time this season, the Cass girls have reached the championship game of a holiday invitational tournament. The Lady Colonels took down Heritage-Conyers 66-51 on Friday afternoon to advance to the finals of the Jackson County Holiday Hoopfest. Two weeks ago the Cass girls made the finals of the SMI Carrollton Tournament before losing to Heard County. Just before Christmas, the Lady Colonels beat Winder-Barrow and host Madison County to win the Red Raider Classic. After topping Johns Creek on Thursday and Heritage-Conyers on Friday in Hoschton, the Lady Colonels are set to play in another tourney finals on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Cass held narrow 11-9 and 27-24 leads over Heritage following the first two quarters. The Lady Colonels extended their lead to 45-35 by the end of the third period and pulled away down the stretch for a 15-point win. Olivia Woods sparked the Cass offense by making seven three-pointers. She finished with 24 points. Zion Hayes followed with 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Navaeh Woods scored eight points as did Kiana McDaniel. McDaniel also added seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Tamira Feanny finished with four points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Darianna Sosa scored three with KK Evans and Kaitlyn Godwin adding two points each. Godwin and Evans combined for eight rebounds. Amara Humphries led Heritage-Conyers (5-6) with 16 points. Tyerra Johnson contributed 12 and Mei Tyler added 10 points for the Lady Patriots. Cass, now 10-3, will play 5th-ranked Jefferson (11-2). The Lady Dragons beat Jackson County in the other semifinal game, 59-43.

The Cass boys picked up a consolation bracket win on Friday afternoon while the Excel Christian Academy boys fell to Peach County. CASS BOYS 48, RIVERDALE (TN) 44 (OT) The Colonels trailed through three quarters Friday afternoon but rallied to send the game into overtime and beat Riverdale-Murfreesboro 48-44 at the Christian Heritage Holiday Tournament in Dalton. In a low-scoring contest, the Warriors led 9-6, 25-19, and 32-25 at the first three quarter stops. Cass then outscored Riverdale 15-8 in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime tied 40-40. Jakai Baldwin, who finished with 15, and Comari Nettles, who finished with 12, combined for the Colonels’ eight points in the overtime period. Jason Brown-Harmon contributed nine points for Cass and Parnell Gamble finished with seven points. Waymon West led Riverdale with 20 points. Hudson Fuqua added 15 for the Warriors (6-9). Cass (3-7) will play in the consolation bracket finals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Riverbend Park. The Colonels will play Christo Rey-Atlanta who defeated White County on Friday. PEACH COUNTY 90, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 62 The Peach County Trojans got 28 points from Cam Cherry and 20 more from Jamari Wright in a 90-62 win over the Excel Christian boys in a consolation bracket game of the Adairsville Christmas Clash. Carter May scored 18 points for ECA. David Jinks followed with 17 and Zion Green added 10 for the Eagles. Jayden Jinks chipped in with seven points while Kingston Eleazer and Kamarion Profit added four points each. Excel (2-10) will play one more consolation game on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. against Chattooga.

December 29, 2023 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Sonoraville outlasted the Lady Canes 56-46 Friday evening in the semifinals of the Adairsville Christmas Clash. The Lady Phoenix, led by Erin Garland’s 27 points, led at the end of each period and have now won two straight in the tournament after starting the year 0-11. Sonoraville led 16-11 after one quarter; 25-20 at halftime; and 38-32 at the end of the third quarter. Nayel Camper led the Cartersville scoring column with 13 points. Kaytlin Arnold and Senai Camper followed with eight points each. Ansley Griffin scored six. Zoie Shiflett contributed five points and Taff Bradley finished with four. Sonoraville (2-11) advances to the championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Adairsville / Northwest Whitfield winner. Cartersville (5-7) will play in Saturday’s third-place game at 4 p.m. against the Adairsville / Northwest Whitfield loser.

December 29, 2023 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com The Adairsville girls and boys basketball teams won their first-round games Thursday night as the Lady Tigers and Tigers host the Adairsville Christmas Clash. The Lady Tigers defeated Chattooga 60-33 and the Tigers handed Chattooga a 70-57 loss. The Adairsville girls took control early in their game and built a 33-13 lead by halftime. Aliya McBryde and NaXyria Roberts scored 15 points each. Akeyla Hendrix and McKenzie Evans scored eight each for the Lady Indians (4-10). The Lady Tigers (7-4) face Northwest Whitfield on Friday at 7 p.m. in the tournament semifinals. The Tigers took a similar route to their opening-round victory. The Adairsville boys led 18-5 after one quarter and 39-18 at halftime before holding off the visiting Indians in the second half for a 13-point win. Four Tigers hit double-figure scoring led by Tay Jackson with 20. Tre Winters scored 18 points while Xavious Nalls and Ben Abernathy added 15 and 14 points, respectively. Quarry Gibson led Chattooga (2-11) with 23 points. Adairsville (5-6) plays Long County on Friday at 8:30 p.m. in the semifinals.