ATHLETES BEYOND BARTOW Former Cartersville High School quarterback Trevor Lawrence helped lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to an improbable NFL Wildcard playoff win Saturday night and continued a statistic that may also seem improbable for any quarterback playing at the highest level of the sport. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, 2nd-yr. pro; Clemson; Cartersville HS … One of the most amazing stats for Lawrence is he has never lost a start on a Saturday as a high school, college, or NFL quarterback. That accomplishment almost came to halt this past Saturday, but the Jacksonville quarterback and the Jaguars overcame a 27-point deficit and rallied to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30 in an improbable Wild Card playoff win. Lawrence struggled heavily in the first half as the Jags fell behind 27-0. He had a 0.0 passer rating through his team’s first seven series. The second-year pro was 5-for-18 for just 35 yards and was picked off four times in those possessions. He finished with 288 yards and four touchdowns, however, as the Jaguars outscored Los Angeles 24-3 in the second half and completed the third-largest comeback in NFL postseason history. In his last five drives, Lawrence was 23-for-29 for 253 yards and four touchdowns, The rally began with a 9-yard Lawrence TD pass to Evan Engram with just 0:24 remaining in the first half. In the third quarter, the 23-year-old had a 6-yard scoring strike to Marvin Jones and connected with Zay Jones and a 39-yard scoring play to narrow the Chargers’ lead to 30-20. In the fourth quarter, a 9-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk followed by a crucial 2-point conversion lunge by Lawrence cut the Los Angeles lead to 30-28 with just over five minutes remaining. Following a defensive stop, Jacksonville was able to drive back down field on ten plays to set up a 36-yard, game-winning field goal by Riley Patterson as time expired. Lawrence finished the game 28-for-47 passing for 288 yards. He added one rushing carry for eight yards. Jacksonville (10-8) advances to the AFC Divisional round and will play at the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs Saturday afternoon. PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Greensboro Swarm (NBA G-League; 3rd-year pro; Cartersville native; Kentucky; Newton HS) … averaged more than 12 points, just over four assists, four rebounds, and added one steal and one blocked shot as the Swarm went 2-1 last week. Greensboro lost last Tuesday at the Westchester Knicks and split games last Friday and Saturday at the Lakeland Magic. The Swarm (2-6) host the conference-leading Cleveland Charge Wednesday night and host the Windy City Bulls Saturday night. Greensboro is currently 13th in the NBA G League Eastern Conference. A.J. MOSBY — Sudbury Five (6th year pro; NBL-Canada; Alcorn State; Cartersville HS) … scored 17 points and had eight assists, three rebounds, and one steal in a 129-116 home win over the Windsor Express. Sudbury (3-0) plays at the London (Ontario) Lightning Thursday and at the Express on Friday. COLLEGE BASKETBALL BRAXTON BENHAM — Berry College (So., Cass HS) … coming off a foot injury and off the Vikings’ bench, Benham scored 16 points with three steals, three assists, and two rebounds last Friday night in a 75-62 home win over Sewanee-University of the South. Sunday he returned to the starting lineup, scored nine points with five assists, four steals, and three rebounds in a 78-59 conference win over Centre College (Kentucky). Berry (14-2, 5-0 Southern Athletic Association) plays at Hendrix College (Arkansas) Friday night and at Rhodes College in Memphis Sunday. CLAIRE DAVIS — Palm Beach Atlantic University (Fr., Cass HS) … made a start this past Saturday afternoon and scored six points, grabbed five rebounds, and made one steal in a 63-60 loss to Embry-Riddle University. PBAU (8-7, 4-5 Sunshine State Conference) plays at Barry University Wednesday night and at Eckerd College Saturday afternoon. JUSTICE HAYES — Point University (So., Cass HS) … scored three points and had one rebound and one assist Saturday as the Skyhawks lost 77-72 at Montreat College. Point (10-8, 10-5 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Truett-McConnell University Tuesday night, plays at Milligan University Thursday night, and entertains Union College (KY) Saturday night. DiANTHONY HEATHCOCK — Columbia International University (Jr., Woodland HS) … finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals this past Saturday as the Rams lost 71-66 at Bryan College. CIU (8-8, 7-6 Appalachian Athletic Conference) travels to Johnson University (TN) Tuesday night and plays at Montreat College Saturday afternoon. HALEY JOHNSON — Central Georgia Tech CC (Fr., Cass HS) … scored four points and had one rebound and one steal last Thursday in a 67-53 home win over Brenau University JV. The Titans also lost Saturday at East Georgia State CC but box score information was not available at the time of this release. CGTCC (6-13, 1-6 GCAA) hosts Albany Tech Wednesday evening and travels to Andrew College Saturday afternoon. KEARA McDANIEL — Toccoa Falls College (Fr., Cass HS) … had three rebounds and one steal in the Screaming Eagles’ 81-51 home win last Tuesday over Mississippi University for Women. Toccoa Falls (11-4, 3-1 National Christian College Athletic Association DII) plays at home Monday against Johnson & Wales (North Carolina) and travels to Welch College (Tennessee) Thursday night. JAYLON PUGH — Lander University (Grad student, Cartersville HS) … scored four points with two rebounds and one steal last Wednesday in an 81-78 loss at Augusta University. He also grabbed two rebounds this past Saturday as the Bearcats won at Clayton State, 76-63. Lander (11-4, 3-2 Peach Belt Conference) plays three conference games at home this week facing Clayton State Monday, Columbus State Wednesday, and Georgia Southwestern Saturday. LONDAISHA SMITH — Alderson Broaddus University (So., Cass HS) … had one steal last Wednesday in a 60-57 home victory over the University of Charleston (West Virginia). She then scored four points, had two rebounds, two steals, and one assist in a 112-49 loss Saturday afternoon at West Virginia State. The Battlers (4-11, 3-7 Mountain East Conference) play at West Liberty University Wednesday night and at Notre Dame College Saturday afternoon. NAKIYAH WASHINGTON — Piedmont University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … scored five points, grabbed nine rebounds, had five assists, and five steals as the Lions won at Maryville College (Tennessee) this past Saturday, 64-59. Sunday afternoon she scored 11 points with seven boards, four assists, two steals, and had one blocked shot in a 77-63 loss at Berea College (Kentucky). This week, Piedmont (8-6, 4-1 Collegiate Conference of the South) hosts Belhaven University (Mississippi) Friday night and Huntingdon College Saturday afternoon. SWIMMING GRAYSON BREEDLOVE — Lenoir Rhyne University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … in a 156-96 team loss at Queens University last Friday Breedlove placed third in the 200-yard backstroke (2:24.84); was 7th in the 100-yard backstroke (1:08.58); and was on a 7th-place 200-yard medley relay team (2:09.82). The Bears also won a home meet with King University 156.5 to 96.5 Saturday but those results were not available. LRU swims next at UNC-Pembroke this Saturday. HARPER POWELL — Florida Tech (So., Adairsville HS) … in a 168-94 team loss this past Saturday at Lynn University, Powell was on her team’s third place 200-yard medley relay team (1:55.91) and was on the Panthers’ fourth place 400-yard freestyle relay team (3:55.18). Individually, she was fifth in the 50-yard freestyle (27.47) and sixth in the 100-yard freestyle (1:00.80). Next for Florida Tech is a meet at Saint Leo University this Saturday afternoon. WRESTLING ANGEL BANDA — Reinhardt University (Jr., Adairsville HS) … won his individual bouts Saturday as 12th-ranked Reinhardt beat Brewton-Parker 42-3 and host Montreat College (North Carolina) 53-6. Banda, a 125-pounder now ranked 12th nationally as an individual in NAIA, won both of his bouts by pinfall. Next for the Eagles will be their own Reinhardt Duals Saturday in Waleska. KYLE GOLLHOFER — University of Northern Iowa (R-So., Woodland HS) … won his 125-pound bout 10-6 as 15th-ranked Northern Iowa won at Utah Valley last Friday night. The Panthers host 13th-ranked Oklahoma State on Saturday, January 28. CALEB HENSON — Virginia Tech (Fr., Woodland HS) … now ranked 11th nationally as an individual in the 149-pound division, Henson defeated 8th-ranked Jon Jon Milner of Appalachian State 6-4 Sunday as the 9th-ranked Hokies topped the 22nd-ranked Mountaineers 23-11. Virginia Tech returns to action Friday night at home against 5th-ranked N.C. State. BRYCE KRESHO — Franklin & Marshall University (Fr., Cass HS) … a 149-pounder, Kresho dropped a 10-2 decision Saturday in the Diplomats’ 23-13 team loss to Drexel University in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Franklin & Marshall hosts Gettysburg College Wednesday night and will face Long Island University and Hofstra University Saturday in New York. JAXON SMITH — University of Maryland (Fr., Woodland HS) … now ranked 11th nationally in the 197-pound weight class, Smith pinned his opponents from Oklahoma and Ohio University this past Saturday at the Virginia Duals. The 23rd-ranked Terrapins also won both duals 18-16 and 27-13, respectively. On Sunday, Smith lost both his bouts as Maryland fell to Campbell University 21-14 and beat host Virginia 22-14. The Terps return to Big Ten action on Friday night when they host 7th-ranked Ohio State. They will then travel to 25th-ranked Illinois on Sunday afternoon. JABRIL WILLIAMS — Midway University (So., Cartersville HS) … finished 1-2 in 165-pound bouts at the Central Baptist College Invitational this past weekend in Conway, Arkansas. The Eagles won the tournament claiming the program’s first-ever tournament victory. Midway finished 23 points ahead of second place Avila (Missouri). The Eagles wrestle next at the Missouri Valley Invitational in Marshall, Missouri this weekend.

The Adairsville High School swim team placed eighth last Friday and Saturday at the 25-team Northwest Georgia Swim and Dive Championship hosted at the Calhoun Aquatic Center. The meet was won by Blessed Trinity with Jefferson finishing second. Woodland was 13th and Cass placed 24th. Adairsville's Cooper Brown had the top performance among local competitors. Brown finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:52.12. Other Adairsville swimmers that have qualified for the GHSA State Meet in previous events include: Adairsville boys' 200-yard medley relay -- Gabriel Greenway, Cooper Brown, Andy Barnett, and Landon Smrcina (1:50.33) Adairsville boys' 200-yard freestyle relay -- Cooper Brown, Luke Altizer, Brayden Rizer, and Andy Barnett (1:39.31) Brown is also a qualifier in the 200-yard individual medley (2:11.31) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.84) Complete results from the Northwest Georgia Regional are available here: (file download) The GHSA State Meet will be January 31 - February 4 at Georgia Tech.

The Excel Christian Academy Eagles took a 23-3 lead Saturday in the first quarter and led by 17 points by the end of the period but the host Unity Christian Lions came roaring back in the second quarter to cut the ECA lead to 38-33 by halftime of the game in Rome. Unity knocked down six three-pointers in the second period as they outscored Excel 27-15 in the quarter. After maintaining their five-point advantage through the third quarter, the Eagles extended their lead to 71-60 midway through the fourth only to have Unity cut the lead to 76-70 with 0:35 remaining. Excel was able to close out the win down the stretch. Kyron McClendon and Comari Nettles led the Eagles with 17 points each. Jacob Taylor finished with 15 points and Jakaden Barkley added 14 for Excel Christian. Austin Wilkerson led Unity Christian (4-10, 2-4) with a game-high 29 points. Excel Christian (9-8, 5-0 GAPPS I-AA Region 1) hosts Shiloh Hills Tuesday at 6 p.m. as the Eagles move into the second half of their region slate.

The Class 5A top-ranked Cass Colonels wrestling team advanced to the GHSA State Duals Final Eight with a pair of wins at home Saturday in the state tournament’s first two rounds. Cass defeated Northgate in the opening round 59-24 and eliminated 2-seed Ware County 55-24 in the Sweet 16 round. In the victory over Northgate, Angel Castenado (113), Jake Crapps (126), Richard Martin (132), Tanner Toups (138), and Mason Tompkins (165) all collected wins by pin fall for the Colonels while Jayden Taylor (120) won by technical fall. Cass also picked up forfeit wins at 106, 144, 150, and 157-pounds. The Colonels started quickly in the second round to defeat Ware County. Lee Camp (106), Hunter Barrett (113), Ethan Harrington (120), and Jake Crapps (126) each pinned their Gators’ opponent as Cass built an early advantage. Rowdy Duck (132) won a major decision. Tanner Toups (138) won by technical fall and Tyler McKnight (144) won by pin before the Colonels’ Eli Doolittle dropped his bout by medical forfeit. Kriecg Roe (157), Mason Tompkins (165), and Parker Dunn (190) added pins for Cass as they closed out the win. Cass advances to the state team duals quarterfinals next Saturday at Jones County High School in Gray. The teams will be re-seeded and wrestling will begin at 10 a.m. In addition to the Colonels, the final eight will include Harris County, Ola, Eastside, Locust Grove, Cambridge, Jefferson, and Woodland. WOODLAND ADVANCES TO ELITE EIGHT The Woodland Wildcats wrestling team won its four-team preliminary state duals sectional Saturday at Greenbrier High School near Augusta. Woodland, runner-up from Region 7-5A, defeated Northside-Columbus 58-18 in the first round and took down host Greenbrier 36-27 in the Sweet Sixteen round to advance. The Elite Eight finals for Class 5A will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Jones County High School. CARTERSVILLE FALLS IN FIRST ROUND OF STATE DUALS The Cartersville wrestling team lost its state duals first round match Saturday at Harris County 43-27 but bounced back to beat Chattahoochee 54-30 in a consolation dual. Harris County went on to defeat Coffee, 41-31, to advance to the Class 5A Elite Eight at Jones County next weekend. Grant Adams (120) and Jachai Delgado (150) were both 2-0 on the day for the Hurricanes. Delroy Hurst (285) won his only bout. Julian Cline (106), Eaiden Neal (126), Grey Williams (132), Talan Nix (138), and Montgomery Tompkins (144) were each 1-1 on the day. ADAIRSVILLE ELIMINATED IN SECOND ROUND The Adairsville Tigers wrestling team reached the second round of the Class AAA State Duals Tournament Saturday but lost a closely contested match with host Pike County 39-30. Adairsville blanked Dougherty in the first round, 84-0. Pike County advances to the Class AAA Elite Eight at Stephens County High School Saturday, January 21 along with Franklin County, Gilmer, Gordon Lee, Ringgold, Bremen, LaFayette, and Columbus.

The Adairsville Lady Tigers snapped a five-game losing skid Saturday afternoon with a 42-27 non-region win at Gilmer in Elijay. Adairsville led 15-4 after the opening eight minutes and held a 29-10 lead at halftime on their way to a 15-point victory. Alissa Winters led the Lady Tigers with 14 points. Aliya McBryde followed with 11 and Addie Pearson added six in the win. Aliza Chastain led the Lady Bobcats (2-14) with seven points. Adairsville (9-8, 4-3) returns to Region 6-AAA action Tuesday night at Gordon Lee in a 6 p.m. start.

In front of a capacity crowd at Cartersville High’s Storm Center Friday night the basketball teams from Cass and Cartersville split a pair of Region 7-5A overtime games. The Lady Canes held the Lady Colonels scoreless in the extra four minutes to win 61-57 while it was the Colonels slipping by the Cartersville boys in OT 65-61. GIRLS CARTERSVILLE 61, CASS 57 (OT) After battling through 32 minutes of regulation time to a 57-all tie, Ansley Griffin and Nayel Camper of Cartersville scored the only overtime buckets to lift the Lady Canes to a 61-57 win over Cass Friday night at the Storm Center. Cartersville led 31-30 at halftime and had built a 46-38 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Lady Colonels rallied to outscore the Lady Canes 19-11 in the fourth period to send the game to an extra four minutes. Ja'Kayah Draughn led the Lady Canes with 20 points. Griffin finished with 12. Camper and KK Arnold tossed in eight points each. Taff Bradley contributed seven. Layne Callan and Campbell Rogers added four and two points, respectively. Olivia Woods finished with a game-high 25 points to lead Cass. KK Evans followed with 12. Mikaela Jackson contributed nine points. Nevaeh Woods scored six and Kiana McDaniel added five points for the Lady Colonels. Cartersville (10-3, 2-0 Region 7-5A) travels to Calhoun Tuesday for a 6 p.m. start. Cass (12-4, 0-2) heads to 3rd-ranked Hiram Tuesday for a 6 p.m. tip-off. BOYS CASS 65, CARTERSVILLE 61 (OT) The Cartersville boys rallied in the second half Friday night from a 34-19 deficit to catch Cass by the end of the third quarter at 39-39. Then after Cass built another lead in the fourth quarter, the Canes chased them down again to send the game into overtime tied at 55-all. In the extra session, Cass outscored Cartersville 10-6 to escape the Storm Center with a 65-61 Region 7-5A victory. “We’re really happy to get a win in a really tough environment,” said Cass coach Kevin Cunningham following Friday’s game at Cartersville. “Their fans make it a great and really tough place to play. Cartersville made some adjustments and some really big shots in the second half to put a lot of pressure on us, but hats off to my kids for playing through it and continuing to believe in each other. Happy to pull out a tough win in overtime.” Romo Pace led the Hurricanes with a game-high 20 points including all six points for Cartersville in overtime. D.J. Cain scored 16. Sam Wiedetz followed with 11 points. Monte Tolbert finished with six. Collin Fletcher tossed in four while Jaylen Scott and Kaden Baldwin added three and one points, respectively. Jakai Baldwin scored 17 points including four in overtime to pace the Colonels. Sacovie White finished with 13 and also had four points in the overtime session. Jelani Hames contributed 12 points. Devin Henderson totaled 11 and K.J. Rogers added nine points for Cass. Cartersville (6-8, 0-2 Region 7-5A) travels to Calhoun Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. start. Cass (7-8, 1-1) makes the trip to 5th-ranked Hiram Tuesday — also for a 7:30 p.m. region game.

The Adairsville Tigers bounced back from their first region loss last Tuesday to region leader Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe with a 56-43 win at Bremen Friday night. Meanwhile, the Lady Tigers lost their fifth straight game and the seventh of their last eight in a 37-29 loss to the Lady Blue Devils. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 56, BREMEN 43 Three Tigers reached double figures led by Tay Jackson’s 22 points as Adairsville won at Bremen Friday night 56-43. Tre Winters and Zach Postell both finished with 10 points in the win. Bo Bolton was the leading scorer for the Blue Devils (2-10, 0-7) with 12 points. The Adairsville boys (11-7, 6-1 Region 6-AAA) return to region action Tuesday at Gordon Lee. BREMEN 37, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 29 The Bremen girls led 20-12 at halftime Friday night and maintained that advantage in the second half to defeat the Lady Tigers, 37-29. Mary House led Bremen (9-5, 4-3) with 13 points. Naxyria Roberts led Adairsville with 11 points. Alissa Winters (photo) scored 10 for the Lady Tigers. Adairsville (8-8, 4-3) steps outside Region 6-AAA play Saturday and travels to Gilmer for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off.

The Excel Christian Academy girls’ and boys’ basketball teams split GAPPS Region 1-IAA home games Friday night with Praise Academy. The Eagles tamed the Lions 56-35 but the Lady Eagles lost to Praise Academy, 57-27. EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 56, PRAISE ACADEMY 35 The Excel Christian Academy boys did not score in the fourth quarter Friday night, but their performance in the first three quarters provided plenty of margin for the Eagles to beat region-foe Praise, 56-35. ECA led 19-8 after one quarter; 36-16 at halftime; and 56-24 at the end of the third quarter. Jacob Taylor led the Eagles in scoring with 18 points. Kyron McClendon followed with 11. Jakaden Barkley contributed 10 points and Comari Nettles scored nine in the win. Chris Collier led the visiting Lions (4-9, 1-2) with 12 points. The Excel boys (8-8, 4-0) play another region game Saturday night at Unity Christian of Rome. The tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. PRAISE ACADEMY GIRLS 57, EXCEL CHRISTIAN GIRLS 27 Olivia Barrow led the Lady Lions (1-7, 1-2) with 16 points and Chae Viera scored 19 to pace Excel Christian (0-10, 0-3) The Lady Eagles have a 4:30 p.m. tip Saturday at Unity Christian in Rome.

The Woodland girls’ and boys’ basketball teams were swept in Region 7-5A games Friday night at Calhoun. The Lady Cats lost 63-13 and the Wildcats fell 68-44. CALHOUN 63, WOODLAND GIRLS 13 The Calhoun Lady Jackets built an 18-4 lead in the first quarter and led 36-8 at halftime on their way to a 63-13 home win over Woodland Friday night. Sa’Niah Dorsey led Calhoun with 24 points. Kat Atha added 13 for the Lady Jackets. Morgan Echols finished with eight points for the Lady Cats. Calhoun improved to 13-3 overall and 2-0 in Region 7-5A. Woodland (2-4, 0-2) plays at Dalton Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CALHOUN 68, WOODLAND BOYS 44 Calhoun led at each quarter stop and stayed unbeaten in region play with a 24-point win over visiting Woodland Friday night. The Yellow Jackets led 15-9 at the end of the first quarter; 35-21 at the intermission; and 50-34 heading into the fourth quarter. Dylan Faulkner led Calhoun with 25 points. Brooks Crawford followed with 12 and Jake Jones added eight points for the Yellow Jackets (9-7, 2-0). No individual player information was provided by Woodland. The Wildcats (2-15, 0-2) travel to Dalton Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip.

The Cass High School swim team won a six-team meet Tuesday night as hosts at the Adairsville High School pool. The Colonels finished with 198 points followed by Model (109.5), Southeast Whitfield (83.5), Pepperell (13), Armuchee (13), Armuchee (7), and Coosa (2). The Cass boys earned 112 of the team’s points with the Lady Colonels earning 86. Event winners for Cass: 1 — Boys 200-yard medley relay — Jake Wright, Vy Lam, Brandon Santana, Manny Reyes 1 — Boys 200-yard individual relay — Brandon Santana 1 — Boys 100-yard butterfly — Brandon Santana 1 — Boys 500-yard freestyle — Jake Wright 1 — Boys 200-yard freestyle relay — Jake Wright, Adam Pierce, Brandon Santana, Manny Reyes 1 — Girls 200-yard freestyle relay — Jimena Perez, Monica Martinez, Adyson Doolittle, Stacia Zappoli 1 — Girls 100-yard backstroke — Ryland Piatt 1 — Boys 400-yard freestyle relay — Sawyer Foy, Brandon Silva-Escuen, Eliceo Silva-Escuen, Jordan Russell 1 — Girls 400-yard freestyle relay — Adyson Doolittle, Monica Martinez, Jimena Perez, Stacia Zappoli The next event for Cass is the Northwest Regional Championships at Calhoun High School Friday and Saturday.

The Adairsville Tigers and Lady Tigers were swept in Region 6-AAA contests Tuesday night in Tiger Valley. The Adairsville girls were topped by the unbeaten Lady Warriors 63-32 and the Adairsville boys dropped a 58-55 decision to the Warriors. LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 63, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 32 The Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe girls stayed undefeated on the 2022-23 season Tuesday night at Adairsville with a 63-32 Region 6-AAA victory. The Lady Warriors led 33-10 by halftime and maintained control throughout the second half. Angel Simmons scored 15 points to lead LFO. Christen Collins and Christina Collins followed with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Three Lady Tigers scored six points each — Naxyria Roberts, Addie Pearson, and Zariyah Hicks.. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe improved to 15-0 overall and 6-0 in region action. Adairsville (8-7, 4-2) travel to Bremen Friday for a 7 p.m. tip. LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 58, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 55 In a battle for the current top spot in Region 6-AAA Tuesday night at Adairsville, the Tigers fell to the visiting LFO Warriors, 58-55. Adairsville led 32-27 at halftime but the Warriors gained the lead 49-45 by the end of the third quarter and held off the Tigers in the final eight minutes for a three-point win. "We struggled to consistently rebound," noted Adairsville coach Alex Disbrow. "They executed in the late-game situations better than we did." Amari Burnette led three Warriors in double-figure scoring with 19 points. Brent Bowman scored 17 and Jayden Dover 13 for the Warriors. Ben Abernathy paced the Tigers with 13 points. Zach Postell scored 12 and Xavious Nalls had 11 for the Tigers. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe improved to 9-7 overall and 6-0 in region play. Adairsville (10-7, 5-1) continues region action Friday night at Bremen.

The Cartersville High basketball teams opened Region 7-5A play Tuesday night at the Storm Center by splitting a pair of games with visiting Dalton. The Lady Canes outlasted the Lady Cats 59-55 but it was the visiting Catamounts who edged the Cartersville boys, 51-49. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 59, DALTON 55 The Lady Canes held off visiting Dalton down the stretch Tuesday night to win their 2022-23 Region 7-5A opener, 59-54. Cartersville held a 14-13 lead after one quarter and held a 30-23 advantage at halftime. The Lady Canes’ lead was narrowed to 43-42 by the end of the third quarter before hanging on for a four-point win. Jakayah Draughn led Cartersville with 15 points. KK Arnold followed with 14 and Ansley Griffin added 11 points in the Lady Canes’ victory. Grade Ridley led Dalton (9-4, 0-1) with 19 points. The Lady Canes (9-3, 1-0) host Cass Friday night in a 6 p.m. tip. DALTON 51, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 49 In a close region battle Tuesday night the Purple Hurricanes fell to visiting Dalton at the Storm Center, 51-49. Cartersville trailed at each quarter stop in the loss. Dalton led 10-7 after one quarter and 21-20 at halftime. The Catamounts carried a 35-32 lead into the fourth quarter and held on at the end for a two-point win. “We played hard and every possession was huge,” said Canes’ coach Mike Tobin. “A couple more made free throws, one more made field goal, or one more rebound or steal could have made the difference. Instead, we suffer a heartbreaking loss. We had a hand in his face but Ramsey hit a three-pointer with just seconds remaining to win the game," added a disappointed Tobin. "We will get back on the horse and go back to work at practice tomorrow.” Chaz Ramsey, who finished with eight points, made the game-winner for the Catamounts. Drew Snyder and Kobi Cooper led Dalton in scoring with 10 points apiece. Romo Pace led Cartersville with 18 points. DJ Cain finished with 14 for the Hurricanes. Dalton improved to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in Region 7-5A. Cartersville (6-7, 0-1) hosts Cass Friday night at 7:30 p.m.