The Eagles held a 52-48 lead at the end of the third quarter Tuesday night but could not hold on In a 68-56 loss at Rockmart. Excel was still within four points with 2:17 remaining and had several offensive chances, but could not capitalize. The host Yellow Jackets pulled away in the final minute and converted free throws down the stretch to complete their comeback. Rockmart outscored ECA 20-4 in the final period. Tristen Anderson led Rockmart with 18 points. Dennis Sims had 17 and Cam Ferguson 14 for the Yellow Jackets (4-3). Kyron McClendon scored 20 points to lead Excel. Jacob Taylor followed with 11 points. Jakaden Barkley contributed 10. Christian Viera finished with six points. Comari Nettles had five points. Caleb Landrum tossed in three and David Jinks added one point for the Eagles. Excel (5-5) returns to action on December 28 when the Eagles face South Paulding in the first round of the Adairsville Christmas Tournament.

The Adairsville High wrestling teams finished 2-3 last Saturday at the Lassiter Duals in Cobb County. The Tigers defeated Woodstock 48-26 and Mountain View 54-30 for their two victories. Adairsville suffered losses to Hillgrove (42-21), North Paulding (51-24), and Archer (48-35). Ethan Blome finished 4-0 on the day for the Tigers while Jett Johnson and Druu Faulk each finished 4-1 in their bouts. The Tigers wrestle at Model Wednesday and will compete in a tournament at Coahulla Creek Friday and Saturday.

Former Cartersville High quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars snapped an eight-game road losing streak Sunday as they won at the Tennessee Titans, 36-22. The 23-year-old signal caller, coming off a week with some missed practice time due to a toe injury, scored four touchdowns in the victory. On the soccer pitch, Cartersville resident and Syracuse goalkeeper Russell Shealy, helped lead the Orange to the NCAA Men’s College Cup championship game. Syracuse (18-2-4) beat Creighton Friday night in the national semifinals. They square off with Indiana (14-4-6) at 6 p.m. Monday night in Cary, North Carolina on ESPNU for the national championship. NFL TREVOR LAWRENCE — Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, 2nd-yr. pro; Clemson; Cartersville HS) … was 30-for-42 passing for 368 yards and three touchdowns as Jacksonville won at the Tennessee Titans Sunday, 36-22. He also rushed three times for seven yards and one touchdown. His touchdown passes included a 12-yarder to Evan Engram in the first quarter and a 21-yarder to Engram in the third quarter. Lawrence also tossed a 20-yarder to Zay Jones in the second quarter and scored on a 1-yard keeper in the third. The Jaguars led 20-14 at halftime and took control of the game with a 13-0 third quarter. The Jaguars (5-8) host the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday afternoon. PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Greensboro Swarm (NBA G-League, 3rd-year pro; Cartersville native; Newton HS; Kentucky) … scored eight points Sunday and had eight assists, four rebounds, one blocked shot, and two steals as the Swarm beat the Capital City Go-Go in Washington, 112-105. Earlier in the week, he scored 12 points, collected five rebounds, made five assists, and five steals in a 116-101 win Monday at Raptors 905 in Ontario. He then scored 23 points with four boards, five assists, and three steals last Tuesday in a 114-101 loss to the Raptors. Greensboro is 6-9 and in seventh place in the NBA-G League’s East Division Showcase Cup standings. The Swarm plays at the Maine Celtics Thursday night. SOCCER RUSSELL SHEALY — Syracuse University (R-Sr., Cartersville resident; Darlington HS) … earned his 17th win of the season as a goalkeeper and recorded six saves as Syracuse defeated Creighton this past Friday night in the national semifinals of the 2022 NCAA College Cup. Shealy had four first half saves as the Orange held a 1-0 lead at halftime. He added another save in the opening minute of the second half before the Bluejays tied the match 1-1 in the 49th minute. Syracuse went back ahead 2-1 just two minutes later and Shealy’s save in the 61st minute kept the Orange ahead. Creighton found the net in the 63rd minute to tie the game again but Syracuse took the lead for good in the 85th minute. Shealy, who has 10 shutouts and a .812 save percentage on the year, had no additional saves in the final ten minutes but faced three more corner kicks down the stretch. The Orange (18-2-4) will face Indiana (14-4-6) for the national championship Monday night back in Cary, North Carolina. The Hoosiers have not allowed a goal in the tournament and blanked Pittsburgh Friday night, 2-0, in the other semifinal. The title match will be televised Monday night at 6 p.m. on ESPNU. SWIMMING MALLORY COOK — University of Montevallo (So., Adairsville HS) … a member of the Falcons’ 200-yard medley relay team that placed 13th this past Saturday during the first day of the Delta State Invitational. The meet continues through Tuesday, December 13. WRESTLING ANGEL BANDA — Reinhardt University (Jr., Adairsville HS) … finished 3-0 this past weekend with three pins at the Lindsey Wilson NAIA Challenge Duals in Columbia, Kentucky. Wrestling in the 125-pound division, Banda helped the Eagles to wins over Marian University (Indiana), University of Rio Grande (Ohio), Menlo College (California), and Midway University (Kentucky). Reinhardt hits the mat again Saturday at the Fire Duals in Lakeland, Florida. CALEB HENSON — Virginia Tech (Fr., Woodland HS) … lost his bout 9-7 to nationally ranked Brock Mauller of Missouri but the 9th-ranked Hokies defeated the visiting 7th-ranked Tigers Sunday 17-15. Virginia Tech travels to Palo Alto to face Stanford and Lindenwood next Sunday. QUESTAPHA LEWIS — Midway University (So., Woodland HS) … went 0-4 in bouts at the Lindsey Wilson NAIA Challenge Duals in Columbia, Kentucky. The Eagles also finished 0-4 as a team. Midway wrestles again Wednesday at Kentucky Wesleyan University. JAXON SMITH — University of Maryland (Fr., Woodland HS) … ranked No. 12 nationally in the 197-pound division, Smith defeated Navy’s Jacob Koser 10-2 Sunday as the 23rd-ranked Terrapins beat the Midshipmen, 18-15. Up next for Maryland is the Southern Scuffle at Chattanooga on January 1-2. BASKETBALL CLAIRE DAVIS — Palm Beach Atlantic University (Fr., Cass HS) … scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and had one steal in a 97-58 home loss to conference-foe Nova Southeastern this past Saturday. She also finished with five points and six rebounds in an exhibition loss last Thursday at D-I Florida Gulf Coast University. The Sailfish (4-3, 2-2 Sunshine State Conference) host Johnson University (Florida) Tuesday and will play Shaw University (North Carolina) Saturday in Boca Raton. DiANTHONY HEATHCOCK — Columbia International University (Jr., Woodland HS) … produced a double-double Saturday in a 92-87 home, conference win over Kentucky Christian University. The forward had 34 points, 15 rebounds, and one assist. Last Wednesday in a loss at home to 11th-ranked Union College (Kentucky), Heathcock scored 25 points with eight boards and one steal. CIU (5-6, 4-4 Appalachian Athletic Conference) plays at Point University Tuesday night. HALEY JOHNSON - Central Georgia Tech CC (Fr., Cass HS) … had one rebound but did not score coming off the Titans’ bench last Wednesday in an 80-51 loss at Georgia Highlands CC. CGTCC also won at Brenau University JV Saturday, 64-48, and edged Middle Georgia Prep in Barnesville Sunday afternoon, 60-59. Game stats were not available for those games. The Titans (5-6, 1-4 Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association) host South Georgia Tech Wednesday and will play Tallahassee CC and Gulf Coast State CC in Panama City, Florida this weekend. KEARA McDANIEL — Toccoa Falls College (Fr., Cass HS) … saw playing time off the bench but recorded no stats in a 69-55 win last Friday over visiting Campbellsville University - Harrodsburg. The Screaming Eagles (8-4, 2-1 NCCAA D-II South) return to action on January 6 at Southeastern Baptist College (Mississippi). LONDAISHA SMITH — Alderson Broaddus University (So., Cass HS) … scored 11 points with five rebounds and two steals last Wednesday in a 76-71 win at West Virginia Wesleyan. She then scored 17 points with seven boards, one steal, and one assist Saturday in an 82-70 home loss to Davis & Elkins College. The Battlers (3-7, 2-4 Mountain East Conference) travel to Salem University Thursday.

The Cass girls and boys basketball teams won non-region games at Clarkston in DeKalb County Saturday night. The Colonels defeated the Angoras 67-58 and the Lady Colonels cruised to a 76-12 win. ————— CASS BOYS 67, CLARKSTON 58 The Cass boys won for the first time this season on the road Saturday night and picked up their fourth win in their last five games with a 67-58 win at Clarkston. Cass led a close game at each quarter stop and held on in the fourth quarter for a nine-point win over the Angoras. The Colonels held slim leads of 12-11 and 21-19 at the end of the first quarter and at halftime. By outscoring Clarkston 24-15 in the third quarter, Cass extended its lead to 45-36. Jayden Foster and Devin Henderson led the Colonels’ scoring attack with 14 points each. Jelani Hames followed with 12. Kevin Henderson, KJ Rogers, and Taymon McKibbins scored six points each. Isaiah Ford added five. The loss dropped Clarkston to 2-9 on the season. Cass (4-5) plays at Southeast Whitfield Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CASS GIRLS 76, CLARKSTON 12 The Cass Lady Colonels overpowered Clarkston Saturday night, 76-12, for a non-region victory in DeKalb County. Cass led 10-6 at the end of the opening period but then held the host Angoras to only two points over the next 16 minutes to build a 52-8 lead after three quarters. Olivia Woods led the Lady Colonels’ scoring column with 25 points. She added six steals. Kiana McDaniel finished with 12 points and 10 steals for a double-double. Nevaeh Woods scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds. KK Evans also scored eight points with 10 rebounds and eight steals. Mikaela Jackson contributed seven points and four steals. Cadie Paez and Reese Howard scored six each. Darianna Sosa and Kaitlyn Godwin added two points apiece. The loss drops Clarkston to 1-4 on the season. The Cass girls (5-1) play at Southeast Whitfield Tuesday night at 6 p.m. and will play three games, Thursday through Saturday, at the Carrollton SMI Christmas Tournament.

The Cass wrestling team went 4-1 and placed fifth Saturday at the 16-team Cleveland (Tennessee) Duals. The Colonels defeated Christian Brothers (Tennessee) 51-23 and Gilmer (Georgia) 39-34 in the first two rounds before falling to Summit (Tennessee) 39-29 in the third round. Cass bounced back in the Silver Bracket to take fifth place overall with wins over Blackman (Tennessee) 38-36 and Social Circle (Georgia) 38-33. Zach McKnight, who had bouts at both 170 and 182, went 5-0 in the tournament with three pins. His brother, Tyler McKnight (145) finished the tournament 5-0 with three pins as well. Rowdy Duck (138) also finished 5-0 in his bouts and recorded a pair of pinfalls. Lee Camp (106), Jake Crapps (126), and Kriecg Roe (160/170) had four wins each. Camp and Crapps finished with three pins. Roe had a pair of pins. Angel Castenado (113), Eli Doolittle (152), and Parker Dunn (195) had three wins. Hunter Barrett (120) recorded one pinfall. Next for Cass will be the Knockout Christmas Classic in Kissimmee, Florida December 20-21. WOODLAND PLACES THIRD IN CLEVELAND BRONZE BRACKET Woodland finished 2-3 Saturday at the Cleveland (Tennessee) Duals and placed third in the Bronze Bracket for an 11th-place finish overall. The Wildcats defeated Battle Ground Academy (Tennessee) 62-9 and Rossview (Tennessee) 56-19. Their losses were to Cleveland (Tennessee) 54-18, Blackman (Tennessee) 51-19, and Christian Brothers (Tennessee) 41-37. Charles Higdon (220) and Kwadrus Wilson (285) were both 5-0 for the tournament in their bouts. Higdon pinned all five opponents while Wilson pinned four of five. Hayden Santora (145) was next on the wins list for Woodland with four, including one by pinfall. Zachary Wallace (152) recorded three wins — all by pin. Paul Lanier (138) also had three wins for the Wildcats including one pin. Nathan Cates (126), Jovante Luke (160), and Heath Tatum (170) added two bout wins each. Woodland will host Cherokee next Friday at 6 p.m.

The Woodland basketball teams split home games with visiting Coosa Saturday night. The Lady Cats earned a 36-28 win over the Lady Eagles while the Woodland boys lost to Coosa, 56-51. WOODLAND GIRLS 36, COOSA 28 The Woodland girls have two wins this season through their first eight games. Following Saturday night’s home 36-28 win over Coosa, both wins are over the Lady Eagles. Woodland won at Coosa on November 17, 31-29. Saturday, the Lady Cats led at each quarter stop. Woodland was up 8-4 at the end of the first quarter; 17-14 at halftime; and 32-23 at the end of the third quarter. Megan Schultz led the Lady Cats with 19 points. Reagan Weightman scored seven. Kasidee Wall finished with four points. Bailee Motes posted three. Morgan Echols chipped in two points and Libby Morgan added one for Woodland. Abby Jacobs led Coosa (2-6) with 11 points. Riyah Manley and Brooke McClellan added six points each. The Woodland girls (2-6) play host Armuchee Friday night as they open play in the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Tournament. COOSA 56, WOODLAND BOYS 51 Visiting Coosa led 18-8 after one quarter Saturday at Woodland and maintained their lead throughout in a 56-51 non-region win. The Eagles led 34-27 at the intermission and held a 44-41 lead through three quarters. Joseph Richardson scored a game-high 33 points to lead Coosa. Ashton Williams added 17 for the Eagles. Brelace Williams led Woodland with 16 points. Bryson Van Tonder followed with 12. Isaiah Livsey finished with nine points. David Byars scored seven. Zyon Heath and Amir Heath added five and two points, respectively. Coosa, who lost to the Wildcats in overtime earlier this season, improved to 3-4. Woodland (1-6) opens the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Tournament Friday at 8:30 p.m. against host Armuchee.

The Adairsville girls and boys basketball teams started Region 6-AAA on the correct foot Friday night as the Lady Tigers and Tigers swept visiting Gordon Lee. The Lady Tigers won 43-19 and the Tigers held on in the fourth quarter to secure a 49-44 region win. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 43, GORDON LEE 19 The Adairsville girls kept Gordon Lee scoreless in the first quarter Friday night and were really never threatened in a 43-19 Region 6-AAA victory. Adairsville led 12-0 after the opening eight minutes, held a 19-7 lead at halftime, and was ahead 32-11 after three quarters. Analee Morris led the Lady Tigers with 17 points. Addie Pearson followed with seven. Naxyria Roberts scored five. Aliya McBryde and Alissa Winters contributed four points each. Megan Gregory, Zariyah Hicks, and Darby Adams added two each for Adairsville. Emma Phillips led Gordon Lee (1-1, 0-1) with 11 points. Adairsville (4-1, 1-0) hosts Ringgold in another region game Tuesday at 6 p.m. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 49, GORDON LEE 44 The Tigers and Trojans had a back-and-forth tussle Friday night with the host Adairsville boys surviving with a 49-44 Region 6-AAA win. Adairsville held a 13-11 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 21-19 at halftime before Gordon Lee outscored the Tigers 11-4 in the third period to take a 30-25 lead. Adairsville recovered by outscoring the Trojans 24-14 over the final eight minutes to escape with a five-point win. Zach Postell led the Adairsville scoring with 14 points. Tre Winters and Ben Abernathy had 11 each. Zach Weaver scored six points. Xavious Nalls finished with five and Jamarian Pullum added two points for the Tigers. Hunter Holmes led the Trojans (3-1, 0-1) with 14 points. Adairsville (3-2, 1-0) entertains Ringgold Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

The Adairsville girls and boys basketball teams swept visiting Ringgold Tigers Tuesday night for Region 6-AAA victories. The Adairsville girls separated in the second half for a 52-42 win and the Adairsville boys rallied in the fourth quarter for a 60-57 victory. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 52, RINGGOLD 42 The Lady Tigers utilized a balanced scoring attack and a third-quarter surge to outdistance Ringgold Tuesday night, 52-42. Ringgold led 24-23 at halftime before Adairsville outscored the visitors 19-6 in the third quarter to take control of the game. Aliya McBryde and Analee Morris had 12 points each for Adairsville. Alissa Winters and Naxyria Roberts both scored 11 points. Zariyah Hicks added six. Leiah Henderson led Ringgold (2-4, 1-1) with 17 points. The Adairsville girls (5-1, 2-0) return to region action Friday night at Ridgeland at 7 p.m. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 60, RINGGOLD 57 The Adairville boys trailed by five points heading into the final period Tuesday night but outscored visiting Ringgold 22-14 in the final eight minutes for a 60-57 Region 6-AAA win. Ringgold led 27-23 at halftime and held a 43-38 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Tay Jackson scored a game-high 20 points for Adairsville. Tre Winters followed with 13. Zac Postell finished with 10 points. Zach Weaver and Xavious Nalls chipped in six each. Ben Abernathy added five points. Luke Rominger led Ringgold (1-5, 1-1) with 16 points. Brevin Massengale scored 15 and Taylor Pierce added 10 points for the visitors. Adairsville (3-2, 2-0) plays at Ridgeland Friday night.

The Adairsville girls and boys basketball teams earned Region 6-AAA road wins Friday night at Ridgeland. The Lady Tigers won 55-46 and the Tigers cruised to a 74-35 victory. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 55, RIDGELAND 46 The Lady Tigers outscored host Ridgeland 20-10 in the fourth quarter Friday night to collect a 55-46, come-from-behind win over the Lady Panthers. Ridgeland led 16-15 after one period. Adairsville carried a 30-27 lead to the intermission and the Lady Panthers led 36-35 at the end of the third quarter. Jamiah Lewis scored 30 points for Ridgeland (1-6, 0-3) in their loss. Analee Morris led the Adairsville girls with 26 points. Naxyria Roberts scored 11. Alissa Winters followed with 10 points. Alyssa Jarrett finished with three points. Aliya McBryde and Darby Adams had two points each and Megan Gregory added one point. The Lady Tigers (6-1, 3-0) host Coahulla Creek Tuesday in a 6 p.m. start. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 74, RIDGELAND 35 The Tigers raced to an early lead and ran past Ridgeland Friday night, 74-35. Adairsville led 19-0 after the first eight minutes and carried a 40-11 lead to the halftime break. A dozen different Tigers made the scoring column in the win led by Ben Abernathy with 11. Xavious Nalls and Tre Winters contributed nine points each. Tay Jackson and Zach Weaver added eight points for Adairsville. The Tigers (4-2, 3-0) host Coahulla Creek Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Excel Christian Academy boys took on the challenge Saturday of playing at GHSA Class 6A Etowah and came up on the short end of the scoreboard, 80-53. Etowah led 28-14 at the end of the first quarter and built a 57-30 lead by halftime. The hosts led 70-40 at the end of the third period. “It was a tough afternoon for our guys,” said ECA head coach David Archer, Jr. “Etowah’s defensive aggression exposed our offensive weaknesses. Their offensive execution and superb perimeter shooting exposed us for our worst defensive weaknesses.” Thirteen Etowah players scored in the game. Aiden Weaver and Dimitri Angelavos paced Etowah with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Jakaden Barkley scored 20 for Excel. Kyron McClendon contributed 14 and Jacob Taylor added 11 for the Eagles. Etowah improved to 3-5 on the season. Excel Christian (5-4) travels to Rockmart Tuesday night.

The Cartersville High wrestling team finished 13th of 37 teams Saturday at the McCallie Invitational Wrestling Tournament in Chattanooga. Trion finished atop the team leaderboard with 227 points. The Bulldogs were followed by Brentwood (TN) (186), Columbus (173.5), McCallie (TN) (166), and Signal Mountain (TN) (166) in the top five. Cartersville finished with 105.5 points. Top placers for the Canes were Eaiden Neal (126-pounds) and Talan Nix (138) who both finished third in their weight classes. Neal was 5-1 for the tournament while Nix was 7-1 in the event. Grey Williams (132), Montgomery Tompkins (145), and Delroy Hurst (285) were each 3-2 in their tournament bouts for the Hurricanes. Grant Adams (120) and Jackson Latimer (152) both went 2-2 in the event. Cartersville will compete next weekend at the Keen Invitational at Jefferson.

The Woodland basketball teams dropped home, non-region games Friday night to Southeast Whitfield. The Lady Cats fell to the visiting Lady Raiders 36-29 and the Raiders topped the Wildcats, 52-45. SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 36, WOODLAND GIRLS 29 In a game that went back and forth for three and one-half quarters, Southeast Whitfield eased away in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Lady Cats 17-6 for a 36-29 win. Woodland led at each of the first three quarter stops. The Lady Cats were ahead 19-4 after one quarter, 18-15 at halftime, and 23-19 heading into the final period. Joanna Ortiz, who scored nine points in the fourth quarter, led the Lady Raiders (3-5) with 13 points. Megan Schultz paced Woodland with 13 points. Reagan Weightman followed with seven. Morgan Echols contributed six points and Libby Morgan added three for the Lady Cats. The loss drops the Woodland girls to 1-6 on the season. They host Coosa Saturday in a 4:30 p.m. tip. SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 52, WOODLAND BOYS 45 The visiting Southeast Whitfield Raiders pulled away in the third quarter Friday night on their way to a 52-45 non-region win at Woodland. Cal Rich scored a game-high 21 points and Aiden Patterson added nine for Southeast (3-4). The Raiders led 27-15 at halftime and outscored the Wildcats 19-9 in the third period to build a 46-24 lead. Brelace Williams led the Wildcats with 16 points. Amir Heath and Zyon Heath followed with eight points each. Isaiah Livsey scored six. David Byars had five points and Jay Walker added two for Woodland. The Wildcats (1-6) host Coosa Saturday at 6 p.m.