Bartow County’s high school wrestlers continued to shine in Thursday’s traditional state tournament action at the Macon Centreplex. A total of 14 local athletes have reached the finals of their respective weight division brackets and will compete in state championship bouts Friday night. In fact in Class AAAAA, a local wrestler from Cass, Woodland, or Cartersville will be in 12 of the 14 finals bouts. Cass advanced six individuals to Friday’s championship bouts and three more will try to secure third place finishes. Lee Camp (106), AJ Piatt (113), Cole Hunt (120), Jake Crapps (126), Tyler McKnight (145), and Zach McKnight (170) all will wrestle for Class AAAAA state titles. Colonels’ Bryce Kresho (138), Kriecg Roe (160), and Parker Dunn (182) have advanced to third place bouts. Woodland will have five in state title bouts and two wrestling for third place. Colton Bishop (132), Randy Buchanan (138), Caleb Henson (152), Cole Cochran (160), and Kwadrus Wilson (220) are all finalist for the Wildcats. Woodland’s Champ Higdon (195) and Carson Bailey (126) will be in third place bouts while Jeremiah Rhodes (182) and Beau Jernigan (285) placed sixth. Adairsville’s Isaac Linley (132) and Howard Bailey (138) reach the finals in Class AAA as the Tigers rolled up 67.5 points as a team. Jaxson Owens (120) will wrestle for third place Friday while Jaimon Long (182) placed sixth after losing in the consolation semifinals. Cartersville’s Shadre Hurst (285) is a finalist in Class AAAAA. The Canes’ Giles Turner (138) will wrestle for third place Friday and teammate Eaiden Neal (113) placed sixth. Heading into Friday’s consolation and championship finals, Gilmer leads Class AAA with 168 points. Rockmart (154) is next followed by Sonoraville (146.5), Oconee County (86.5), North Hall (78), and Adairsville (67.5) to round out the top six team scores. In Class AAAAA, Cass leads the team race heading into Friday’s third place and championship bouts with 157.5 points. Woodland (141.5) is currently second followed by Ola (140), Woodward Academy (124), Veterans (69), and Walnut Grove (68) round out the top six teams. Wrestlers in the third place bouts and state championship bouts in both AAA and AAAAA will be on the mats starting at 6 p.m. Friday. The girls early round bouts begin Friday at 1 p.m. with their weight division third place and championship bouts scheduled for Saturday morning.

The Cartersville High School rifle team scored a 1076-1067 win at Dalton High School Thursday. A trio of freshmen shooters were key to the Canes shooting their all time team high score, out scoring their own team average by nearly 50 points. Caleb Adams shot his personal record and had the match high school of 273. Luis Rangel and Katerina Conley — also freshmen — fired personal bests of 270 and 266. Angelina Christ finished third for the Hurricanes with a 267 and Noah Goodwin contributed with a score of 249. The 1076 points marks a school-record score for the Cartersville team and it was a first-ever win over Dalton. Cartersville (4-4 in Area 10) return to competition next Thursday against Ridgeland at American Legion Post 42 in Cartersville.

The Woodland girls tennis team swept all five points in action Wednesday at Gordon Central while the host Warriors took all five boys wins. Kathryn Kovacic (6-3, 6-0) and Abby Cates (6-2, 6-1) posted wins on the first two singles lines, while Jalyn Womack won by forfeit on Line 3. Jaylee Kilgo and Jolie Fannin won at Line 1 doubles, 6-3, 6-2. Klaudya Hernandez and Ally Schmanski won 6-4, 6-4 at Line 2 doubles.

All nine local high school basketball teams were in action Tuesday night with only one local winner. The Excel Christian Academy boys collected their second region win of the season at Mount Paran Christian to lock up the No. 5-seed in Region 7-A-Private. The Eagles will begin post-season play next Tuesday. In other action the Adairsville, Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland boys and girls teams all dropped region games. EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY BOYS 69, MOUNT PARAN CHRISTIAN 61 The Excel Christian Academy boys wrapped up their regular season Tuesday night with a 69-61 road win at Mount Paran Christian. The Eagles started the game on a 10-0 run and led 17-9 at the end of the opening period. They held a 36-28 advantage at halftime. Excel then held on in the second half to win by eight. Jacob Taylor and Comari Nettles scored 22 each for the Eagles. Jakaden Barkley and Elijah Payne contributed 13 and 11, respectively. The loss drops Mount Paran to 4-18 for the season and 0-9 in Region 7-A-Private. MPC has one more region game Friday at home against North Cobb Christian. Excel (11-13, 2-8) will open play in the region tournament next Tuesday as the No. 5-seed against No. 4-seed Walker. The site will either be Darlington or North Cobb Christian. Individual stats were not available at publishing time. BLESSED TRINITY 55, CASS GIRLS 50 Maura Ryan scored a game-high 25 points to lead the host Lady Titans to a 55-50 win over the Cass girls. Cass led 25-19 at halftime and clung to a 38-33 at the end of the third period. Blessed Trinity outscored the Lady Colonels 22-12 in the final eight minutes to put themselves in position to secure the top seed in Region 7-5A with a win Friday at Calhoun. Claire Davis scored 15 points for Cass. Justice Bennett added eight in the loss. Miya Winston posted seven points and Kiana McDaniel finished with six. Blessed Trinity improved to 13-11 overall and 7-2 in region action. Cass (20-4, 6-3) hosts Woodland Friday night at 6 p.m. CALHOUN 63, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 35 The Calhoun girls improved to 16-8 on the season and 6-3 in Region 7-5A with a 63-35 win Tuesday night at Cartersville. The Lady Canes (4-12, 2-7) host Hiram Friday night. No individual stats were made available at the time of publishing. LAKEVIEW-FT. OGLETHORPE 54, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 47 The Adairsville girls challenged 4th-ranked Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Tuesday night, led at halftime, and were tied at the end of three quarters but the host Lady Warriors escaped with a 54-47 win to remain unbeaten in Region 6-AAA play. The Lady Tigers led 31-20 at halftime and were tied 39-all heading into the final eight minutes before LFO outscored Adairsville 15-8 in the final quarter. Angel Simmons led Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (23-1, 15-0) with 17 points. Autumn Henderson scored 16 for Adairsville. Haley Stiles followed with 14 points. Adairsville (10-13, 3-12) closes out the regular season Friday night at home against North Murray. HIRAM 60, WOODLAND GIRLS 16 Hiram led 21-3 after one quarter and 38-8 at halftime Tuesday night on the Lady Hornets’ way to a 60-16 victory at Woodland. Taylor Crawford led Hiram (12-9, 6-3) with 21 points. Abigail Taylor scored eight points for Woodland. Woodland (2-21, 0-9) plays at Cass Friday night. CALHOUN 87, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 49 Calhoun started fast Tuesday night and was never really threatened in an 87-49 home win over Cartersville. The Yellow Jackets led 45-17 by halftime and cruised to a 38-point Region 7-5A decision. Dylan Faulkner scored 18 and Peyton Law had 14 points for Calhoun. Luke Gambill led Cartersville with 13 points. Kam Callahan followed with 12 for the Hurricanes. Calhoun improved to 17-5 overall and 8-1 in region play. The Yellow Jackets remained tied with Hiram at the top of the region standings and will host Blessed Trinity Friday night. Cartersville (10-11, 3-6) hosts region co-leader Hiram Friday night in the final regular season game for both teams. The Region 7-5A Tournament begins next Monday night at Calhoun. LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 75, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 49 Jamichael Davis scored 23 points and Amari Burnett added 17 as 9th-ranked Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe won at Adairsville Tuesday night 75-49. The Warriors led 49-19 at halftime and were up 61-37 by the end of the third quarter. Tre Winters led Adairsville with 17 points. Chris Roper added 10 for the Tigers. LFO improved to 21-1 overall and 14-1 in Region 6-AAA. Adairsville (13-10, 9-6) completes regular season play Friday at home against North Murray. BLESSED TRINITY 61, CASS BOYS 56 Blessed Trinity (13-11, 6-3) locked up the No. 3-seed in next week’s Region 7-5A tournament with a five-point home win Tuesday night over Cass, 61-56. The Titans will play No. 6-seed Woodland in Monday’s first round. Cass will also open the tournament Monday in a first round game against Cartersville. Those two teams will be the No. 4 and No. 5-seeds. The Colonels (8-15, 2-7) wrap up regular season play Friday night at home against Woodland. An individual game report was not available at the time of publishing. HIRAM 99, WOODLAND BOYS 57 Five Hornets scored in double figures Tuesday night as Hiram beat visiting Woodland 99-57. Jayden Clark (17), Chase Tyler (14), Jordan Wilson (12), Isaiah Murray (12), and Elijah Redmond (10) led the Hiram offense. Hiram improved to 14-9 overall and 8-1 in Region 7-5A. The Hornets, tied with Calhoun for first place in the region, complete the regular season Friday night at Cartersville. K.J. Rogers led the Wildcats with 16 points. Zyon Heath scored 12. Brelace Williams and Harlin Morris both chipped in with 10 points each for Woodland. Woodland (5-17, 0-9) plays Friday night at Cass.

The Cartersville High riflery team completed a regular season sweep of Sonoraville last Thursday 1028-881 at the American Legion Post 42 in Cartersville. Caleb Adams led the Canes with a personal best 271. Angelina Crist shot a 270 — her second highest score of the season. Katerina Conley (253), Taylor Buchanan (234), Maria Valesquez (233), and Sheyenne Nelson (225) followed for Cartersville. The Canes Rifles (3-4) travel to Dalton Thursday.

The Adairsville girls soccer team blanked visiting Haralson County Tuesday night, 7-0. The Lady Tigers took a 5-0 lead in the first half paced by three goals from Megan Hardin. She also added a pair of assists on the night. Elle Causby also scored three goals for Adairsville and had one assist. Kaylee Jordan added a goal and an assist and Gabi Bacerra contributed a pair of assists. Adairsville (3-0-1) hosts Armuchee in another non-region match Thursday.

The four local high school wrestling programs advanced 37 competitors to the GHSA Traditional State Championships with successful qualifying completed this past Saturday. The boy's teams from Adairsville, Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland have 34 wrestlers moving forward to the finals brackets while three local girls competitors, two from Cartersville and one from Cass have also advanced. A dozen of the local boy's qualifiers won their respective weight class brackets at GHSA State Sectionals Saturday held at LakePoint in Emerson and Dahlonega's Lumpkin County High School. Cass led the way with eleven wrestlers advancing to the Class 5A state finals 12-man brackets. Seven of the eleven won their weight classes at LakePoint and two were runners-up. Winning their weight class brackets Saturday were Colonels Lee Camp (106), A.J. Piatt (113), Cole Hunt (120), Jake Crapps (126), Bryce Kresho (138), Tyler McKnight (145), and Zach McKnight (170). Kriecg Roe (160) and Parker Dunn (182) both finished second. Eli Doolittle (152) and Tripp Adams (195) placed sixth for the Colonels. Woodland had nine competitors to advance with three weight class winners and three runners-up. Caleb Henson (152), Cole Cochran (160), and Charles Higdon (195) were weight division winners for the Wildcats. Carson Bailey (126), William Bishop (132), and Beau Jernigan (285) finished second. Randy Buchanan (138) placed fourth to advance. Kwadrus Wilson (220) finished fifth and Jeremiah Rhodes (182) took sixth for the Wildcats. Also at LakePoint, Cartersville grabbed six spots in the Class 5A finals bracket with heavyweight Shadre Hurst winning the 285-pound bracket. Grant Adams (4th, 106), Eaiden Neal (3rd, 113), Giles Turner (3rd, 138), Camden Geer (6th, 126), and Talan Nix (6th, 132) were the other wrestlers advancing for the Canes. At the Class AAA State Sectional B in Dahlonega, Adairsville’s Isaac Linley won the 132-pound division to pace eight Tigers’ qualifiers in the top six. Jaxson Owens (120) placed second while Jamori Speights (145), Jaimon Long (182), and James Lynch (195) nailed down finals’ bracket spots with third place finishes. Howard Bailey (138) and Luke Story (285) advanced with fifth place finishes. Ethan Blome (160) was sixth. The GHSA Traditional Wrestling State Championships take place Thursday through Saturday at the Macon Centreplex but all the local competitors will complete their tournaments Friday night. Cass won the GHSA Team Duals state title last month while Woodland finished fourth. Both teams will be top contenders again for team titles at the Traditional Championship along with Ola and Woodward Academy. “Woodland, Woodward, and Ola — they’re all very good,” responded Cass head coach D.L. Koontz when asked about the top Class 5A contenders. “Woodward Academy has four studs that I would expect to see reach the finals; Ola is simply solid all the way through their lineup; and we all know how good Woodland is and has been. Again, all those teams are good. No one can afford to slip up.” Adairsville earned a fourth place finish at the Class AAA Team Duals. The Tigers will seek to make up ground on favorites Gilmer, Rockmart, and Sonoraville at the Traditional Championships. Gilmer, who won the State Duals, qualified a dozen individuals for Macon while Rockmart qualified eleven. Sonoraville, third at Duals, earned ten spots in the finals’ brackets. Adairsville wrestlers in Class AAA will hit the mats Thursday morning with all bouts through the championship semifinals and consolation semifinals completed by noon. The consolation finals and state championship bouts will be Friday night. In Class 5A, Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland wrestlers will begin competition Thursday afternoon for bouts through the consolation and championship semifinals. The finals will be Friday evening beginning at 4 p.m. In addition to the boys state tournament, three local girls will compete for state titles this weekend. Cartersville’s Elora Waterman (102) and Anetra Witherspoon (197) have earned spots in the Girls State Tournament. Abigail Gentry (122) of Cass will also be in competition. The girls 16-wrestler championship brackets begin Friday afternoon with the consolation finals and championship bouts scheduled for Saturday morning.

It is another sports cross-over time of year when the winter sports of wrestling, swimming, and basketball begin approaching their post-season playoffs while indoor track and field, baseball, and softball are launching new campaigns. As a result, we have updates on six different collegiate and pro sports this week with Athletes Beyond Bartow. T.J. Horton and the Georgia Highlands College Chargers continue to hold down the top spot in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association mens basketball standings while Ashton Hagans and Toronto Raptors’ affiliate Raptors 905 is just one-half game out of the NBA G-League’s Eastern Conference lead. WRESTLING ANGEL BANDA — Reinhardt University (So., Adairsville HS) … finished second at the Cumberland University (Tenn.) Open. He finished the day 3-1 with his only loss coming in the 125-pound finals against Dennis McNeal of Brewton Parker College. RU wrestles at Truett McConnell University Saturday against the host Bears and Bluefield State (West Virginia). PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Raptors 905 - NBA G-League (Cartersville native, University of Kentucky; Newton HS) … during a 2-1 week, Hagans totaled 24 points, 22 assists, eight steals, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots as Raptors 905 swept the Windy City Bulls Tuesday and Thursday 100-93 and 104-89 but lost to the visiting Delaware Blue Coats, 126-121. The Raptors (11-4) are in second place in the NBA G-League’s Eastern Conference trailing the Motor City Cruise by one-half game. The Ontario-based, Toronto Raptors affiliate plays at the Cleveland Charge Tuesday night and at the Delaware Blue Coats Saturday night. COLLEGE BASKETBALL JUSTICE HAYES — South Georgia Tech (So., Cass HS) … a starter for the Jets at guard, Hayes scored three points with two assists and two rebounds last Wednesday in a 73-71 loss at South Georgia CC. He then found foul trouble Saturday and played only 14 minutes with no points, two assists and one steal during an 86-65 blowout win over visiting Southern Crescent Tech. South Georgia Tech (14-10, 6-4 GCAA) is in third place in the conference with six regular season games to play. The Jets host Gordon College Wednesday night and travel to Albany Tech Saturday. DiANTHONY HEATHCOCK — Columbia International University (So., Woodland HS) … totaled eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three blocked shots in a pair of road losses last week. The Rams lost 71-63 at Truett McConnell Thursday and 84-69 at Reinhardt Saturday. CIU (13-10, 9-9 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Johnson University Tuesday, Tennessee Wesleyan Thursday, and travels to Truett McConnell Saturday. T.J. HORTON — Georgia Highlands College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … a starting guard for the Chargers, Horton scored two points with three rebounds and three assists in the GHC's only game last week — a 74-65 win at Central Georgia Tech. Georgia Highlands (14-8, 7-1) is currently in first place in the GCAA and has conference games Monday at Gordon College, Wednesday at Southern Crescent Tech, and at home Saturday against Andrew College. JAYLON PUGH — Furman University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … scored two points with one blocked shot and one steal last Wednesday in the Paladins’ 102-83 home win over The Citadel. Furman (17-8, 9-3 Southern Conference) plays at East Tennessee State Monday night and hosts conference leading Chattanooga Saturday afternoon. JORDAN THOMPSON — Motlow State CC (Fr., Woodland HS) … scored nine points with three rebounds and one assist in a start Saturday at Southwest Tennessee CC. She also fouled out in the 74-53 loss. The Bucks (3-17, 2-9 TCCAA) host Cleveland State CC Wednesday and play at Jackson State CC Saturday. JOSIE SUMMERVILLE — North Park University (Sr., Adairsville HS) … came off the bench to score 10 points, grab five rebounds, and make one steal during a 74-59 win over North Central University (Illinois) last Thursday. In a starting role Saturday, she scored two points with six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one blocked shot but the Vikings lost at Augustana (Illinois) 55-46. NPU (14-6, 7-5 CCIW) plays at Illinois Wesleyan Wednesday and at Millikin University Saturday. NAKIYAH WASHINGTON — Piedmont College (Jr., Adairsville HS) … scored 10 points and added one rebound, one assist, and one steal in the Lions’ 70-57 win last Tuesday at Brevard College. She also scored six points with four rebounds and one blocked shot in limited time during a 91-39 home win Saturday over Agnes Scott College. Piedmont also routed visiting Wesleyan College Sunday, 82-36, and Washington did not play. The Lions (19-3, 12-1 USA South Athletic Conference) have won 13 straight games heading into games this week at LaGrange College Wednesday and at Berea College (Kentucky) on Saturday. TENNIS ASHLEY POPHAM — Mercer University (So., Cartersville HS) … won her Line 6 singles match 6-1, 6-0 Sunday, January 30 as the Bears blanked Emmanuel College 7-0. Mercer (4-2) hosts Georgia State Friday afternoon. CHRISTY TURNER — Coppin State University (Sr., Woodland HS) … last Thursday she teamed with Iva Jankovic at a Line 2 doubles loss and also dropped her Line 4 singles match in three sets to her Mount St. Mary’s (Maryland) opponent. The Eagles lost the match 6-1. Coppin State (0-2) returns to action Saturday, February 19 at Lafayette University. TRACK AND FIELD BILL ARCHER — University of Montevallo (Fr., Cartersville HS) … ran a leg for the fifth place 4000 meter men’s distance medley relay team and placed 19th (9:15.19) in the 3000 meter run at this past weekend’s East Tennessee State Buccaneer Indoor Invitational in Johnson City, Tennessee. Next up for the Falcons is the Gulf South Conference Indoor Championship February 15-16 in Birmingham. TERRY BERDIN — Reinhardt University (So., Cartersville HS) … placed 19th (7.40) in the 60 meter dash as the Eagles finished fourth at the Life University Indoor/Outdoor Invitational Sunday. Reinhardt is back in action Saturday at the Sewanee Indoor Invitational. TREVOR KNOWLES — Albion University (Sr., Woodland HS) … placed third in the high jump and ran 20th in the 60 meter dash last Friday at the Concordia Red, White, and Blue Classic in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The Britons compete again Friday in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the WHAC vs. MIAA Challenge. STEPHEN SMITH — Kennesaw State University (So, Cass HS) … placed 12th in pole vault at the 25-team USA Invitational inside the Birmingham CrossPlex Sunday. He and teammate AJ Johnson both cleared 4.62 meters (15’1.75”). The Owls have are in action Friday and Saturday at the Music City Challenge in Nashville at Vanderbilt University. BASEBALL BRYCEN JONES — University of West Georgia (Jr., Cartersville HS) … faced four batters Sunday in a sixth inning appearance against visiting Kentucky State. He allowed one earned run on two walks and a hit during a 20-2 Wolves win. GARRETT MISHOE — University of West Georgia (So., Adairsville HS) … closed out the final inning of Sunday’s 20-2 win over Kentucky State. He allowed one hit and hit one batter but struck out a pair in a scoreless frame. West Georgia (3-0) plays at Emmanuel College Tuesday then makes a Florida swing Friday through Sunday to play Lynn University, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Nova Southeastern in the West Palm Beach area. JORDAN WILKIE — Augusta University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … entered as a pinch hitter, went 0-for-2 with a walk, and played defensively at second base in the Jaguars’ two losses Saturday at Newberry College. Augusta (1-3) hosts Anderson University Tuesday and University of Virginia-Wise for a three-game series Saturday and Sunday. SOFTBALL BELLA CARNES — Georgia College (So., Woodland HS) … saw action Saturday against Carson-Newman as a pinch runner and had one pinch hit appearance Saturday against Florida Tech. She was also utilized as a pinch runner in Sunday’s loss to Emmanuel College. Georgia College (0-4) hosts North Greenville Saturday in a doubleheader. ANSLEY EVANS — Reinhardt University (Fr., Woodland HS) … started at third base, walked, and scored a run in the Eagles 5-4 win Friday over Middle Georgia State. Reinhardt (1-1) lost the second game of that doubleheader, 16-8. The Eagles are scheduled to play six games Friday through Sunday at the Georgia Gwinnett College Tournament in Lawrenceville. LAUREN McELHANEY — University of West Georgia (So., Cartersville HS) … was the starting catcher and finished 0-for-2 at the plate in the Wolves’ 12-2 loss Sunday afternoon to Lubbock Christian in a game played in the Gulf Shores Invitational. UWG (1-2) travels to Greenwood, South Carolina Saturday and Sunday for the Brianna Surrento Kickoff Classic.

The Adairsville boys swim team picked up three top-10 finishes en route to placing 12th overall in the Class 1A-3A state meet at Georgia Tech. All three Tigers relay teams qualified for state. While the 400-yard freestyle team didn't reach the finals, Adairsville's 200 free and 200 medley squads both finished inside the top 10. The former came in ninth, and the latter wound up 10th. Most impressively, the members of the 200 medley team were all underclassmen — juniors Cooper Brown and Andy Barnett, along with freshmen Gabriel Greenway and Brayden Rizer. The 200 free team was fairly young, as well, with Brown, Barnett and Rizer joining senior Landon Smrcina. Individually, Brown registered an 11th-place showing in the 100 breaststroke. Brown and Barnett placed 10th and 12th, respectively, in the 200 individual medley. Barnett also qualified in the 100 butterfly, although he didn't make it past the preliminaries.

The Cass High School soccer teams swept visiting Cedartown Friday night at Cochran Stadium in non-region games. The Lady Colonels (1-1) defeated the Lady Bulldogs 1-0 on a first half goal scored by Sheridan Johnson. The Cass boys won 5-3 with Camden Hillhouse scoring four goals for the Colonels. Alex Hernandez found the net for the other Cass goal. Christian Villela contributed a pair of assists and Juan Pajarito also had one assist. The Colonels improved to 2-1 with their win. The Cass teams play at Villa Rica next Friday.

The Cartersville girls and boys basketball teams both won Friday night at Woodland while the Cass girls won an overtime thriller at Calhoun and the Adairsville boys picked up an important region win at Murray County. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 41, WOODLAND 29 The Lady Canes got 16 points from Layne Callan, 10 from Ansley Griffin, and eight from Zoe Casey to win at Woodland Friday night, 41-29. Following a 7-7 first period, Cartersville led 18-13 at halftime and 27-23 through three quarters before easing away with a 12-point win. Abigail Taylor scored 16 points to lead Woodland. Dylynn Motes added seven for the Lady Cats. Cartersville (4-11, 2-6) hosts region foes Calhoun Tuesday and Hiram Friday next week to close out the regular season. Woodland (2-20, 0-8) plays at Hiram Tuesday night and at Cass next Friday. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 71, WOODLAND 53 The Cartersville boys outscored host Woodland 21-10 in the second quarter Friday night to build a 36-21 lead at the intermission and maintained their advantage in the second half for a 71-53 Region 7-5A win. Kam Callahan poured in 28 points to lead the Hurricanes. Romo Pace followed with 12 and Luke Gambill added seven points for Cartersville. K.J. Rogers scored 19 points to lead the Wildcats. Brelace Williams finished with 11 and Harlin Morris added nine for Woodland. Cartersville (10-10, 3-5) has home games next week against Calhoun Tuesday and Hiram Friday. Woodland (5-16, 0-8) travels to Hiram Tuesday night at Cass on Friday. CASS GIRLS 55, CALHOUN 54 (OT) Claire Davis and Miya Winston both scored 19 points Friday night and combined for 10 of the Lady Colonels’ 12 points in overtime as Cass won at Calhoun, 55-54, in Region 7-5A action. Haley Johnson, who added five rebounds and five assists, scored six points. Amaya Ford contributed five. Justice Bennett and Mikaela Jackson added four and two points, respectively. Calhoun led 26-21 at halftime and 33-31 at the end of the third quarter, but Cass knotted the score in the final eight minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime tied at 43. Britiya Curtis scored 16 points for Calhoun. Lauren Watson and Kat Atha added 14 each for the Lady Jackets. The loss dropped Calhoun to 15-8 on the season and 5-3 in region play. Cass (20-3, 6-2) plays at Blessed Trinity Tuesday night and ends the regular season next Friday at home against Woodland. CALHOUN 75, CASS BOYS 41 7th-ranked Calhoun started quickly at home Friday night and cruised to a 75-41 win over visiting Cass. The Yellow Jackets led 17-7 after one quarter and 42-21 by halftime to take control of the game. Peyton Law scored a game-high 21 points to pace Calhoun. Dylan Faulkner contributed 16 and Emaree Winston added 10 points in the win. Jelani Hames led Cass with 14 points. Jakai Baldwin finished with six. Jackson Hale, Jayden Foster, and Ethan McEntyre added five points each for the Colonels. “We ran into a buzzsaw against a very solid and well coached Calhoun team,” said Colonels head coach Byron Taylor. “We expect Law and Faulkner to make plays and be tough to defend, but their role players added to their scoring and made plays. It makes them hard to defend.” Calhoun improved to 16-5 overall and 7-1 in Region 7-5A. Cass (8-14, 2-6) travels to Blessed Trinity Tuesday and closes out the regular season next Friday at home against Woodland. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 72, MURRAY COUNTY 61 The Tigers used a balanced scoring attack and built a 20-point lead in the first half Friday night to win at Murray County, 72-61. Adairsville had five players reach double-figure scoring led by Hayden Poarch with 17. Tre Winters followed with 14 points. Kavi Harris finished with 13, T.J. Printup contributed 12, and Tre Mitchell scored 10 for the Tigers. Adairsville led 28-13 after one quarter; 41-21 at halftime; and 53-39 at the end of the third quarter. Tad Stone and Carson Weaver led the host Indians (11-11, 5-9) with 21 and 17 points, respectively. Adairsville (13-9, 9-5) plays both Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (Tuesday) and North Murray (Friday) at home next week to wrap up the regular season. MURRAY COUNTY 62, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 38 Ella Dotson scored 28 points to lead the host Lady Indians to a 24-point win Friday night over the visiting Adairsville girls. Alissa Winters led Adairsville with 10 points. Lexie Childers and Autumn Henderson scored seven points each for the Lady Tigers. Murray County improved to 18-4 on the season and 12-2 in Region 6-AAA. Adairsville (10-12, 3-11) hosts 4th-ranked Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Tuesday night at 6 p.m. and North Murray next Friday night at 7 p.m. to finish up the regular season. DARLINGTON 69, EXCEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY BOYS 60 Darlington, ranked No. 8 in Class A-Private, outscored Excel 19-4 in the second quarter Friday night to build a 17-point halftime lead and held off the Eagles in the second half for a 69-60 region win at The Church at Liberty Square. Patrick Shelley led the visiting Tigers with 23 points. D.J. Johnson added 13 for Darlington (17-6, 6-3). Comari Nettles led four Excel players in double figures with 18 points. Jakaden Barkley scored 16. Jacob Taylor followed with 13 points and Elijah Payne added 11 for the Eagles. “We ran into second quarter foul troubles,” said ECA head coach David Archer, Jr. “We almost climbed out of it, cutting the lead to six at one point in the fourth quarter, but Darlington and Shelley came up with some big buckets.” Excel Christian (10-13, 1-8) completes the regular season Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Mt. Paran Christian.

The Cartersville riflery team fell to Etowah Thursday night 1075-1029 in an Area 10 match in Woodstock. The Canes split season matches with the Eagles withe Cartersville winning at home last month in a close match. Etowah’s junior standout, Zachary Mauriello, scored 281 and missed a perfect prone score by only one point. Kayla Thacker was second highest for the Eagles with a 278. Cartersville freshman Caleb Adams led the Canes with a score of 259. Sophomore Noah Goodwin fired a personal best 256. Freshman Katerina Conley also had a personal best 254 while sophomore Kaleb Wolfe (253) and freshman Luis Rangel (229) rounded out the Cartersville scoring. The Canes’ Rifles are now 2-4 in Area 10 competition and in fifth place. Cartersville will host Sonoraville next Tuesday before traveling to Dalton High School on Thursday.