It was brief but no doubt special. Cartersville native Ashton Hagans only saw 2 minutes of action for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a loss to Golden State on Jan. 25. However, that cameo served as Hagans' NBA debut, making it a moment to savor for the rookie point guard. Hagans played 2 more minutes off the bench in another meeting between Minnesota and Golden State two days later. He hasn't seen time in the T-Wolves' past three games, but Hagans could carve out some playing time in the coming weeks and months with Minnesota currently last in the Western Conference. Elsewhere, former Cass standout Jana Morning played the first two home games of her senior season, leading Berry College to a pair of conference wins. In the victories, Morning scored 36 total points to go with 12 rebounds, seven steals and five assists. PRO BASKETBALL Ashton Hagans (Minnesota Timberwolves; Cartersville native) — Hagans saw his first NBA action last week, playing 2 minutes apiece in a pair of road losses at Golden State. He turned the ball over once in his debut last Monday and didn’t record any statistics in Wednesday’s defeat. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Justice Hayes (South Georgia Tech Fr., Cass) — Hayes featured in two of the Jets’ three games over the past week. He recorded an assist in an 8-minute appearance in an 81-56 loss to Chipola last Tuesday. Hayes didn’t feature in a win Wednesday at Northwest Florida State, but he did sink a 3-pointer on his only shot attempt and pull down an offensive rebound in an 83-62 defeat Saturday at USC Salkehatchie. T.J. Horton (Georgia Highlands Fr., Cartersville) — In his debut for the Chargers, Horton put together a well-rounded showing off the bench in a 78-62 win over Middle Georgia Prep. The former University of Chattanooga wide receiver went 4-for-7 from the floor, including 1-for-1 from deep, en route to nine points. Horton chipped in with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. DiAnthony Heathcock (Columbia International Fr., Woodland) — Heathcock managed two points and two rebounds in 17 minutes of action during a 73-69 loss Thursday at Tennessee Wesleyan. Jana Morning (Berry Sr., Cass) — Morning helped lead Berry to a sweep of Hendrix College over the weekend at home. In a 62-52 victory Saturday, she scored 14 points (4-7 FG, 2-3 3PT, 4-4 FT). Morning added five rebounds, three steals and two assists. The following day, Morning totaled 22 points in a 77-65 overtime win. She went just 3-for-14 from the floor but sank 14 of 21 free throw-attempts. The senior chipped in seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. Josie Summerville (North Park Jr., Adairsville) — For the second time in three games this season, Summerville didn’t miss a shot attempt in a 47-40 victory Saturday at Carthage. However, it was also the second time in those three games that Summerville got in foul trouble. As such, she finished with four points (1-1 FG, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and a block. Alexis Ware (Piedmont So., Cass) — Ware recorded one rebound in three minutes of action during a 73-62 win over Huntingdon Saturday at home. Nakiyah Washington (Piedmont So., Adairsville) — Washington managed eight points on 3-of-7 shooting to go with a pair of steals in Saturday’s victory over Huntingdon. It came a day after she flirted with a triple-double in an 83-65 win over the same team. In Friday’s triumph, Washington racked up 25 points (11-19 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-4 FT), eight rebounds, seven steals, two assists and two blocks. TRACK AND FIELD Parker Breedlove (Reinhardt So., Cartersville) — Competing in the 5000-meter race, Breedlove crossed the finish line in 19th, with a time of 16 minutes, 24.24 seconds, at the KMS Open Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama. Stephen Smith (Kennesaw State So., Cass) — Smith placed ninth in the men's pole vault, topping out at 4.6 meters, last week at the Bob Pollock Invitational at Clemson. McKenna Trapheagen (Georgia Tech Fr., Woodland) — With a time of 5 minutes, 16.18 seconds, Trapheagen finished 22nd last week at the Bob Pollock Invitational at Clemson. WRESTLING Kyle Gollhofer (Northern Iowa R-Fr., Woodland) — In an extra match at 125 pounds, Gollhofer dropped a narrow 5-3 decision to an Oklahoma State wrestler Saturday at home. -- contributed by Nicholas Sullivan, The Daily Tribune News

Georgia Highlands College baseball opened the 2021 campaign Tuesday afternoon at LakePoint with a pair of five-inning wins over Bryan College. The Chargers pounded out 18 hits in the opener and added 11 more hits in Game 2 for a sweep of the Lions from Dayton, Tennessee. Conner Perry (4 IP, 0R, 2H, 2BB, 10K) picked up the Game 1 win on the mound. Steven Thompson struck out the side to wrap up the final inning. Ryan Getz (5 IP, 0R, 2H, 0BB, 5K) then went the distance in the second game for his first win of the year. Connor Torado had four hits and two RBIs in the opening win. David Smith (HR, 5 RBIs), Trace Twardoski (2 doubles, 3 RBIs), Palmer Sapp (triple, 2 RBIs), and Mickey Maguire (2 RBIs) each had two hits for the Chargers. In Game 2, Ben Olson led the GHC offense with two doubles, a triple, and two RBIs. Twardoski (double) and Sapp (triple) had two hits and three RBIs each. Georgia Highlands (2-0) plays a doubleheader with Snead State Thursday at 1 p.m. and again Saturday at 1 p.m. All four games are slated for LakePoint in Emerson.

The Cartersville girls and boys soccer teams won season opening games at Cedartown Tuesday. The Lady Canes rolled to a 7-3 victory and the Hurricanes won 3-1. Senior Kendyl Anderson had a goal and three assists for the Cartersville girls. Freshman Maci Nicklas scored two goals. The Cartersville boys trailed early on a penalty kick in the first five minutes, but the Canes responded with three, unanswered goals. Giovanni Jacobo scored in the game’s seventh minute off an assist from Joel Zazueta. One minute later, Alex Rios scored on a fast break feed from John Robinson. Cartersville’s third goal came in the third minute of the second half. Kaden Anderson found the back of the net from the top of the 18-yard box with an assist going to Jacobo. Lady Canes (1-0) play at Dalton next Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Cartersville boys (1-0) host Chestatee Friday at 8 p.m.

The Adairsville girls captured a Region 6-AAA road win Tuesday night, defeating Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 46-37. Meanwhile, the Woodland teams were swept at Calhoun and the Excel Christian boys team dropped a region game at home. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 46, LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 37 The Lady Tigers earned a Region 6-AAA road win Tuesday night at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, 46-37. Adairsville held leads of 16-12 after one quarter; 23-22 at the intermission; and 34-26 at the end of the third period. Autumn Henderson led the Lady Tigers with 11 points. Lexie Childers followed with 10. Haley Stiles added nine points. LFO (0-15, 0-12) was led by Madison Stookey with 12 points. Ziara Thompson scored 10 for the Lady Warriors. Adairsville (6-16, 3-10) travels to North Murray for a 7 p.m. start Friday. NOTE: The Adairsville/LFO boys game has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. CALHOUN 49, WOODLAND GIRLS 13 Calhoun outscored Woodland 33-4 in the second half Tuesday night to pull away in an eventual 49-13 Region 7-AAAAA victory. The Lady Jackets led 16-9 at halftime. Britiya Curtis led Calhoun (12-9, 4-3) with 10 points. Ashlyn Brzozoski followed with eight. Jordan Thompson scored four points for Woodland. The Lady Cats (2-13, 1-4) play at Blessed Trinity Wednesday at 6 p.m. in a makeup game and travel to Cartersville Friday for a 7 p.m. start. CALHOUN BOYS 67, WOODLAND 38 The Calhoun boys outscored the Wildcats 39-19 in the second and third quarters Tuesday night on their way to a 29-point, Region 7-AAAAA win. The Yellow Jackets led 16-10 after one quarter; 37-17 at halftime; and 55-29 heading into the final period. Calhoun improved to 10-9 overall and 4-3 in region action. Woodland (3-17, 0-6) plays at Cartersville Friday night. WALKER 65, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 43 One night after outlasting Walker 68-64 on the road for their first region win, the Excel Christian Academy boys fell at home to the Wolverines, 65-43. “We had a difficult time duplicating the same variables tonight,” said ECA head coach David Archer, Jr. “Walker made great adjustments and we displayed less patience offensively.” The Wolverines led 18-11 after one quarter and never looked back on Tuesday. Walker led 44-22 at the intermission and held on to a 48-31 advantage heading into the final eight minutes. Walker’s Ricky McKenzie led all scorers with 19 points. Matt Brown followed with 15 for the visitors. Blake Bailey led Excel with 12 points. Jakaden Barkley was next with nine. Trippe Anderson scored seven points. Kalil Holley chipped in six. Rashard Doyal posted five points and Elijah Payne added four for the Eagles. Walker improved to 11-5 overall and 2-2 in Region 7-A-Private. Excel (8-12, 1-6) travels to Darlington Friday night for a 7 p.m. start and plays at Johnson Ferry Christian Academy Saturday.

The Cass girls and boys teams picked up important Region 7-AAAAA road wins Tuesday night at Hiram. The Lady Colonels held off a late charge by the Lady Hornets to win 50-46 while the Colonels overcame a fourth quarter deficit to outlast the Hornets, 62-60. CASS GIRLS 50, HIRAM 46 The Class AAAAA 4th-ranked Cass Lady Colonels held off a second half surge by host Hiram Tuesday night for a 50-46 Region 7-AAAAA win. Cass raced to an 18-6 lead over the Lady Hornets after one period and never trailed. The Lady Colonels led 31-20 at halftime and 44-28 heading into the final quarter. Hiram, ranked No. 8 in AAAAA, outscored Cass 18-6 in the final period but the Lady Colonels withstood the charge to remain undefeated for the season. Londaisha Smith led Cass with a double-double. The senior scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Claire Davis contributed 13 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Ariana Hames totaled 10 points. Haley Johnson scored seven points and had seven steals. Keara McDaniel chipped in five points and Gracie Elkins added two. Imani Smith led Hiram with 10 points. Erial Owens followed with nine for the Lady Hornets. The loss drops Hiram to 11-4 overall and 4-2 in region play. Cass (20-0, 7-0) hosts Calhoun Friday at 6 p.m. and closes out the regular season the following week at Blessed Trinity and Woodland with 6 p.m. starts Monday and Friday. CASS BOYS 62, HIRAM 60 The Cass boys trailed at the end of the first three quarters Tuesday night at Hiram, but outscored the Hornets 15-11 down the stretch to earn an important region win, 62-60. The victory vaults the Colonels back into first place in the region standings with only two region games remaining. Hiram led 15-12 after one quarter; 35-28 at halftime; and 49-47 leading into the fourth quarter. Zaylan Chaney scored a game-high 24 points to lead Cass. C.J. Pipkin followed with 19 points and Braxton Benham finished with 10. Rounding out the scoring for the Colonels were Andrew Glaze with four, Jackson Hale with three, and Zay Jackson with two points. Jackson Price led Hiram with 19 points. Jayden Clark scored 18 for the Hornets. The loss drops Hiram to 10-8 overall and 5-2 in the region. Cass (15-6, 6-2) takes over the region lead by one-half game and holds the head-to-head advantage over the Hornets. Tuesday’s win completes a two-game region sweep for Cass and the Colonels even won a third, non-region game over Hiram in the Campbell Holiday Tournament.

The Adairsville and Cartersville competition cheer teams both won first place at their respective meets this past Saturday. Adairsville won the Class AAA competition at Woodland High School. Cartersville won the five-team, Class AAAAA BucBash competition held at Allatoona High School.

The Excel Christian Academy boys basketball team rallied in the fourth quarter Monday night for a come-from-behind Region 7-A win at Walker. The make-up game was rescheduled after being postponed Saturday. The host Wolverines led at each of the first three quarter breaks. Walker was ahead 17-13 after one quarter; 42-29 at halftime; and 51-49 through three quarters. Excel then outscored Walker 19-13 down the stretch to earn the Eagles’ first region win of the season. “We finally put a full game together tonight,” said Excel Christian Academy head coach David Archer, Jr. Excel had four players reach double figures led by Kalil Holley with 17 points. Jakaden Barkley and Blake Bailey followed with 15 points each and Elijah Payne contributed 12. Rashard Doyle rounded out the ECA scoring with nine points. Matt Brown led Walker with 15 points. Omari Daniel and CJ Brown chipped in 13 each. The loss drops Walker to 10-5 overall and 1-2 in region play. Excel (8-11, 1-5) will host the Wolverines Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. before traveling to Darlington Friday night.

Georgia Highlands College softball completed a six-game swing through the Tampa, Florida area Sunday with two more wins at the Eastern Florida State JUCO Kickoff. The Chargers blanked Gulf Coast State 8-0 in five innings and defeated Miami-Dade College 3-1. In the win over Gulf Coast playing as the home team, Georgia Highlands scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and added five more in the fifth to end the game early. Pitcher Madalyn Morton tossed a complete-game, one-hitter to record the win. She struck out one. Natalia Herrera, who earned GCAA Player of the Week honors, had three hits for the Chargers with one RBI. Taryn Hitchcock finished with a pair of hits including a home run and two RBIs. Madison Bennettt, Izzy Marcotte, Alexis Poole, and Bradey Tharp all had one hit and one RBI. Lacey Rutledge and Haley Overton added one hit apiece. Against Miami-Dade, GHC scored single runs in each of the first three frames and pitcher Montana Ledbetter (6 IP, 1ER, 3H, 1BB, 9K) made it hold up to improve to 3-0 this season in the circle. Gracee Ellis (1IP, 0R, 2H) pitched the seventh inning to earn her first save. Ledbetter picked up GCAA Pitcher of the Week honors. Amanda Mason had two hits including a double for the Chargers on offense. Brianna Romaguera also had two hits. Marla Lavado finished with one hit. Bianca Palacios drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Georgia Highlands (4-2) has a doubleheader Wednesday against Wallace State-Hanceville at Jacksonville State University starting at 2 p.m. The Lady Chargers will then host a four-game series with Louisburg College Saturday and Sunday at Stars Field in Cassville.

Elite Stone Supply, in conjunction with WBHF and Bartow Sports Zone, presents the ELITE ATHLETES OF THE MONTH. Each month, local high schools are provided opportunity to name an Elite Athlete of the Month from their varsity programs and present the information on their honoree through Bartow Sports Zone and on 100.3FM and AM1450, WBHF in Cartersville. The January 2021 Elite Athlete of the Month for Adairsville High School is Isaac Linley. A junior wrestler competing in the 120-pound division, Linley is also a member of the Tigers’ football and baseball teams. He is a cornerback/slot on the football team and a middle infielder for the baseball team. The son of Tommy and Wendy Linley, he has qualified for state each of the last two years and was a runner-up at Dixie Nationals. Linley’s ambition is to continue his wrestling career after high school by competing at the collegiate level. He currently carries a 3.4 grade point average. “Isaac has been focused on reaching his goal this year — winning a state championship. His personal goal does not get in the way of his team goals, however. He is a constant example of a strong work ethic and attention to detail. He is a young man respected by his peers and teammates for his athletic ability and more importantly his character,” Adairsville head wrestling coach, Ryan Torrence. Robert Novak represents Cartersville this month as the January Elite Athlete of the Month. A senior on the basketball team. Novak is also a member of the Canes’ tennis team. This season, Novak was selected to the Adairsville Christmas Clash All-Tournament Team averaging 13 points per game and seven rebounds. He also made a last-second shot to lift the Hurricanes to a one-point, home win over Cass. “Robert is a tireless worker in the classroom and brings that ethic to the basketball court,” said Canes’ basketball head coach Mike Tobin. “He definitely has a bright future.” The son of Kenneth and Anna Novak, Robert has a 4.45 GPA, he is a Beta Club member, Mu Alpha Theta inductee, and National Honors Society member who plans to attend Holy Cross. The Cass High School January Elite Athlete of the Month is C.J. Pipkin. A senior member of the Colonels’ basketball and football team, C.J. is the son of Jerome and Samantha Pipkin. “C.J. has become a dependable leader at Cass both on and off the court,” said Colonels’ head basketball coach Sean Glaze. “An impactful teammate, C.J. has averaged nearly 18 points per game over the last five contests. He also has averaged five rebounds and two assists across that stretch.” “He also affects our team with his defensive energy. On that end of the floor, he has nine deflections and fourteen steals in the last five games,” Glaze continued. “The success of our basketball program is built on the character of quality young men who work hard every day to grow and improve as part of something larger than themselves.” With a 3.5 GPA, Pipkin has also been a strong student in the classroom. The Woodland High School Elite Athlete of the Month for January is Jaxon Smith. A senior on the Tigers’ wrestling team, Smith won the Knockout Christmas Classic and defeated the third-ranked wrestler in the country in the process. Smith is ranked ninth nationally and is a two-time defending state champion with a 3.8 GPA. “Jaxon is a selfless leader and a huge part of our success,” said Woodland coach Adrian Tramutola. “He is a great student and teammate, often staying after practice to help others.” The son of Tonya and Jeremy Smith, Jaxon has signed a scholarship to continue his wrestling career at the University of Maryland beginning this Fall. Editors Note: Photos and bios are supplied to Bartow Sports Zone and WBHF by the respective schools and their athletic departments. Elite Stone Supply Co., LLC is the monthly sponsor. Athletes receive a plaque along with recognition during a radio feature on WBHF. #EliteAthletesoftheMonth #Cass #Cartersville #Woodland #Adairsville #highschool

The Adairsville wrestling team finished tied for fifth place Saturday in the GHSA Class AAA State Duals Championship at Cherokee Bluff High School in Flowery Branch. The Tigers lost their opening round match to Sonoraville 51-24, defeated Greater Atlanta Christian 56-20 in the first consolation round match, and then lost to Rockmart 54-24. In the loss to Sonoraville, Adam Martin (138) and Dalton Cornett (152) had wins by pin fall. Isaac Linley (126) and Jaxson Owens (106) added decision victories for the Tigers. In the win over GAC, Hayden Blalock (132), Cornett (152), Jaimen Long (182), James Lynch (195), and Luke Story (285) all won by pin. Seth Kelley (220) added a 5-3 decision win. In the loss to Rockmart, the 24 Adairsville points all came from pin victories. Martin (138), Cornett (170), Long (182), and Lynch (195) collected those wins. The Tigers now turn their attention to the individual focused, traditional portion of the schedule with their Area Traditional Championship Tournament coming up February 5-6 at Rockmart.

Georgia Highlands College softball has split its first four games of the 2021 season on a road trip to the Tampa, Florida area. The Lady Chargers split games at Lake Sumter State College Friday losing the opener 8-3 before bouncing back with a 1-0 win. On Saturday at the Clearwater JUCO Kickoff hosted by Eastern Florida State, Georgia Highlands lost 6-2 to St. Johns River State and defeated the hosting Titans 11-3. In the opening loss of the doubleheader split Friday, Natalia Herrera was 2-for-2 and drove in a run to lead the Chargers’ offense. Taryn HItchock (RBI), Izzy Marcotte, Madalyn Morton, and Haley Overton added one hit each. Morton also suffered the pitching loss (3.1 IP, 7ER, 6H, 3BB, 3K). Lake Sumter hit three home runs in their 8-3 win, but Chargers’ pitcher Montana Ledbetter shut the LakeHawks down in the second game. Ledbetter tossed a complete-game, three-hitter in the 1-0 shutout. Hitchcock had the RBI hit for Georgia Highlands. Madison Bennett, Lacey Rutledge, Alexis Poole, and Herrera contributed one hit apiece. In Saturday’s 6-2 loss to St. Johns River, Herrera’s bat stayed hot. The third baseman had three hits and stole a pair of bases. Marcotte had two hits and drove in a run. Bennett and Kyndal Brown added one hit each. The Vikings scored all six of their runs in the third inning to hand Morton (2.1 IP, 5ER, 4H, 4BB, 1K) her second loss of the trip. Gracee Ellis (3.2 IP, 1ER, 3H, 2BB, 1K) worked her second stint in relief. Georgia Highlands then pounded out 15 hits in their 11-3 win over Eastern Florida State. The Titans also aided the Chargers by committing five errors in the contest. Marcotte (3 RBI) and Rutledge (2 RBI) paced the Chargers’ offense with three hits each. Ledbetter, Herrera (RBI), and Bennett had two hits apiece. Haley Overton had one hit and three RBIs. Poole also added a hit. Ledbetter (6 IP, 2ER, 5H, 2BB, 8K) earned her second win in the pitching circle. Morton worked a spotless seventh as GHC closed out the win. The Chargers have a pair of games Sunday to wrap up the JUCO Kickoff. GHC (2-2) plays Gulf Coast State and Miami Dade College. They will play Wallace State-Hanceville in a doubleheader Wednesday at Jacksonville State University before hosting a four game series with Louisburg College next Saturday and Sunday at Stars Field in Cassville.

The Woodland boys basketball team snapped a 13-game skid Saturday night with a 57-49 non-region win over visiting Bremen. Woodland led 18-9 after one quarter, but trailed 30-24 at halftime. The Blue Devils took a 43-37 advantage to the final quarter but it was the Wildcats who outscored Bremen 20-6 in the fourth quarter to earn an eight-point victory. K.J. Rogers led Woodland and all scorers in the game with 17 points. Jordan Baker posted 11 points for the Wildcats. Tyler Thurman contributed 10. Kyler Williams finished with nine points. Harlin Morris and Alejandro Mays tossed in four points each and Jaden Langsten added two. Bremen (1-16) was led by Brody Harper with 16 points. Chase Ellis added 14 for the Blue Devils. Woodland (3-16, 0-5 in Region 7-AAAAA) returns to region action Tuesday night at Calhoun.