Tuesday night saw all nine local high school varsity teams in action with a pair of local boys teams and a pair of local girls teams coming away with wins. The Excel Christian Academy boys picked up their first region win of the year while the Cass boys overcame a near-collapse in the final quarter to win in overtime. In girls action, the Lady Canes won easily over visiting Furtah Prep while the Lady Colonels earned an important victory over Rome in Region 7-AAAAA. EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 81, TRION 70 The Eagles had five players to finish in double figure scoring and knocked off visiting Trion Tuesday night at The Nest for Excel’s first Region 6-A win of the season. Josiah Mosley paced Excel with 22 points while Evan Lee followed with 18. Rayshawn Womack, Jacob Day, and Kalil Holley each knocked down 11 points. Brenden Quillin had six and Robby Poston added two points in the Eagles’ victory. Excel trailed 21-14 after eight minutes and was down 34-32 at halftime before outscoring the Bulldogs 25-13 in the third quarter to take a 57-47 lead. Trion was led by Brier Ingle’s 24 points. Andy Allen and Jaden Hardy added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Excel Christian (4-14, 1-7) plays at North Cobb Christian Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and travels to Darlington Saturday afternoon for a 3 p.m. start. CASS BOYS 90, ROME 81 The Cass boys almost let one get away Tuesday night after building a 20-point lead with just over four minutes remaining, but the Colonels rallied in double-overtime to defeat visiting Rome, 90-81. Caleb Byrd scored 42 points for the visiting Wolves and Jalen Nelson added 21 as Rome used a 31-point fourth quarter rally to catch Cass and send the game to overtime. In a game of scoring runs, Cass led 16-12 after one quarter before Rome tied it at halftime, 26-all. The Colonels took a 56-44 lead through three quarters and extended their lead even further in the early moments of the final period before Rome stormed back. Ethan Carter (photo) led Cass with 29 points. Jacquez Fountain scored 22 and Justice Hayes added 16 as the Colonels evened their season mark at 10-10. The loss dropped Rome to 12-8 overall and 5-6 in Region 7-AAAAA. Cass — now 5-6 in region action — hosts Carrollton Friday night and travels to Villa Rica Saturday night. Both region games are 7:30 p.m. starts. SONORAVILLE 56, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 40 The Adairsville boys led 15-11 after one quarter, but visiting Sonoraville staked a 19-17 lead at halftime and slowly pulled away in the second half for a 56-40 Region 6-AAA Tuesday night. Wes McCormick led Sonoraville (8-11, 6-5) with 13 points. Chris Rush and Landon Jones added 11 and nine points, respectively. Mason Boswell (photo) scored 10 points for Adairsville. Gaven Crunkleton and Connor Crunkleton contributed nine and seven points for the Tigers. Adairsville (6-13, 4-7) entertains Coahulla Creek Friday at 8:30 p.m. before traveling to non-region Southeast Whitfield Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. tip. PAULDING COUNTY 77, WOODLAND BOYS 60 The Wildcats stayed close in the first half and trailed by only three at the intermission, but Paulding County pushed out to a 13-point lead after three quarters on their way to a 77-60 Region 7-AAAAA home win Tuesday night in Dallas. Jervan Morris led the Patriots with 26 points. John Cook added 16 in the Paulding win. Dawson Wilkins led Woodland with 22 points. Hunter Johnson and Jaylen Ballard knocked down 10 points each. D.J. Robinson had eight. Peyton Roberts and Justice Carter scored four apiece while Kyjuan McLenson scored two. Paulding County improved to 16-3 overall and 7-3 in region play. Woodland (4-14, 1-9) hosts Kell Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and will rematch with the Patriots again Saturday afternoon at home at 4:30 p.m. FURTAH PREP 69, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 57 The Cartersville boys dropped a 69-57 non-region decision to Furtah Prep Tuesday night at The Storm Center. The visiting Falcons are the Georgia Independent Schools Association Class AA defending state champions from Acworth and their win improved the team to 17-2 on the year. Gerard Jofresa had a game-high 29 points to lead Furtah Prep. Tay Emre added 13 for the visitors. Perignon Dyer (photo) paced three Canes in double figures with 19 points. Marquail Coaxum scored 14 and Isaac Gridley had 13 points for Cartersville. The Hurricanes (8-10, 2-3 in Region 5-AAAA) return to region action Friday at home against Troup at 7:30 p.m. and will host Cedartown Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. CASS GIRLS 65, ROME 58 The Lady Colonels picked up a crucial Region 7-AAAAA win Tuesday night at home, holding off Rome 65-58 to move into a second place tie in the region standings with 10th-ranked Carrollton. Top-ranked Villa Rica (18-0, 9-0) remains at the top of the region. Sharia Wade led Cass with 18 points, but was followed by Payton Stoddard (photo from the Adairsville Holiday Tournament) with 14 and Claire Davis with 13 points. Londaisha Smith knocked down eight points while Ariana Hames and Alexis Ware tossed in three points apiece. The Lady Colonels and Lady Wolves were tied at 17 after one quarter. Cass took a 30-26 lead at halftime and led 49-43 through three quarters before holding on for a seven point win. Tamya Griffin led the Lady Wolves (12-7, 7-3) with 19 points. Cass (17-2, 9-2) hosts 10th-ranked Carrollton Friday night at 6 p.m. and plays at top-ranked Villa Rica Saturday. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 55, FURTAH PREP 12 The Lady Canes took a 29-12 lead by halftime and shutout the visiting Lady Falcons in the second half for a 55-12 non-region win Tuesday night at The Storm Center. Alexia Henderson led Cartersville with 15 points. Haley Johnson (photo) scored 11. Naijah Evans scored eight points. Lehla Thomas also scored eight and had five rebounds. London Shaw contributed six points. Kierra Milline had three. Emily Petty and Ariana Cochran added two points apiece while Jada Cunningham finished with four steals. Emma Carnes scored eight points for Furtah Prep. Cartersville (10-7, 3-3 in Region 5-AAAA) hosts region foes Troup and Cedartown this weekend. The matchup with Troup is Friday night at 6 p.m. Cedartown arrives for a 5 p.m. tip Saturday at The Storm Center. SONORAVILLE 74, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 43 The visiting Lady Phoenix broke open an otherwise close contest Tuesday night to defeat host Adairsville 74-43. The Lady Tigers trailed by only two points at the intermission and were within ten points heading into the fourth quarter before Sonoraville outscored Adairsville 33-12 over the final eight minutes. Alexa Geury and Maliyah Parks led Sonoraville (14-6, 8-3) with 19 points apiece. Adairsville got 13 points from Nakiyah Washington (photo). Six each from Aaliyah Applin and Breeana Wilson. Coriana McDaniel contributed five points. Alexa Varner and Ji’Leyah Mitchell had four points each. Havyn Isaac finished with three. Adairsville (4-15, 1-10) has Coahulla Creek at home Friday night at 7 p.m. before stepping outside the region to play at Southeast Whitfield Saturday at 3 p.m. PAULDING COUNTY 61, WOODLAND GIRLS 47 Rajah Drummond and Faith Lovejoy posted 20 points apiece as the Paulding County Lady Patriots defeated visiting Woodland Tuesday night in Dallas, 61-47. The Lady Cats led 11-5 after the first eight minutes and were only down 23-20 at halftime in a tightly contested first half. Paulding (2-16, 1-9) nabbed a 43-36 advantage after three quarters and pulled away in the fourth quarter to win by 14. Gracie Styles and Madgie Robinson led Woodland with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Ansley Evans followed with six. Jordan Thompson and Abigail Taylor contributed four points each while Morgan Cooper and Lauren Morris added two points apiece. Woodland (1-16, 1-9) hosts Kell Friday and will play Paulding County again Saturday. Both games are 6 p.m. starts.

Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department Basketball games played January 12-14. JANUARY 12 10U BOYS PARKER 27, GIBSON 20 PARKER: Reed Ezell 17, Bodie Brumlow 6 GIBSON: Isaac Dukes 7, Brayden King 5 MITCHAM/McWHORTER 17, BISHOP 16 M/M: Bear McWhorter 6, Asa Mitcham 6 BISHOP: Will Bishop 7, Brayden Channell 5 CROWDER/QUEEN 23, WEAVER/McARDLE 12 C/Q: Ezra Bridgman 6, Lyle Woody 6 W/M: James Lee 8, James Manning 4 17U BOYS BARTOW SUNS 44, SHOEMAKER 38 SUNS: Luke Kotteman 15 SHOEMAKER: Andrew Rothschild 19 JANUARY 14 10U BOYS PARKER 29, CROWDER/QUEEN 22 PARKER: Reed Ezell 22 C/Q: Griffin Woodall 7, Alex Queen 6 BISHOP 26, GIBSON 12 BISHOP: Will Bishop 9, Brody Gayton 6 GIBSON: Adam Reed 6 14U BOYS CARVER 40, WIEDETZ 26 CARVER: Noah Ford 13, Khyler Williams 11 WIEDETZ: Sam Wiedetz 9, Brice Craig 5 ADULT COMPETITIVE BLAST FROM THE PAST 75, SHAW ELITE 55 BLAST: Cyrus Banks 26, Landen McGill 13, Courtney Gamble 10, Nick Roberts 10 SHAW: C.J. Burdette 19, Byron Hall 11 Recreation basketball reports are provided for Bartow Sports Zone by the local recreation departments.

Former Cartersville High School quarterback, now Clemson star, Trevor Lawrence was named Offensive MVP as the Tigers defeated Alabama 44-16 last Monday in the College Football Playoffs National Championship Game. His former Canes' teammate, Miller Forristall, saw action for the Crimson Tide and was on the field for one of Alabama's touchdowns. Meanwhile on the hardwoods, multiple local athletes had impressive performances this past week. PRO BASKETBALL ELIJAH ROBINSON (Club Atletico Villa San Martin, Argentina; Excel Christian) — After a nearly monthlong layoff, Robinson scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists in last Friday’s 78-67 win at Lactear. Villa San Martin (10-6) will travel to Hindu on Saturday. COLLEGE BASKETBALL MARK CHESTER (Georgia Northwestern Fr., Cass) — Chester scored eight points, but the Bobcats fell 91-71 to The Crown College (TN) Friday in their first game following winter break. RYAN DAVIS (Francis Marion Sr., Cartersville) — Davis posted a career-high 31 points in a 98-80 win over Clayton State on Saturday. He sank 17-of-18 free throws in the game to go with eight rebounds and four assists. Davis had 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting with nine rebounds earlier in the week in a 99-92 triumph over USC-Aiken. ASHTON HAGANS (Kentucky Fr., Cartersville native) — Hagans was named SEC Freshman of the Week after helping lead Kentucky to a pair of victories against Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. Against the Aggies, he set a career high with 18 points and added five assists and five steals. Hagans finished with 15 points, four assists and five steals versus the Commodores. KIMORA McCLINIC (Middle Georgia State So., Cartersville) — McClinic played five scoreless minutes with one assist in a 78-60 loss to Mobile on Thursday. She bounced back to put up three points, two rebounds and one assist over 13 minutes in a 65-45 loss to Stillman on Saturday. JANA MORNING (Berry College So., Cass) — Morning finished with five points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in a 67-47 loss to Sewanee on Friday. She posted 10 points, seven boards, two assists and four steals on Sunday, as Berry defeated Centre by a 50-46 final score. JONATHAN PRITCHETT (Vermont Tech So., Woodland) — Pritchett started all three games in a week when Vermont Tech went 3-0. In total, he put up nine points, five rebounds and five assists. JAYLON PUGH (Furman Fr., Cartersville) — Pugh knocked down two free throws and added four rebounds and two assists in seven minutes during Furman's 89-57 Thursday victory over Virginia Military Institute. He didn't see any time in Furman's 89-79 loss to UNC-Greensboro on Saturday. JOSIE SUMMERVILLE (North Park Fr., Adairsville) — Summerville posted double-doubles, while making two-thirds of her shot attempts, in each of North Park's two games this past week. She finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 93-60 loss to Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday. Summerville added 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 70-69 road win over Carroll (WI) on Saturday. DARIUS THROWER (Truett McConnell Jr., Excel Christian) — Thrower played at least 24 minutes off the bench in each of Truett McConnell's three games during the past week. He had 16 points, two rebounds and an assist in last Tuesday's 93-86 loss to Reinhardt; he finished with eight points, one rebound and two assists in a 72-60 win over Bryan (Tennessee) on Thursday; and he added 11 points, one rebound and two assists in Saturday's 78-73 defeat against Columbia International (SC). CARROD WATSON (North Georgia Jr., Woodland) — Watson racked up 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and seven rebounds in 17 minutes in a 96-88 loss to USC-Aiken on Saturday. He didn't see any action in a 76-67 defeat at the hands of Columbus State on Wednesday. FOOTBALL MILLER FORRISTALL (Alabama R-So., Cartersville) — Forristall saw action in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, including being on the field during one of the Crimson Tide's two touchdowns. TREVOR LAWRENCE (Clemson Fr., Cartersville) — Lawrence became just the second true freshman quarterback to start, finish and win a national championship game. Lawrence overcame a slow start to post a line of 20-for-32 passing, 347 yards and three touchdowns through the air in the CFP title game. He had no turnovers and was named offensive MVP after Clemson routed Alabama, 44-16. His first touchdown pass was a 5-yard shovel pass to Travis Etienne to extend the Tigers lead to 28-16 with 4:38 left in the first half. He connected with Justyn Ross for a dagger 74-yard touchdown for a 34-16 lead with 8:26 to go in the third quarter. In the waning seconds of the third period, Lawrence capped his night with another 5-yard scoring pass — this time to Tee Higgins. WRESTLING JAKE HUFFINE (Chattanooga Jr., Woodland) — Huffine went 1-3 at 133-pound weight division over the weekend at the Virginia Duals in Hampton. Chattanooga fell to a pair of top-16 teams in the country in No. 11 Virginia Tech and 16th-ranked Arizona State. In between, the Mocs defeated Kent State before finishing up the event with a narrow loss to Old Dominion. Huffine lost to No. 15 ranked Korbin Myers of Virginia Tech in a 6-1 decision, to Tim Rooney of Kent State in a 6-3 decision and Josiah Kline of Arizona State in a 9-4 decision. He emerged victorious against Kilian Cardinale of Old Dominion with a narrow 4-3 decision. The Mocs begin Southern Conference action with a home dual against Virginia Military Institute on Sunday. This week's updates provided by Nicholas Sullivan, The Daily Tribune News.

The Georgia High School Association released its 2019 State Wrestling Duals Championship brackets Sunday with the tournament beginning this Thursday at the Macon Centreplex. Woodland is the top seed in Class AAAAA which will also include Cass in the 16-team field. Cartersville will be competing with 15 other schools in the Class AAAA state tournament. Teams in Class 5A and 4A will weigh-in Thursday morning starting at 7 a.m., followed by a coaches meeting at 8 a.m. and the first round of competition (Round of 16) starting at 9 a.m. The Class 4A quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday afternoon and the Class 5A second round will take place Thursday evening, starting at 6 p.m. Consolation wrestlebacks and the state semifinals will take place Friday with the consolation and championship finals set for Saturday. Cartersville is scheduled to face Columbus Thursday in the first round. The Cartersville/Columbus winner will face the winner of a first round bout between Madison County and Woodward Academy. Woodland takes the mat Thursday against Arabia Mountain in the first round. Cass is paired against Southwest DeKalb in the opening round. The Woodland/Arabia Mountain winner will matchup with either Walnut Grove or Ware County in the quarterfinals. The Cass/Southwest DeKalb victor has a quarterfinal date with the Locust Grove/Whitewater winner. See the complete brackets for Class AAAA and Class AAAAA below.

Top-seeded Woodland overpowered the competition Saturday at East Paulding High School on its way to a 7-AAAAA Area Wrestling Duals title. The Wildcats — who missed the state tournament in a rare occurrence last season — will begin a quest for the state title Thursday in Macon. Woodland cruised to easy victories Saturday over East Paulding, Carrollton, and Cass to win the region championship. Cass will join Woodland in Macon, however, after a successful day of their own. While Woodland took care of business with easy wins — including a dominant win over Cass in the championship match — the Colonels qualified for state again with wins over Kell 39-24 in the quarterfinals and Hiram in the semifinals. The win over Hiram was impressive. Cass took down the 2nd-seeded Hornets 64-12 to leave no doubt as to which team - in addition to Woodland - should advance to next week’s state tournament. Kendall Arnold (152 pounds) had the best individual day for Cass. He pinned his Kell and Hiram opponents and earned the Colonels’ only bout win against the Wildcats. Noah Hoffmeier was also 2-0 on the day for Cass before sitting out out the championship round against Woodland. Hunter Rees, Ben Mills, Adan Urizar, Arnold, Alex Depasquale, Hoffmeier, Reed Davis, Isaac Linley and Bryce Kresho all had wins against Kell, but Cass coach D.L. Koontz credited Kameron Depasquale's performance against Kell's top wrestler as a key to victory. "Kam (Depasquale) lost his match, but kept their guy from picking up bonus points they were counting on to beat us," said Koontz. "He really looked good in that match." Woodland reeled off a dozen straight bout wins against Cass in the finals. Three were by forfeit, five were by points, and four were by pins from Blake Cash, Bryce Shedd, Demarcus Williams, and Jalen Hudson. “They have one of the best teams in the state,” said Koontz. “Woodland has a tremendous lineup. They have to be one of the favorites to win state. We got banged up a bit in the first two matches so we sent a lot of JV kids to the mats in the finals.” “Everything we have done this season builds up to the state tournament,” said Woodland head coach Adrian Tramutola. “We focus on the team concept and being selfless at this point. We ask our guys to do what is needed in their match to help get our team a win. That's all it is about at this point.” The first round of the Class AAAAA State Duals Championship will begin Thursday morning at the Macon Centreplex with 16 teams including Woodland and Cass. The competition will continue through the championship matches Saturday afternoon.

For the first time in the Cartersville High School wrestling program’s history, the Hurricanes have qualified for the GHSA Class AAAA State Duals. In the Region 5-AAAA Duals Championship Tournament Friday at Troup County, 2nd-seeded Cartersville defeated LaGrange 48-36 to reach the championship match against Central-Carroll. The Lions topped Cartersville 54-25 in the championship match to win the region title and that finals loss required the Canes to square off against Troup to determine the region's second state qualifier. Since Troup advanced through the consolation bracket with their only loss coming to Central, Cartersville would have to defeat the Tigers to secure their state berth. In that “true second place” challenge match, Cartersville came out on top 48-36 to advance to the state sectionals as a No. 2 seed from Region 5-AAAA. The duals format, which began in Georgia in the 2001-02 season, pits full team rosters against one another in a bracket format to determine state qualifiers from Area Tournaments and ultimately a state championship team. “I cannot express how proud I am of this team,” stated an excited Canes’ head coach Brooks Gayton. “This team has done something that no other team from Cartersville has ever accomplished. The credit is all theirs.” In Friday’s opener against LaGrange, the Canes fell behind 12-0 on two straight pins before taking eight of the next nine matches to secure the victory. Senior Kentrel Freeman (152-pounds) started a string of consecutive pins or forfeits by pinning his opponent. That was followed by pins by Jabril Williams (160), Shadre Hurst (182), Collin Buffaloe (220), and Matthew Surrett (285) to give Cartersville a 48-12 lead that finished in a 48-36 victory. In the region championship match loss to Central-Carroll, Williams (160), Buffaloe (220), and Surrett (285) secured pins for the Canes. Tyler Earick (106) won an 8-4 decision and Giles Turner (113) won a major decision, 16-7. The state qualifying match against Troup started with four straight wins including three pins for the Canes. Rashar Locklear (160), Williams (170), and Rashun Hurst (195) each won by pin while Shadre Hurst (182) picked up a forfeit victory to give Cartersville an early 24-0 lead. The Canes and Tigers then split the next four matches with Earick (106) and Turner (113) winning by forfeit. Zachery Neal (126) pinned his opponent and Freeman (152) closed out the Cartersville 48-36 victory with his second pin of the day. “Our guys have worked hard all season and fought hard to achieve our team goal to reach the State Duals,” continued Gayton. “We brought everybody — varsity, JV, women’s team, and managers — and they all get credit for this accomplishment. We really try to emphasize the team approach and with us only having three seniors, I’m really excited to see what the future holds.”

With most teams now deep into their 2018-19 region schedules, the Cass and Cartersville girls teams picked up important region wins Saturday as did the Cass boys. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 43, CHAPEL HILL 25 The Cartersville girls evened their Region 5-AAAA record Saturday night with a win over Chapel Hill in Douglasville, 43-25. The Lady Canes pushed ahead 20-12 by the intermission and continued to extend their lead in the second half. Cartersville was up 30-18 after three quarters. A’mya Davis (photo) led the Hurricanes with 10 points. Lehla Thomas came up big on the boards with 10 rebounds. London Shaw scored six of her nine points in the fourth quarter. Ariana Cochran tossed in six points. Haley Johnson scored five. Naijah Evans and Thomas finished with four points apiece. Kiera Milline and Alexia Henderson added three and two points, respectively. Savannah Howard led Chapel Hill (6-10, 0-4) in scoring with eight points. Cartersville (9-6, 2-2) hosts Furtah Prep Tuesday in a non-region game. The Lady Canes will then entertain region opponents Troup Friday night at 6 p.m. and Cedartown Saturday at 5 p.m. CASS GIRLS 82, EAST PAULDING 38 The Lady Colonels won for the sixteenth time this season Saturday afternoon by routing visiting East Paulding, 82-38. Cass led 18-7 after one quarter, 46-16 at halftime, and 74-29 after three quarters en route to a 44-point win. Sharia Wade knocked down eight three-pointers and led all scorers with 30 points. Claire Davis followed with 16 for the Colonels. Amber Brittian scored seven. Ariana Hames had six points. Londaisha Smith and Taryn Callahan (photo) finished with five points apiece. Alexis Ware and Justice Bennett rounded out the Cass scoring with four points each. Freshman Halle Verkerk led East Paulding (2-14, 2-8) with 11 points. Cass (16-2, 8-2 Region 7-AAAAA) currently sits third in the region behind a pair of teams ranked in the classification’s top ten. No. 1 Villa Rica (17-0, 8-0) is atop the league with No. 7 Carrollton (14-6, 9-2) second, and Rome (11-6, 6-2) in fourth place. CASS BOYS 60, EAST PAULDING 55 The Cass boys fell behind early, but fought their way back Saturday afternoon at home to edge visiting East Paulding, 60-55, in a Region 7-AAAAA matchup. East Paulding led 17-12 after one quarter and 26-25 at the intermission before the Colonels took a 40-39 lead into the final period. Jacquez Fountain led Cass with 21 points. Justice Hayes followed with 13 and Jordan Ford (photo) knocked down 11 points. Braxton Benham scored eight. Ethan Carter and Jaylon Johnson added three points apiece. Zaylon Chaney scored one point. The Raiders (7-9, 4-6) had three players in double figures led by Azer Tidor’s 13 points. Jean Rutledge-Sanford scored 12 and Cole Brown 10. Cass (9-10, 4-6) hosts Rome Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. and Carrollton Friday at 7:30 p.m. before traveling to Villa Rica Saturday night for a 7:30 p.m. tip. CHAPEL HILL 62, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 51 The Canes struggled to put points on the scoreboard in the second quarter Saturday night in Douglasville and it ultimately cost Cartersville in a 62-51 Region 5-AAAA loss at Chapel Hill. The Hurricanes led 17-15 after eight minutes, but scored only three points in the second quarter to trail 28-20 at halftime. The host Panthers maintained a 45-36 advantage after three quarters on their way to an 11-point win. Micah Bell and Mike Bell led Chapel Hill with 21 and 16 points, respectively. Perignon Dyer (photo) paced Cartersville with 18 points. Kolbe Benham knocked down 16 points. Amarai Orr finished with nine. Marquail Coaxum and Isaac Gridley tossed in four points each. Chapel Hill improved to 9-5 overall and evened their region mark at 2-2. Cartersville (8-9, 2-3) will step outside the region to host GISA school Furtah Prep Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. on the Canes’ Teacher Appreciation Night before entertaining region foes Troup and Cedartown Friday and Saturday nights at The Storm Center. LAFAYETTE 69, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 39 Schools do not typically schedule one of their toughest opponents of the year for their annual Homecoming Game, but scheduling adjustments forced ECA head coach Shannon Boatfield to do just that. The Class AAAA LaFayette Ramblers, now 19-1 on the season and leading Region 6-AAAA, beat Excel Christian Saturday afternoon at The Nest, 69-39. Alex Kelehear scored 23 points to lead the Ramblers. Dee Southern followed with 20 for LaFayette. Rayshawn Womack led Excel with 18 points. Josiah Mosley followed with 10 for the Eagles. Evan Lee scored six. Jacob Day and Trippe Anderson added three and two points, respectively. Excel (3-14) returns to Region 6-A action this week with a home game against Trion Tuesday at 6 p.m. before traveling to North Cobb Christian Friday night and Darlington Saturday afternoon.

The Cass Lady Colonels improved to 15-2 on the season and kept themselves in one of the top spots in Region 7-AAAAA with a 20-point win over visiting Paulding County Friday night. Elsewhere on the hardwoods, local teams did not fair as well. CASS GIRLS 67, PAULDING COUNTY 47 The Lady Colonels raced out to a 33-17 lead by halftime and cruised through the second half in a 20-point Region 7-AAAAA at home Friday night over Paulding County. Sharia Wade (photo) paced Cass with 22 points. Claire Davis followed with 19 and Payton Stoddard scored 14 points for the Colonels. Londaisha Smith contributed six points. Amber Brittian had four and Ariana Hames added two points. Faith Lovejoy led the Lady Patriots (1-15, 0-8) with 18 points. Rayah Drummond scored 13. Cass (15-2, 7-2) hosts East Paulding in another region contest Saturday at 3 p.m. SANDY CREEK 44, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 32 Daija Powell scored 20 points Friday night to lead Sandy Creek to a 44-32 home win over Cartersville. The win improved the Lady Patriots to 10-4 overall and 2-0 in Region 5-AAAA. Haley Johnson scored 10 points for the Lady Canes. Naijah Evans followed with eight. Amya Davis added five points. Cartersville (8-6, 1-2) will look to bounce back Saturday night at Chapel Hill in another region tilt at 6 p.m. ROME 60, WOODLAND GIRLS 15 Tarrah Gibson scored 15 points while Tamya Griffin and TaEmmira Nation added nine each as visiting Rome topped Woodland Friday night, 60-15. Jordan Thompson scored five points for Woodland. Gracie Styles added four for the Lady Cats. Rome improved to 11-6 overall and 6-2 in Region 7-AAAAA. Woodland (1-15, 1-8) plays at Paulding County Tuesday. PAULDING COUNTY 78, CASS BOYS 68 The Colonels could not overcome a 22-8 deficit after one quarter in a 78-68 home loss to Paulding County Friday night. Cass narrowed the margin to 38-28 by halftime, but the host Patriots pushed their lead back to 60-47 after three quarters. Jervon Morris led Paulding and all scorers in the game with 24 points. Kevin Brown and Keon Sedgwick added 16 and 10 points, respectively, for the Patriots (15-2, 6-2). Cass was led by Jacquez Fountain with 22 points. Ethan Carter followed with 18 points. Justice Hayes scored 12. Zaylan Chaney contributed eight. C.J. Pipkin and Jordan Ford finished with three points each. Zay Jackson added two for the Colonels. Cass (8-10, 3-6) hosts East Paulding in another Region 7-AAAAA contest Saturday at 4:30 p.m. SANDY CREEK 67, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 54 Sandy Creek took a 27-11 lead after one quarter and held off the visiting Hurricanes the rest of the way in a 67-54 win for the Patriots Friday night in Tyrone. Sandy Creek led 35-22 at halftime and 52-40 after three quarters. T.J. Bickerstaff and Keith Williams led the Patriots with 23 and 17 points, respectively. Isaac Gridley led the Canes with 13 points. Kolbe Benham followed with nine. Perignon Dyer had eight points. Amarai Orr and Taywuan Johnson scored six points each. Micah Tart tossed in five. Austin Cauffman contributed three points while Marquail Coaxum and Robert Novak both added two points. Sandy Creek improved to 13-3 on the season and 3-0 in Region 5-AAAA. Cartersville (8-8, 2-2) plays at Chapel Hill Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ROME 74, WOODLAND BOYS 68 A poor shooting third quarter was the demise of the Wildcats Friday night at home in a 74-68 loss to Rome. Woodland led 15-13 after one quarter before the visiting Wolves moved ahead at halftime, 30-29. Rome (12-5, 5-3) then outscored Woodland 28-10 in the third quarter to take a 58-39 advantage. Woodland used some full court pressure and hot shooting to rally for a 29-point fourth quarter, but came up six points short. Caleb Byrd led Rome with 34 points. Justin Ingram added 14 for the Wolves. Dawson Wilkins poured in 33 points for the Wildcats. Hunter Johnson followed with 12. Nathan Gomez contributed eight points. DiAnthony Heathcock scored six. Kyjuan McLendon posted five points. Chris Greene added a second period three-pointer and D.J. Robinson had one point. Woodland (4-13, 1-8) travels to Paulding County Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. scheduled start. MT. ZION-CARROLL 68, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 40 Visiting Mt. Zion-Carroll’s 24-9 lead after one quarter proved to be too much for the Excel Christian boys to overcome Friday night in a 68-40 Region 6-A contest. Excel trailed 48-17 by halftime and Mt. Zion held a 59-31 advantage through three periods. Andrew Powell and Brian Henderson led Mt. Zion (9-7, 3-4) with 16 points each. Josiah Mosley led Excel with 14 points. Rayshawn Womack followed with 12. Jake Murray and Evan Lee scored five points each while Kalil Holley added four for the Eagles. Excel (3-13, 0-7) hosts LaFayette Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. for the Eagles’ annual Homecoming Game.

Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department Adult Basketball games played January 2-9 and updated league standings. JANUARY 2 CTC TALONS 38, MOUNT OLIVE 29 TALONS: Derrick Thompson 16, Brandon Price 12 MOUNT OLIVE: Malcolm Johnson 9, Brandon Williams 7 JANUARY 8 CTC TALONS 71, BLAST FROM THE PAST 59 TALONS: Brandon Price 33, Brett Role 17 BLAST: Cyrus Banks 33 BEARDS 64, HAWKS 57 BEARDS: Kyle Lundgren 17, Justin Mackey 13 HAWKS: Ben Bridges 12, Georgie Russell 11, Zach Tasker 10 JANUARY 9 CTC ALUMS 91, MOUNT OLIVE 63 CTC ALUMS: Cade Archer 19, Quinton Wood 19, Jonathan Fowler 11, Markel Williams 11, Nagee Smith 10. MT. OLIVE: Brannon Hopkins 24, Malcolm Johnson 11 KRACKERJAX 52, PROLINE 43 KJAX: Austin Medford 16, Jay Frazier 14 PROLINE: Justin Reed 14, Jacob McWhorter 9 STANDINGS ADULT COMPETITIVE CTC Talons . . . . . . . . . 3-0 CTC Alums . . . . . . . . . 2-0 Toyo All-Stars . . . . . . . 1-0 Shaw Elite . . . . . . . . . . 0-1 Showtime . . . . . . . . . . 0-1 Blast from the Past . . . 0-2 Mt. Olive . . . . . . . . . . . 0-2 ADULT RECREATION Krackerjax . . . . . . . . . . 2-0 The Beards. . . . . . . . . . 2-0 AZ ST Cobias . . . . . . . .1-0 CFB Grey . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0 CFB White . . . . . . . . . . 0-1 ProLine . . . . . . . . . . . . .0-2 Hawks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-2

Georgia High School Association region basketball standings per MaxPreps as of January 9, 2019. These are the region standings for leagues including the Cartersville and Bartow County schools.

Winning titles is nothing new for Trevor Lawrence. Monday night, Lawrence starred as a true freshman quarterback for Clemson as the Tigers took care of Alabama 44-16 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Lawrence finished the night 20-for-32 for 347 yards and three touchdowns, but his throws on several crucial third down plays proved pivotal in the outcome and already has NFL scouts drooling. Cartersville High School football fans know all about the exploits of Lawrence. He was 61-2 as the starting quarterback for the Hurricanes with a pair of state championships and passed for almost 14,000 yards and 161 touchdowns. After taking over as the starter at Clemson for Kelly Bryant, Lawrence finished the 2018 college season 259-for-397 passing for 3,280 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. He helped guide the Tigers to an ACC championship, the Cotton Bowl national semifinal win over Notre Dame, and of course the title win. As you will see with the video below, winning titles started at a young age for Lawrence. Watch these highlights of the future five-star quarterback as his fifth-grade team — the Acworth Warriors — won the 2010 Northwest Georgia Youth Football League Championship in 2010. The Warriors finished that season 15-0 with Lawrence passing for 1,102 yards and 22 touchdowns.

The Cartersville girls and boys teams swept visiting LaGrange Tuesday night for key Region 5-AAAA victories while the Cass girls also picked up an important Region 7-AAAAA road win at Kell. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 73, LAGRANGE 66 The Purple Hurricanes took a ten point lead by halftime and held on in the second half for a 73-66 Region 5-AAAA win Tuesday night over LaGrange at The Storm Center. Kolbe Benham and Isaac Gridley paced Cartersville with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Perignon Dyer followed with eight. Marquail Coaxum and Micah Tart knocked down six each. Amarai Orr contributed five points. Raylin Royal had three while Austin Cauffman and Taywuan Johnson added two points each. LaGrange (10-6, 2-1) was led by Vandez Taylor with 18 points. D.J. Burks had 16 and Kobe Jones scored 14 points. Cartersville head coach Mike Tobin was also presented a basketball commemorating his 500th career win by Canes' athletic director Darrell Demastus. Tobin earned that milestone December 29 with Cartersville's win over Chattooga. His career record stands at 503-202 (.713 winning pct.). Tobin is 142-43 in seven seasons with the Canes He had 184 career wins at Eden Prairie (Minnesota) and 177 at Woodland. Cartersville (8-7, 2-1) hits the road for their next two region games. The Canes play at Sandy Creek Friday night and at Chapel Hill Saturday night. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 50, LAGRANGE 44 London Shaw (photo) had 16 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday night as the Lady Canes held off visiting LaGrange, 50-44. Cartersville’s Lehla Thomas added seven points and ten rebounds in the winning effort. The Lady Canes led 36-32 at the intermission, but the Lady Grangers held a 36-32 advantage heading into the final quarter. The back-and-forth battle was sealed by Cartersville when senior A’mya Davis made four free throws in the final 12 seconds. The loss dropped LaGrange to 8-8 on the season and 0-3 in Region 5-AAAA. Cartersville (8-6, 1-2) plays at Sandy Creek Friday night at 6 p.m. and at Chapel Hill Saturday in a 6 p.m. tip. CASS GIRLS 38, KELL 23 The Lady Colonels started slowly, but pulled away late for a 38-23 Region 7-AAAAA win Tuesday night in Cobb County. Cass led 6-4 after one quarter, 15-8 at halftime, and 27-16 through three quarters on their way to a 15-point win. Freshman Claire Davis (photo) led the Lady Colonels with 13 points. Londaisha Smith followed with 10. Sharia Wade scored seven, Payton Stoddard five, and Amber Brittian added three points. Kya Williams led the Lady Longhorns with 14 points. The loss drops Kell to 6-10 overall and 3-5 in region play. Cass (14-2, 6-2) moves into third place in the region standings prior to hosting Paulding County Friday at 6 p.m. and East Paulding Saturday at 3 p.m. KELL 50, CASS BOYS 45 After suffering through a rough first quarter, the Colonels challenged late before falling Tuesday night at region-leading Kell, 50-45. The host Longhorns stampeded to an 18-6 lead in the first eight minutes and led the Colonels 27-22 at halftime. Kell’s lead was eight points heading into the final quarter. Kell (13-4, 8-0) was led in scoring by C.J. Henderson’s nine points. Najhae Colon and Isaiah Dubose scored eight each. Cameron Lockett and Justin Perry added seven points apiece. Jacquez Fountain led Cass with 22 points and snagged 18 rebounds. “I’m proud of our effort tonight. We have a lot to clean up, but I’m happy with the way we keep showing improvement,” concluded Cass head coach Sean Glaze. Ethan Carter had seven points for the Colonels. Zaylan Chaney scored four. Braxton Benham posted three points while C.J. Pipkin, Justice Hayes, Jaylon Johnson, and Zay Jackson added two points each. Cass (8-9, 3-5) hosts Paulding County Friday night at 8:30 p.m. and East Paulding Saturday at 4:30 p.m. NORTH MURRAY 49, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 18 Tenley Gladson and Korbin Tipton scored 13 each to lead North Murray to a 49-18 home win over the Adairsville girls Tuesday night in Chatsworth. North Murray led 12-0 after one quarter and 32-10 at halftime on their way to a 31-point Region 6-AAA victory. Lori Cimino led Adairsville with six points. Coriana McDaniel (photo) and Nakiyah Washington scored four each. Aaliyah Applin and Anyia Bailey added two points apiece. The Lady Mountaineers improved to 11-7 overall and 7-3 in region action. Adairsville (4-14, 1-9) hosts Sonoraville next Tuesday at 6 p.m. NORTH MURRAY 59, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 49 Region 6-AAA leading North Murray topped the visiting Adairsville boys Tuesday night in Chatsworth, 59-49. The Mountaineers improved to 15-4 overall and 8-2 in region play with their victory. Adairsville (6-12, 4-6) plays Sonoraville at home next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EAST PAULDING 59, WOODLAND GIRLS 51 Back in early December, the Woodland girls defeated East Paulding at home 50-40 for their lone Region 7-AAAAA win this season. Tuesday night, the Lady Raiders withstood a late rally by the Lady Cats to return the favor — defeating Woodland 59-51. East Paulding held leads of 17-2 after one quarter, 29-13 at halftime, and 42-23 after three quarters before Woodland rallied with a 28-point fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Lady Cats, the rally came up eight points short. Halle Verkerk led East Paulding (2-12, 2-6) with 19 points. Lucy Stewart followed with 16 for the Raiders. Madgie Robinson and Ansley Evans paced Woodland with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Abigail Taylor knocked down eight points. Gracie Styles scored seven. Jordan Thompson and Lauren Morris contributed four points apiece. Morgan Bailey scored three and Morgan Cooper had two points. The Lady Cats (1-14, 1-7) host Rome Friday night at 6 p.m. in another Region 7-AAAAA contest. EAST PAULDING 65, WOODLAND BOYS 63 The host Raiders led at the end of each period Tuesday night, but Woodland stayed close to the very end in a 65-63 East Paulding victory. East Paulding led 19-13 after eight minutes, 29-28 at halftime, and 48-42 through three quarters before holding off the Wildcats down the stretch. Sean Rutledge-Sanford led all scorers with 27 points for the Raiders. Azer Tidor and Austyn Tschantz added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Woodland had three players reach double figures in scoring. Dawson Wilkins paced the Wildcats with 18 points. Jaylen Ballard followed with 14 and Hunter Johnson scored 13. Justice Carter had eight points. Peyton Roberts contributed five. D.J. Robinson scored four and DiAnthony Heathcock added one point for Woodland. The win evened East Paulding’s season mark at 7-7. The Raiders are 4-4 in Region 7-AAAAA. Woodland (4-12, 1-7) will host region foe Rome Friday night at 7:30 p.m. GORDON LEE 51, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 23 Gordon Lee moved to 7-8 overall and 3-3 in Region 6-A with a 51-23 win Tuesday night over visiting Excel Christian Academy. ECA (3-11, 0-6) hosts Mt. Zion-Carroll Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and will entertain LaFayette Saturday at 2 p.m. for the Eagles' annual Homecoming Game.