The Cartersville boys basketball team lost for the first time this season Wednesday night in the opening round of the Lake City Classic at Allatoona High School in Cobb County. The Canes were topped by the host Buccaneers in a defensive struggle, 42-33. Cartersville, fresh off capturing a holiday tournament title in Rome before Christmas, was held scoreless in the first quarter and never really recovered. Allatoona took a 9-0 lead after one period and held the Canes scoreless for the games opening 10 minutes and 34 seconds. T.J. Horton broke the ice for Cartersville with 5:26 remaining in the second period to make the score 11-2 at the time. From there, the Hurricanes battled back into contention and narrowed the halftime margin to 15-12 behind Jaylon Pugh’s five points in the second quarter. Jeremiah Sanabria scored six points with five rebounds and Zare Cooper added four points and three rebounds in the opening half for the Bucs. Sanabria added eight more points for Allatoona and John Chester drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer as the Buccaneers extended their lead to 29-21 at the end of the third quarter. The Bucs’ Izaiah Taylor then scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to push the lead to 12 and Allatoona held on from there for a nine-point victory. Pugh finished with 15 points, three rebounds, and a pair of steals to lead Cartersville. Horton added eight points, five boards, and three assists. Sanabria led Allatoona with 14 points, seven rebounds, a pair of assists, steals, and blocks. Taylor followed with eight points — all scored in the final period with four rebounds. The Buccaneers (5-7) advance to play Huffman (AL) Thursday night in the tournament quarterfinals. Huffman edged North Cobb Christian 66-64 in the opening round Wednesday. Cartersville (6-1, ranked 5th in Class AAAA) will play North Cobb Christian (6-3, ranked 8th in Class A-Private) at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in a consolation round game at Allatoona High School’s Auxiliary Gym. The Lake City Classic continues through Saturday. -- contributions by Kyle Sandy (@sandysspiel.com)

The Cass girls and boys basketball teams won opening round games Wednesday evening at the Chattooga Christmas Classic in Summerville. CASS BOYS 65, CALHOUN 28 The Colonels allowed only eight points in the second half Wednesday night and cruised to a 65-28 win over Calhoun in the opening round of the Chattooga Christmas Classic in Summerville. Justice Hayes led Cass with 13 points. Ethan Carter and Carter Hedden each added 11 to help lead the Colonels. Cass led 29-20 at halftime before outscoring the Yellow Jackets 36-8 in the second half. Calhoun slipped to 1-5 on the season. The Colonels (6-3) play Chattahoochee of Region 7-6A Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the tournament semifinals. The Cougars defeated Darlington Wednesday in the first round, 56-44. CASS GIRLS 65, PEACHTREE RIDGE 59 The Lady Colonels won a hard fought battle with Class 7A Peachtree Ridge Wednesday evening in the opening round of the Chattooga Christmas Classic in Summerville. Cass led 29-22 at halftime and extended their lead to 44-32 after three quarters before holding on for a seven-point victory. Payton Stoddard led the Lady Colonels with 21 points. Amber Brittian followed with 15 and Sharia Wade scored 10 points. Kyla Michienzi scored seven points and Lyric Curtis added six. Chanel Clemmons, Aaliyah Curtis, and Alexis Ware scored two points each. Peachtree Ridge falls to 5-5 with the loss. Cass (7-2) advances to the tournament semifinals Thursday at 4 p.m. to face Woodstock.

The Cartersville boys basketball team maintained its No. 5 ranking in the latest release of Top 10 teams in each classification from SandysSpiel.com. The Hurricanes have started the 2017-18 season with six straight wins and captured the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival championship with a 40-28 win over Rome in the tournament finals last Friday. Cartersville plays host Allatoona Wednesday, December 27 in the opening round of the Lake City Classic at Allatoona High School. The Canes will play four games in four days at the Cobb County school. Here is a link to the Lake City Classic tournament bracket: http://www.lakecityclassic.com/bracket/ December 24 boys basketball rankings: Class AAAAAAA McEachern (9-1) Grayson (8-1) Norcross (9-2) Collins Hill (11-1) Mountain View (9-2) Wheeler (6-3) Newton (8-2) Meadowcreek (9-2) Pebblebrook (7-2) Etowah (8-1) Class AAAAAA Langston Hughes (9-2) Dacula (5-3) Brunswick (10-1) Tri-Cities (12-3) Douglas County (7-2) Gainesville (3-6) Jonesboro (7-2) Coffee (4-4) Bradwell Institute (8-4) Cambridge (12-1) Class AAAAA Warner Robins (8-0) Buford (6-2) Columbia (6-2) Miller Grove (7-3) Southwest DeKalb (8-3) Lithonia (11-2) McIntosh (6-0) Eagle’s Landing (8-2) Maynard Jackson (11-0) Statesboro (8-2) Class AAAA Upson-Lee (12-0) St. Pius X (8-2) Sandy Creek (7-2) Mary Persons (9-1) Cartersville (6-0) Westover (8-4) Baldwin (6-3) Americus-Sumter (9-1) Salem (10-4) Carver-Columbus (11-2) Class AAA Morgan County (9-0) Jenkins (7-2) Johnson-Savannah (8-2) Cedar Grove (5-3) Greater Atlanta Christian (7-3) Westside-Macon (5-5) Monroe Area (8-0) Windsor Forest (8-3) Dawson County (8-2) Pace Academy (4-3) Class AA Glenn Hills (9-0) South Atlanta (8-1) Dublin (8-1) Banks County (10-1) Swainsboro (6-2) Thomasville (10-2) Jeff Davis (7-2) Chattooga (8-1) Metter (9-1) Laney (10-3) Class A-Private St. Francis (8-1) Aquinas (8-1) Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (9-1) King’s Ridge Christian (8-2) Christian Heritage (9-0) Wesleyan (2-3) Landmark Christian (9-3) North Cobb Christian (6-2) WD Mohammed (6-1) Greenforest (3-6) Class A-Public Central-Talbotton (11-0) Manchester (6-0) Lanier County (9-1) Woodville-Tompkins (11-2) Montgomery County (8-2) Pelham (8-2) Calhoun County (10-2) Wilkinson County (6-3) Wilcox County (8-3) Macon County (5-2)

Woodland finished second and Cass was ninth Saturday at the two-day, 45-team Buford Takedown Sportswear Invitational hosted by the defending Class AAAAA state champion Buford Wolves. Social Circle of Region 8-A won the tournament with 192.5 points. The Wildcats were second with 175 points, followed by North Forsyth, Buford, and Valdosta to round out the top five. Creekview, Archer, and North Hall finished sixth through eighth. The Colonels were ninth and Somerset Academy (FL) completed the top ten. Freshman Caden McCrary won the 113-pound weight class and junior Kyle Gollhofer won the 120-pound division to lead Woodland. Senior Cody Cochran placed third in the 160-pound weight class. Junior Gavin Nix (126-pounds) and sophomore Caleb Jones (132-pounds) each finished fifth in their divisions. Cass was led by a trio of seniors. Tripp Breeden (220-pounds) and Seven Richards (285-pounds) won their weight classes. Tyler Pilcher placed fourth in the 132-pound division. Woodland and Cass will compete next at the Area 7-AAAAA Duals Championship on Saturday, January 6 at Hiram.

The Cartersville boys basketball team remained unbeaten and defeated Rome 40-28 to win the championship game of the 2017 Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival. T.J. Horton and Jaylon Pugh combined for 26 points to lead the Canes in the title game. Pugh finished with 14. Horton totaled 12. Isaac Gridley and Luke Schiltz added six and five points, respectively. Perignon Dyer scored two points and JKobe Orr added one. Pugh (photo) was named tournament MVP, while Horton and Dyer were named to the All-Tournament team. Cartersville led 10-7 after one quarter behind Schiltz’s five points, but trailed briefly in the second quarter before knotting the score at halftime, 21-21. Horton scored the only five points posted in the third quarter as the Canes took a 26-21 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. From there, Cartersville outscored the Wolves 14-7 in the final period to win their first RNT Festival since claiming back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. Adam Anderson led Rome with eight points. Caleb Byrd and Rodney Sullivan chipped in six points apiece. Rome slipped to 2-1 on the season with their first loss of the year. Cartersville (6-0) plays host Allatoona Wednesday, December 27 in the opening round of the Lake City Classic at Allatoona High School. The Canes will play four games in four days at the Cobb County school. Also on Friday night, the Rome Lady Wolves defeated Model 54-51 to win the Girls RNT Festival.

Cartersville High School quarterback Trevor Lawrence was named Offensive Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Clemson signee, was joined on the Class AAAA All-State Team by Canes' teammates offensive lineman Nick Root, linebacker JaCorey Johns, and kicker Jonathan Cruz. Cartersville running back Rico Frye was All-State Honorable Mention. Full listing for all classifications: http://highschoolsports.blog.ajc.com/2017/12/21/2017-all-state-team/

The Cartersville boys basketball team advanced to the finals of the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival with a 61-37 win Thursday night over Model (3-5) in the tournament semifinals. Jaylon Pugh scored 22 points and T.J. Horton added 21 to lead Cartersville. The Hurricanes (5-0) will play Rome (2-0) in the championship game Friday night at 8:30 p.m. at Berry College. Rome defeated Sonoraville Thursday in their semifinal game. ARMUCHEE GIRLS 46, WOODLAND 36 The Woodland girls lost to Armuchee Thursday, 46-36, in a consolation game at the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival played at Berry College. Whitney Harris scored 16 points and Madgie Robinson added 11 for the Lady Cats. Woodland is now 2-6 on the season and is scheduled to host Villa Rica Thursday, Dec. 28 in a Region 7-AAAAA matchup.

Cartersville wrestling earned a third place finish as a team Tuesday at the East Hall Viking Christmas Classic at East Hall High School in Gainesville. Habersham Central won the tournament with host East Hall finishing second. Cartersville wrestlers Desmond Winters (195 pounds), Jonathan De La Cruz (182 pounds), and Eoin Neal (132 pounds) each won their respective brackets. Dre Pennymon (285 pounds), Jabril Williams (160 pounds), and AJ Scott (126 pounds) were third place finishers for the Canes. Garrett Geros (170 pounds), Caz Smith (120 pounds), and Tyler Earick (106 pounds) each took fourth. The Hurricanes hit the mats next on Thursday, Dec. 28 at the Creekview High School Steady Eddy Classic in Canton.

Jaylon Pugh scored a game-high 23 points and Cartersville remained undefeated with a victory Wednesday over Calhoun at the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival. The win advanced the Canes to the tournament semifinals. In consolation action, the Woodland boys were edged by Coosa. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 65, CALHOUN 53 Led by Jaylon Pugh’s 23 points, the Hurricanes moved to 4-0 on the year with a 65-53 second round win over Calhoun at the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival at Georgia Highlands College in Rome. Perignon Dyer scored 11 points and Grant Harris 10 for the Canes who led throughout. The Canes led 24-16 after one period, 35-26 at halftime, and 53-44 after three quarters. T.J. Horton and Isaac Gridley scored eight and seven points, respectively, for Cartersville. Luke Schiltz scored three and JKobe Orr added two points. Caleb Boone and Davis Allen scored 12 points each for Calhoun who slipped to 1-3 on the year. With the victory, Cartersville advances to face Model in the tournament semifinals Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Georgia Highlands. COOSA BOYS 57, WOODLAND 54 In a consolation game of the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival at Georgia Highlands College Wednesday, the Woodland and Coosa boys battled through four quarters but It was the Coosa that escaped with a three-point win, 57-54. The Eagles led at each quarter stop, but the score was close throughout. Coosa led 16-14 after one period, 29-26 at halftime, and 41-39 through three quarters. Zehbian Philyaw led three Coosa players in double figure scoring with 12 points. Jaylen Nelson and Sean Braun followed with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Justice Carter scored 12 points to lead the Wildcats. Hunter Johnson and Dawson Wilkins followed with nine points each. Jaylon Ballard aded eight; Kenny Jinks six; Charles Norman and Peyton Roberts four each; and Dustin Ivie scored three points. Coosa evened its season record at 4-4 with the win. Woodland (1-8) has a home game with Villa Rica on Thursday, December 28.

The Adairsville boys, Cass girls, and Cartersville girls were each winners Tuesday night in high school basketball action across the area. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 60, CASS 50 The Tigers won their third straight Tuesday night at home with a 60-50 win over visiting Cass. Adairsville took a 19-7 lead after one period and held on for their 10-point victory. The Tigers led 22-21 at halftime and 36-30 after three quarters. Mason Boswell led four Tigers in double figures with 17 points. Cody Henderson scored 14, Ethan Belcher 13, and Hunter Hice 11 points. Jessie O’Kelley and Gaven Crunkelton added two points each and Savaun Henderson scored one. Mark Chester and Ashton Burley led the Colonels with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Carter Hedden scored seven. Markeldrick Powell and Ethan Carter added six points each. Justice Hayes scored four. Adairsville improved to 4-7 on the year and will open play in the Blue Ridge Christmas Tournament against White County at 12:30 p.m. on December 28. Cass (5-3) plays Calhoun December 27 in the opening round of the Chattooga Christmas Classic in Summerville at 4 p.m. CASS GIRLS 58, ADAIRSVILLE 34 The Cass Lady Colonels won at Adairsville Tuesday night, 58-34. Cass (6-2) led 19-9 after one quarter and 33-16 at halftime. Kyla Michienzi led the Lady Colonels with 14 points. Payton Stoddard followed with 13 for Cass. Amber Brittian finished with nine points., Aaliyah Curtis seven, Alexis Ware six, Chanel Clemmons four, Lyric Curtis three, and Sharia Wade scored two points. Josie Summerville led Adairsville with 14 points. Nakiyah Washington had eight points. Alexa Varner totaled five, Lori Cimino three, Ji’Leyah Mitchell two, and Coriana McDaniel two points for Adairsville (2-9). The Lady Tigers are scheduled to play in the Mountain Top Tournament at Fannin County December 28-30. Cass plays in the Chattooga Christmas Classic in Summerville December 27-29. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 42, COOSA 41 The Cartersville girls overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter Tuesday night at Georgia Highlands College in Rome to edge Coosa 42-41 in a consolation game of the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival. Coosa led 11-6 after one period, 25-21 at halftime, and 41-28 going into the final period. Cartersville blanked Coosa in the fourth quarter, winning the period 14-0 for the one-point victory. Kalli Scheff led Cartersville with 16 points. Cio Siegler, London Shaw, and DeAsia Jefferson each chipped in with six points. Ariana Cochran scored four while Addie Smith and Naijah Evans added two points each. Carah Arrant and Emma Reynolds scored 12 points each for Coosa (2-5). Cartersville (4-4) plays next at the Sonoraville Classic in Calhoun December 28-29. The Lady Canes will face Ridgeland in their first game. MODEL GIRLS 50, WOODLAND 27 Model, ranked 4th in Class AA, defeated Woodland Tuesday in the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival, 50-27. Model (9-2) took control early and led 25-9 after one quarter. The Lady Blue Devils never trailed. Victoria Saxton led Model with a game-high 17 points. Whitney Harris scored 16 for Woodland. Woodland (2-5) plays Armuchee Thursday in a consolation game at Georgia Highlands College at 4 p.m.

The Woodland High School swim team placed second at their own Wildcat Invitational swim meet this past Saturday at the Adairsville High School pool. North Paulding won the meet with 1069 points. Woodland was second with 477 points. South Paulding finished third with 470 points. Hiram was a distant fourth. Event winners for Woodland: Girls 200-yd. medley relay: Lyrica Miron, Lanee Haley, Bethany Svendsen, and Grace Webb (2:19.75) Girls 200-yd. individual medley: Lyrica Miron (2:44.10) Girls 200-yd. freestyle relay: Shianne Coetzee, Lanee Haley, Bethany Svendsen, and Lyrica Miron (2:05.46) Girls 500-yd. freestyle: Bethany Svendsen (6:45.22) Next for Woodland is the Bartow County Championships on Saturday, January 6 at Adairsville.

The Woodland girls and Cartersville boys basketball teams earned first round wins Monday night at the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival at Berry College. Meanwhile the Adairsville boys won their second straight at home with a Region 6-AAA victory over Murray County. WOODLAND GIRLS 34, CARTERSVILLE 32 Whitney Harris led Woodland with 13 points, including a fourth quarter go-ahead three pointer Monday night as the Lady Cats edged Cartersville 34-32 in the opening round of the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival at Berry College. Madgie Robinson scored 11 points for Woodland, followed by Carli Clymer with six and Ansley Evans three points. Cartersville led 11-10 after one quarter and 13-12 at halftime. Woodland held a 25-19 lead after three quarters. Amaya Davis led Cartersville with seven points. Kalli Scheff scored six. De’Asia Jefferson contributed five points. London Shaw and Addie Smith posted four points each. Jada Cunningham, Ariana Cochran, and Cio Siegler added two points apiece. Woodland (2-4) advances to play Model Tuesday at Georgia Highlands College in Rome at 6 p.m. The Lady Canes (3-4) will play Coosa in a consolation game Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Georgia Highlands College. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 79, PEPPERELL 36 The Hurricanes exploded for 35 points in the second quarter Monday night and limited Pepperell to only four points in the third quarter on their way to a 79-36 win at Berry College in the opening round of the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival. The Canes led 51-21 at halftime and 67-25 through three quarters. T.J. Horton led four Canes in double figures with 19. Perignon Dyer scored 14 points. Jaylon Pugh and Grant Harris added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Luke Schiltz scored five. JKobe Orr added four points. Marqual Coaxum, Jacorey Johns, and Taywuan Johnson each scored two. Branson Hanks and Dawson Melton scored 10 points each for Pepperell (2-3). Cartersville (3-0) plays Calhoun Wednesday in the second round at 6 p.m. at Georgia Highlands College in Rome. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 63, MURRAY COUNTY 42 The Tigers took a 16-11 lead after one quarter and built on their advantage throughout the night in a 63-42 Region 6-AAA victory over Murray County Monday at home. Adairsville led by seven at halftime and led by 10 after three quarters on their way to the 19-point decision. Adairsville’s Cody Henderson had a game-high 20 points, followed by Gaven Crunkelton with 13 points and Hunter Hice with 11. Ethan Belcher tossed in nine points. Grayson Dailey finished with six points. Mason Boswell and Jessie O’Kelley added two points each. Bronson Bowen and Haden Newport led the Indians with 11 points apiece. Murray County slipped to 2-8 overall and 1-4 and region play. Adairsville improved to 3-7 with their second straight win. The Tigers are 2-3 in Region 6-AAA and host Cass Tuesday night at 8 p.m. MURRAY COUNTY GIRLS 43, ADAIRSVILLE 31 The Adairsville girls led 11-3 after one quarter and 18-11 at halftime Monday night, but the visiting Lady Indians rallied in the third period to take a 28-25 lead. Murray County then pulled away in the final quarter for a 12-point Region 6-AAA win. Jaide Johns scored 13 and Katie Ashie 11 to lead Murray County. Nakiyah Washington led Adairsville with 12 points. Josie Summerville and Havyn Isaac followed with six each. Murray County improved to 6-4 overall and 2-2 in region games. Adairsville (2-8, 1-3) hosts Cass Tuesday night at 7 p.m. SONORAVILLE BOYS 55, WOODLAND 52 The Woodland boys basketball team chipped away at an early 12-point lead by Sonoraville Monday night at the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival in Rome, but fell to the Phoenix 55-52. Sonoraville led 18-6 after one quarter, 27-22 at halftime, and 40-37 through three quarters. Will Walraven had a game-high 26 points to lead Sonoraville. Chris Rush scored nine and Lucas Crooks eight for the Phoenix. Woodland was led by Justice Carter with 12 points. Dawson Wilkins and Hunter Johnson scored 10 point each. Charles Norman contributed eight points. DJ Robinson and Jaylen Ballard scored four. RJ Beaubrun added two points. Sonoraville remained undefeated on the year and improved to 8-0. The Phoenix will play Darlington Wednesday night in the second round. Woodland (1-7) plays Coosa in the tournament consolation bracket Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Georgia Highlands College in Rome. Coosa lost to Rome Monday night, 57-54.