The Georgia Highlands softball team swept their games on the first day of the GHC Border Battle at Hamilton Crossing Park and Stars Field. The Chargers defeated Southern Union 4-1 in the opener and Roane State in Game 2. Rebecca Meade tossed a complete game in the opener allowing one earned run on a pair of hits, two walks and a hit batter. She improved to 4-2 with the pitching win. She got offensive help from catcher Carlee Thurmond and first baseman Brianna Fickes who both hit homeruns. For Fickes, it was the 16th homerun of her college career tying her for the GHC record with current UGA Bulldog Kayleigh Medlin. In the second game, freshman pitcher Micayla McCoy tossed a complete game for her third win of the year. She yielded only one unearned run on five hits and three walks. The Chargers (7-3) continue play in the Border Battle at 12noon Saturday against Cleveland State and at 4pm against Shelton State. Games are available on Facebook Live. PHOTO: Courtesy GHC. Sophomore Brianna Fickes

The Cass girls soccer team scored four goals in the first half on their way to a 6-0 win at Cedartown Friday night. The win improved the Lady Colonels' season mark to 2-0. Logan Vermaas and Haley Henson each scored twice. Stephanie Robledo and Brittney Ochoa added the other goals. Kelsey Rivera had two assists in the game. Hannah Johnson, Ochoa and Robledo were also credited with assists on goals. In the nightcap, the Cass boys team lost to Cedartown 4-1 to fall to 0-2 on the season. Cass hosts Sonoraville Tuesday with the girls’ match scheduled for 5:30pm.

The Cass girls lost to 4th-ranked Carrollton in the Region 7-AAAAA championship game Friday night, while the Adairsville boys and Cartersville boys both lost their respective region semifinal games. The Cass girls will host a state tournament first round game next Friday. The Tigers and Canes will play Saturday for their state playoff seeding. Both will play road games to open the state playoffs next week, but could earn 3-seed status with a consolation win Saturday. No. 9 CALHOUN BOYS 48, ADAIRSVILLE 42 The Adairsville boys basketball team gave 9th-ranked Calhoun a tussle Friday evening in the Region 6AAA semifinals, but the Yellow Jackets held off the Tigers in the end, 48-42. Calhoun raced out to a 21-9 lead after one quarter but the game was tied at halftime 28-28. Adairsville managed a 37-36 lead after three quarters, but Calhoun won the all-important final period and advanced to the region championship game with a six-point victory. Malik Lawrence and Rhett Abernathy both scored 15 points to lead Calhoun. Chapin Rierson added 11points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Hunter HIce led Adairsville with 14 points. Ronald Hardin and Mason Boswell scored 12 each. James Sims and Denzel Pitt both added two points. The Tigers (16-12) will play either Coahulla Creek for third place Saturday at 4:30pm at Calhoun. The Colts lost to Sonoraville Friday in the other semifinal. The Phoenix will face Calhoun in the championship game at 7:30pm. No. 3 SANDY CREEK BOYS 60, No. 9 CARTERSVILLE 53 3rd-ranked Sandy Creek held off 9th-ranked Cartersville in a Region 5AAAA semifinal game Friday night at LaGrange for a 60-53 decision that puts the Patriots in Saturday’s region championship game. Cartersville (19-6) will play for Troup for third place Saturday at 4:30pm at LaGrange. Troup lost to LaGrange 56-46 in the other Region 5AAAA semifinal Friday night. Cartersville and Sandy Creek were tied at 18 after one period and the Patriots held a slim 26-25 advantage at halftime. Sandy Creek then outscored the Canes 19-10 in the third quarter to build a 10-point lead and held on in the fourth quarter. Eric Williams led Sandy Creek with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jarred Godfrey scored 12 points for the Patriots. Evan Jester added 11 points and six rebounds. K.J. Wilkins finished with 10 points. Trase Fezzia led Cartersville with 17 points. T.J. Horton added 14 points and Jaylon Pugh scored 13. Sandy Creek (20-6) will play 4th-ranked LaGrange Saturday at 7:30pm for the region title. No. 4 CARROLLTON GIRLS 60, CASS 36 4th-ranked Carrollton took control in the first half and did not let up on their way to a 60-36 win over the Cass Lady Colonels in the Region 7AAAAA championship game Friday night. The Lady Trojans (27-1) led 34-16 at halftime and 47-25 after three quarters. Carrollton did not lose to a region opponent the entire regular season and post season. Jana Morning scored 17 points to lead Cass. Kyla Michienzi scored seven, Chanel Clemmons five, Damia Simpson three, and Sharia Wade two points. Cass (20-7) is region runner-up and a 2-seed heading into the Class AAAAA State Tournament. The Lady Colonels will host a first round game Friday February 17.

Photo courtesy TCPicsOnline.com The Cass Lady Colonels basketball team had lost twice during the regular season to 8th-ranked Villa Rica. The margins in those two losses were 24 and 38 points, but at tournament time you can toss the regular season results out the window and Cass proved it Thursday night. Playing the Region 7AAAAA Tournament semifinals on the Lady Wildcats' home court, the Lady Colonels pulled off a 74-69 upset to advance to the region championship game Friday against 4th-ranked Carrollton. The Region Championship game will be at Villa Rica at 7pm. Carrollton (26-1) defeated Kell 55-38 in Thursday night's other girls semifinal game. Cass had previously lost by 24 and 38 points to VR earlier in the season. VR is ranked 8th in 5A. The Lady Colonels trailed 13-12 after one quarter, but led 31-30 at halftime in the back-and-forth battle. Cass took a 44-40 lead into the final period of regulation, but Villa Rica sent the game to overtime at 65-all. Cass outscored the Lady Wildcats 9-4 in the four-minute overtime period for the victory. Jana Morning scored 29 points to lead three Lady Colonels in double figures. Esmeralda Thomas scored 20 and Kyla Michienzi 17. Payton Stoddard chipped in with five points and Lyric Curtis added three, but it was Curtis' defensive effort that drew praise from her coaching staff. "Lyric Curtis was the defensive player of the game," noted Cass head coach Burt Jackson. "No doubt, she made the difference." Cass (20-6) had already clinched a berth in the Class AAAAA state tournament, but the semifinal win Thursday night secured the right to host the first round of the state tournament Friday, February 17.

The Cass High School girls soccer team scored a pair of goals in the final minutes Wednesday night to win their 2017 season opener at home over Northwest Whitfield, 2-1. The visiting Lady Bruins scored in the 35th minute to take a 1-0 lead that would remain until the waning moments. In the 78th minute of the 80-minute contest, Stephanie Robledo scored on a direct kick from approximately 35 yards to tie the score. Then with only one minute remaining Kelsey Rivera hit the game-winner on a pass from Logan Vermaas. The Cass boys soccer team fell to Northwest Whitfield Wednesday night, 6-1. The Lady Colonels (1-0) and Colonels (0-1) play at Cedartown Friday. The girls match is scheduled for 5:30pm with the boys to follow. The Cass teams will host Sonoraville Tuesday with the girls match set for 5:30pm.

The Cartersville and Adairsville boys basketball teams both won region quarterfinal tournament games Wednesday night to earn spots in their respective region semifinals. Both teams also qualified for the state tournament. They both play again Friday for a chance to host a state tournament game in the first round. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 66, CHAPEL HILL 61 The 9th-ranked Cartersville boys basketball team punched its ticket to the 2017 Class AAAA State Tournament with a hard-fought 66-61 Region 5AAAA tournament win over Chapel Hill Wednesday night at the Storm Center. The Canes held leads of 18-12 after one quarter and 35-29 at halftime before Chapel Hill rallied to tie the game at 47 through three periods. Cartersville separated from the visiting Panthers late in the final quarter to win the period 19-14 and take a five-point decision. JKobe Orr led the Canes with 21 points and 15 rebounds. T.J. Horton scored 13 points. Jaylon Pugh totaled 12 points. Horton and Pugh also combined for 22 rebounds. Perignon Dyer and JaCorey Johns scored six points each. Isaac Gridley added four points and made his presence known inside with several blocked shots. Marqual Coaxum added three points. Chapel Hill had its season end with a 4-22 record. Cartersville (19-5) will face 3rd-ranked Sandy Creek (19-6) Friday in the Region 5AAAA semifinals at LaGrange. Troup County defeated Cedartown Wednesday night in the other quarterfinal game at the Storm Center. The Tigers will play LaGrange in the other region semifinal Friday. The semifinal winners will play for the region championship Saturday at 7:30pm at LaGrange. The semifinal losers will play for third place at 4:30pm. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 47, RINGGOLD 43 The Adairsville boys basketball team defeated Ringgold Wednesday evening to earn a trip to the Region 6AAA semifinals Friday at Calhoun and a trip to the 2017 Class AAA state tournament. Cole Hewatt scored 11 points and Hunter Hice 10 to lead the Tigers as they improved to 16-11. Ringgold’s season ends with the loss. They finished the year with a 10-15 record. Adairsville, the 3-seed from the South sub-region of 6AAA, will now face the South sub-region’s top-seed Calhoun in the region semifinals Friday at 5:30pm. The other region semifinal Friday night will feature the 1-seed from the North sub-region Coahulla Creek and the 2-seed from the South sub-region Sonoraville. The Region 6AAA title game will be Saturday at 7:30pm. The semifinal losers will play for third place at 4:30pm Saturday. All tournament games are at Calhoun High School.

The Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department announce the registration dates for their 2017 Tee League Baseball and Bantam (Coach Pitch) League Baseball. Registration for both leagues opens February 20, 2017. 2017 Tee League Baseball Ages: 4 - 5 (co-ed) Age Control Date: Prior to May 1, 2017 Registration Location: Dellinger Park Office Game/Practice Location: TBA Registration Fees: $65.00 – February 20 – March 5 $75.00 – March 6 - Space Available Only +$20.00 non-residence fee (outside City of Cartersville) applies if applicable. A copy of birth certificate is required before season begins. 2017 Bantam League Baseball (Coach Pitch) Ages: 6 - 7 (co-ed) Age Control Date: Prior to May 1, 2017 Registration Location: Dellinger Park Office Game/Practice Location: TBA Registration Fees: $65.00 – February 20 – March 5 $75.00 – March 6 - Space Available Only +$20.00 non-residence fee (outside City of Cartersville) applies if applicable. A copy of birth certificate is required before season begins Phone: 770-607-6170 for more information.

The Woodland girls basketball team had its season come to a close Tuesday night in Carrollton at the Region 7AAAAA tournament. Lexie Robinson scored 19 points and Carli Clymer 10, but the 4th-ranked Carrollton Lady Trojans were too much for the Woodland Lady Cats Tuesday night in Carrollton at the Region 7AAAAA tournament, 57-33. The loss ends the season for the Woodland girls with a 4-21 record. The Lady Cats started the season with 17 straight losses, but won four games over the last 13 days. Carrollton (25-1) advanced to the region tournament semifinals Thursday at Villa Rica where they will face Kell. The win also secured a state tournament berth for the Lady Trojans.

The Adairsville boys basketball team moved to within one game of qualifying for the state tournament Tuesday night with a 61-47 win over Murray County at Calhoun in the Region 6AAA tournament. The Tigers led 17-9 after one quarter and 23-18 af halftime on their way to a 36-30 lead after three quarters. In the final eight minutes, Adairsville outscored the Indians 25-17 for a 14-point victory. Murray County stayed in the game through three quarters with some successful three-point shooting. The Indians made seven threes in the contest. Adairsville was successful getting to the free throw line, including 17 of 22 in the fourth quarter. The Tigers were 21 of 31 from the charity stripe in the game. Murray County converted only eight of 15 free throws. Ronald Hardin led four Tigers in double figures with 19 points. Hunter Hice (photo right), who was recently named to the All-Region 6AAA First Team, totaled 12 points. Cody Henderson and Cole Hewatt followed with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Juan Perez scored four points. Ethan Belcher and Denzel Pitt added two points each. James Sims chipped in with one point. Aaron Beavers scored 13 points for Murray County. Cade Vice scored 11 points. Dominick Genitempo added 10 points. The Indians’ season ended with a 4-21 record. Adairsville (15-11) will face Ringgold Wednesday at 5:30pm in the next round. All games in the Region 6AAA tournament are being hosted by Calhoun.

The Cass Lady Colonels won their opening round game at the Region 7AAAAA playoffs and punched their ticket to the state playoffs. The Cass boys team, however, lost to Paulding County in an opening round game at Kell High School. CASS GIRLS 55, HIRAM 24 The Lady Colonels took care of business Tuesday night with a 55-24 defeat of Hiram in the first round of the Region 7AAAAA at Villa Rica High School. With the win, Cass advances to the region semifinals Thursday at Villa Rica against either 2-seed Villa Rica or 7-seed Paulding County. Those two teams were playing Tuesday night. The Lady Colonels led 13-6 after one quarter and held a 21-17 advantage at the half. It was an explosive third quarter that made the difference as Cass extended the lead to 39-21 by outscoring the Lady Hornets 18-4 in the period. Jana Morning and Chanel Clemmons led Cass in scoring with 18 and 15 points, respectively. Lyric Curtis scored seven points. Payton Stoddard, Sharia Wade, and Kyla Michienzi each added five points. Hiram’s season ends with a 5-21 record. Cass (19-6) is also guaranteed a spot in the Class AAAAA State Tournament for the first time since 2006. A win in Thursday’s region semifinals would secure a home game in the opening round of the state tournament. PAULDING COUNTY BOYS 56, CASS 45 Slow starts at tournament time can be lethal and that was definitely the case for the Cass boys basketball team Tuesday night against Paulding County in the Region 7AAAAA tournament at Kell High School. Paulding shutout the Colonels 12-0 in the first quarter and extended their lead to 25-10 by the intermission. Cass narrowed the difference to 32-23 entering the fourth quarter, but could not complete the comeback. Cass got as close as three points during the fourth quarter, but Paulding responded by pushing their lead back out to ten points with 2:25 left and ultimately held on for an 11-point victory. Ashton Burley led Cass with 10 points. Mark Chester finished with nine points. C.J. Bennett scored eight points. Ian Whittington added seven points and eight rebounds for the Colonels. With the win, Paulding County (11-15) advances to the region semifinals Thursday at Villa Rica to play the Kell/East Paulding winner. The win also earns the Patriots a spot in the Class AAAAA State Tournament that begins the following week. The Colonels season comes to a close with an 18-8 record.

The Excel Christian Academy girls were eliminated from the Region 6A tournament Tuesday afternoon with an 81-18 loss to top-ranked St. Francis. The No. 1 Lady Knights took a 33-4 lead after one quarter and cruised to a victory that ended Excel’s season. Kasi Kushkituah led five St. Francis players in double figures with 18 points. Amirah Adbur-Rahim followed with 12 points. Nichel Tampa, Kennedy Powell and Arynn Eady added 10 points each. Rylie Boston led the Lady Eagles with 10 points. Kalli Beth Scheff chipped in with four points. Brighton McCollum and Lidsey Mauldin added two points apiece. St. Francis improved to 22-4 on the season with the win and advanced in region tournament play. Excel finished the year with a 10-11 record.

The Lady Canes led early, but fell behind in the second quarter and eventually lost to Troup County 43-35 in their opening game of the Region 5AAAA basketball tournament at LaGrange High School. The loss ends the season for the Lady Canes who finished with a 10-16 record. Troup led 21-19 at halftime and the Lady Tigers extended their lead to 33-22 after three quarters. Shaqoya Gilbert led Troup with 12 points. Jedda Madden added 10 points and Kwa Spence added nine for the Tigers. Monica Motuba scored nine points to lead Cartersville. Madison McKinney scored eight. Kimora McClinic finished with seven points. Camilla Rodriguez scored four, A’mya Davis three, Chloe Davis two, and India Reid two points for the Hurricanes. Troup County (16-10) advances to the region semifinals and locks in a spot in the Class AAA state tournament.