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January 10, 2025 The Cass High School swim team finished runner-up to Rome at a Wolves’ home quad meet Thursday night. Rome won the meet with 237 points. Cass was second with 101, followed by Model (48) and Armuchee (13). Adyson Doolittle of Cass won the girls’ 200-yard individual medley at 3:12.07. Two other Cass individuals had runner-up finishes. Anniston Duckett was second in the girls’ 100-yard butterfly (1:17.71), and Marta Trezza was second in the girls’ 100-yard freestyle (1:02.50). Additionally, the all-freshman girls’ 200-yard freestyle relay team of Lily Fekete, Jersi Best, Rylee Bullock, and Willow White finished second in 1:53.27. The Colonels will host Coahulla Creek and Southeast Whitfield on Tuesday at the Adairsville High School pool. The Bartow County Swim Championship will be held at Adairsville on Thursday.

January 10, 2025 Jett Johnson finished 4-0 in his bouts at the Region 7-AAA Duals Thursday night. The Adairsville HIgh School wrestling team finished fourth Thursday night at the Region 7-AAA Duals Championship at Heritage-Catoosa in Ringgold. Jett Johnson was the top performer for the Tigers. He was undefeated in four bouts and pinned each opponent. Adairsville fell to Lafayette (49-28) in the first round but had wins over Calhoun (46-33) and Northwest Whitfield (53-26) before losing the Third Place match to Lafayette, 60-21. The Area Traditional Championship for Adairsville is at Lafayette on February 1.

January 10, 2025 The Cartersville girls’ and boys’ basketball teams won home games over visiting Woodland Thursday night at the Storm Center, while the Cass teams split games at Allatoona. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 74, WOODLAND 9 Zoe McCurry goes up for two of her 18 points in Cartersville's win over Woodland. The Lady Canes built a big lead early and rolled to a 74-9 win over Woodland Thursday night at home. Zoe McCurry scored a game-high 18 points to pace Cartersville. Senai Camper followed with 17 points, and KK Arnold finished with 14 points for the Lady Canes. McCurry added seven steals and five assists. Camper had 10 rebounds and five steals, while Arnold contributed five assists and four steals. Zay Bryan scored four points for the Lady Cats. Woodland (1-18, 1-5) visits Cass on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Cartersville (10-7, 6-0) hosts Dalton (13-3, 6-1) in a showdown of the Region 7-4A leaders on Tuesday. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 71, WOODLAND 46 Wyatt Thomason scored 22 points and collected six rebounds Thursday vs. Woodland. The Hurricanes started fast Thursday night, leading Woodland 38-25 by halftime in an eventual 71-46 Storm Center win over the Wildcats. Wyatt Thomason paced the Canes with 22 points and grabbed six rebounds. Kyron McClendon scored 15 points, and Zac Tolbert added nine. Grayson Warmack collected seven rebounds, and Shakai Taylor added six boards. Tylen Metcalf and Isaiah Livsey led the Wildcats with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Woodland (4-13, 0-6) visits Cass on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip. Cartersville (9-9, 4-3) hosts Dalton on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CASS GIRLS 47, ALLATOONA 22 The Lady Colonels led 17-3 after the opening eight minutes and built a 29-8 lead by halftime Thursday night in Cobb County en route to a 25-point victory at Allatoona, 47-22. KK Evans had 12 points to lead a balanced Lady Colonels’ scoring attack. Kiana McDaniel finished with nine points. Darianna Sosa scored eight, and Kylie Gentry scored seven for Cass. Anna de Oliveira and Ava Glassmeyer led the Lady Buccaneers (2-12, 0-7) with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Cass (7-9, 4-3) hosts Woodland on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ALLATOONA 64, CASS BOYS 53 Region 7-4A leading Allatoona kept its league record unblemished Thursday night by holding off the Cass boys, 64-53, in come-from-behind fashion. The Colonels led 18-12 after one quarter and 37-25 at halftime before the host Buccaneers rallied in the third quarter to take the lead. Allatoona outscored Cass 23-5 in that fateful period to take a 48-42 advantage leading into the fourth quarter. Dean Soulsby led Allatoona (12-5, 7-0) with 25 points. Matt McAuley and Lewis Nganga added 10 points for the Buccaneers. Jason Brown scored 14 points for Cass. Xavier Lowe followed with 12 points and Jakai Baldwin added eight. Cass (5-11, 2-5) hosts Woodland on Tuesday in a 7:30 p.m. start.

Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com In conjunction with WBHF and Bartow Sports Zone, Elite Stone Supply presents the ELITE ATHLETES OF THE MONTH. Each month, local high schools 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. Ben Abernathy is the December 2024 Elite Athlete of the Month for Adairsville High School. Abernathy is a senior forward on the Tigers’ basketball team, averaging 13.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, including a recent double-double of 16 points and 23 rebounds in just three quarters during a win over Ridgeland. He has recently received multiple offers to continue his education and basketball career, including John Melvin College, Belhaven University, Grove City College, and Oberlin College. “Ben has been a model of consistency from day one.  His physical growth and skill development testify to his hard work and dedication to making himself the best player.  His leadership and competitiveness have been an important part of the success of the Tiger Basketball program,” commented Tigers’ head coach Alex Disbrow. The son of Philip and Crystal Abernathy, he has a 3.7 GPA. Nas Bennett is the December 2024 Elite Athlete of the Month for Cartersville High School. A junior guard on the Hurricanes’ basketball team, Bennett is a team captain averaging 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists per game. He also hit a last-second shot earlier this season to defeat Hiram in a key region game. “Nas is a hard-working student athlete on and off the floor,” noted Cartersville coach Mike Tobin. “He earned All-Region honors last year as a sophomore and has continued to improve daily. He has enjoyed an outstanding start to this season.” He is the son of Quincy and Taia Harris. The December 2024 Elite Athlete of the Month representing Cass High School is Nakayla Evans. Evans, a junior forward/guard on the Lady Colonels’ basketball team, also excels with the Cass softball and track teams.  “KK is averaging double figures in scoring and is the Lady Colonels’ top scorer through the first half of the season,” noted Cass athletic director Nicky Moore. Evans plans to attend a college or university after high school to continue her education and athletic career. She is currently undecided on an academic major. Tylen Metcalf is the December 2024 Elite Athlete of the Month for Woodland High School. A sophomore point guard on the Wildcats’ basketball team, he has been a leading scorer and recently earned all-tournament honors at the Carrollton SMI Christmas Classic. “Tylen always puts 100% effort into every day and works hard on both ends of the court,” said Woodland basketball coach Kip Dyer. “He can bring up our defensive energy each game and is the spark we need in many games.” The son of Nicole and Dwayne Metcalf, he wants to continue his education after high school and play college basketball. Editors Note: The respective schools and athletic departments supply Bartow Sports Zone and WBHF with photos and bios. Elite Stone Supply Co., LLC is the monthly sponsor. Athletes receive a plaque and recognition during a radio feature on WBHF. #EliteAthletesoftheMonth #Cass #Cartersville #Woodland #Adairsville #highschool

January 8, 2025 Local teams were involved in a complete schedule of high school basketball games on Tuesday night. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 55, RIDGELAND 25 The Lady Tigers built a 20-point lead by halftime and cruised to a 55-25 home region win Tuesday night over Ridgeland. Adairsville led 32-12 at the intermission and 42-19 by the end of the third quarter. NaXyria Roberts scored 21 points to lead the Lady Tigers. Annslee Craig added 10 points. Sha Elliott’s 12 points led the Lady Panthers (4-13, 0-5).  The Adairsville girls (9-7, 2-2) are scheduled to play at Calhoun on Friday night. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 80, RIDGELAND 30 Ben Abernathy scored 16 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in the Tigers win on Tuesday. Four Tigers reached double-figure scoring Tuesday night as Adairsville routed the visiting Ridgeland Panthers, 80-30. Adairsville led 16-3 after one quarter, 44-14 at halftime, and 73-25 through three quarters en route to a 50-point win. Ben Abernathy recorded a double-double with 23 rebounds and 16 points in three quarters of playing time. Tre Winters led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points. Xavious Nalls contributed 16 points, and Barrett Fuller added 11. TJ Foster scored 10 points for the Panthers (5-12, 0-5). Adairsville (8-8, 3-1) is scheduled to play at Calhoun on Friday. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 64, CEDARTOWN 28 The Lady Canes built a 27-11 lead by halftime and eased to a 64-28 victory Tuesday night at Cedartown to stay undefeated in Region 7-4A play. Senai Camper led a balanced scoring attack for Cartersville with 11 points. She added five assists and two rebounds. JaBryanna Henderson scored 10 points with one rebound. KK Arnold totaled nine points, five steals, and four assists. Zoe McCurry finished with nine points, two assists, and two boards.  Kenzlei Boozer and Hayvin Barclay led the Lady Bulldogs (4-11, 2-4) with 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Cartersville girls (9-7, 6-0) will host Woodland on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CEDARTOWN 85, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 74 (OT) Grayson Warmack The host Bulldogs improved to 9-7 on the season and 3-3 in Region 7-4A Tuesday night with an 85-74 win over Cartersville. Cartersville rallied in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. Nas Bennett, Wyatt Thomason, and Grayson Warmack had seven rebounds for Cartersville in the loss. Kaden Baldwin finished with six assists. The Hurricanes (8-9, 3-3) will host Woodland on Thursday night. SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 40, WOODLAND GIRLS 21 The Lady Cats (1-17, 1-5) dropped a 40-21 Region 7-4A contest Tuesday with visiting Southeast Whitfield. The Lady Raiders improved to 3-7 overall and 2-4 in region play. The Woodland girls visit Cartersville on Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. tip. WOODLAND BOYS 65, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 27 The Wildcats raced to a 21-5 lead in the first quarter and added to their advantage each period Tuesday night in a 65-27 home region win over Southeast Whitfield. Tylen and Jayden Metcalf led Woodland with 15 and 14 points. Isaiah Livsey contributed 11, and Caiden Moore scored nine for the Wildcats. Mason Williams led the visiting Raiders (0-13, 0-6) with 10 points. Woodland (5-12, 1-5) plays at Cartersville on Thursday night. EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 77, PRAISE ACADEMY 74 The Excel Christian Academy Eagles won a hard-fought, back-and-forth win Tuesday night at Praise Academy, 77-74. Excel led 20-14 after the opening eight minutes, and the score was tied at halftime 38-38. Praise Academy led 57-55 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Eagles outscored the Lions 22-17 in the final eight minutes to escape with a three-point win. Carter May scored 22 points for ECA. Evan Chappell followed with 19 points. Kaiyu Huffman chipped in 11 points, and Kamarian Profit added 10. Brandon Ivey paced Praise with 20 points. Joshua Ridge contributed 16 points, and Hunter Ivey added 15 for the Lions (7-5). Excel Christian (9-7) is scheduled to play at Fideles Christian on Friday.  HIRAM 63, CASS GIRLS 59 Cadie Paez scored 11 points Tuesday in the Lady Colonels' home loss to Hiram. The Lady Colonels went down to the wire with visiting Hiram Tuesday night, but the Lady Hornets escaped with a four-point Region 7-4A victory. Hiram led 18-13 after one quarter before Cass grabbed a 30-28 advantage at the intermission. The Lady Hornets regained the lead by the end of the third quarter, 47-43, and held on in the final stanza. Taylor Crawford and Danariah Windom led Hiram (6-10, 5-1) with 27 and 21 points, respectively. Anizah Taylor and KK Evans posted 15 points for the Lady Colonels. Cadie Paez finished with 11 points. Cass (6-9, 3-3) plays at Allatoona on Thursday at 6 p.m. HIRAM 60, CASS BOYS 49 The Colonels stayed close with the visiting Hornets for over three quarters, but Hiram outscored Cass 17-9 in the fourth quarter Tuesday night for a 60-49 Region 7-4A win. Hiram led 12-9 after one quarter, 24-23 at halftime, and 43-40 moving into the fourth quarter. “We kept it close but couldn’t hit a shot late,” said Colonels’ head coach Kevin Cunningham. “All we can do is get ready for Allatoona.” Kingston Wilcox led Hiram with 17 points. Dino Loyd scored 14 points, and Mason McKinney added 11 for the Hornets (6-10, 4-2). Xavier Lowe scored 19 points for the Colonels, and Jakai Baldwin scored 10. Cass (5-10, 2-4) is scheduled to play at Allatoona on Thursday night.

January 6, 2025 The holiday season slowed down schedules for a while, but our local collegiate and professional athletes and their teams are rolling back into action as we move into 2025. CHINA — CBA PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Xinjiang Flying Tigers (5th yr. pro; Cartersville native; University of Kentucky; Newton HS) … totaled 21 points with 25 assists, ten steals, and seven rebounds as the Flying Tigers lost to Shanxi this past Sunday 115-110, beat Sichuan 100-94 last Friday, and lost to Shandong 111-107 earlier in the week. Xinjiang (19-7) is in third place in the 20-team league standings. The Flying Tigers have games with Nanjing, Fujian, and Nanjing this week. WRESTLING JABRIL WILLIAMS — Midway University (Graduate Student, Cartersville HS) … went 3-1 and placed third in the 165-pound bracket this past Saturday at the Fairmont State University (WV) Open. Midway hosts Cumberland (TN) University on Wednesday night. JAXON SMITH — University of Maryland (R-Jr., Woodland HS) …  ranked No. 10 as an individual in the 184-pound weight class, Smith defeated his Columbia opponent 7-4, topped his Lock Haven opponent 12-2 in a major decision, but lost a 4-3 decision to his Binghamton opponent in a tri-meet this past Sunday in Albany, New York. The Terrapins kick off Big Ten Conference action this weekend at Michigan on Friday and Michigan State on Sunday. BASKETBALL NA’YEL CAMPER — Reinhardt University (Fr., Cartersville HS) … scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds with three steals and two assists as a starter this past Saturday in an 81-63 home win over Bluefield University (VA). The Lady Eagles (12-3, 7-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference) visit Johnson University (TN) on Tuesday night and host Kentucky Christian on Saturday afternoon, ANSLEY GRIFFIN — North Carolina Wesleyan (Fr., Cartersville HS) … had one assist this past Saturday in the Battlin’ Bishops’ 72-38 blowout win at home over William Peace University (NC). Wesleyan (5-6, 2-2 USA South Athletic Conference) plays at Greensboro College on Tuesday and Meredith College on Saturday. HALEY JOHNSON — Reinhardt University (Jr., Cass HS) … scored four points and collected four rebounds with two assists and one steal this past Saturday in an 81-63 home win over Bluefield University (VA). Reinhardt (12-3, 7-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference) travels to Johnson University (TN) on Tuesday night and hosts Kentucky Christian on Saturday afternoon. T.J. PRINTUP — Tusculum University (So., Adairsville HS) … saw his first action of the season this past Saturday in a 73-70 home loss to Limestone University. Printup finished with seven points and five rebounds in 16 minutes off the Pioneers’ bench. Tusculum (3-10, 3-6 South Atlantic Conference) has conference games this week at Emory & Henry University (VA) and Anderson University (SC) on Wednesday and Saturday. MEGAN SCHULTZ — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Fr., Woodland HS) … had two rebounds and one assist this past Saturday in the Fillies’ 78-69 home loss to Thomas (GA) University. ABAC (5-10, 0-4 Southern States Athletic Conference) hosts the University of Mobile and Life University on Thursday and Saturday. LONDAISHA SMITH — St. Andrews University (Sr., Cass HS) … scored 13 points with nine rebounds, two steals, and one assist this past Saturday in an 81-57 loss at Bryan College (TN). The Lady Knights (5-9, 2-6 Appalachian Athletic Conference) visit Columbia International University on Tuesday and host Johnson University (TN) on Thursday. ALISSA WINTERS — Truett McConnell University (Fr., Adairsville HS) … grabbed eight rebounds and scored five points with four assists and two steals in the Bears’ 63-53 loss this past Saturday at Montreat College (NC). TMU (6-7, 4-4 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Bryan College (TN) on Tuesday and the University of Pikeville on Saturday.

January 5, 2025 Tre Winters (seated) scored his 1000th point Saturday in the Tigers' 72-64 win at home over Cass. Tre Winters reached the career 1,000-point milestone and scored 22 points Saturday night in the Adairsville Tigers’ 72-64 home win over Cass. Ben Abernathy also poured in 22 points for the Tigers. Adairsville led 35-29 at halftime and then built an 18-point lead in the third quarter. The Tigers then held off the Colonels over the final eight minutes for an eight-point victory. Xavious Nalls scored 11 points for Adairsville. Eli Pearson and Tyrek Hames added nine and eight, respectively. Jakai Baldwin paced Cass with 23 points. Jason Brown produced 12 points, and Comari Nettles added 11. Cass (5-9) returns to Region 7-4A play on Tuesday at home against Hiram at 7:30 p.m. Adairsville (7-8) hosts Ridgeland Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Tigers’ return to Region 7-3A action. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 55, CASS 29 The Lady Tigers outscored Cass 21-7 in the second quarter Saturday night and pulled away for a 55-29 home victory. Adairsville led 32-17 at halftime and 43-25 by the end of the third quarter en route to a 26-point win. Rihannon Crittendon led the Lady Tigers with 14 points. Alivia Joslin finished with nine. NaXyria Roberts, Lily Roberts, and Ziyah Hicks added eight points. KK Evans scored ten points for Cass. Cadie Paez added eight. Cass (6-8) returns to Region 7-4A play on Tuesday at home against Hiram. Adairsville (8-7) hosts Ridgeland for a Region 7-3A game on Tuesday at 6 p.m. POPE 48, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 38 The visiting Lady Greyhounds of Pope held narrow leads at the end of each of the first three quarters and held on to defeat the Cartersville girls Saturday night at the Storm Center 48-38. The game was one of eight played at Cartersville High on Saturday in the Wood Elite Skills Showdown. Sarah Gentry, Abbey Bowman, and Meryl Palazzo led Pope (14-2) with 13, 12, and 10 points, respectively. Zoe McCurry scored 11 points with three assists and one steal for the Lady Canes. KK Arnold finished with nine points and two rebounds. Jayda Cothran also scored nine points with five rebounds and three steals. The Lady Canes (8-7) return to Region 7-4A play on Tuesday at Cedartown in a 6 p.m. tip. ROME 77, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 73 In the final game of the night at the Wood Elite Showdown hosted by Cartersville High School, the visiting Rome Wolves edged the Canes 77-73. Both teams had hot shooting nights. Cartersville made a season-high 13 three-pointers. The Wolves led 22-13 after one quarter and 41-27 at the intermission. The Hurricanes narrowed the margin to 59-52 heading into the final period. Rome (10-3) had five players hit double-digit scoring, led by Jeremy Winston, who scored 23 points. Jamiel Williams totaled 15. Parko Smith contributed 12 points, while Darnell Collins and Malikhi Glover added 10. Nas Bennett scored 23 points and had six rebounds for Cartersville. Wyatt Thomason contributed 21 points and six rebounds. Kaden Baldwin added 13 points. The Canes (8-8) travel to Cedartown on Tuesday to resume Region 7-4A play at 7:30 p.m. PINECREST ACADEMY 65, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 56 The host Paladins led at the end of each period and had three players reach double-figure scoring to defeat Excel Christian Academy Saturday in Cumming, 65-56. Pinecrest (7-3) led 18-13 after one quarter, 35-19 at halftime, and 50-42 at the end of the third quarter. Michael Lynch scored 18 points for the Paladins. Joe Frain followed with 16, and Jake Bohn produced 11 points for Pinecrest Academy. Kaiyu Huffman led the Eagles with 17 points. Christian Vieira and Jayden Jinks added eight for ECA. Excel Christian (8-7) visits Praise Academy of Powder Springs on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

January 5, 2025 The Woodland Wildcats won their second straight region duals title on Saturday. Woodland wrestling won three straight dual matches Saturday to capture the 2024-25 Region 7-4A title. The Wildcats defeated Cedartown (54-19) and Southeast Whitfield (59-21) to reach the championship match. Cass had wins over Hiram (71-11) and Cartersville (52-24) in the first two rounds to reach the finals against Woodland. The Wildcats defeated the Colonels 39-33 in the championship match. In recent years, whenever Woodland and Cass have been in the same region, one of these local teams has secured the region duals title. Cartersville finished third in the tournament. The Canes beat Dalton (57-18) in the first round and had a win over Cedartown (62-19) to earn a rematch with Dalton in the third-place match. The Canes' second win over Dalton was 50-46. Woodland’s Adrian Zapata (126 pounds), Dylan Couey (138), Paul Lanier (157), Zach Wallace (175), Owen Jones (190), and John Gill (215) were 3-0 in their bouts on Saturday. Nick Weathersbee (106) and Christian Cothran (175) were 2-1. Cass' Hayden Trimm, Gavin Walker, Hunter Barrett, Aidan Piatt, and Mason Tompkins went 3-0. Luka Jensen, Rowdy Duck, David Jewell, Ethan Harrington, and Codey Dean finished 2-1 for the day. Cartersville’s Talan Nix (150) and Peter Cepeda were 4-0 in the tournament. Grant Adams (126) was 3-0. Cole Henson finished the day with a 3-1 mark, and Grey Williams (144) was 2-1. Woodland and Cass have advanced to the Class 4A State Duals Tournament on January 17-18 at Ola High School in McDonough.

January 3, 2025 The Cartersville and Adairsville girls picked up basketball victories on Friday night, but the Adairsville boys dropped a close game in Rome. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 51, LIBERTY MAGNET (LA) 39 Trinity Montgomery scored seven points and added three rebounds Friday in the Lady Canes' win at the She Got Game Classic. The Lady Canes defeated Liberty Magnet of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 51-39 Friday evening in the She Got Game Classic at the LakePoint Champions Center in Emerson. Cartersville held a narrow 22-19 lead at halftime and built a 41-29 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. KK Arnold scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Lady Canes. Zoe McCurry followed with 11 points with five steals and four assists. Trinity Montgomery added seven points with three boards. Jamia Raby led the Lady Patriots (7-10) with ten points. The Lady Canes (8-6) host the Wood Elite Showdown on Saturday at the Storm Center and will play Pope at 7 p.m. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 57, ROME 44 The Lady Tigers battled at Rome in a close contest for three quarters and pulled away in the final eight minutes to defeat the Lady Wolves on Friday, 57-44. Adairsville led 11-10 after one quarter, 20-19 at halftime, and 38-35 through three quarters. NaXyria Roberts paced the Lady Tigers with 16 points. Samantha Gough contributed 10 points, and Alivia Joslin added eight for Adairsville. Rome (10-6) was led by Niya Winston and Grace Hunter with 17 and 12 points, respectively. Adairsville (7-7) hosts Cass on Saturday at 6 p.m. ROME 72, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 66 Rome had four players in double figures and held off visiting Adairsville Friday night, 72-66. Malikhi Glover led the Wolves with 18 points. Jeremy Winston finished with 16. Darnell Collins and Jamiel Williams added 12 and 10 points, respectively. "We had a bad second quarter," said Adairsville head coach Alex Disbrow. "We were competitive the rest of the way." Tre Winters poured in 25 points to lead the Tigers. Xavious Nalls scored 14 points, and Ben Abernathy contributed 11 points for Adairsville. Rome improved to 9-3. Adairsville (6-8) hosts Cass on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

December 30, 2024 Xavious Nalls fires a corner jump shot in the Tigers' championship game loss to Paulding County. The Adairsville Tigers run in their Christmas Clash tournament ended Monday night with a championship game loss to Paulding County, 82-62. The Patriots led 28-20 after one period, 48-31 at halftime, and 65-49 en route to their 20-point victory. Jayden Lawson led Paulding County (10-5) with 19 points. Jerron Wilson followed with 16. KJ James scored 15. George Shumpert tossed in 13 points, and Jalen Moreland added 10 for the Patriots. Xavious Nalls scored 26 points to pace the Tigers. Tre Winters finished with 14. Eli Pearson and Ben Abernathy added nine and eight, respectively. Adairsville (6-7) visits Rome for a 7:30 p.m. start on Friday and hosts Cass at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Adairsville's Tre Winters heads to the basket in the Tigers' championship game loss to Paulding County. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 46, EAST PAULDING 40 The Lady Tigers won the fifth-place game at the Adairsville Christmas Clash on Monday afternoon with a 46-40 win over East Paulding. The Lady Raiders led 7-6 after one quarter and 20-16 at halftime, but Adairsville outscored East Paulding 15-6 in the third quarter to take the lead, 31-26. Naxyria Roberts and Alivia Joslin led the Lady Tigers with 12 points. Lily Roberts, Ziyah Hicks, and Rihanna Crittenden added six. Aasiyah Mozelle scored 10 points for the Raiders. Laniya Foster and Izabella Lopez added eight for East Paulding (6-9). The Adairsville girls (6-7) play at Rome on Friday at 6 p.m. and host Cass on Saturday at 6 p.m. WOODLAND BOYS 66, UNITY CHRISTIAN 42 The Wildcats completed a two-game season sweep of Unity Christian Monday night in Rome with a 66-42 win. After one quarter, Woodland raced to a 21-7 lead and was not threatened in the contest. The Wildcats led 42-16 at halftime and 53-27 through three quarters. “Our defensive pressure in the first half helped us get off to a good start,” noted Woodland coach Kip Dyer. “Tylen Metcalf had a good first half.” Metcalf finished with 16 points for the Wildcats. Jayden Metcalf totaled 15 points. Elijah Morris scored 11. Caiden Moore and Isaiah Livsey added eight and seven points, respectively. Sam Jones led Unity Christian (1-11) with 16 points. Ondreo Sawyer finished with 14 points for the Lions. Woodland (4-12) hosts Southeast Whitfield in a Region 7-4A game on Tuesday, January 7. UNITY CHRISTIAN 50, WOODLAND GIRLS 29 The Lady Lions improved to 4-4. The Woodland girls slipped to 1-15. Next for the Lady Cats is a home region game against Southeast Whitfield on Tuesday, January 7. SONORAVILLE 62, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 50 The Sonoraville Phoenix built a big lead and then held on Monday afternoon to defeat Cartersville 62-50 in the seventh-place game at the Adairsville Christmas Clash. Sonoraville’s Clay Worley and Braxton Coats combined for a dozen three-pointers in their win. Worley scored 23 points, and Coats finished with 17. Elijah Woods added 15 for the Phoenix. Sonoraville led 20-7 after one quarter, 31-17 at halftime, and 53-33 through three quarters. Nas Bennett led the Canes with 21 points. Wyatt Thomason added 13. Cartersville (8-7) will host Rome on Saturday night in the Wood Elite Showcase at 8:30 p.m. OTHER RESULTS FROM THE ADAIRSVILLE CHRISTMAS CLASH The Sonoraville girls won the tournament championship over North Cobb, 41-25. The win for the Lady Phoenix gave them the Christmas Clash title in back-to-back seasons, The McEachern girls defeated Model in the third-place game, 51-40, and the Blessed Trinity girls won the seventh-place game over Ringgold, 58-50. North Paulding beat Ringgold 60-55 to win the boys’ fifth-place game. Allatoona defeated Blessed Trinity 48-34 to win the boys’ third-place game. Girls Christmas Clash All-Tournament Team Ella Kate Walraven, Sonoraville, MVP Erin Garland, Sonoraville Layla Townsend, Sonoraville Sophie Townsend, Sonoraville Hailee McIntyre, North Cobb London Reyes, North Cobb Jaidyn Taylor, North Cobb Kamri Sanders, Model Sasha Wood, Model Chelsea Njoku, McEachern Summer Edwards, McEachern Alivia Joslin, Adairsville Aasryan Mozelle, East Paulding Addie Spak, Blessed Trinity Janae Gowdy, Ringgold Boys Christmas Clash All-Tournament Team Ron Wilson, Paulding County, MVP George Shumpert, Paulding County Sebastian Okullo, Paulding County KJ James, Paulding County Ben Abernathy, Adairsville Xavious Nalls, Adairsville Tre Winters, Adairsville DJ Jacobs, Blessed Trinity Matt Lister, Blessed Trinity Matthew McAuley, Allatoona Kellen Phillips, Allatoona Jayden Mosley, North Paulding Bryce Harris, Ringgold Elijah Woods, Sonoraville Nas Bennett, Cartersville

January 1, 2025 Cartersville High School will host the Wood Elite Basketball Showdown on Saturday (Jan. 4) at The Storm Center. Eight games will be played (four girls’ games / four boys’ games) beginning at 10 a.m. Wood Elite Showdown at Cartersville High School 10 a.m. — Girls — Alexander (7-7) vs. Hiram (5-9) 11:30 a.m. — Girls — South Paulding (8-5) vs. Horizon Christian (8-5) 1 p.m. — Girls — Dalton (9-3) vs. Northview (9-5) 2:30 p.m. — Boys — Arlington Christian (11-0) vs. East Paulding (3-12) 4 p.m. — Boys — South Paulding (9-4) vs. Pope (10-4) 5:30 p.m. — Boys — Hiram (4-9) vs. St. Andrews (9-2) 7 p.m. — Girls — Cartersville (7-6) vs. Pope (12-2) 8:30 p.m. — Boys — Cartersville (8-7) vs. Rome (8-3)

December 31, 2024 Charles Wilson, BartowSportsZone.com Only a few of Cartersville and Bartow County’s college and pro athletes were in action this past week during the holidays, but we have the updates. CHINA — CBA PRO BASKETBALL ASHTON HAGANS — Xinjiang Flying Tigers (5th yr. pro; Cartersville native; University of Kentucky; Newton HS) … the Flying Tigers went 1-1 last week as Hagans totaled 10 points with eleven assists, five rebounds, and two steals. Xinjiang (18-5) lost 115-89 to Liaoning but defeated Beijing 108-97. The Flying Tigers are in third place in the 20-team league and play Shandong on Wednesday and Sichuan on Saturday.  WRESTLING Bryce Kresho BRYCE KRESHO — Franklin & Marshall College (Jr., Cass HS) … went 4-3 in his 141-pound bouts to finish fifth at the Midlands Championships this past weekend in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The Diplomats will host the Franklin & Marshall Open on Saturday. BASKETBALL Braxton Benham BRAXTON BENHAM — Berry College (Sr., Cass HS) … scored 33 points with eight rebounds, eight assists, and one steal in an 83-79 win over Ferrum University this past Sunday at the Captains Shootout in Newport News, Virginia. On Monday, Benham led the Vikings with 27 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals in a 79-71 loss to host Christopher Newport University. The Vikings (7-6) host Sewanee-University of the South on January 10. JA’KA’YAH DRAUGHN — Chattanooga State CC (So., Cartersville HS) … scored four points with two rebounds, two steals, and one assist in a 62-51 loss to St. Petersburg College this past Sunday in a game played at South Georgia Tech. The Tigers (9-4) play Shelton State CC on Tuesday in Americus and will host Motlow State CC on January 8.