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.

December 29, 2024 The Cass High School wrestling team carried only six wrestlers to the Greater Miami Valley Holiday Wrestling Tournament this past Friday and Saturday (Dec. 27-28) in Vandalia, Ohio, but managed a 12th-place team finish in the 64-team field. The Colonels were led by Mason Tompkins (175 pounds), who went 4-1 in his bouts for a runner-up podium finish. Aidan Piatt was 3-3 in the 144-pound division and placed sixth. Codey Dean (215 pounds) placed eighth with a 3-3 mark, and Luka Jensen (132 pounds) was 2-2 in his bouts. Cass will host the Region 7-4A Duals Championship on Saturday, January 4. The tournament will include Woodland, Cedartown, Cartersville, Allatoona, Dalton, and Hiram.

December 29, 2024 With both teams coming off overtime wins on Friday night, the Adairsvile Tigers outlasted the Blessed Trinity Titans 67-62 in another overtime game Saturday night in the semifinals of the 2024 Christmas Clash at Adairsville High School. The Tigers led 21-20 after a fast-paced opening quarter on Saturday, but the Titans held a 35-31 advantage at the intermission. Adairsville moved back ahead by the end of the third quarter, 46-43 before Blessed Trinity forced overtime with the score knotted at 59-59. The Tigers outscored the Titans 8-3 in overtime, converting six of eight free throws. In the added four minutes, Adairsville’s Tre Winters had the only field goal for either team. DJ Jacobs led Blessed Trinity with 20 points. Henry Chastain scored 13 points, and Matt Lister finished with 12 points for the Titans (3-7). Xavious Nalls had 20 points for Adairsville, followed by Winters with 16. Tyrek Hames contributed 13 points. Ben Abernathy scored 10, and Barrett Fuller scored eight points for the Tigers. Blessed Trinity will play Allatoona on Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the third-place game. Adairsville (6-6) will square off with Paulding County for the tournament championship on Monday at 8:30 p.m. The Patriots (9-5) edged Allatoona 69-65 in double-overtime in Saturday's other boys' semifinal game. ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 50, RINGGOLD 39 The Adairsville Lady Tigers snapped a four-game losing skid Saturday and advanced to play in the consolation finals with a 50-39 victory over the Ringgold Tigers. Adairsville trailed 17-7 after one quarter and 20-15 at halftime but outscored Ringgold 35-19 in the second half to pull out an 11-point win. Keeley Mountjoy and Jersey Rae Loy led Ringgold (7-5) with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Rihanna Crittenden scored 14 points to lead Adairsville. Alivia Joslin added 11 and Ziyah Hicks seven for the Adairsville girls. Adairsville (5-7) faces East Paulding on Monday at 1 p.m. in the consolation finals of the Christmas Clash. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 58, SUMTER COUNTY 49 The Lady Canes earned a split of their two games at the Carrollton Christmas Showcase with a 58-49 win over Sumter County on Saturday at Carrollton High School. Senai Camper scored 15 points with eight rebounds and three assists to help Cartersville bounce back on Saturday following their loss to Phenix City-Central on Friday. Zoe McCurry also reached double-figure scoring for the Lady Canes with 12 points. She added seven rebounds and four assists. KK Arnold finished with nine points, six assists, and collected four boards. Jesstynie Scott led Sumter County (4-5) with 26 points. The Lady Canes (7-5) will host Pope and the Wood Elite Showcase on January 4 at 7 p.m. RINGGOLD 59, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 49 The Purple Hurricanes dropped their second game at the Adairsville High School Christmas Clash on Saturday, falling to the Ringgold Tigers 59-49. Cartersville led by ten points at halftime, but Ringgold narrowed the margin to 43-39 by the end of the third quarter and outscored the Canes 20-6 in the final eight minutes. Bryce Harris and Trevor Jones led the Tigers (8-4) with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Wyatt Thomason scored 18 points and collected six rebounds for the Canes. Nas Bennett produced 12 points. AJ Cowart scored 10 points with Shakai Taylor adding nine rebounds and three points. Cartersville (8-6) will look to bounce back on Monday when the Hurricanes face Sonoraville at 11:30 a.m. in the tournament's seventh-place game. GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SET FOR ADAIRSVILLE CLASH Sonoraville outlasted McEachern 45-42, and North Cobb topped Model 40-35 in the semifinal games of the girls’ tournament at Adairsville High School on Saturday. Sonoraville and North Cobb will play for the Christmas Clash championship on Monday at 7 p.m.  McEachern and Model will play in the tournament’s third-place game at 4 p.m. on Monday. Monday’s complete schedule at Adairsville High School: 10 a.m. — Girls 7th place — Ringgold v. Blessed Trinity 11:30 a.m.. — Boys 7th place — Cartersville v. Sonoraville 1 p.m. — Girls 5th place — Adairsville v. East Paulding 2:30 p.m. —Boys 5th place — Ringgold v. North Paulding 4 p.m. — Girls 3rd place — Model v. McEachern 5:30 p.m. — Boys 3rd place — Allatoona v. Blessed Trinity 7 p.m. — Girls Championship — Sonoraville v. North Cobb 8:30 p.m. — Boys Championship — Adairsville v. Paulding County

December 27, 2024 Tre Winters scored 21 points Friday in Adairsville's overtime win over Ringgold at the Christmas Clash. The Adairsville boys have played many nail-biter games this season, and their first-round game of this year’s Christmas Clash on Friday night was no exception. In a battle of former region rivals, Adairsville outlasted the Ringgold Tigers 66-61 in overtime. “We had a three-point lead with the clock running out, and they hit another well-defended three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime,” reflected Adairsville coach Alex Disbrow. Adairsville outscored Ringgold 13-8 in the extra four-minute period to escape with a victory. Ringgold led at the end of the first three quarter stops. The visitors led 17-12 after one period, 31-27 at halftime, and 41-38 at the end of the third quarter. Adairsville outscored Ringgold 15-8 in the final eight minutes. Bryce Harris and Trevor Jones led Ringgold with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Tre Winters finished with 21 points for Adairsville. Ben Abernathy followed with 14, and Xavious Nalls added 13. Ringgold (7-4) will play Cartersville in a consolation semifinal on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Adairsville (5-6) advanced to Saturday’s championship semifinals to face Blessed Trinity at 8:30 p.m. MODEL 60, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 38 All twelve players from the Lady Blue Devils scored, with Jaeda Wells leading with 11 points, as Model triumphed over the Lady Tigers 60-38 on Friday night in the first round of the Adairsville Christmas Clash. Model (10-1) led 31-14 by halftime and 46-29 by the end of the third quarter. Alivia Joslin and Ziyah Hicks scored seven points for the Lady Tigers. Rihanna Crittendon added six in the loss. The Lady Blue Devils advanced to Saturday’s championship semifinals to face North Cobb in a 7 p.m. tip. Adairsville (4-7) will play Ringgold in a consolation semifinal on Saturday at 1 p.m. BLESSED TRINITY 64, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 63 (OT) Former region foes Cartersville and Blessed Trinity squared off Friday in the first round of the Adairsville Christmas Clash, with the Titans squeezing out a 64-63 victory in overtime. Blessed Trinity led 27-20 at halftime and 41-38 after three quarters before Cartersville rallied to tie the game at 59-all at the end of regulation. Cartersville held two fourth-quarter leads but needed Kaden Baldwin's three-pointer with only seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. The Canes led by as many as three points in the overtime session, but DJ Jacob's bucket with 0:02 remaining was the difference. Jacobs scored 29 points, including all five of Blessed Trinity’s points in overtime. Kaden Berry added 11 for the Titans (3-6).  Blessed Trinity advances to the tournament semifinals on Saturday against Adairsville at 8:30 p.m. Nas Bennett scored 19 points to pace the Hurricanes. Wyatt Thomason and Shakai Taylor totaled 13 points each. Cartersville (8-5) will play a consolation semifinal on Saturday afternoon against Ringgold at 2:30 p.m. Other scores at the Adairsville Christmas Clash on Friday: Girls Sonoraville 55, East Paulding 24 McEachern 39, Blessed Trinity 26 North Cobb 48, Ringgold 29 Boys Paulding County 65, North Paulding 52 Allatoona 85, Sonoraville 44 CENTRAL-PHENIX CITY, AL 59, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 55 The Cartersville Lady Canes narrowly lost to the Central-Phenix City (AL) Red Devils Friday at the Carrollton Christmas Showcase, 59-55. Cartersville held small leads at the end of each of the first three quarters, but Central pulled the game out over the final eight minutes by outscoring the Lady Canes 13-7. Jabria Lindsey led all scorers with 33 points for the Red Devils (13-2). Senai Camper led Cartersville with 19 points. She added five rebounds and four assists. Trinity Montgomery pitched in ten points with three rebounds and two assists. Bayley Stanley added nine points, six boards, and five steals in the loss.  The Lady Canes (6-6) will play Sumter County at Carrollton High School on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

December 25, 2024 2024 Adairsville Tigers Christmas Clash The annual Adairsville High School Christmas Clash basketball invitational begins Friday morning, with eight games played each day on December 27, 28, and 30. The first round of the girls' bracket will begin at 10 a.m. with East Paulding facing Sonoraville. The other girls' first-round games include McEachern vs. Blessed Trinity at 1 p.m., Ringgold vs. North Cobb at 4 p.m., and Model against Adairsville at 7 p.m. The boys' tournament begins at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, with Allatoona taking on Sonoraville. The other three first-round boys' games on Friday include North Paulding vs. Paulding County at 2:30 p.m., Cartersville vs. Blessed Trinity at 5:30 p.m., and Ringgold vs. Adairsville at 8:30 p.m. On Saturday, the first-round losing teams will play in the consolation semifinals. The girls' consolations will be at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The boys' consolation semifinals will start at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The girls' tournament championship semifinals will be at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The boys' championship semifinals will be at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. On Monday, all teams will play a third game with the following schedule: 10 a.m. -- 7th place girls 11:30 a.m. -- 7th place boys 1 p.m. -- 5th place girls 2:30 p.m. -- 5th place boys 4 p.m. -- 3rd place girls 5:30 p.m. -- 3rd place boys 7 p.m. -- Girls Championship 8:30 p.m. -- Boys Championship 2024 TIGERS CHRISTMAS CLASH -- GIRLS BRACKET (click on the image to enlarge) 2024 TIGERS CHRISTMAS CLASH -- BOYS BRACKET (click on the image to enlarge)

December 23, 2024 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com Most of the collegiate athletes with Cartersville and Bartow County connections are on holiday breaks, but a few were in action this past week.  In college football news, offensive linemen Jonah Gambill (Memphis) and Shadre Hurst (Tulane) had bowl games this past week. At the same time, Devin Henderson (Liberty) and Sacovie White (Georgia) prepared for upcoming games. Gambill and the Tigers won the Frisco Bowl. Hurst and the Green Wave lost at the Gasparilla Bowl. Henderson and the Flames will play in the Bahamas Bowl on January 4, and White and the Bulldogs will face Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl/CFP Quarterfinals on New Year’s Day. Three college wrestlers were on the mats last week and five locals saw basketball action. CHINA — CBA PRO BASKETBALL Ashton Hagans ASHTON HAGANS — Xinjiang Flying Tigers (5th yr. pro; Cartersville native; University of Kentucky; Newton HS) … totaled 15 points with 12 assists, two steals, and four rebounds in wins last week over Tianjin and Shandong. Xinjiang (15-4) is tied for third in the 20-team league behind first-place Guangsha and second-place Shanxi. The Flying Tigers play at Beijing on Tuesday and at Liaoning on Saturday.  COLLEGE FOOTBALL JONAH GAMBILL — University of Memphis (R-Sr., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Tigers’ offensive line that helped produce 474 yards in a 42-37 win over West Virginia last Tuesday (Dec. 17) at the Frisco Bowl in Texas. The win likely assures a final Top 25 ranking for Memphis. The Tigers (11-2) were just inside the Top 25 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the AP Poll, and the Coaches Poll in the final rankings before the bowl games. Gambill appeared in 47 games — most were starts — during his five-season career. SHADRE HURST — Tulane University (So., Cartersville HS) … a starter on the Green Wave’s offensive line that helped produce 194 yards of offense in a 33-6 loss to Florida last Friday at the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa. Hurst started all 14 games this season for Tulane, and the guard even caught a 5-yard pass in September at Louisiana-Lafayette. Tulane finished the season with a 9-5 record. Hurst has now appeared in 30 games for the Green Wave. SAM PHILLIPS — UT-Chattanooga (R-Jr., Cartersville HS) … a wide receiver, Phillips has entered the transfer portal after 28 games, 117 receptions, 1519 yards, and seven touchdowns with the Mocs. Chattanooga was 7-5 in 2024.  He caught 50 passes this past season for 823 yards and three touchdowns and will be a redshirt senior. COLLEGE WRESTLING BRYCE KRESHO — Franklin & Morris College (Jr., Cass HS) … went 3-2 and placed fourth this past weekend at the Sheridan Open in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Diplomats return to the mats December 29-30 at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Evanston, Illinois. Tyler-Xavier McKnight TYLER-XAVIER McKNIGHT — Davidson College (So., Cass HS) … reached the semifinals before falling and went 4-1 to finish third in the 149-pound bracket at the Wilkes Open this past weekend. He was one of six Wildcats reaching the Wilkes-Barr, Pennsylvania podium. Davidson will wrestle next at the Chattanooga Southern Scuffle on January 4-5. JAXON SMITH — University of Maryland (R-Jr., Woodland HS) … went 1-2 in a quad-duals meet this past weekend in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The Terrapins went 0-3 as a team, endangering their current No. 24 ranking. Smith, ranked sixth nationally in the 197-pound division, defeated an 11th-ranked opponent from Pitt but lost to his 22nd-ranked opponent from host Rider and eighth-ranked opponent from South Dakota State. Maryland (4-3 in duals) will face Binghampton, Columbia, and Lock Haven on January 5 in the Armbar at the Armory in Albany, New York. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Former Cass Colonel Braxton Benham averaged over 22 points in two games last week for Berry College. BRAXTON BENHAM — Berry College (Sr., Cass HS) … in a 62-60 home loss to Belhaven University last Thursday and an 81-68 win this past Saturday over Earlham College, Benham totaled 45 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and four steals. The Vikings (6-5) will play Ferrum College in the first game of the Christopher-Newport Tournament on Sunday before facing either Misericordia or CNU on Monday, December 30. DAVID JINKS — University of Maine-Augusta (Fr., Excel Christian Academy) … totaled five points and grabbed one rebound in losses last week at Paul Smith’s College and Maine-Fort Kent. The Moose (3-12, 3-5) return to action on January 17 at Vermont State-Randolph. MEGAN SCHULTZ — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Fr., Woodland HS) … scored three points and grabbed one rebound last Tuesday in a 66-38 loss at Brewton Parker College. The Fillies (5-9, 0-3 Southern States Athletic Conference) will host Thomas University (Fla.) on January 4. LONDAISHA SMITH — St. Andrews University (Sr., Cass HS) … scored 16 points with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals on December 16 in a 75-55 home loss to Milligan University. The Lady Knights (5-8, 2-5 Appalachian Athletic Conference) visit Bryan College (Tenn.) on January 4. Alissa Winters has moved into the Bears' starting lineup. ALISSA WINTERS — Truett-McConnell University (Fr., Adairsville HS) … through 12 games this season, including starts in the last eight games, Winters has totaled 29 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals, and two blocks as the Lady Bears have gone 6-6 overall and 4-3 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. TMU plays at Montreat College (NC) on January 4.

December 22, 2024 The Cass wrestling team hosted and won the eight-team Guerrilla Duals on Saturday. The Colonels won four consecutive duals to take the tournament title. Cass defeated Adairsville (62-16), Gordon Lee (54-21), and Houston County (75-6) to reach the championship match. Rockmart finished runner-up to Cass after falling in the championship match to the Colonels, 46-29.  Troup finished in third place, and Gordon Lee was fourth. Other participating schools were Liberty County (Fla.), Greenbrier, and Armuchee. Hunter Barrett (wrestling at 120 pounds and 126) went 4-0 on the day, as did Luka Jenson (138), Aiden Piatt (150), David Jewell (157), Ethan Harrington (4-0), and Codey Dean (215). Mason Tompkins (175) and Kriecg Roe (190) were 3-0 on the day. Logan Crisp (175) won his only bout.  Hayden Trimm (113, 3-1), Gavin Walker (120/126, 2-1), and Joe Vara (132, 3-1) rounded out the top Cass performances. The Colonels return to the mats Friday and Saturday at the GMVWA Holiday Tournament at Butler High School in Vandalia, Ohio. Cass wrestling won four straight duals on Saturday to win the Guerrilla Duals. WILDCATS FOURTH AT PELHAM INVITATIONAL Woodland placed fourth Saturday at the 22-team Pelham Invitational in Alabama. Gulf Shores (AL) won the traditional format tournament with 237 points. Two other Alabama schools — Enterprise (198.5) and Homewood (195) rounded out the top three teams. Woodland scored 182.5 points. Individual results by weight class: 106 — Nick Weathersbee — 2nd place — 3-1 120 — Noah Cates — 4th  — 3-2 125 — Adrian Zapata — 2nd — 4-1 138 — Dylan Couey — 2nd — 4-1 175 — Christian Cothran — 2nd — 3-1 190 — Owen Jones — 5th — 4-2 215 — John Gill — 3rd — 5-1 285 — Will Thomas — 3-2