Cass girls open JaxCo tourney with victory; ECA and Cass boys lose first-round games

December 28, 2023 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

The Cass Lady Colonels led by only three points at halftime Thursday afternoon but outscored Class 6A Johns Creek 25-6 in the third quarter to take a 56-41 first-round win at the Jackson County Holiday Hoopfest in Hoschton. 

Cass led 9-6 after the opening eight minutes and was up 22-19 at the intermission before locking down the Lady Gladiators in a one-sided third quarter.

Kiana McDaniel, who also grabbed seven rebounds and had four assists, led the Lady Colonels in scoring with 21 points. Olivia Woods followed with 12 points and added three steals. Kaitlyn Godwin scored nine points while Zion Hayes totaled eight points, eight boards, and four steals. KK Evans and Cadie Paez chipped in with four and two points, respectively. Paez grabbed five rebounds.

Grace Landeck led Johns Creek (1-13) with 17 points. Savannah Jenkins scored 12 and Kinsey Harper added 10 for the Gladiators.

Cass (9-3) advances to the tournament semifinals on Friday at 3:30 p.m. against the Heritage-Conyers / Monroe Area winner.

CALHOUN 86, EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 51

The Excel Christian Academy boys fell behind early to Class 5A Calhoun Thursday afternoon and could not recover in an 86-51 first-round loss at the Adairsville Christmas Clash. 

The Yellow Jackets raced to a 22-11 first-quarter lead and were up 38-27 at halftime before pushing their advantage to 60-39 through three quarters.

Calhoun (4-5) had four players to reach double-figure scoring led by Landon Chattam with 16 points. Jace Johns finished with 15. Blake Hammett scored 14 and Landyn Tibbs added 10 points for the Jackets.

Zyon Green led ECA with 16 points. Kingston Eleazer followed with 10. Kam Profit contributed nine points. Carter May tossed in six and Jayden Jinks added five points for the Eagles.

Excel (2-9) will play Peach County on Friday at 11:30 a.m. in a consolation bracket game. The Trojans lost on Thursday to Sonoraville, 37-24.

NORTH COBB 65, CASS BOYS 53

The Colonels fell behind 22-6 in the first quarter Thursday afternoon and failed to catch the North Cobb Warriors in a 65-53 first-round loss at the Christian Heritage Holiday Tournament in Dalton.

Cass narrowed their deficit to 35-25 by halftime but North Cobb held them off down the stretch for a 12-point win.

Noah Holloway led North Cobb (5-7) with 11 points. Marvin Maina added 10.

Jason Brown-Harmon scored 20 points including six, three-pointers to pace the Colonels in the scoring column. Jayden Foster finished with 13 points. Parnell Gamble contributed eight points. Jakai Baldwin scored six while Kevin Henderson and Tayvian McKibbins added three points apiece.

Cass (2-7) will play a consolation bracket game on Friday at 1 p.m. against Riverdale. The Raiders fell to North Cobb Christian on Thursday, 82-47.