Eagles reach Florida tourney finals; Wildcats collect Tuesday night victory

December 30, 2025 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

Two local boys' basketball teams picked up wins on the road Tuesday. The Excel Christian Academy Eagles won their semifinal game at a tournament in the Orlando, Florida area, and the Woodland Wildcats evened their season mark with a victory at Pepperell.

WOODLAND BOYS 72, PEPPERELL 42

The Wildcats utilized a balanced scoring attack, with four players scoring in double digits, Tuesday night for a 72-42 win at Pepperell.

Woodland led 16-13 at the end of the first period, and pulled away in the second quarter to lead 41-20 at halftime.

“We got off to a slow start,” noted Woodland head coach Kip Dyer following the game, “but we found a rhythm in the second quarter by pushing the basketball.”

Canden Davis and Amir Heath led the Wildcats with 13 points. Jonathan Hart contributed 12, and Landon Dougherty added 11 in the non-region win.

Eegan Lockwood paced the Dragons (2-12) with 13 points. Brantley Cordle added 10.

Woodland (7-7) returns to Region 7-4A action on Tuesday at home against Dalton at 7:30 p.m.

EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 84, ST. JOHNS COUNTRY DAY (FL) 44

The Excel Christian Academy boys cruised into the championship game of the KSA Events Tournament at Gaylord Resorts and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida, with an 84-44 blowout win on Tuesday over St. Johns Country Day from Orange Park, Florida.

Excel led 19-10 after one quarter, 47-28 at the intermission, and 70-39 through three quarters on their way to a 40-point victory.

The Eagles had four players to score in double-figures, led by Damir McBride with 20 points. Mier Bell posted 17 points. Clay Poe and Kaeden Wingard each scored 13 for ECA.

Gabriel Blaubuks led the Spartans (3-7) with 13 points.

Excel Christian (13-3) will play Bishop Moore of Orlando in the Green Bracket title game on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.

ALLATOONA 67, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 38

The Adairsville Tigers led 12-6 after one quarter, but fell behind by halftime and did not recover in a 67-38 loss to Allatoona on the final day of the Adairsville Christmas Clash on Tuesday.

Andre Dupree led the visiting Buccaneers with 19 points. Carter Turnbow finished with 16 points, and Jordan Little added 12 for Allatoona (8-5).

Lucas Poarch scored nine points to lead the Tigers. Brooks Rutledge added seven.

Adairsville (0-14) hosts Cass on Saturday in a non-region game at 7:30 p.m.

RINGGOLD 48, ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 41

In a battle of Lady Tigers teams, Ringgold held off Adairsville 48-41 Tuesday afternoon to win the fifth-place game of the Adairsville Christmas Clash.

Ringgold led by five points after one quarter and never trailed at any quarter break. The visitors led 27-17 at halftime and 33-28 through three periods.

Ava Mariakis led Ringgold (6-5) with 13 points. Jersey Rae Loy followed with 12.

Alivia Joslin scored a game-high 15 points to pace Adairsville. Lily Roberts and Savannah Viktora contributed eight, and Jaida Harris scored seven points.

The Adairsville girls (3-10) host Cass on Saturday at 6 p.m.

EAST PAULDING 71, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 64

Kyron McClendon scored 19 points with seven rebounds and three steals on Tuesday in a 71-64 loss to East Paulding at the Adairsville Christmas Clash.

The Canes dropped their second game of the season Tuesday, falling to the East Paulding Raiders 71-64 in the fifth-place game of the Adairsville Christmas Clash at Adairsville High School.

Cartersville trailed 25-8 early in the second quarter, but overcame a 17-point deficit to take as much as a three-point lead in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, they went scoreless in the final 3:49 and suffered a seven-point loss.

East Paulding led 39-27 at halftime, but the Canes rallied to take a 53-51 edge into the final eight minutes.

Dane Diomonde made six three-pointers and led the Raiders (7-3) with 27 points. Jonah Hess tossed in 11 points, and Evan Doherty added 10 for East Paulding.

Kyron McClendon led the Canes with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Xavier Lowe finished with 16, and Wyatt Thomason contributed 15 points and five rebounds.

Cartersville (9-2) faces Rome on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at Woodstock High School in the Wood Elite Showcase.

ADAIRSVILLE CHRISTMAS CLASH TITLE GAMES

The McEachern girls (7-3) won the Adairsville Christmas Clash championship over Paulding County (8-5).

The Calhoun boys defeated Ringgold in the boys' finals, 60-53, and improved to 7-1 on the season. Ringgold slipped to 7-4.

PEPPERELL 64, WOODLAND GIRLS 31

The host Lady Dragons improved to 13-2 on the season with a 64-31 win over the Woodland Lady Cats on Tuesday night in Lindale.

Kaitlyn House poured in 26 points in the first half for the Lady Dragons as they built a 48-12 lead. Sanaa Evans added 14 for Pepperell.

Bailey Gerstner led the Lady Cats with eight points. Reign West scored seven, and Nevaeh Smith-Ferman chipped in six.

Woodland (3-11) returns to action on Tuesday at home against Dalton in a 6 p.m. tip.