Friday Hoops Roundup: Cass girls rally to win Top Ten matchup
In a Region 7-AAAAA battle of Top Ten ranked girls teams, the Cass Lady Colonels came from behind Friday night to outlast visiting Hiram, 55-48. Hiram, ranked 8th in Class 5A, led at the end of each of the first three periods. The Lady Hornets were up 15-9 after the opening eight minutes; 29-17 at the intermission; and 40-36 through three quarters. But Cass rallied in the fourth quarter. A 13-0 run midway through the final period helped the Lady Colonels outscore Hiram 19-8 over the final eight minutes to pull out a seven-point victory. Londaisha Smith led Cass with 22 points. Ariana Hames followed with a dozen. Haley Johnson contributed eight points. Claire Davis finished with seven. Justice Bennett and Makyera Baldwin added four and two points, respectively.
Sydney Jones and Erial Owens combined for 28 first half points for Hiram but the duo was limited to only seven in the second half by the Lady Colonels’ defense. Jones finished with a game-high 23. Owens totaled 12. The loss leaves the Lady Hornets at 8-3 for the season and 1-1 in Region 7-AAAAA. Cass, ranked 5th by one statewide poll and 7th in another, improved to 16-0 for the year and 3-0 in region play.
The Lady Colonels play at Calhoun Tuesday in another region contest.
CASS BOYS 77, HIRAM 59
The Colonels had a balanced scoring attack Friday night with five players reaching double digits in a 77-59 home, Region 7-AAAAA win over Hiram. C.J. Pipkin and Zaylan Chaney scored 16 points each for Cass. Braxton Benham followed with 15 points. Ethan McIntyre contributed 11 and Andrew Glaze had 10. Jelani Hames was next with eight points. The loss drops the Hornets to 6-7 overall and 1-1 in Region 7-AAAAA. Cass (12-4, 3-0) travels to Calhoun for a 7:30 p.m. start Tuesday.
BLESSED TRINITY 47, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 34
The Cartersville girls fell at Blessed Trinity Friday night, 47-34, in Regon 7-AAAAA action. The host Lady Titans led at each quarter stop. Blessed Trinity was up 11-8 after one quarter; 29-15 at halftime; and 36-19 through three periods on their way to a 13-point win. Maura Ryan had a game-high 20 points for the Blessed Trinity. Christa Lair added nine for the Lady Titans (3-10, 1-2). Ansley Griffen paced the Lady Canes with 11 points. Miya Moore totaled nine for Cartersville.
The Lady Canes (3-7, 0-2) play at Woodland Tuesday at 6 p.m.
BLESSED TRINITY 73, CARTERSVILLE BOYS 67 (Overtime)
The Cartersville boys fell behind early Friday night at Blessed Trinity but slowly battled their way back and eventually sent the game to overtime before succumbing to the 9th-ranked Titans, 73-67.
Blessed Trinity led 23-7 at the end of the first quarter and held a 40-23 advantage at halftime, but Cartersville narrowed the margin to 50-47 by the end of the third quarter. The two teams ended regulation tied 58-58 before the host Titans outscored the Canes 15-9 in the overtime period for a six-point, region win. Jax Bouknight poured in 38 points for Blessed Trinity. Johnathan Franchi added 10 as the Titans improved to 11-4 for the year and 2-1 in Region 7-AAAAA. Kam Callahan led Cartersville with 23 points. Amarai Orr followed with 16 for the Hurricanes. Cartersville (5-4, 0-2) returns to region action Tuesday at Woodland at 7:30 p.m.
CALHOUN 56, WOODLAND GIRLS 28
Abigail Taylor and Jordan Thompson led the Lady Cats with 10 and nine points, respectively, but the visiting Calhoun girls won the Region 7-AAAAA matchup 56-28. Calhoun improved to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in region play.
Woodland (1-10, 0-1) hosts Cartersville Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
CALHOUN 68, WOODLAND BOYS 27
The visiting Yellow Jackets led 20-9 after one quarter Friday night and carried a 37-13 lead to the intermission on their way to a 39-point Region 7-AAAAA win at Woodland. Peyton Law and Dylan Faulkner paced Calhoun (6-8, 1-2) with 18 and 13 points, respectively. Woodland was led by Alejandro Mays with nine points. K.J. Rogers chipped in with eight and Harlin Morris scored seven for the Wildcats. Woodland (2-11, 0-1) hosts Cartersville Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
