Local basketball roundup: Canes win home opener; Eagles avenge earlier loss
- Staff
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
December 3, 2025
Scott Barkley / CanesAthletics.com Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com
Wyatt Thomason celebrated his birthday with 18 points to go with nine rebounds and seven assists as the Cartersville boys ran away from River Ridge at the Storm Center Tuesday night, 88-52.
A 31-6 run by the Canes bridging the halves gave them a 66-32 lead, capped by Thomason’s steal and assist to Nas Bennett on the breakaway.
Bennett, who committed to King University in Bristol, Tenn., last week, finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Neither he nor Thomason played in the fourth quarter.
Kyron McClendon led all scorers with 20 points to go with three assists and two steals. Brayden King finished with 12 points – all on threes – while Shakai Taylor had ten points and James Lee finished with eight. As a team, the Hurricanes hit 14 from deep.
A 14-6 run that included threes by Thomason, McClendon, and back-to-back shots from King gave Cartersville a 49-32 lead. The Canes came out of the locker room and promptly went on a 17-0 tear to put the score at 80-44 going into the final period.
Christian Farmer and Jack Johnson led the Knights (1-3) with nine and eight points, respectively.
The Canes (2-0) will play Dalton next Tuesday, Dec. 9, following the Lady Canes’ game at 6.
ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 44, DARLINGTON 25
The Lady Tigers earned their first win of the season on Tuesday night in Rome with a 44-25 victory at Darlington. Adairsville led 12-3 after the opening eight minutes and built a 22-13 lead at the intermission. The Lady Tigers extended that lead to 35-15 by the end of the third quarter.
Lily Roberts led Adairsville with 11 points. Samantha Gough and Savannah Viktora followed with nine and six, respectively.
Elle Howren and Addison Hightower led Darlington (1-3) with seven points each.
The Lady Tigers host their Region 7-3A opener on Friday at 7 p.m. against Gilmer.
NORTH PAULDING 69, ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 46
The Tigers managed only 14 points in the first half Tuesday night and lost at North Paulding, 69-46.
The host Wolfpack improved to 2-3 on the season.
Eli Pearson scored 22 points for Adairsville. Drew Nida added eight.
Adairsville (0-4) hosts Gilmer in a Region 7-3A matchup on Friday night.
WOODLAND BOYS 54, RIDGELAND 37
Amir Heath led the way with 12 points, while Caiden Moore scored 10 and Jonathan Hart added nine, as the Wildcats beat visiting Ridgeland on Tuesday, 54-37.
The Wildcats led 28-13 at halftime and maintained that lead throughout the second half.
Micah Carpenter led Ridgeland (3-2) with 10 points.
Woodland (4-2) hosts Pepperell on Thursday in a 6:30 p.m. start.
RIDGELAND 60, WOODLAND GIRLS 7
The unbeaten Ridgeland girls (6-0) led 26-7 at halftime and won at Woodland Tuesday night, 60-7.
The Lady Cats (3-3) host Pepperell on Thursday at 5 p.m.
EXCEL CHRISTIAN BOYS 74, CHATTOOGA 66
The Eagles avenged a loss earlier in the season by winning 74-66 Tuesday night at Chattooga in Summerville. The Indians beat Excel 69-65 on November 14.ECA led 19-17 after one quarter, 42-34 at halftime, and 60-48 after three quarters en route to an eight-point win.
DJ Etchison led Chattooga (1-2) with 22 points. Koi Dodd scored 19, and Tra Lester added 15 for the Indians.
Excel Christian (5-3) had five players reach double-digit scoring, including Jamar Gatson (16), TJ Hulbert (14), Mason McKinney (11), Mier Bell (10), and Damir McBride (10).
Chattooga won the girls’ game, 53-12, dropping the Excel girls to 0-5 on the season.
The Eagles host Praise Academy on Thursday in a doubleheader — the girls’ game tips at 6 p.m.
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