Seven of Jackson County’s varsity squads (four girls and three boys) hit the floor at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center this past weekend in the 2008 Norris D. Langston Youth Foundation’s Education Classic. The following is a summary of the results from the seven county teams that took part in the event.
Girls Action
Cottondale – The Lady Hornets took on East Gadsden on Friday night and fell 68-54. Shaunte Forward paced Cottondale with 19 points and Kieysa Paul followed with 15 points. East Gadsden led 15-11 at the end of the first quarter. Forward kept Cottondale close with some three pointers but the Lady Jaguars expanded their lead to 7 points at the half. The third quarter was evenly played as East Gadsden outscored Cottondale 17-16. In the final quarter Cottondale cut the lead to as few as 6 points twice as Paul and Shay Wright hit key buckets. But in the end the Lady Jaguars pulled away for a 14 point victory.
On Saturday it was another all Jackson County matchup as Cottondale and Sneads squared off. The Lady Pirates hung tough with Cottondale for 2 ½ quarters but then the Lady Hornets pulled away for a 60-36 win. Cottondale led 26-20 at the half and midway through the third quarter Sneads had pulled to within 2 points at 28-26. But from there it was all Cottondale as they exploded for 22 unanswered points en route to the 24 point victory. Sneads was led by Mattie Collins with 20 points. Forward and Paul led the Lady Hornets, who improved to 9-3 on the season, with 14 points each.
In other girls action Malone fell to Port St. Joe on Thursday. Marianna downed Sneads on Friday and then lost to Godby on Saturday.
Boys Action
Cottondale – The Cottondale Hornets entered the classic on a roll, having won three straight games. On Friday night they made it four in a row with a 65-58 win over West Gadsden. Marcus Humose had a big night for the Hornets as he pumped in 29 points. Drew Bellamy followed with 12 and Terry Benbow contributed 10 points. Cottondale led 31-27 at the half and then 48-46 going into the final quarter. The Hornets outscored the Panthers 19-10 in the fourth quarter to secure the 7 point win.
In Saturday night’s contest they took on the Seahawks of Franklin County. The Hornets trailed for most of the game but kept battling. They trailed 31-19 at the half and cut it to a 7 point deficit, 43-36, going into the final quarter. With just over two minutes to play they cut it to a five point game but the Seahawks refused to break under the pressure. Drew Bellamy had back to back buckets in the final two minutes to pace the Hornets on offense but defensively Cottondale could not slow down the Seahawks. Humose hit a basket with a minute to play to make it a 3 point game. Terry Benbow’s bucket with 30 seconds to play cut it to a 1 point game at 57-56 in the Seahawks favor. But Franklin County hit several key free throws in the final seconds to pull out a 62-58 win over the Hornets. Humose again led the Hornets with 25 points and Bellamy followed again, this time with 10 points.
Marianna – The Bulldogs lost a heart breaker on Friday night as they took on powerhouse East Gadsden. After jumping out to an early 15-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs expanded their lead in the second quarter. After being up by as many as 11 points, they led 30-23 at the half. Chris Blount got the crowd on their feet several times during the first half with a couple of thundering slam dunks. But the second half saw the Jaguars battle back and trailed by just four at the end of the third quarter. East Gadsden then took the lead in the fourth quarter and led by 2 with seconds to play. Quan Boykin hit a shot at the buzzer. Initially ruled a 3 pointer, which would have given the Bulldogs the win, the officials changed their call and ruled the shot a two pointer. That tied the game at 55-55 and forced the game into overtime. The Bulldogs could not hang on in overtime and fell 70-66. Kruize Penkins led the Bulldogs with 18 and Blount followed with 15. Tre Long added 14 and R.J. Bowers chipped in 10.
On Saturday night the Bulldogs matched up with the Tiger Sharks of Port St. Joe. Once again the ‘Dogs got out of the gate quickly and took a 11-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Marianna got up by as many as 10 points in the second quarter before the Tiger Sharks mounted a rally to pull within two points going into the halftime break. The Tiger Sharks continued their surge into the third quarter and took a 38-30 lead midway through the quarter. Port St. Joe held a 46-34 lead going into the last quarter. The Bulldogs did not quit though and with just over three minutes left in the game cut the Tiger Shark lead to 8. But that was a close as they could get and Port St. Joe held on for a 67-50 victory. Marianna was led on the night by Blount with 11 points and Penkins with 10.
Malone – The Tigers fought hard but fell 61-54 to the Tiger Sharks of Port St. Joe. On Saturday they squared off against a much bigger East Gadsden team and fell. For more details on these games see the Malone Tiger Report by Ryan Maloney on B2.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tigers Pick Up Two Wins- 12/25/08
By Clint Cox
Graceville’s hoops programs picked up a couple of wins last Thursday. In girls action the Lady Tigers hammered Poplar Springs by a score of 68-35. They led 34-14 at the half and then cruised to the 33 point victory to improve to 8-2 on the season.
In boys action the Tigers broke open a close game against Holmes County to post a 63-48 win. The Tigers led by just three at the end of three quarters, 39-36, but then outscored the Blue Devils 24-12 in the final quarter. C.J. Dozier led the way with 19 points and was followed by Gabriel Best with 16.
Graceville’s hoops programs picked up a couple of wins last Thursday. In girls action the Lady Tigers hammered Poplar Springs by a score of 68-35. They led 34-14 at the half and then cruised to the 33 point victory to improve to 8-2 on the season.
In boys action the Tigers broke open a close game against Holmes County to post a 63-48 win. The Tigers led by just three at the end of three quarters, 39-36, but then outscored the Blue Devils 24-12 in the final quarter. C.J. Dozier led the way with 19 points and was followed by Gabriel Best with 16.
Malone Tiger Update- 12/25/08
By Ryan Maloney
Saturday 12/13/08
Saturday afternoon, the Malone Tigers took on the John Paul the 3rd Panthers and I tell you the place was packed. My friend, that was a complete and total lie, virtually nobody was there but those who weren’t there missed a pretty good basketball game, if you were a neutral fan. It was a pleasing game if you were from John Paul, your team played well and had the lead most of the first half. The Panthers played solid team basketball. If you were a Tiger however, the Tigers jacked up bad shot after bad shot and found themselves not scoring much from the offense. Which had you worried and rolling your eyes for much of the game especially at the half when you were down 27-16 and down as many as seventeen. But Coach Welch and the Tigers turned on their patented light switch (not sold in stores) and outscored John Paul 22-9 in the 3rd. It was close but the Tigers managed to put it away in a close game, which they failed to do against Sneads Thursday night. They narrowly escaped this one though with 1.1 seconds left on the clock Aaron Conrad threw the inbound pass all the way to the other side of the floor, out of bounds, giving the Panthers another shot to tie or win the game leaving John Paul to draw up a half-court play. But luck was with the Tigers this time unlike most of the season as John Paul couldn’t manage to get a shot off and the Tigers won 49-46 over the Panthers. T.J Smith was the high man for the Malone Tigers with 18 points (coming off his sickness) (Three 3’s in the 2nd half) and Aaron Conrad was second on the team with 11 points(9 pts in the 2nd half).
Monday 12/15/08
The Lady Tigers took the floor once more, this time against fellow Tigers Graceville. But people, don’t let fellow Tigers fool you, these teams don’t like each other. Graceville had revenge on their minds as the Malone Lady Tigers have had the Graceville Tigers number. Key word in that sentence "had", tonight that changed. This Monday night game celebrated a good cause for the Tigers. Students who received a "Tiger Buck" for doing something good, in the teacher’s eyes, were able to go to the Malone/Graceville game for free and late they got their money’s worth. Graceville was in control the most of the first half basically abusing Malone on the boards. But Tigers point guard and leading scorer Vanessa Olds willed the Tigers back into the game as they found themselves down by as many as 17 pts. Along with BreAnna Laster and Latosha Hall the Tigers came back but still found themselves falling short by five (62-57) on this Tiger Buck night. Vanessa Olds scored 23 pts, BreAnna Laster 15pts, and Latosha Hall chipped in 12. For Graceville, Hogans and Williams both scored 16 pts on their way to a district road victory.
Friday 12/19/2008
Friday Afternoon, it was a lackluster crowd in the Milton H. Johnson Health Center at Chipola for the Port St Joe Tiger Sharks and the Malone Tigers. The game started off slow, characteristic of many Malone games this year. The Tigers scored a dismal 14 pts in the first half , the score being Port St.Joe 24- Malone 14. But the Tigers again came out in the second half armed with the their ever so dangerous three point shot. No doubt the turning point in the game was when Malone made a run , cutting it to 2. Malone then stole the ball from Port St. Joe and T.J Smith missed a 3 that rimmed out and everything went down hill from there. The Tigers were downed by the Tiger Sharks 61-54 losing their first of two games at Chipola over the weekend. Smith was the leading scorer for the Tigers with 19 pts(15 in the 2nd half) and Mike Peak was the second leading scoring with 10 pts, all of which came in the second half.
Saturday Night, the Tigers of Malone took on the Jaguars of East Gadsden, a game which nobody in the Milton H. Johnson Health Center thought the Tigers would win except the guys wearing the jerseys. The Tigers were in foul trouble through out the game being in the double bonus in both halves, which was to be presumed with the Tiger’s lack of size compared to the Jaguars. The Tigers ironically only scored 14 pts in the first half, the same amount of points they scored against Port St. Joe, the first game they played in Chipola Friday afternoon. The reason for the Tigers’ slow first half, they only made 2 threes in the first half compared to 7 threes in the second half. The game was undoubtedly competitive but you could see it on the Tigers’ faces, they wanted it more, but they fell short 65-60 to East Gadsden. The game had every opportunity to be blown open by the Jaguars, but the Tigers would always come back but found it tough in trying to complete the comeback. The Tigers played in a controlled hectic pace "if that makes any sense". They were pressed all night and they pressed almost all night long. They didn’t allow many uncontested lay-ups and they rebounded well for their size. The boys in the white left it all on the hardwood in Chipola. Many other fans and coaches would agree if Malone would always play like that they would win more games than they lose . How the Tigers played against that talented of a team shows how good they can be. The question is can they sustain that level of play? If they can good things will happen. Smith dropped 22 pts(14 pts in the 2nd half and Ladarius McElroy had 14 pts (12 pts in 2nd half). The JV call-up John Little chipped in 9 pts(8 in the 4th)
A Christmas Poem for the Weekend
(Tiger Style)
Twas the weekend fore Christmas and all through the gym
All Tigers were hoping for Malone wins
Port St .Joe and East Gadsden in the way
To Chipola, they went astray
In Milton H. Johnson ,they went to play ball
Against Tiger Sharks and Jaguars , they gave it their all
Regardless of victory , they would be on the floor
Not content with losses any more (like they ever were)
They didn’t come out victorious on either nights
But take it from me ,they still wish
A Merry Christmas to All and after the holidays lets play some more basketball
Merry Christmas from the Malone Basketball family!!!!!!
Saturday 12/13/08
Saturday afternoon, the Malone Tigers took on the John Paul the 3rd Panthers and I tell you the place was packed. My friend, that was a complete and total lie, virtually nobody was there but those who weren’t there missed a pretty good basketball game, if you were a neutral fan. It was a pleasing game if you were from John Paul, your team played well and had the lead most of the first half. The Panthers played solid team basketball. If you were a Tiger however, the Tigers jacked up bad shot after bad shot and found themselves not scoring much from the offense. Which had you worried and rolling your eyes for much of the game especially at the half when you were down 27-16 and down as many as seventeen. But Coach Welch and the Tigers turned on their patented light switch (not sold in stores) and outscored John Paul 22-9 in the 3rd. It was close but the Tigers managed to put it away in a close game, which they failed to do against Sneads Thursday night. They narrowly escaped this one though with 1.1 seconds left on the clock Aaron Conrad threw the inbound pass all the way to the other side of the floor, out of bounds, giving the Panthers another shot to tie or win the game leaving John Paul to draw up a half-court play. But luck was with the Tigers this time unlike most of the season as John Paul couldn’t manage to get a shot off and the Tigers won 49-46 over the Panthers. T.J Smith was the high man for the Malone Tigers with 18 points (coming off his sickness) (Three 3’s in the 2nd half) and Aaron Conrad was second on the team with 11 points(9 pts in the 2nd half).
Monday 12/15/08
The Lady Tigers took the floor once more, this time against fellow Tigers Graceville. But people, don’t let fellow Tigers fool you, these teams don’t like each other. Graceville had revenge on their minds as the Malone Lady Tigers have had the Graceville Tigers number. Key word in that sentence "had", tonight that changed. This Monday night game celebrated a good cause for the Tigers. Students who received a "Tiger Buck" for doing something good, in the teacher’s eyes, were able to go to the Malone/Graceville game for free and late they got their money’s worth. Graceville was in control the most of the first half basically abusing Malone on the boards. But Tigers point guard and leading scorer Vanessa Olds willed the Tigers back into the game as they found themselves down by as many as 17 pts. Along with BreAnna Laster and Latosha Hall the Tigers came back but still found themselves falling short by five (62-57) on this Tiger Buck night. Vanessa Olds scored 23 pts, BreAnna Laster 15pts, and Latosha Hall chipped in 12. For Graceville, Hogans and Williams both scored 16 pts on their way to a district road victory.
Friday 12/19/2008
Friday Afternoon, it was a lackluster crowd in the Milton H. Johnson Health Center at Chipola for the Port St Joe Tiger Sharks and the Malone Tigers. The game started off slow, characteristic of many Malone games this year. The Tigers scored a dismal 14 pts in the first half , the score being Port St.Joe 24- Malone 14. But the Tigers again came out in the second half armed with the their ever so dangerous three point shot. No doubt the turning point in the game was when Malone made a run , cutting it to 2. Malone then stole the ball from Port St. Joe and T.J Smith missed a 3 that rimmed out and everything went down hill from there. The Tigers were downed by the Tiger Sharks 61-54 losing their first of two games at Chipola over the weekend. Smith was the leading scorer for the Tigers with 19 pts(15 in the 2nd half) and Mike Peak was the second leading scoring with 10 pts, all of which came in the second half.
Saturday Night, the Tigers of Malone took on the Jaguars of East Gadsden, a game which nobody in the Milton H. Johnson Health Center thought the Tigers would win except the guys wearing the jerseys. The Tigers were in foul trouble through out the game being in the double bonus in both halves, which was to be presumed with the Tiger’s lack of size compared to the Jaguars. The Tigers ironically only scored 14 pts in the first half, the same amount of points they scored against Port St. Joe, the first game they played in Chipola Friday afternoon. The reason for the Tigers’ slow first half, they only made 2 threes in the first half compared to 7 threes in the second half. The game was undoubtedly competitive but you could see it on the Tigers’ faces, they wanted it more, but they fell short 65-60 to East Gadsden. The game had every opportunity to be blown open by the Jaguars, but the Tigers would always come back but found it tough in trying to complete the comeback. The Tigers played in a controlled hectic pace "if that makes any sense". They were pressed all night and they pressed almost all night long. They didn’t allow many uncontested lay-ups and they rebounded well for their size. The boys in the white left it all on the hardwood in Chipola. Many other fans and coaches would agree if Malone would always play like that they would win more games than they lose . How the Tigers played against that talented of a team shows how good they can be. The question is can they sustain that level of play? If they can good things will happen. Smith dropped 22 pts(14 pts in the 2nd half and Ladarius McElroy had 14 pts (12 pts in 2nd half). The JV call-up John Little chipped in 9 pts(8 in the 4th)
A Christmas Poem for the Weekend
(Tiger Style)
Twas the weekend fore Christmas and all through the gym
All Tigers were hoping for Malone wins
Port St .Joe and East Gadsden in the way
To Chipola, they went astray
In Milton H. Johnson ,they went to play ball
Against Tiger Sharks and Jaguars , they gave it their all
Regardless of victory , they would be on the floor
Not content with losses any more (like they ever were)
They didn’t come out victorious on either nights
But take it from me ,they still wish
A Merry Christmas to All and after the holidays lets play some more basketball
Merry Christmas from the Malone Basketball family!!!!!!
12/25/08
Basketball Galore!!
By Clint Cox
2008 Norris D. Langston Youth Foundation Education Classic
Local high school hoop fans had a smorgasbord to feast on this past weekend as the Norris D. Langson Youth Foundation hosted the 2008 Education Classic at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center on the campus of Chipola College. A total of 20 high school boys and girls teams from the Florida Panhandle participated in the three day event. The foundation is a non-profit organization that provides a variety of educational services (mentoring, counseling, motivational seminars, travel to post secondary institutions, collegiate and professional culture events and some financial support) to a diverse student population.
The three day event began with a program on Thursday afternoon for all the participating teams. President and CEO of the foundation, David Langston introduced the keynote speaker of the program, Dr. E. Douglas Beach, Secretary of the Florida Department of Elderly Affairs. After the program concluded it was basketball time as the classic featured four games on Thursday, six games on Friday and eight games on Saturday. For a complete wrap up on how the Jackson County teams faired in the three day classic please see page B3 of Sports.
By Clint Cox
2008 Norris D. Langston Youth Foundation Education Classic
Local high school hoop fans had a smorgasbord to feast on this past weekend as the Norris D. Langson Youth Foundation hosted the 2008 Education Classic at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center on the campus of Chipola College. A total of 20 high school boys and girls teams from the Florida Panhandle participated in the three day event. The foundation is a non-profit organization that provides a variety of educational services (mentoring, counseling, motivational seminars, travel to post secondary institutions, collegiate and professional culture events and some financial support) to a diverse student population.
The three day event began with a program on Thursday afternoon for all the participating teams. President and CEO of the foundation, David Langston introduced the keynote speaker of the program, Dr. E. Douglas Beach, Secretary of the Florida Department of Elderly Affairs. After the program concluded it was basketball time as the classic featured four games on Thursday, six games on Friday and eight games on Saturday. For a complete wrap up on how the Jackson County teams faired in the three day classic please see page B3 of Sports.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Malone Basketball Report- 12/18/08
By Ryan Maloney
On Thursday,the Malone Varsity Girls took on the Lady Bulldogs in Malone, a team for the last couple of years they normally had success against, but tonight was a completely different story. The Lady Bulldogs made this game a pain for Malone fans to watch as they went in the half down 12-27 and eventually ended up losing to Marianna 30-57. There was not much to say about this game folks, all for the fact you got your money’s worth if you were a Marianna fan that night. This night was also the last game coached by Steve Welch for the Malone Varsity Girls, he is now solely the Varsity Boys head basketball coach. PG Vanessa Olds lead the Lady Tigers with 11 pts.
Malone and Marianna, the very mention of those two teams on the same court on one night brings even the most casual basketball fan to the gym. Anyone who attends Malone knows Malone don’t like the purple and gold and Marianna don’t like the orange and blue much either. This rivalry is different than most, hatred not being the full motivation but basically bragging rights since students from both schools are frequently next-door neighbors or relatives. So it was easy to say both teams wanted this one but it was apparent that Marianna had the upper hand on this night. The Tigers came out shooting flat from the get-go, still kept the game competitive, but found themselves down 10 at the half 33-23 and probably should have been down less. The Tigers just went downhill from their 10 point deficit, Chase Leeks, one of Malone’s big menwas in foul trouble for most of the game, the offense that had no patience and looked out of whack, and the fact that nothing was falling for the orange and blue in the cat house that night lead to their eventual defeat of 55-73. The leading scorers for Malone were T.J Smith with 21 pts and Ladarius McElroy with 13 pts. The leading scorer for Marianna was C.J Blount with 19 pts.
By far the best game of the night was the least watched, the Malone Tigers JV and Marianna Bulldogs JV played in a thrilling contest that had even this writer on his feet. Marianna was up 2 at the half but Malone led most of the 2nd half. With the score all knotted up at 54 with 9.8 seconds left, a Marianna player, Tre’ Jackson dribbled the entire length of the floor while managing to avoid a double dribble call and scored the GW lay-up to defeat Malone. Shaquille McDole and Chai Baker both had 17pts for the Tigers.
Saturday 12/6/08
If you didn’t know it, my friends you know it now, weird things happen on homecoming and the Malone Varsity Girls game was a prime example. It was the first game for new head coach Randy Ward and the Lady Tigers were taking on Ponce De Leon, a team early in the season that had beat them by 20+ points. So the Malone Homecoming had the Lady Tigers looking like a entirely different ball club. The game was close throughout but the newfound patience of the Tigers gave them the lead at the half 19-16. The Lady Tigers executed the best they had all season to cap off a Homecoming victory that was shocking to even the fans present and undoubtedly pumped up the boys. They eventually won 50-44 by making their free throws and holding on to the ball. Guards Latosha Hall and Vanessa Olds both had 13 pts to lead the Tigers. While Venesha Hearns chipped in 10 pts and also key minutes were gave by 8th grader Tierra Brooks . The record for coach Ward to start a career, now 1-0.
On Saturday, the Malone Varsity boys took on the Ponce De Leon Pirates. This game had its headlines for sure. Four players on the team were suspended , three of them, key contributors. But that gave the opportunity for three JV players to be called up and see some playing time. The game started off like the Tigers really missed those guys who were in street clothes, being down as many as 14 in the first quarter. But when coach Welch put John Little , Ty and Chai Baker on the floor, new life was given to the team. Malone rallied all the way from 14 down to take a 15 point lead. The Malone offense actually looked like one as there were touches in the paint. And the Tigers lead on to win this crazy game 62-51 , coach Steve Welch called this game, one of the funnest games he has coach in the last couple of years. Malone shot 36 free throws while Ponce shot 20 and the leading scorers for the Tigers were three point guru Micheal McArthur with 17pts and Ladarius McElroy with 16 pts.
Monday 12/8/08
The gym floor at Northside Methodist Academy may be rubber tile but the Malone Tigers left out of there with anything but a squeaky clean victory. The Tigers left Dothan that night with a well-deserved victory and one that they worked hard for. Folks, Northside Methodist has a special air to it like no other place has and its called adversity but the Tigers survived it on this faithful Monday. This Monday, coach Steve Welch started a 7th grader in Chai Baker and an 8th grader in Ty Baker but little do they remember last year, these very same Tigers were down at the half to the Knights of Northside . It was deja-vu "all over again" on Monday as Malone was down 7 at the half and ironically down as many as 14 as they were trailing Ponce De Leon by 14 on Saturday. The common denominator down 14 the Tigers won both games. On Monday night, the 3rd quarter was a perfect storm as the Tigers played their best ball all season in the 3rd scoring 31 points in the quarter. The Tigers held off the Knights of Northside to win by 11 and defeating Northside Methodist Academy on their home floor may it be rubber for the second straight year. The leading scorers were T.J Smith with 27 pts(3 3’s in 3rd) and Chase Leeks with 13 pts (11 in the 2nd half). Mike Peak also chipped in with 12 pts.
In Malone JV action, it was the McDole-N-Little Show on in Dothan Monday night. Shaquille McDole lead the Tigers with 27 pts and John Little had a modest 24 pts. The Tigers ended up winning 62-47 against the Knights of Northside. They beat the team that beat them to start the season off last year.
On Thursday,the Malone Varsity Girls took on the Lady Bulldogs in Malone, a team for the last couple of years they normally had success against, but tonight was a completely different story. The Lady Bulldogs made this game a pain for Malone fans to watch as they went in the half down 12-27 and eventually ended up losing to Marianna 30-57. There was not much to say about this game folks, all for the fact you got your money’s worth if you were a Marianna fan that night. This night was also the last game coached by Steve Welch for the Malone Varsity Girls, he is now solely the Varsity Boys head basketball coach. PG Vanessa Olds lead the Lady Tigers with 11 pts.
Malone and Marianna, the very mention of those two teams on the same court on one night brings even the most casual basketball fan to the gym. Anyone who attends Malone knows Malone don’t like the purple and gold and Marianna don’t like the orange and blue much either. This rivalry is different than most, hatred not being the full motivation but basically bragging rights since students from both schools are frequently next-door neighbors or relatives. So it was easy to say both teams wanted this one but it was apparent that Marianna had the upper hand on this night. The Tigers came out shooting flat from the get-go, still kept the game competitive, but found themselves down 10 at the half 33-23 and probably should have been down less. The Tigers just went downhill from their 10 point deficit, Chase Leeks, one of Malone’s big menwas in foul trouble for most of the game, the offense that had no patience and looked out of whack, and the fact that nothing was falling for the orange and blue in the cat house that night lead to their eventual defeat of 55-73. The leading scorers for Malone were T.J Smith with 21 pts and Ladarius McElroy with 13 pts. The leading scorer for Marianna was C.J Blount with 19 pts.
By far the best game of the night was the least watched, the Malone Tigers JV and Marianna Bulldogs JV played in a thrilling contest that had even this writer on his feet. Marianna was up 2 at the half but Malone led most of the 2nd half. With the score all knotted up at 54 with 9.8 seconds left, a Marianna player, Tre’ Jackson dribbled the entire length of the floor while managing to avoid a double dribble call and scored the GW lay-up to defeat Malone. Shaquille McDole and Chai Baker both had 17pts for the Tigers.
Saturday 12/6/08
If you didn’t know it, my friends you know it now, weird things happen on homecoming and the Malone Varsity Girls game was a prime example. It was the first game for new head coach Randy Ward and the Lady Tigers were taking on Ponce De Leon, a team early in the season that had beat them by 20+ points. So the Malone Homecoming had the Lady Tigers looking like a entirely different ball club. The game was close throughout but the newfound patience of the Tigers gave them the lead at the half 19-16. The Lady Tigers executed the best they had all season to cap off a Homecoming victory that was shocking to even the fans present and undoubtedly pumped up the boys. They eventually won 50-44 by making their free throws and holding on to the ball. Guards Latosha Hall and Vanessa Olds both had 13 pts to lead the Tigers. While Venesha Hearns chipped in 10 pts and also key minutes were gave by 8th grader Tierra Brooks . The record for coach Ward to start a career, now 1-0.
On Saturday, the Malone Varsity boys took on the Ponce De Leon Pirates. This game had its headlines for sure. Four players on the team were suspended , three of them, key contributors. But that gave the opportunity for three JV players to be called up and see some playing time. The game started off like the Tigers really missed those guys who were in street clothes, being down as many as 14 in the first quarter. But when coach Welch put John Little , Ty and Chai Baker on the floor, new life was given to the team. Malone rallied all the way from 14 down to take a 15 point lead. The Malone offense actually looked like one as there were touches in the paint. And the Tigers lead on to win this crazy game 62-51 , coach Steve Welch called this game, one of the funnest games he has coach in the last couple of years. Malone shot 36 free throws while Ponce shot 20 and the leading scorers for the Tigers were three point guru Micheal McArthur with 17pts and Ladarius McElroy with 16 pts.
Monday 12/8/08
The gym floor at Northside Methodist Academy may be rubber tile but the Malone Tigers left out of there with anything but a squeaky clean victory. The Tigers left Dothan that night with a well-deserved victory and one that they worked hard for. Folks, Northside Methodist has a special air to it like no other place has and its called adversity but the Tigers survived it on this faithful Monday. This Monday, coach Steve Welch started a 7th grader in Chai Baker and an 8th grader in Ty Baker but little do they remember last year, these very same Tigers were down at the half to the Knights of Northside . It was deja-vu "all over again" on Monday as Malone was down 7 at the half and ironically down as many as 14 as they were trailing Ponce De Leon by 14 on Saturday. The common denominator down 14 the Tigers won both games. On Monday night, the 3rd quarter was a perfect storm as the Tigers played their best ball all season in the 3rd scoring 31 points in the quarter. The Tigers held off the Knights of Northside to win by 11 and defeating Northside Methodist Academy on their home floor may it be rubber for the second straight year. The leading scorers were T.J Smith with 27 pts(3 3’s in 3rd) and Chase Leeks with 13 pts (11 in the 2nd half). Mike Peak also chipped in with 12 pts.
In Malone JV action, it was the McDole-N-Little Show on in Dothan Monday night. Shaquille McDole lead the Tigers with 27 pts and John Little had a modest 24 pts. The Tigers ended up winning 62-47 against the Knights of Northside. They beat the team that beat them to start the season off last year.
Pirates Win Barn Burner In Malone 12/18/08
By Clint Cox
The Roy B. Beall Gymnasium was rocking last Thursday (also see Simply Put) night as Sneads and Malone battled for four quarters and that was still not enough. The Pirates caught some wind in their sails and pulled out a thrilling 75-71 overtime win against the host Tigers. Malone held a lead late in regulation but Kendell Clayton’s NBA style 3 pointer with five seconds to play tied the game at 66-66 and sent it into overtime.
Sneads held an early lead but the Tigers came back to tie the game at 15-15 on a three pointer by Ladarius McElroy. By halftime however Sneads had pulled back out to a 26-22 lead. Malone got hot in the third quarter and Mike Peak came up with some big baskets and gave the Tigers a two point lead. McElroy drained another 3 pointer and Malone led 43-38. But a Sherrick Williams basket pulled the Pirates to within 3 points going into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter Malone poured it on as Peak and Aaron Conrad were nailing 3 pointers from all sides. The Tigers led 53-41 with six minutes to play in the game. But the Pirates rallied as Terrance Pittman got the hot hand, scoring 9 points in the last three minutes. Allen Patterson made it a one point game with a Sneads basket with 32 seconds to play but the Tigers countered with a basket by Peak to make it 66-63 with 13 seconds left. That’s when Clayton sent the Pirate fans into a frenzy with his long range bomber to tie the game. In overtime Jamar White was the hero as he gave the Pirates a 72-68 lead with back to back buckets. Conrad drilled another 3 pointer to get Malone back to within one with less than a minute to play. Sneads got a basket from Patterson and a free throw from Pittman to nail down the hard fought road win.
Sneads was led by Williams with 21 points, Pittman with 13 and Neel with 10. Malone was led by Conrad with 22 points, Peak with 20 points and McElroy with 10. In JV action the Pirates continued their winning ways, improving to 6-1, with a 44-32 win over the junior Tigers. Trevin Hall led Sneads with 14 points while John Whittington followed with 11. Malone was led by Rodgers with 10 and Chai Baker with 9.
The Roy B. Beall Gymnasium was rocking last Thursday (also see Simply Put) night as Sneads and Malone battled for four quarters and that was still not enough. The Pirates caught some wind in their sails and pulled out a thrilling 75-71 overtime win against the host Tigers. Malone held a lead late in regulation but Kendell Clayton’s NBA style 3 pointer with five seconds to play tied the game at 66-66 and sent it into overtime.
Sneads held an early lead but the Tigers came back to tie the game at 15-15 on a three pointer by Ladarius McElroy. By halftime however Sneads had pulled back out to a 26-22 lead. Malone got hot in the third quarter and Mike Peak came up with some big baskets and gave the Tigers a two point lead. McElroy drained another 3 pointer and Malone led 43-38. But a Sherrick Williams basket pulled the Pirates to within 3 points going into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter Malone poured it on as Peak and Aaron Conrad were nailing 3 pointers from all sides. The Tigers led 53-41 with six minutes to play in the game. But the Pirates rallied as Terrance Pittman got the hot hand, scoring 9 points in the last three minutes. Allen Patterson made it a one point game with a Sneads basket with 32 seconds to play but the Tigers countered with a basket by Peak to make it 66-63 with 13 seconds left. That’s when Clayton sent the Pirate fans into a frenzy with his long range bomber to tie the game. In overtime Jamar White was the hero as he gave the Pirates a 72-68 lead with back to back buckets. Conrad drilled another 3 pointer to get Malone back to within one with less than a minute to play. Sneads got a basket from Patterson and a free throw from Pittman to nail down the hard fought road win.
Sneads was led by Williams with 21 points, Pittman with 13 and Neel with 10. Malone was led by Conrad with 22 points, Peak with 20 points and McElroy with 10. In JV action the Pirates continued their winning ways, improving to 6-1, with a 44-32 win over the junior Tigers. Trevin Hall led Sneads with 14 points while John Whittington followed with 11. Malone was led by Rodgers with 10 and Chai Baker with 9.
Hornets Down Tigers 12/18/08
By Clint Cox
COTTONDALE – The Cottondale Hornets got a stellar performance from Marcus Humose as they beat county rival Graceville 70-57 last Friday night. Humose led all scorers with 25 points. Graceville took the early lead after a shot at the buzz to end the first quarter put the Tigers up 13-11. But from there the Hornets began to take control as Drew Bellamy was wreeking havoc on the boards. A rebound and put back by Bellamy allowed Cottondale to cap a 10-0 run to start the second quarter and take a 21-13 lead. Midway through the second quarter the Hornets had outscored the Tigers 14-1. But a Tiger rally reeled off 5 straight points to make it a 25-19 game. Cottondale answered with 7 unanswered points to take a 32-19 half time lead.
The third quarter was all Cottondale as they outscored the Tigers 16-11 and held a 48-30 lead going into the final quarter. Graceville made a run at the Hornets, cutting the lead to as few as 6. But the Hornets would catch fire again and pull away to a double digit lead. Graceville cut it to a 9 point game with a minute to play but the Hornets hit some key free throws down the stretch to secure the 13 point victory.
In addition to Humose, Cottondale got 10 points from Jacob Herring. Bellamy and Cody Saye each contributed 9 points to the Hornet’s winning cause. Graceville was led by Craig Myrick with 18 and C.J. Dozier with 13.
COTTONDALE – The Cottondale Hornets got a stellar performance from Marcus Humose as they beat county rival Graceville 70-57 last Friday night. Humose led all scorers with 25 points. Graceville took the early lead after a shot at the buzz to end the first quarter put the Tigers up 13-11. But from there the Hornets began to take control as Drew Bellamy was wreeking havoc on the boards. A rebound and put back by Bellamy allowed Cottondale to cap a 10-0 run to start the second quarter and take a 21-13 lead. Midway through the second quarter the Hornets had outscored the Tigers 14-1. But a Tiger rally reeled off 5 straight points to make it a 25-19 game. Cottondale answered with 7 unanswered points to take a 32-19 half time lead.
The third quarter was all Cottondale as they outscored the Tigers 16-11 and held a 48-30 lead going into the final quarter. Graceville made a run at the Hornets, cutting the lead to as few as 6. But the Hornets would catch fire again and pull away to a double digit lead. Graceville cut it to a 9 point game with a minute to play but the Hornets hit some key free throws down the stretch to secure the 13 point victory.
In addition to Humose, Cottondale got 10 points from Jacob Herring. Bellamy and Cody Saye each contributed 9 points to the Hornet’s winning cause. Graceville was led by Craig Myrick with 18 and C.J. Dozier with 13.
Indians Claim #1 Spot In NaIndians Claim #1 Spot In Nation 12/18/08
By Clint Cox
The Chipola Indians Men’s Basketball team, with a record of 15-1, has now got the big bulls eye on their backs as they were tabbed as the #1 junior college team in the nation in the most recently released polls. Chipola has been on a hot streak as of late as they have now won 14 games in a row. The Indians traveled to Winter Haven earlier this week to take part in the Polk Christmas Tournament. On Monday night they cruised past IMG with a 100-58 victory. Casey Mitchell led the way with 22 points while Justin Brownlee followed with 20. Torye Pelham also chipped in 12 points.
On Tuesday night the Indians posted a 85-74 win over Polk Community College. Mitchell again led the way with 26 points. Gary Flowers followed with a solid night as he pumped in 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Flowers also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 5 assist. Josh Sain came off the bench to spark the Indians with 10 points and Malcolm Armstead had a solid night with his floor game, pumping in 10 points.
Chipola will take a short break for the holidays and then be back in action on Tuesday December 30th in Pensacola against Bevill State. They’ll remain in Pensacola for a Wednesday matchup with Wallace State. The Indians, winners of five straight Panhandle Conference titles, will open conference play on January 3rd at home against Tallahassee.
The Chipola Indians Men’s Basketball team, with a record of 15-1, has now got the big bulls eye on their backs as they were tabbed as the #1 junior college team in the nation in the most recently released polls. Chipola has been on a hot streak as of late as they have now won 14 games in a row. The Indians traveled to Winter Haven earlier this week to take part in the Polk Christmas Tournament. On Monday night they cruised past IMG with a 100-58 victory. Casey Mitchell led the way with 22 points while Justin Brownlee followed with 20. Torye Pelham also chipped in 12 points.
On Tuesday night the Indians posted a 85-74 win over Polk Community College. Mitchell again led the way with 26 points. Gary Flowers followed with a solid night as he pumped in 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Flowers also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 5 assist. Josh Sain came off the bench to spark the Indians with 10 points and Malcolm Armstead had a solid night with his floor game, pumping in 10 points.
Chipola will take a short break for the holidays and then be back in action on Tuesday December 30th in Pensacola against Bevill State. They’ll remain in Pensacola for a Wednesday matchup with Wallace State. The Indians, winners of five straight Panhandle Conference titles, will open conference play on January 3rd at home against Tallahassee.
Langston High School Hoops Classic Begins Thursday 12/18/08
MARIANNA—The Norris D. Langston Youth Scholarship Foundation will hold its annual basketball classic Dec. 18 - 20 in the Milton H. Johnson Health Center on the campus of Chipola College
The annual Basketball Classic is strictly a prep affair, with the focus on high school basketball teams from around the region.
For the Fourth-straight year, the tournament will be held at Chipola as the foundation continues its goal of exposing youngsters to the college environment as a way of expanding horizons beyond high school.
The tournament is sponsored this year by the Florida Department of Lottery. Tickets are $6 per day.
The Norris D. Langston Youth Foundation is dedicated to broadening horizons of young people in a six-county swath of Northwest Florida. The organization provides tutoring, mentoring and inspirational programs throughout the region.
Proceeds from the classic benefit the Langston Endowment in the Chipola Foundation. The group has awarded more than 300 scholarships in 9 years with a fourth of those students attending Chipola.
The annual Basketball Classic is strictly a prep affair, with the focus on high school basketball teams from around the region.
For the Fourth-straight year, the tournament will be held at Chipola as the foundation continues its goal of exposing youngsters to the college environment as a way of expanding horizons beyond high school.
The tournament is sponsored this year by the Florida Department of Lottery. Tickets are $6 per day.
The Norris D. Langston Youth Foundation is dedicated to broadening horizons of young people in a six-county swath of Northwest Florida. The organization provides tutoring, mentoring and inspirational programs throughout the region.
Proceeds from the classic benefit the Langston Endowment in the Chipola Foundation. The group has awarded more than 300 scholarships in 9 years with a fourth of those students attending Chipola.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Malone Tiger Basketball Report
By Ryan Maloney
In Bethlehem Tuesday night, The Malone Lady Tigers matched up with the Wildcats of Bethlehem and this game being a pivotal game for both squads, it being a district contest. The game was low-scoring throughout evident by the first half score of Malone 12 Bethlehem 17. The game was close throughout but the Wildcats were pulling away and then all looked lost when point guard Vannesa Olds was downed with a leg cramp. In all irony, Latosha Hall falls down with a leg cramp after the Tigers come all the way back down from 8 to take a one point lead off a Bre Laster put back. Then the Wildcats put the game away with a late basket and made free throws eventually winning the game 38-35 on their home floor. A sense of relief fell over Bethlehem since the Tiger comeback seemed for sure but the Wildcats managed to hang on. Only four players scored for the Lady Tigers but two leaders being guards Vannesa Olds with 16 pts and Latosha Hall with 9 points.
At Malone High School, it is homecoming week for those who didn’t know and the day of Tuesday was Wacky Tacky Day. The same day the beloved Malone Tigers played the Wildcats of Bethlehem. Well, you would have thought that the Tigers would have brought some of that "Wackiness" of Wacky Tacky Day to Bethlehem after seeing Malone’s first half of play. This game would have all the "wackiness" because this being a trap game for the Tigers right before they play rivals Marianna on Thursday and Ponce De Leon on Homecoming. But a good thing for the Tigers of Malone, they forgot Wacky Tacky Day during the second half. The first half was simply mind boggling, thinking the Tigers smelled the cheese in the trap. The score at the half for a Tiger was eye rolling Malone 40 and Bethlehem 31 only up by 9. 21 points of the Wildcats points came mostly off uncontested 3 pointers and they looked very much alive. But two numbers speak the entire game 40-8, the margin Malone outscored Bethlehem by in the second half. Malone scored 33 points in the 3rd making the game out of reach for Bethlehem. The Wildcats only scored a single point in the 4th off a free throw with 1:28 remaining and didn’t make a single 3 for the remainder of the game. So a district win for the Tigers as they prepare for Marianna and Ponce but they will have to play like they did in the second half to show their true colors. T.J Smith led the Tigers with 25pts (16 pts in 1st half) DNP in 4th. Mike Peak finished with the second most points with 17pts(9 in the 3rd) DNP in 4th
In JV ball Malone beat Bethlehem 47-19, Gene (John) Little was a self-made Malone Tiger lay-up line feasting off Wildcat turnovers and finished with 16 pts. The Tigers D was on only allowing 5 points in the first half. Just a fact, JV has officially matched win their total from last year in their first two games.
In Bethlehem Tuesday night, The Malone Lady Tigers matched up with the Wildcats of Bethlehem and this game being a pivotal game for both squads, it being a district contest. The game was low-scoring throughout evident by the first half score of Malone 12 Bethlehem 17. The game was close throughout but the Wildcats were pulling away and then all looked lost when point guard Vannesa Olds was downed with a leg cramp. In all irony, Latosha Hall falls down with a leg cramp after the Tigers come all the way back down from 8 to take a one point lead off a Bre Laster put back. Then the Wildcats put the game away with a late basket and made free throws eventually winning the game 38-35 on their home floor. A sense of relief fell over Bethlehem since the Tiger comeback seemed for sure but the Wildcats managed to hang on. Only four players scored for the Lady Tigers but two leaders being guards Vannesa Olds with 16 pts and Latosha Hall with 9 points.
At Malone High School, it is homecoming week for those who didn’t know and the day of Tuesday was Wacky Tacky Day. The same day the beloved Malone Tigers played the Wildcats of Bethlehem. Well, you would have thought that the Tigers would have brought some of that "Wackiness" of Wacky Tacky Day to Bethlehem after seeing Malone’s first half of play. This game would have all the "wackiness" because this being a trap game for the Tigers right before they play rivals Marianna on Thursday and Ponce De Leon on Homecoming. But a good thing for the Tigers of Malone, they forgot Wacky Tacky Day during the second half. The first half was simply mind boggling, thinking the Tigers smelled the cheese in the trap. The score at the half for a Tiger was eye rolling Malone 40 and Bethlehem 31 only up by 9. 21 points of the Wildcats points came mostly off uncontested 3 pointers and they looked very much alive. But two numbers speak the entire game 40-8, the margin Malone outscored Bethlehem by in the second half. Malone scored 33 points in the 3rd making the game out of reach for Bethlehem. The Wildcats only scored a single point in the 4th off a free throw with 1:28 remaining and didn’t make a single 3 for the remainder of the game. So a district win for the Tigers as they prepare for Marianna and Ponce but they will have to play like they did in the second half to show their true colors. T.J Smith led the Tigers with 25pts (16 pts in 1st half) DNP in 4th. Mike Peak finished with the second most points with 17pts(9 in the 3rd) DNP in 4th
In JV ball Malone beat Bethlehem 47-19, Gene (John) Little was a self-made Malone Tiger lay-up line feasting off Wildcat turnovers and finished with 16 pts. The Tigers D was on only allowing 5 points in the first half. Just a fact, JV has officially matched win their total from last year in their first two games.
GMS Basketball Comes to an End
By: Joyce McKinnie
The Graceville Middle School basketball season has come to a close. The GMS Tigers played their final two games of the season, one Monday, November 17th and Thursday, November 20th on their home court.
On Monday the Tigers hosted the Bonifay Blue Devils. The sixth and seventh graders took to the court first. They were all geared up and ready to take care of business. Their eyes gleamed with the confidence that they would be the winners of this game when the fourth quarter came to an end. The Tiger Pride defense and offense played an outstanding game, which resulted in a 37 to 28 victory over Bonifay.
Jarrett Brogdon (#35) led the Tigers with 15 points; Lamar Sorey (#43) had 10 points; Marquavious Johnson (#21) had 4 points; Rashard McKinnie (#53) had four points; Ty Stringer (#13) had 2 points; and Dayleon Russ (#51) had two points.
On Thursday, November 20th, the Tigers went head to head with the Chipley Roulhac Tigers. Once again the 6th and 7th grade Tigers’ offense and defense played a very impressive game. They defeated the 7-1 Chipley Tigers 33 to 24. Jarrett Brogdon again led the team with 11 points; Lamar Sorey- 8 points; Rashard McKinnie- 8 points; and Marquavious Johnson- 6 points.
The Tigers 6th and 7th grade season ended with the following: Jarrett Brogdon, 127 points; Lamar Sorey, 118 points; Rashard McKinnie, 68 points; Marquavious Johnson, 36 points; Brandon Pittman, 23 points; Dayleon Russ, 10 points; Ty Singer, 9 points; Corey Holman, 4 points; Qua’Jun Andrews, 2 points and Zayleon Russ, 2 points.
Luis Martinez and Ethan Walker both played an impressive offensive and defensive game this season, which contributed to the GMS 6th and 7th grades 9-2 season.
Coach Rob Martin commented, "As a coach, I am very proud of this team. They have worked hard all season and they have improved a lot this season. They played hard as a team. They gave 110% at every game. That is what a coach asks for."
The Graceville Middle School basketball season has come to a close. The GMS Tigers played their final two games of the season, one Monday, November 17th and Thursday, November 20th on their home court.
On Monday the Tigers hosted the Bonifay Blue Devils. The sixth and seventh graders took to the court first. They were all geared up and ready to take care of business. Their eyes gleamed with the confidence that they would be the winners of this game when the fourth quarter came to an end. The Tiger Pride defense and offense played an outstanding game, which resulted in a 37 to 28 victory over Bonifay.
Jarrett Brogdon (#35) led the Tigers with 15 points; Lamar Sorey (#43) had 10 points; Marquavious Johnson (#21) had 4 points; Rashard McKinnie (#53) had four points; Ty Stringer (#13) had 2 points; and Dayleon Russ (#51) had two points.
On Thursday, November 20th, the Tigers went head to head with the Chipley Roulhac Tigers. Once again the 6th and 7th grade Tigers’ offense and defense played a very impressive game. They defeated the 7-1 Chipley Tigers 33 to 24. Jarrett Brogdon again led the team with 11 points; Lamar Sorey- 8 points; Rashard McKinnie- 8 points; and Marquavious Johnson- 6 points.
The Tigers 6th and 7th grade season ended with the following: Jarrett Brogdon, 127 points; Lamar Sorey, 118 points; Rashard McKinnie, 68 points; Marquavious Johnson, 36 points; Brandon Pittman, 23 points; Dayleon Russ, 10 points; Ty Singer, 9 points; Corey Holman, 4 points; Qua’Jun Andrews, 2 points and Zayleon Russ, 2 points.
Luis Martinez and Ethan Walker both played an impressive offensive and defensive game this season, which contributed to the GMS 6th and 7th grades 9-2 season.
Coach Rob Martin commented, "As a coach, I am very proud of this team. They have worked hard all season and they have improved a lot this season. They played hard as a team. They gave 110% at every game. That is what a coach asks for."
Lady Indians Pick Up Two More Wins-Dec. 11, 2008
By Clint Cox
The Chipola Lady Indians split in a pair of outings last week in Ocala as they participated in the Florida Women’s JUCO Shootout. On Friday the Lady Indians fell to Central Florida by a score of 74-58, in part due to a rough outing at the free throw line. Chipola managed just 13 made free throws in 29 attempts. Lynette Johnson led with 12 points and Latoya Williams followed with 11. They followed that loss up with a huge 94-34 win over Broward on Saturday as Ashlie Billingslea had 20 points, Marnesha Hall followed had 16 points, Williams had 12 points and Jamia Aikens chipped in 10 points.
The ladies return to the friendly confines of the Milton H. Johnson Health Center on Tuesday night to take on South Georgia Tech and came away with a 80-40 win over the Lady Jets. Sequoyah Griffin led the squad with 17 points and Lenita Sanford followed with 9 points.
The Lady Indians are currently ranked #2 in the State and #6 in the Nation. Their record after Tuesday night’s win is 13-2. They will next be in action on Tuesday and Wednesday when they play in Ocala in the Central Florida Tournament. On Tuesday they’ll take on Palm Beach and on Wednesday they’ll battle Middle Georgia.
The Chipola Lady Indians split in a pair of outings last week in Ocala as they participated in the Florida Women’s JUCO Shootout. On Friday the Lady Indians fell to Central Florida by a score of 74-58, in part due to a rough outing at the free throw line. Chipola managed just 13 made free throws in 29 attempts. Lynette Johnson led with 12 points and Latoya Williams followed with 11. They followed that loss up with a huge 94-34 win over Broward on Saturday as Ashlie Billingslea had 20 points, Marnesha Hall followed had 16 points, Williams had 12 points and Jamia Aikens chipped in 10 points.
The ladies return to the friendly confines of the Milton H. Johnson Health Center on Tuesday night to take on South Georgia Tech and came away with a 80-40 win over the Lady Jets. Sequoyah Griffin led the squad with 17 points and Lenita Sanford followed with 9 points.
The Lady Indians are currently ranked #2 in the State and #6 in the Nation. Their record after Tuesday night’s win is 13-2. They will next be in action on Tuesday and Wednesday when they play in Ocala in the Central Florida Tournament. On Tuesday they’ll take on Palm Beach and on Wednesday they’ll battle Middle Georgia.
Marianna Wrestling Competes at Wakulla Tournament-Dec. 11, 2008
By Ron Thoreson
The Marianna Wrestling Team traveled to Wakulla High School on December 6 to compete against teams from all over the Southeast. During a successful day, the wrestlers experienced some landmark moments for the season, even with two wrestlers, Josh Kornegay and Jacob Kornegay, sidelined with illness and injuries.
In a never-before-seen match in the panhandle, Junior Allison Hutton wrestled another female wrestler from Lincoln High School at 112 lbs. The match had the entire crowd’s attention. "No one can remember another match in our area that had two female wrestlers," commented volunteer coach Ron Thoreson. "It really shows how wrestling is growing in popularity."
At 152 lbs, Chris Rogers had strong competition from wrestlers from Camden High School, and made an impressive showing. Also at 152 lbs, Junior Scotty Adkins added to his winning record by beating two opponents, one by decision and one by pinfall. Another Junior at 160 lbs., Brandon Robinson was undefeated for the day, pinning one of his opponents with a takedown that elicited cheers from the audience.
Dalton Hendrix, a Freshman at 171 lbs., scored a surprise defensive pin against his opponent from Rickards High School. "I was winning on points anyway," commented Hendrix. Also at 171 lbs., Freshman Ren Stewart also pinned his opponent and increased his number of wins thus far to 4, showing his technical prowess. Another win came from Alex Winskey at 189 lbs. Despite strong opposition, Alex finished with a pin.
At his first tournament, Dylan Reed competed at 215 lbs., and showed his potential when he broke a cradling move by his opponent which usually results in a pin. Senior Sean Small again went undefeated in the heavyweight division, having a pin and winning a technical pinfall against a strong opponent from Rickards High School, in a match that had the crowd’s attention.
"Our wrestlers are improving with each tournament," commented Head Coach Adam Gray. "We are having some great matches and gaining recognition in our district. That’s a great accomplishment for us." "I fully expect some of our kids to advance to at least regionals this year, if not the state level," stated volunteer coach Ron Thoreson. "For such a young team, they are really advancing quickly."
The wrestling team next hosts Bozeman High School in a dual tournament at the Marianna High School gym on December 11. Wrestling starts at 6 pm. Everyone is encouraged to come and support the wrestlers.
The Marianna Wrestling Team traveled to Wakulla High School on December 6 to compete against teams from all over the Southeast. During a successful day, the wrestlers experienced some landmark moments for the season, even with two wrestlers, Josh Kornegay and Jacob Kornegay, sidelined with illness and injuries.
In a never-before-seen match in the panhandle, Junior Allison Hutton wrestled another female wrestler from Lincoln High School at 112 lbs. The match had the entire crowd’s attention. "No one can remember another match in our area that had two female wrestlers," commented volunteer coach Ron Thoreson. "It really shows how wrestling is growing in popularity."
At 152 lbs, Chris Rogers had strong competition from wrestlers from Camden High School, and made an impressive showing. Also at 152 lbs, Junior Scotty Adkins added to his winning record by beating two opponents, one by decision and one by pinfall. Another Junior at 160 lbs., Brandon Robinson was undefeated for the day, pinning one of his opponents with a takedown that elicited cheers from the audience.
Dalton Hendrix, a Freshman at 171 lbs., scored a surprise defensive pin against his opponent from Rickards High School. "I was winning on points anyway," commented Hendrix. Also at 171 lbs., Freshman Ren Stewart also pinned his opponent and increased his number of wins thus far to 4, showing his technical prowess. Another win came from Alex Winskey at 189 lbs. Despite strong opposition, Alex finished with a pin.
At his first tournament, Dylan Reed competed at 215 lbs., and showed his potential when he broke a cradling move by his opponent which usually results in a pin. Senior Sean Small again went undefeated in the heavyweight division, having a pin and winning a technical pinfall against a strong opponent from Rickards High School, in a match that had the crowd’s attention.
"Our wrestlers are improving with each tournament," commented Head Coach Adam Gray. "We are having some great matches and gaining recognition in our district. That’s a great accomplishment for us." "I fully expect some of our kids to advance to at least regionals this year, if not the state level," stated volunteer coach Ron Thoreson. "For such a young team, they are really advancing quickly."
The wrestling team next hosts Bozeman High School in a dual tournament at the Marianna High School gym on December 11. Wrestling starts at 6 pm. Everyone is encouraged to come and support the wrestlers.
Sneads Takes Two Of Three From Cottondale- Dec. 11, 2008
By Clint Cox
SNEADS – The Cottondale Hornets flew into Sneads last Friday night but it was the Pirates that flew the victory flag as they captured wins in the boys JV and varsity games. The Lady Hornets salvaged the lone win for Cottondale as they beat the previously unbeaten Lady Pirates.
In girls action the Lady Hornets jumped out to an early lead and never let off the throttle as Shaunte Forward scorched the nets for 16 first half points and helpped Cottondale surge to a 30-9 halftime lead. The second half was more of the same as the Lady Hornets went on to win 62-22. Forward led all scorers with 27 points while teammates Kidda Paul had 11 and Jakia Grimsley had 10 points. Sneads was led by La’Tilya Baker with 11 points. The win improved the Lady Hornets to 5-2 while Sneads fell to 4-1.
In JV boys action the Pirates improved to 3-1 with a 56-38 win over the Hornets. Sneads led 14-9 at the end of the first quarter and then 20-17 at the half. But the Pirates outscored Cottondale 20-12 in the third quarter as Trevin Hall and Dillon Spates each scored 6 points. Leading 40-29 going into the final quarter Sneads went on to a 18 point victory. Hall led Sneads with 15 points, John Whittington added 13 and Spates chipped in 11. Cottondale was led by Jeremie Glover with 15 points.
The boys varsity served as the night capper and this was the usual high intensity Jackson County matchup. But Sneads used a 13-0 run in the final 3 minutes of the first half to take a 40-31 halftime lead. Cottondale made several runs at the Pirates but each time Sneads would catch fire again and kept the Hornets at bay. When the final horn sounded Sneads had racked up a 72-56 win over the visiting Hornets.
Cottondale led 23-15 at the end of the first quarter as Nick Jackson had the hot hand from outside the 3 point line. His 3 three pointers kept the Hornets on top through all of the first quarter and much of the second quarter. But Pirate Allen Patterson continued his hot shooting as the Pirates were able to make a run and pulled to within 4 points with three minutes left in the half. Then John Locke, Jamar White and Terrance Pittman all got hot hands for the Pirates and that is when Sneads ran off 13 unanswered points to close out the half. Locke continued his hot shooting in the second half and Justin Neel got the hot hand as well for the Pirates. Locke and Patterson led the Pirates with 24 points while Neel added 10. Cottondale was led by Jackson with 11 points and Terry Benbow and Marcus Humose with 9 points each.
SNEADS – The Cottondale Hornets flew into Sneads last Friday night but it was the Pirates that flew the victory flag as they captured wins in the boys JV and varsity games. The Lady Hornets salvaged the lone win for Cottondale as they beat the previously unbeaten Lady Pirates.
In girls action the Lady Hornets jumped out to an early lead and never let off the throttle as Shaunte Forward scorched the nets for 16 first half points and helpped Cottondale surge to a 30-9 halftime lead. The second half was more of the same as the Lady Hornets went on to win 62-22. Forward led all scorers with 27 points while teammates Kidda Paul had 11 and Jakia Grimsley had 10 points. Sneads was led by La’Tilya Baker with 11 points. The win improved the Lady Hornets to 5-2 while Sneads fell to 4-1.
In JV boys action the Pirates improved to 3-1 with a 56-38 win over the Hornets. Sneads led 14-9 at the end of the first quarter and then 20-17 at the half. But the Pirates outscored Cottondale 20-12 in the third quarter as Trevin Hall and Dillon Spates each scored 6 points. Leading 40-29 going into the final quarter Sneads went on to a 18 point victory. Hall led Sneads with 15 points, John Whittington added 13 and Spates chipped in 11. Cottondale was led by Jeremie Glover with 15 points.
The boys varsity served as the night capper and this was the usual high intensity Jackson County matchup. But Sneads used a 13-0 run in the final 3 minutes of the first half to take a 40-31 halftime lead. Cottondale made several runs at the Pirates but each time Sneads would catch fire again and kept the Hornets at bay. When the final horn sounded Sneads had racked up a 72-56 win over the visiting Hornets.
Cottondale led 23-15 at the end of the first quarter as Nick Jackson had the hot hand from outside the 3 point line. His 3 three pointers kept the Hornets on top through all of the first quarter and much of the second quarter. But Pirate Allen Patterson continued his hot shooting as the Pirates were able to make a run and pulled to within 4 points with three minutes left in the half. Then John Locke, Jamar White and Terrance Pittman all got hot hands for the Pirates and that is when Sneads ran off 13 unanswered points to close out the half. Locke continued his hot shooting in the second half and Justin Neel got the hot hand as well for the Pirates. Locke and Patterson led the Pirates with 24 points while Neel added 10. Cottondale was led by Jackson with 11 points and Terry Benbow and Marcus Humose with 9 points each.
Hornets Take Two of Three from Malone- Dec. 11, 2008
By Clint Cox
COTTONDALE – The Cottondale Hornets captured the girls varsity contest and the boys JV contest on Tuesday night. The Malone boys foiled the Hornet sweep by winning the night cap game.
The first game of the evening saw the Cottondale girls varsity squad post a 38-31 victory over the Lady Tigers. Shaunte Forward led the Lady Hornets with 16 points and Vanessa Olds led Malone with 13 points.
In game two the JV boys squads squared off and Cottondale hung on for an exciting 43-39 win. Jacquese Walker led the Hornets with 11 points, Clifford Canty followed with 11 and Darius Pollock added 8. Shaquille McDole led the Tigers with 14 points and Chai Baker chipped in 12 points.
The Malone boys varsity squad picked up their second win of the week with a 52-45 win over the Hornets. The Tigers took an early 11-9 lead after the first quarter but Cottondale battleed back and led 22-19 at the half. In the third quarter Malone reclaimed the lead as T.J. Smith and Mike McArthur hit back to back three pointers. Ladarius McElroy knocked down a three pointer and then Aaron Conrad banked in shot at the buzzer to give Malone a 37-33 lead at the end of the third quarter. Malone then outscored Cottondale 5-0 in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter and went on to post the 7 point victory.
Malone was led by Smith with 13 points, McElroy added 12 and Michael Peak followed with 10 points. Marcus Humose had 16 points to lead Cottondale and Drew Bellamy followed with 14 points.
COTTONDALE – The Cottondale Hornets captured the girls varsity contest and the boys JV contest on Tuesday night. The Malone boys foiled the Hornet sweep by winning the night cap game.
The first game of the evening saw the Cottondale girls varsity squad post a 38-31 victory over the Lady Tigers. Shaunte Forward led the Lady Hornets with 16 points and Vanessa Olds led Malone with 13 points.
In game two the JV boys squads squared off and Cottondale hung on for an exciting 43-39 win. Jacquese Walker led the Hornets with 11 points, Clifford Canty followed with 11 and Darius Pollock added 8. Shaquille McDole led the Tigers with 14 points and Chai Baker chipped in 12 points.
The Malone boys varsity squad picked up their second win of the week with a 52-45 win over the Hornets. The Tigers took an early 11-9 lead after the first quarter but Cottondale battleed back and led 22-19 at the half. In the third quarter Malone reclaimed the lead as T.J. Smith and Mike McArthur hit back to back three pointers. Ladarius McElroy knocked down a three pointer and then Aaron Conrad banked in shot at the buzzer to give Malone a 37-33 lead at the end of the third quarter. Malone then outscored Cottondale 5-0 in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter and went on to post the 7 point victory.
Malone was led by Smith with 13 points, McElroy added 12 and Michael Peak followed with 10 points. Marcus Humose had 16 points to lead Cottondale and Drew Bellamy followed with 14 points.
Chipola Takes Over #1 In State Poll Casey Mitchell Named Player of the Week-Dec. 11, 2008
By Joc Calloway
After defeating previously unbeaten and #1 Miami-Dade Saturday night in the finale of the Milton H. Johnson Panhandle Classic, Chipola College regained the top spot in the recently released state poll. After receiving 17 of 20 first place votes and 196 out of 200 total points, Chipola (12-1) looks to take on Genesis One Prep Saturday afternoon at 2:00pm at home before preparing for the Christmas break.
Also announced with the state rankings this week was the news of Indians’ Casey Mitchell being selected as Player of the Week for Region VIII. At last weekend’s Milton H. Johnson Panhandle Classic, Mitchell averaged 26.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals, leading the top-ranked Indians to three victories. After posting 17 points and five rebounds in the December 4 tune-up against IMG Academy, he put up bigger numbers in games against a pair of nationally-ranked opponents.
Against NJCAA No. 17 Brunswick on December 5, he scorched the nets for 34 points on 12-of-20 shooting, hit four of his eight three-point attempts and added six rebounds and four assists. In the highly-anticipated match-up with NJCAA No. 18 Miami Dade on December 6, he tallied 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting and added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. For the week, Mitchell shot 55.3 percent (21-of-38) from the floor, 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from the three-point line and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the foul line.
After defeating previously unbeaten and #1 Miami-Dade Saturday night in the finale of the Milton H. Johnson Panhandle Classic, Chipola College regained the top spot in the recently released state poll. After receiving 17 of 20 first place votes and 196 out of 200 total points, Chipola (12-1) looks to take on Genesis One Prep Saturday afternoon at 2:00pm at home before preparing for the Christmas break.
Also announced with the state rankings this week was the news of Indians’ Casey Mitchell being selected as Player of the Week for Region VIII. At last weekend’s Milton H. Johnson Panhandle Classic, Mitchell averaged 26.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals, leading the top-ranked Indians to three victories. After posting 17 points and five rebounds in the December 4 tune-up against IMG Academy, he put up bigger numbers in games against a pair of nationally-ranked opponents.
Against NJCAA No. 17 Brunswick on December 5, he scorched the nets for 34 points on 12-of-20 shooting, hit four of his eight three-point attempts and added six rebounds and four assists. In the highly-anticipated match-up with NJCAA No. 18 Miami Dade on December 6, he tallied 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting and added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. For the week, Mitchell shot 55.3 percent (21-of-38) from the floor, 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from the three-point line and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the foul line.
Sonaglia Becomes A Lady Pirate-Dec. 11, 2008
By Clint Cox
Marianna volleyball standout Jordan Sonaglia signed a letter of intent to attend Pensacola Junior College and play volleyball for the Lady Pirates on Monday afternoon in front of a crowd of teammates, family and friends. Sonaglia moved to Marianna from Minnesota with her family in January of 2008 during her junior year and quickly assimilated herself into Bulldog volleyball. Bulldog Athletic Director Steve DeWitt spoke of that assimilation to the group on Monday afternoon. "I can’t recall a student / athlete moving in during the semester break and so quickly adapting to the situation," said DeWitt. Bulldog Head Volleyball Coach Belinda Christopher echoed those sentiments. "Jordan is an outstanding ball player that brought a lot to our team this year. She’s played club ball since 4th grade and came in to Marianna and made such an easy transition to being a key member of our team. She is very outgoing and she joined a very special group of young ladies, so that really made the transition much easier," said Christopher. Sonaglia helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to a District Championship and a record of 19-8 this season. On the year she recorded 59 Serves as Kills, 418 Attacks and 172 Kills.
Jordan is the daughter of Cliff and Margo Lamb and Mike and Anita Sonaglia. Her grandparents are Bruce and Joyce Adams and Mick and Bobbie Sonaglia. Jordan, along with her brothers Jack and Dante, moved to Marianna with her mother and stepfather Cliff, who is a professor with the University of Florida at the Agriculture Station north of Marianna. Much of her extended family still resides in Minnesota. Both Margo and Cliff expressed a lot of pride in Jordan. "We are really proud of how well she embraced the move to Florida and it has been a very positive experience," said her mother Margo.
Pensacola Junior College Volleyball Coach Pete Pena was on hand at the signing and was glad to have Sonaglia joining the program. "We’ve got ourselves an outstanding young lady. She is the type of lady that has helped our program have the kind of success we’ve experienced," said Pena. Sonaglia will join another former Jackson County standout volleyball player, Kali Pringle of Sneads, on the Lady Pirates volleyball squad.
Marianna volleyball standout Jordan Sonaglia signed a letter of intent to attend Pensacola Junior College and play volleyball for the Lady Pirates on Monday afternoon in front of a crowd of teammates, family and friends. Sonaglia moved to Marianna from Minnesota with her family in January of 2008 during her junior year and quickly assimilated herself into Bulldog volleyball. Bulldog Athletic Director Steve DeWitt spoke of that assimilation to the group on Monday afternoon. "I can’t recall a student / athlete moving in during the semester break and so quickly adapting to the situation," said DeWitt. Bulldog Head Volleyball Coach Belinda Christopher echoed those sentiments. "Jordan is an outstanding ball player that brought a lot to our team this year. She’s played club ball since 4th grade and came in to Marianna and made such an easy transition to being a key member of our team. She is very outgoing and she joined a very special group of young ladies, so that really made the transition much easier," said Christopher. Sonaglia helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to a District Championship and a record of 19-8 this season. On the year she recorded 59 Serves as Kills, 418 Attacks and 172 Kills.
Jordan is the daughter of Cliff and Margo Lamb and Mike and Anita Sonaglia. Her grandparents are Bruce and Joyce Adams and Mick and Bobbie Sonaglia. Jordan, along with her brothers Jack and Dante, moved to Marianna with her mother and stepfather Cliff, who is a professor with the University of Florida at the Agriculture Station north of Marianna. Much of her extended family still resides in Minnesota. Both Margo and Cliff expressed a lot of pride in Jordan. "We are really proud of how well she embraced the move to Florida and it has been a very positive experience," said her mother Margo.
Pensacola Junior College Volleyball Coach Pete Pena was on hand at the signing and was glad to have Sonaglia joining the program. "We’ve got ourselves an outstanding young lady. She is the type of lady that has helped our program have the kind of success we’ve experienced," said Pena. Sonaglia will join another former Jackson County standout volleyball player, Kali Pringle of Sneads, on the Lady Pirates volleyball squad.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Bulldogs Nip the Pirates ….Twice
By Ryan Riley
Marianna Varsity and Jr. Varsity both win over Sneads squad.
The Marianna Bulldog Varsity basketball squad under the leadership of coach Travis Blanton won their third consecutive game on Monday evening with a hard fought victory at home over the Sneads Pirates. At one point in the first quarter Sneads held the lead, but through most of the game Marianna led by a narrow margin.
The halftime score had Marianna leading by four points, 30-26. At the final buzzer the margin was only three points, 59-56. Kruize Penkins hit a free throw to create the three point margin with only seconds left, thus sealing the victory for the dogs.
Leading Scorers:
Bulldogs Pirates
R.J. Bowers 18 S. Williams 16
Tre long 11 J. Neel 15
Kruize Penkins 9 A. Patterson 11
Marianna Jr. Varsity Gets Third Victory
The Marianna Junior Varsity scored a relatively easy victory over the Sneads Junior Varsity squad in a preliminary game on Monday at Marianna. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead, and maintained a safe margin through most of the contest. The half time score was 31-19, and the final score was 57-48.
Leading Scorers:
Bulldogs Pirates
Emanuel Batson 12 Jeff Bell 10
Kendall Leaks 8 Trevin Hall 10
D.J. Granberry 8 Darryl Johnson 9
Marianna Varsity and Jr. Varsity both win over Sneads squad.
The Marianna Bulldog Varsity basketball squad under the leadership of coach Travis Blanton won their third consecutive game on Monday evening with a hard fought victory at home over the Sneads Pirates. At one point in the first quarter Sneads held the lead, but through most of the game Marianna led by a narrow margin.
The halftime score had Marianna leading by four points, 30-26. At the final buzzer the margin was only three points, 59-56. Kruize Penkins hit a free throw to create the three point margin with only seconds left, thus sealing the victory for the dogs.
Leading Scorers:
Bulldogs Pirates
R.J. Bowers 18 S. Williams 16
Tre long 11 J. Neel 15
Kruize Penkins 9 A. Patterson 11
Marianna Jr. Varsity Gets Third Victory
The Marianna Junior Varsity scored a relatively easy victory over the Sneads Junior Varsity squad in a preliminary game on Monday at Marianna. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead, and maintained a safe margin through most of the contest. The half time score was 31-19, and the final score was 57-48.
Leading Scorers:
Bulldogs Pirates
Emanuel Batson 12 Jeff Bell 10
Kendall Leaks 8 Trevin Hall 10
D.J. Granberry 8 Darryl Johnson 9
Former Indian Sets Record and Leads Nation In Assist
Former Chipola Indian, now Troy Trojan star, Michael Vogler did not score on Saturday afternoon, but he made his mark in a different way, passing his way into the record books with 17 assists to lead Troy to a 100-63 defeat of Northwestern State. Vogler set a Troy team-record with 17 assists, breaking the mark of 16 set by Charles McDonald in 1991 and tied by Bobby Dixon versus Western Kentucky in 2006."Mike was feeling the game and he was letting it come to him. He was able to be very creative and create for his teammates. He was a great quarterback tonight with his passing. He did an excellent job of running the team," head coach Don Maestri said.
Vogler is currently leading the NCAA D-1 category in assist per game with an average of 9.2 assist per game. As a red-shirt freshman at Chipola, Volger helped guide the 2007 Indians to a 33-3 overall record and an appearance in the NJCAA National Championship game. During his tenure at Chipola, Vogler earned second-team Panhandle Conference honors while averaging 3.4ppg, 2.7apg, and shooting 44.8% from 3pt range.
Special Thanks to Joc Calloway at Chipola College for assisting with the article.
Vogler is currently leading the NCAA D-1 category in assist per game with an average of 9.2 assist per game. As a red-shirt freshman at Chipola, Volger helped guide the 2007 Indians to a 33-3 overall record and an appearance in the NJCAA National Championship game. During his tenure at Chipola, Vogler earned second-team Panhandle Conference honors while averaging 3.4ppg, 2.7apg, and shooting 44.8% from 3pt range.
Special Thanks to Joc Calloway at Chipola College for assisting with the article.
Indians Host Milton H. Johnson Panhandle Classic
By Clint Cox
The Chipola Indians, ranked #1 in the state and #2 in the nation, will host the Milton H. Johnson Panhandle Classic beginning Thursday and running through Saturday. On Thursday, December 4, Chipola plays IMG Academy at 7 p.m. The Indians face Brunswick College on Friday at 8 p.m. and then take on Miami Dade Saturday night at 8 p.m. Fans can also get a look at Panhandle Conference opponents during the Classic as Gulf Coast, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Northwest Fl State College (OW) will hit the floor on Friday and Saturday.
The Indians enter the Classic with a 9-1 record after beating Georgia Perimeter 75-67 last Friday in Niceville. They followed up with a 111-57 win over Mississippi Elite on Saturday. Jarrell Williams led the way with 32 points and 19 rebounds. Justin Brownlee followed with 21 points and Josh Sain added 18 points, hitting 5 three pointers. Malcolm Armstead rounded out the Indians in double figures with 11 points.
All games will be played at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center and the Classic is named in honor of the Indians former Head Coach. Johnson served as Head Coach of the Indians for 32 years and won more than 800 games. Other accomplishments include 9 Division Coach of the Year Awards, 6 Region VIII Coach of the Year Awards, 4 FCCAA Coach of the Year Awards and 7 Region VIII Tournaments (followed by appearances in the national tournament). He was one of the first group of five coaches inducted into the FCCAA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990 and was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. The rotating Panhandle Conference Championship trophy is named in honor of Coach Johnson, as is the Chipola gym, the Milton H. Johnson Health Center.
The Chipola Indians, ranked #1 in the state and #2 in the nation, will host the Milton H. Johnson Panhandle Classic beginning Thursday and running through Saturday. On Thursday, December 4, Chipola plays IMG Academy at 7 p.m. The Indians face Brunswick College on Friday at 8 p.m. and then take on Miami Dade Saturday night at 8 p.m. Fans can also get a look at Panhandle Conference opponents during the Classic as Gulf Coast, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Northwest Fl State College (OW) will hit the floor on Friday and Saturday.
The Indians enter the Classic with a 9-1 record after beating Georgia Perimeter 75-67 last Friday in Niceville. They followed up with a 111-57 win over Mississippi Elite on Saturday. Jarrell Williams led the way with 32 points and 19 rebounds. Justin Brownlee followed with 21 points and Josh Sain added 18 points, hitting 5 three pointers. Malcolm Armstead rounded out the Indians in double figures with 11 points.
All games will be played at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center and the Classic is named in honor of the Indians former Head Coach. Johnson served as Head Coach of the Indians for 32 years and won more than 800 games. Other accomplishments include 9 Division Coach of the Year Awards, 6 Region VIII Coach of the Year Awards, 4 FCCAA Coach of the Year Awards and 7 Region VIII Tournaments (followed by appearances in the national tournament). He was one of the first group of five coaches inducted into the FCCAA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990 and was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. The rotating Panhandle Conference Championship trophy is named in honor of Coach Johnson, as is the Chipola gym, the Milton H. Johnson Health Center.
Bulldog Basketball Tours The County
By Clint Cox
The Marianna Bulldogs boys basketball squad began their tour of Jackson County on a winning note last Friday night with a three point shot at the buzzer by Tre Long to pull off a 72-71 win over the visiting Cottondale Hornets. The Bulldogs followed that win with wins against Sneads at home on Monday and at Graceville on Tuesday night. And to round out their tour of the county Marianna will be on the road at Malone on Thursday night.
Friday night’s win against Cottondale was a hard fought battle on both sides. Marianna jumped out to an early 11-2 lead but the Hornets rallied to take a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was a nip and tuck quarter until Marianna went on a last minute run to surge ahead to a 30-23 lead. The third quarter saw the Hornets get on a roll as they outscored the Bulldogs 26-15 and take a four point lead into the final quarter. Nick Jackson hit 5 straight points for Cottondale in the fourth quarter and gave the Hornets a 55-47 lead. Marcus Humose hit a three point moments later to make it a 60-53 lead for the Hornets. With less than two minutes to play Cottondale lead 66-58 and appeared poised to pull off the upset. But Marianna rallied with free throws from R.J. Bowers, a three pointer from Long and a tip in from C.J. Blount. Humose made it a 70-66 lead with 15 seconds left with a free throw but Blount then drove the length of the floor and made a driving layup to make it 70-68 with seven seconds on the clock. That is when Long stepped in front of a Hornet inbound pass, stole the ball and sank a three pointer as the buzzer sounded.
Blount led Marianna with 21 points while Long followed with 17 and Bowers had 12. Drew Bellamy led Cottondale with 14 points. Jacob Herring added 13, Jackson followed with 12 and Humose added 10. In JV action Marianna won 71-51 as Kendall Leeks and Tre Jackson led the Bulldogs with 14 points. Glover led Cottondale with 13 points.
The Sneads Pirates sailed into Marianna on Monday night as both teams entered this early season county matchup unbeaten. And much like the Cottondale battle, this contest went right down to the final seconds, with Marianna pulling out a 59-56 win. The Bulldogs led 17-15 at the end of the first quarter and then 30-26 at the half. The Pirates fought back to tie the game at 40-40 on a 2 pointer by Terrance Pittman midway through the third quarter. After Quan Boykin gave Marianna a 3 point lead Sherrick Williams brought the Pirates to within one by the close of the quarter. The fourth quarter saw Justin Neel hit back to back buckets to give the Pirates a 52-47 lead. The Bulldogs then went on a run and scored 9 straight points as Blount and Long got the hot hands. Leading 56-52 with under three minutes to play the Bulldogs held the Pirates at bay and pulled off the 3 point victory. Bowers led Marianna with 18 points and Long added 11. Sneads was led by Williams with 16 and Neel with 15.
Marianna hit the road on Tuesday and traveled to Graceville to take on the Tigers and with some key free throws down the stretch recorded a 64-54 win. Graceville took the early lead and led 15-13 at the end of the first quarter. Marianna used a 12-2 run in the second quarter, capped off by a three pointer from R.J. Bowers to push out to a 25-17 lead. But the Tigers rallied and with a three pointer from Craig Myrick pulled to within two points at the half.
In the second half the Tigers led by as many as six points as Myrick kept up his hot hand. But Marianna battled back to tie the game at 44-44 going into the final quarter. Myrick hit a couple of free throws and a basket to give Graceville a six point lead early in the fourth quarter but Marianna once again rallied. Quan Boykin tied the game with a couple of free throws and that was followed by a three pointer from Nehimiah Gilbert to put the ‘Dogs up by three. With just under two minutes to play Marianna began cashing in at the free throw line. Bowers, Gilbert, Boykin and Chris Blount combined for 10 straight free throws to propel Marianna to a 10 point victory.
Blount and Tre Long led Marianna, who improved to 4-0 on the season, with 17 points each. Myrick led Graceville, who fell to 2-1 on the season, with 21 points while Cameron Dozier followed with 10. In JV action Marianna edged Graceville 50-47 as Tre Pringley led the Bulldogs with 17 points and Kevin Potts led Graceville with 24 points.
The Marianna Bulldogs boys basketball squad began their tour of Jackson County on a winning note last Friday night with a three point shot at the buzzer by Tre Long to pull off a 72-71 win over the visiting Cottondale Hornets. The Bulldogs followed that win with wins against Sneads at home on Monday and at Graceville on Tuesday night. And to round out their tour of the county Marianna will be on the road at Malone on Thursday night.
Friday night’s win against Cottondale was a hard fought battle on both sides. Marianna jumped out to an early 11-2 lead but the Hornets rallied to take a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was a nip and tuck quarter until Marianna went on a last minute run to surge ahead to a 30-23 lead. The third quarter saw the Hornets get on a roll as they outscored the Bulldogs 26-15 and take a four point lead into the final quarter. Nick Jackson hit 5 straight points for Cottondale in the fourth quarter and gave the Hornets a 55-47 lead. Marcus Humose hit a three point moments later to make it a 60-53 lead for the Hornets. With less than two minutes to play Cottondale lead 66-58 and appeared poised to pull off the upset. But Marianna rallied with free throws from R.J. Bowers, a three pointer from Long and a tip in from C.J. Blount. Humose made it a 70-66 lead with 15 seconds left with a free throw but Blount then drove the length of the floor and made a driving layup to make it 70-68 with seven seconds on the clock. That is when Long stepped in front of a Hornet inbound pass, stole the ball and sank a three pointer as the buzzer sounded.
Blount led Marianna with 21 points while Long followed with 17 and Bowers had 12. Drew Bellamy led Cottondale with 14 points. Jacob Herring added 13, Jackson followed with 12 and Humose added 10. In JV action Marianna won 71-51 as Kendall Leeks and Tre Jackson led the Bulldogs with 14 points. Glover led Cottondale with 13 points.
The Sneads Pirates sailed into Marianna on Monday night as both teams entered this early season county matchup unbeaten. And much like the Cottondale battle, this contest went right down to the final seconds, with Marianna pulling out a 59-56 win. The Bulldogs led 17-15 at the end of the first quarter and then 30-26 at the half. The Pirates fought back to tie the game at 40-40 on a 2 pointer by Terrance Pittman midway through the third quarter. After Quan Boykin gave Marianna a 3 point lead Sherrick Williams brought the Pirates to within one by the close of the quarter. The fourth quarter saw Justin Neel hit back to back buckets to give the Pirates a 52-47 lead. The Bulldogs then went on a run and scored 9 straight points as Blount and Long got the hot hands. Leading 56-52 with under three minutes to play the Bulldogs held the Pirates at bay and pulled off the 3 point victory. Bowers led Marianna with 18 points and Long added 11. Sneads was led by Williams with 16 and Neel with 15.
Marianna hit the road on Tuesday and traveled to Graceville to take on the Tigers and with some key free throws down the stretch recorded a 64-54 win. Graceville took the early lead and led 15-13 at the end of the first quarter. Marianna used a 12-2 run in the second quarter, capped off by a three pointer from R.J. Bowers to push out to a 25-17 lead. But the Tigers rallied and with a three pointer from Craig Myrick pulled to within two points at the half.
In the second half the Tigers led by as many as six points as Myrick kept up his hot hand. But Marianna battled back to tie the game at 44-44 going into the final quarter. Myrick hit a couple of free throws and a basket to give Graceville a six point lead early in the fourth quarter but Marianna once again rallied. Quan Boykin tied the game with a couple of free throws and that was followed by a three pointer from Nehimiah Gilbert to put the ‘Dogs up by three. With just under two minutes to play Marianna began cashing in at the free throw line. Bowers, Gilbert, Boykin and Chris Blount combined for 10 straight free throws to propel Marianna to a 10 point victory.
Blount and Tre Long led Marianna, who improved to 4-0 on the season, with 17 points each. Myrick led Graceville, who fell to 2-1 on the season, with 21 points while Cameron Dozier followed with 10. In JV action Marianna edged Graceville 50-47 as Tre Pringley led the Bulldogs with 17 points and Kevin Potts led Graceville with 24 points.
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