2012-2013 basketball season gets underway

The basketball season is underway and many teams started things off with games over the Thanksgiving break.

Fayette County’s boys have started the season 1-3. The Tigers lost to Greater Atlanta Christian (71-54) and Miller Grove (67-26) before bouncing back with a win over Parkview (68-45). Dante Sterling and CJ Johnson both had 21 points for Fayette County in the win, while Clark Minnifield added 11 points. Sterling led the team in scoring against Greater Atlanta Christian with 14 points, while Minnifield added 13 points.
The Lady Tigers are 2-2 to start the season. They started their 2012-2013 campaign with a 51-44 win over Alpharetta and then lost to North Gwinnett 61-20 before beating Dutchtown 74-57 and losing to Stephenson 70-49.

Both Fayette County teams will be off until Dec. 8 when they play at Newnan.

Sandy Creek’s girls are 1-1. They lost to Centennial 44-43 and defeated Evans 57-44. Reece Walker and Jasmine Jones both had 12 points a piece in the loss to Centennial, while Minnae Harris added 10 points. Walker also chipped in seven steals and five rebounds. Against Evans, Walker had 18 points, 13 rebounds and seven steals, while Safiya Martin added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Jones had 10 points. Both the Sandy Creek girls and boys basketball teams will play at Whitewater on Saturday (girls play at 3 p.m., boys play at 5 p.m.)

Whitewater hosted a basketball tournament last week. The boys finished 1-3. They lost to Jackson 58-56 in the opener, beat Woodland, Henry 56-38 in the second game and lost to Lovejoy 73-62 in the final game. Darius Sharpe had 28 points and six assists in the loss to Lovejoy. He was also named to the all tournament team. The Whitewater girls also went 1-2 in the tournament, losing to East Paulding (42-27) and Harrison (50-29) before beating Pace Academy 42-41. Whitewater played at Ola last night and is scheduled to host Union Grove on Friday.

McIntosh’s boys and girls played in the Whitewater tournament. The Lady Chiefs (3-0) won the tournament by beating Pope (51-44), Woodland, Henry (44-32) and South Gwinnett (46-35). Gabby Seiler was named to the all tournament team and Cassidy Williams had 27 points in the championship game against South Gwinnett. The boys went 1-2 in the tournament, losing to Hillgrove (53-45) and Lovejoy (51-49) before beating Woodland, Henry (55-48). McIntosh played at Forest Park last night after the paper went to press. They will host Mt. Zion, Jonesboro on Friday.

Starr’s Mill’s girls (3-0) also won a tournament title over the break by winning the Locust Grove tournament. The Lady Panthers beat Ola (53-18), Locust Grove (70-29) and Union Grove (68-27). They shot 20 for 46 from the three point range through the tournament. Jenna Ricker was the leading scorer against Ola with 10 points, while Katie Wilson led the team against Locust Grove with 14 points and Union Grove with 12 points. The Starr’s Mill boys are 1-2 after starting the season with losses to Wesleyan (54-52) and Duluth (65-43) before beating North Forsyth (49-35). Starr’s Mill played at Mundy’s Mill last night and will host Ola on Friday.

Landmark Christian’s boys are 3-0 to start the season. Over the break they defeated Northgate 77-30 and Hebron Christian Academy 86-72. The Lady War Eagles lost to Holy Innocents 52-8 over the break. The boys are off until next Tuesday when they host St. Francis. The girls hosted Yeshiva last night after the paper went to press.

Our Lady of Mercy’s basketball teams opened their seasons last night at home against Atlanta International.