Athletes Beyond Bartow: Basketball and tennis updates for week ending February 17
Updates for college and pro basketball along with college tennis for the week ending Sunday, February 17. NOTE: College softball, college baseball, and professional baseball were updated in a previous article. Click HERE to see that update.
Nicholas Sullivan of The Daily Tribune News produced the following report.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Mark Chester (Georgia Northwestern Fr., Cass) — Chester had five points, but the Bobcats fell to Dalton State’s club team in a quickly thrown together game after Georgia Northwestern’s originally scheduled opponent — Georgia Gwinnett College — reportedly had to cancel. Chester was not among the scorers in Saturday’s 106-89 loss to West Georgia Tech.
Ryan Davis (Francis Marion Sr., Cartersville) — Davis finished with 13 points as the Patriots eased to a 90-56 win over Lander on Thursday. He followed that up with 16 points on Saturday, but Francis Marion dropped a road game to North Georgia by an 87-75 final score. Davis totaled 10 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block across the two games.
Ashton Hagans (Kentucky Fr., Cartersville native) — Kentucky finished the week 1-1 following a controversial late loss to LSU in the midweek before knocking off No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday. Hagans finished with nine points, seven assists, two rebounds and two steals in helping the Wildcats defeat the Volunteers. It came on the heels of one of his quietest games of the season against the Tigers, during which he had four points and not much else. He played just 21 minutes versus LSU — his fewest in a game since November — but saw 36 minutes of action in Saturday’s massive win.
Whitney Harris (Toccoa Falls Fr., Woodland) — Harris wound up with six points, one rebound and one assist in a 64-33 loss to Pensacola Christian College in Friday’s regular-season finale. Toccoa Falls opens the National Christian College Athletic Association South Region Tournament against Johnson University Florida at 7 p.m. Thursday in Pensacola.
Kimora McClinic (Middle Georgia State So., Cartersville) — McClinic earned her first start and a season-high 23 minutes in a 79-66 win over Faulkner to kick off a three-game week last Monday. Middle Georgia State also dropped a tough 77-75 game to Mobile Thursday before bouncing back to grab a 66-59 win against Stillman on Saturday. McClinic totaled 12 points and five rebounds over the trio of games.
Jana Morning (Berry So., Cass) — Berry saw its nine-game winning streak come to a halt with a 62-41 loss to Oglethorpe on the road Saturday. Morning played 39 minutes but shot just 1-for-12 from the floor in the defeat, which marked the end of Berry’s regular season. Morning, who scored in double-figures in every game of the Vikings’ winning run, finished the game with six points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Berry will face Centre in the Southern Athletic Association Tournament quarterfinals at 9 p.m. Friday in Jackson, Mississippi.
Jonathan Pritchett (Vermont Tech So., Woodland) — The postseason has already began for Pritchett and Co. with the Knights securing a 96-73 win over Paul Smith College in the quarterfinals of the Yankee Small College Conference Tournament on Sunday. Pritchett had seven points in 17 minutes to go with two steals. He saw just seven scoreless minutes as Vermont Tech closed out the regular season with a 77-72 win over Green Mountain College. Next up for Vermont Tech is a semifinal tilt with Southern Maine at 8 p.m. Saturday in Auburn, Maine.
Jaylon Pugh (Furman Fr., Cartersville) — Pugh saw eight minutes of action in Saturday’s 96-62 rout of Virginia Military Institute. He had one point and one rebound in his limited time. Furman also defeated UNC-Greensboro earlier in the week.
Josie Summerville (North Park Fr., Adairsville) — Summerville pulled down 30 total rebounds in helping North Park finish the regular season with a pair of wins and qualify for the conference tournament for the first time since 2006. She had just five points but an incredible 20 rebounds in a 62-58 triumph over Elmhurst. She added two assists and a block in the Wednesday night win. On Saturday, she posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, as North Park topped Millikin College, 77-66. The fifth-seeded Vikings will face No. 4 seed Augustana (Illinois) in the first round of the six-team College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament at 7 p.m. tonight in Rock Island, Illinois.
Darius Thrower (Truett McConnell Jr., Excel Christian) — Thrower, who didn’t see the floor in the Bears’ first two games of the week, went 1-for-2 from 3-point range with an assist in nine minutes of action during a 112-104 overtime loss to Reinhardt at home Saturday. The heartbreaking defeat kept the Bears from reaching the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament.
PRO BASKETBALL
Elijah Robinson (Villa San Martin, Argentina; Excel Christian) — Robinson finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in a 92-88 loss to Olimpico Ceres last Monday. Villa San Martin bounced back with a 93-76 triumph against Sportivo America on Wednesday, as Robinson chipped in with 11 points and four boards.
TENNIS
Peyton Gollhofer (Ball State Sr., Cartersville native) — Gollhofer and the rest of the Cardinals continued their stellar start to the season with another great showing over the weekend. The Cartersville native finished 4-0 in singles and doubles action, as Ball State earned road wins over Saint Francis on Friday and Duquesne on Saturday. Gollhofer remained unbeaten in singles action this year with a 6-2, 6-2 victory on Line 2 Friday, followed by a Line 3 6-3, 6-2 triumph Saturday. She teamed with Isabelle Dohanics for convincing wins of 6-0 (Friday on Line 2) and 6-1 (Saturday on Line 3).
