Bartow 8U, 10U boys advance in district tourney

A pair of Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department youth basketball all-star teams advanced to their respective Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) District 5 tournaments Tuesday night in action at LakePoint Champions Center in Emerson. The Bartow Blue 8U boys defeated Rome 32-7 and the Bartow Blue 10U boys team defeated Paulding County, 52-11.

Bartow 8U held Rome scoreless in three of four periods in their win. Bartow led 6-0 after one quarter, 12-0 at halftime, and 24-7 after three quarters en route to their 25-point win. Kayden Blackwell had a game-high 11 points for Bartow 8U. He was followed by Anthony Moreno with eight points. Mitchell Raughton knocked down six points. Solomon James scored four and Kameron Hosey added three points for the locals.

The win advances Bartow 8U to the semifinals of the nine-team tournament Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at LakePoint Champions Center where they will face Tuesday night’s Powder Springs / Dalton winner.

In the 10U tournament, Bartow Blue easily handled Paulding County 52-11. The locals led 20-2 after one quarter, 34-6 at the break, and 46-8 after three quarters on their way to a 41-point victory. All ten Bartow 10U players found their way into the scoring column led by Ja’kez Baldwin’s 13 and Kyron McClendon’s 10 points. Jorian Bailey scored seven. Jayden Metcalf finished with six points. Nasier Bennett, Tavaris Burleson, and Christian Teasley contributed four points each. Jabari Burleson had two points while Kaiden Kent and Jaden Daise added one each.

The win moves Bartow Blue 10U into the 12-team tournament semifinals Wednesday night at 7:45 p.m. at the LakePoint Champions Center against Tuesday night’s Powder Springs / Whitfield County winner.