Canes advance to second straight Elite Eight

The Cartersville boys took control early Thursday night and never trailed in a GHSA Class 4A second round win at The Storm Center.

The Hurricanes defeated visiting West Hall 83-55 and will advance to the state quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

Cartersville started quickly and held a 9-0 lead early on their way to a 19-9 advantage after one quarter. The Canes, led by Isaac Gridley’s 13 first half points and nine more by Micah Tart, pushed their lead to 23 points by the intermission, 43-20.

The visiting Spartans matched the Canes in the third quarter, but still trailed 57-37 entering the final eight minutes and Cartersville eased away for a 28-point win.

Nine different Canes found the scoring column with Gridley (photo) leading the way with 24 points. Perignon Dyer followed with 19 and Tart finished with 11 points. Kolbe Benham added seven points for Cartersville. Austin Cauffman and Amarai Orr finished with five points apiece. Robert Novak, Manny Hayes, and Marquail Coaxum added four each.

West Hall’s season ends with a 9-20 record. Cartersville (17-13) will now travel to 5th-ranked Carver-Columbus for an Elite Eight matchup in Class AAAA. Carver-Columbus, who features highly rated point guard A.J. Watts, routed Howard Thursday night in their second round game, 76-49.

The date and time are not yet set, but the game is expected to be on Tuesday in Columbus.