Canes tourney run ends with loss at Carver-Columbus

The Cartersville boys basketball team had their season come to an end Wednesday night with a 72-47 loss at 5th-ranked Carver-Columbus in the Class AAAA state quarterfinals. The Hurricanes just miss a trip to the Final Four for the second straight season, but completed a nice playoff run to finish 17-14 season with a trip to the state quarterfinals.

Carver-Columbus grabbed a 19-12 lead after one quarter and pushed their advantage to 35-22 by the intermission. The Tigers utilized a smothering defensive effort to extend their lead to 55-30 by the end of the third quarter and led by as many as 29 early in the final quarter before holding on for their 25-point win.

A.J. Watts led Carver with 23 points. Perignon Dyer was Cartersville's top scorer with 14 points.

Carver improved to 23-5 with their win. The Tigers will face Woodward Academy Saturday in the state semifinals at Ft. Valley State University at 8 p.m.