Issuu

Time to look great!

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 10

MARCH 14-20, 2014

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

Free-Agent Frenzy | Pg. 4 The Falcons make a splash with multiple key signings.

Hoops Wrap | Pg. 8 We recap the high school hoops season in this weekâ€™s prep cover.

saturday, mar 15 @ 7:30pm

MADNESS IN ATLANTA SEC tournament brings taste of March hoops fever to Atlanta | Pg. 5

LAST YEAR SHE HAD THE WINNING

COMEBACK STORY. WHO WILL IT BE THIS YEAR? Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback. ©2013 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved. For official contest rules, visit choa.org/comeback.

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Vol. 10 Iss. 10 | March 14-20, 2014

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

INSIDE THE PREPS

GENERAL MANAGER Melanie Snare

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Stephen Black

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Marcus Nabors

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Joe Deighton (Gladiators) Jay Underwood (Hawks) Brian Jones (KSU) Joe Deighton (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Stephen Black (Tech) Jay Underwood (GSU) STAFF WRITERS Ryan Caiafa Alex Ewalt

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Copyright 2014 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

06 12 13

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, TY FREEMAN AND SONNY KENNEDY

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE

STAY CONNECTED!

Score Atlanta is looking for writers. Please e-mail Stephen Black at sblack@scoreatl.com or call 404-256-1572 for more information.

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Send your spring sports scores to us! We will put them in the AJC print edition and on AJC. com as well as our own scoreboard. While our deadline for the newspaper varies by night, we can promise that all reported scores will make it online.

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SAGER SAYS

ALL LEVELS OF FOOTBALL AFFECTED BY POOR DECISIONS BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

ootball has a long offseason. In fact, more Fdays) than two-thirds of the calendar year (251 will have passed from the final tick of the

2013 high school season to the opening kickoff between Creekview and North Paulding in the 2014 Metro PCS Corky Kell Classic. College football has its earliest kickoff in 11 years with Sam Houston State and Eastern Washington on Aug. 23 and it will still be 229 days since Jameis Winston and Florida State won the national title. In the NFL, Seattle will open the season on Sept. 4, 214 days after its Super Bowl victory. If you weren’t one of the teams to make the playoffs you can add at least a month to that offseason. OFFSEASON ISSUES … The offseason is a time for hard work and

sacrifice in order to prepare for the demands of a football season. But, a football fan is also aware that this is the time of year that is never short of headlines and it seems nearly impossible to go a week without hearing about somebody getting in trouble. NFL, college and high school each sees its own set of offseason issues, and football suffers from its annual sequence of self-inflicted wounds. Last year in the NFL, we saw 27 arrests from the end of the Ravens’ Super Bowl victory to mid-June. Two of those arrests included murder charges (Aaron Hernandez and Ausar Welcott). In 2011, the NFL lockout extended the offseason and players were getting into even more trouble. The lockout began on March 12 and by April 23, there were already 16 players that had been arrested.

A WORD FROM BIG B

FALCONS AGGRESSIVE IN FREE AGENCY; BRAVES IN TROUBLE BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

he NFL free-agency period began on Tuesday and the Falcons were probably one of the more active teams on the first day. Based on the way the offensive and defensive lines played last season, the Falcons needed to add more talent to both units. They did that as they signed defensive end Tyson Jackson, defensive tackle Paul Soliai and offensive guard Jon Asamoah. Jackson and Asamoah were on the Kansas City Chiefs last season. Jackson was drafted by the Chiefs in 2009. He started in 55 games and tallied 190 tackles, nine sacks and 12 passes defended. In 2013, Jackson recorded 33 tackles, a career-high four sacks and three quarterback pressures.

Asamoah was drafted by the Chiefs in 2010. He played in 13 games in 2013 and helped the Chiefs average 337 yards per game including 128.5 on the ground. Soliai has been with the Miami Dolphins since 2007 and posted 34 tackles, one sack and five passes defended in 15 games last year. The three players aren’t household names, but they will really help bolster both lines, especially Jackson and Soliai because with the addition of those two, it looks like the Falcons will play more 3-4 than they did last season. Soliai gives the Falcons a physical presence on the defense line and Jackson has proven to be an effective defensive end in the 3-4 scheme. The addition of Asamoah is a good start

College football has seen its usual run-in with the law this offseason and do not hold your breath (SEC fans) because it usually gets worse in the time between spring football’s ending and the beginning of summer training camp. In February, three Tennessee players were arrested for alcoholic beverage purchase violations and resisting arrest and Ole Miss linebackers Denzel Nkemdiche and Serderius Bryant were booked the same weekend for separate incidents. In the last three years Missouri, Florida and Georgia have combined for more than 55 arrests. That does not include the two Missouri coaches arrested for DWI last year. TAIL WAGS DOG … While the NFL and college football’s problem stems from individual run-ins with the law, high school football is looking at a different problem. Georgia is dealing with one of its biggest offseason blunders in years with Grady High School’s ineligible player fiasco. Forged documents and fraudulent residency have been revealed for 14 players from last year’s roster. Among the falsified documents that surfaced late February was one player that never set foot in a Grady classroom the entire season, a kid that used the address of a senior citizen residence and another individual that

used the address of an extended stay hotel. We love our football in the state of Georgia but this is flat out embarrassing. College programs continue to come to Georgia to recruit because of the high level of talent and character typically found in a Peach State prospect. The football season is short and for a dose of perspective, Grady went 8-3 last year. That means the Knights were actually playing a football game 11 days of the year (or three percent of the calendar year). We see the tip of the iceberg on Friday nights and that is all that matters to many of the individuals involved. Grady last won a state title in 1953 and head coach Ronnie Millen was willing to break the rules and sacrifice a student’s academics for another body on the football field. While student “#17”, as he is referred to in the report, might be a great individual, the fact that he was even playing without being enrolled in a class is a shame. Somewhere on that sideline was a kid doing all the right things and working hard in class. But because he might not be as talented as “#17” he saw less playing time. Thirteen more players are still under investigation and let’s hope that history can stop repeating itself. Photo courtesy of Ty Freeman.

on the offensive line. He’s not going to solve all the lines problems, but he fills the void at right guard. But as good as it is to add new players to help build the roster, it’s also important to keep the veteran players that have done good work for the franchise. The Falcons were able to do that when they signed Jonathan Babineaux and Joe Hawley. Babineaux is the Falcons’ best defensive lineman and Hawley should win the starting center spot. And the Falcons also had to let veterans go in order to make room for the new players and the veterans that signed new deals. So on the first day of free agency, the Falcons let go of Thomas DeCoud and Tony Gonzalez. The release of Gonzalez was no surprise because he announced his retirement as soon as the season was over. And the release of DeCoud is no surprise either because he has struggled the last two seasons despite making the Pro Bowl in 2012. So it was an eventful start to the Falcons’ free-agency period. It looks like they are serious about getting back in the playoff picture and something tells me there will be a lot more signings in the future.

ROTATION ISSUES … It looks like the Braves will be making moves also as their starting rotation could be in limbo. It starts with Kris Medlen, who suffered ligament damage in his right elbow. There’s a chance that he could have Tommy John surgery, which would put him on the shelf for the rest of the season. This is coming on the heels of Brandon Beachy having tightness around his right elbow and biceps. And there’s also a chance Mike Minor could start the season on the disabled list because of discomfort in his left shoulder during the early days of camp. “It’s worrisome,” Braves general manager Frank Wren told atalntabraves.com. “We still feel like we have a good pitching staff. We feel like we have the makings of a very good pitching staff. But you need depth at this level, because you just never know what is going to happen.” So this will mean the Braves will have to find at least two starting pitchers before the seasons begins. One of them is Ervin Santana, who is coming off a nice year for the Kansas City Royals and was an All-Star for the Anaheim Angels. The Braves signed him to a oneyear, $14.1 million contract. Photo of Jon Asamoah courtesy of the Associated Press.

Vol. 10 Iss. 10 | March 14-20, 2014

ON THE COVER

SEC TOURNAMENT

SEC COMES TO ATLANTA FOR FINAL TIME IN FORSEEABLE FUTURE BY STEPHEN BLACK | SBLACK@SCOREATL.COM

he SEC men’s basketball tournament has been a regular visitor to Atlanta during the history of the league. In fact, the first tournament was held there in 1933, the inaugural season of SEC hoops.

LOOKING BACK … Atlanta has hosted the tournament 14 times, more than any other city. Surprisingly, Louisville has hosted the second-most amount of times, with 12 between 1941 and 1952. Atlanta also has hosted the event in the most venues, with four sites housing the conference tourney. The Atlanta Athletic Club, when it was located downtown, hosted the first two tournaments in 1932 and 1933. The Omni was the second Atlanta facility to host an SEC tournament, when it did so in 1987. The Dome took its turn in 1995 and has been chosen 11 times since, including this weekend’s tournament.

Ironically, Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum hosted the 2008 tournament, which was moved from the Dome due to a tornado. The 2008 event is probably the most talked about SEC men’s tournament in history due to the tornado, which literally came out of nowhere to ravage downtown Atlanta. Alabama and Mississippi State were locked in a close game when the violent storm hit and forced the game to be delayed for 64 minutes. A threepointer made by Alabama’s Mychal Riley was the center of an ESPN “Storied” documentary called “Miracle 3.” Riley’s shot may have saved lives, as it caused the Tide’s game with Mississippi State to go into overtime, thereby keeping fans inside the Dome and out of harm’s way. Miraculously, Georgia, which finished last in the conference during the regular season, went on to win three games in 30 hours (after opening the tournament with a win over Ole Miss in the Dome) to take the tournament title

and advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Dawgs were the first SEC team since 1952 to win two tournament games in one day (when they beat Kentucky and Mississippi State on Saturday). Not only did Georgia match its regular-season total of four conference wins, more than one of them was won in dramatic form. The tournament opener for Dennis Felton’s team came against Ole Miss, which had just defeated Georgia five days previously in Athens. However, Georgia, with an emotional effort to play for its seniors and the embattled Felton, won in overtime when senior center Dave Bliss hit a short jumper with less than a second left. Word from Athens was that Felton would have been fired had his team lost that game. Georgia then had an accidental day off as its game against Kentucky was delayed due to the tornado that ripped through Atlanta just minutes prior to the Bulldogs’ scheduled tipoff. The tilt was rescheduled for the following day and moved to Tech’s campus. The Wildcats were heavy favorites and led late. However, Georgia’s Zac Swansey hit a deep three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left and the Bulldogs trailing by two. Swansey, a Dunwoody native, was actually supposed to pass the ball to teammate Billy Humphrey, who can be seen on replays expecting a pass and somewhat distraught when he did not. Another daunting opponent stood in Georgia’s way later that day, when Western Division-champion Mississippi State entered “The Thrillerdome” to see what upstart had beaten perennial-favorite Kentucky. Humphrey, would-be hero of the Kentucky game, scored all six of his points in the final two minutes to help the red-and-black Bulldogs win 64-60 in another nail-biter. In the finals the following day, Georgia had its easiest game of the tournament against an Arkansas team that was, like the previous three opponents, favored to send Cinderella home. This time, Georgia made quick work of the Hogs by taking an 18-5 lead to start the game and then held on. The tournament championship gave the Bulldogs the unique opportunity to cut down the nets on its in-state rival’s own court.

SEE YOU SOON? … The tournament is not scheduled to return to Atlanta for at least the next 10 years. Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena (home of the Predators) will be home to eight of the next 10 tourneys while either St. Louis or Tampa will get it the other two years (2018 and 2022). The scheduled demolition of the Dome will occur sometime around 2017, when the Atlanta Falcons’ new stadium will be open for business. How the new stadium is configured will go a long way to determining if the SEC tournament wants to continue its relationship with Atlanta. Meanwhile, Atlanta is bidding to host another Final Four, which it did last year. Most reports indicated that the 2013 Final Four was a huge success, so odds are that Atlanta will host college basketball’s grand showcase once again. “The capital of the South” has hosted men’s final fours in 1977, 2002, 2007 and 2013. HOMETOWN TEAM … Atlanta’s SEC team, the Georgia Bulldogs, likely need a tournament championship this year to make it into the NCAA Tournament. With an RPI of 70 and BPI of 80, the Dawgs would need a huge push by the NCAA selection committee to even be seriously considered for the play-in game. Mark Fox’s team also does not have a shot of playing No. 1 Florida, it’s only chance at an elite win, before the tournament finals should each team advance that far. Georgia’s biggest gap on its tournament resume is its poor record against nonconference foes. The Dawgs finished 6-6 in such games with losses to NCAA Tournament teams like Nebraska, George Washington and Colorado, but also to bad teams like Temple. A win in any of those games would have likely vaulted Georgia to at least the bubble conversation. As it stands, Georgia will need a miraculous three-day run through the tournament similar to its run in 2008. The Dawgs have been to the NCAA Tournament just twice since 2002. Photos courtesy of Sonny Kennedy.

Dancing Bears

Jason Heyward

Falcons’ fans did not have to wait long after free agency began to see their team shore up some of their most glaring holes, which come on both lines. Atlanta signed guard Jon Asamoah, defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai on Tuesday. The team also extended the contracts of Joe Hawley and Jonathan Babineaux.

“Dunk City” won’t be making a repeat appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but Macon—and hopefully other parts of the state by the time Selection Sunday takes place—will be representing Georgia. Mercer punched its ticket to the Big Dance for the first time since 1985 by scoring a 68-60 road victory over Florida Gulf Coast last Sunday.

In nine games and 29 at-bats this preseason as of Wednesday afternoon, Heyward is hitting .379 with three homers and nine runs scored. He is riding a five-game hitting streak and in his last four he is 8-for-12 with two home runs, 14 total bases and five runs scored. Heyward leads Atlanta in homers, hits and runs scored.

By Ricky Dimon

WHO’S HOT

Falcons’ Signings

SCORE LIST By Brian Jones

GREAT WEEKEND

Macon was on fire this past weekend as the state basketball championships took place at the Macon Coliseum. In boys’ action, Tift County shocked Wheeler in 6A while the Tucker girls took down Southwest DeKalb in 5A. Congrats go out to all the winners. And now it’s time for spring sports.

ADDING TALENT

NFL free agency has started and the Falcons did not mess around when it began on Tuesday. They signed guard Jon Asamoah, defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai. They also resigned Mike Johnson and Jonathan Babineaux. The Falcons needed help on offensive and defensive line and they are getting it.

CONTRACT EXTENDED

Former UGA quarterback and current offensive coordinator Mike Bobo will be with the team a little longer, as he is now signed through 2016. Bobo has been with the Bulldogs since 2001 and has been running the offense since 2006. It would not surprise me if he gets a job as a head coach in the next two years.

MEDLEN INJURED

Braves’ starting pitcher Kris Medlen injured his pitching elbow this week, as he suffered a damaged elbow ligament. There’s a chance that Medlen could miss the season because he had the same injury four years ago and it took 13 months to rehab. This is something the Braves don’t need, especially with the starting rotation not being very deep.

DECOUD RELEASED

Now-former Falcons’ safety Thomas DeCoud was let go by the team as soon free agency began. DeCoud had been with the Falcons since 2008 and made the Pro Bowl in 2012. But his play slipped last year, making him a cap casualty. Good luck to DeCoud on his next move because he was a great Falcon and the fans loved him.

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Braves’ Pitching

Playoff Position

Cruz Told To Cruise

Kris Medlen suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament last weekend and is scheduled for a visit with Dr. James Andrews. Such a visit generally means just one thing: Tommy John surgery. Medlen said he fully expects to require that surgery for the second time in his career. Meanwhile, Brandon Beachy will miss a start due to tightness in his right elbow and biceps.

The Hawks still have a threegame lead for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, mainly thanks to the futility of their competitors. However, Atlanta’s 2-14 record in its last 16 games means that three teams are now within four games of the Hawks and four teams are within six games. They are now two games back of Charlotte for seventh.

Alex Cruz was kicked off Georgia Tech’s baseball team earlier this week due to a violation of the athletic department’s student-athlete policy. The senior reliever had been expected to be a major part of the Jackets’ bullpen and early returns suggested as much. Cruz had a 2.30 ERA and one save in six appearances this year.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Craig Sager II

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall. Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

TRIVIA QUESTION

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE GEORGIA STATE MEN MADE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT WHEN TECH AND UGA DID NOT? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

“

SANITY AT LAST

“We heard it all. Honestly, if you listened to all the folks who say, ‘Well, if so-and-so wins, then they’re going to be in,’ there would have been 112 teams in the tournament.” Georgia Tech AD Mike Bobinski on his time as the NCAA Tournament selection committee chairman.

Teams that won first-ever state basketball titles this season

Consecutive state championships won by Miller Grove boys basketball

Points scored by Morgan County junior Tookie Brown in the Class AAA finals

4.7

Chiefs’ yards per carry last season behind recentlysigned Falcon Jon Asamoah

Career-high points scored by former Norcross star and current Laker Jodie Meeks on Sunday.

1985

The last NCAA Tournament appearance for Mercer prior to this year’s berth

2.40

Kris Medlen’s ERA since the 2012 All-Star break, second best behind Clayton Kershaw.

$14.1

Million contract for Braves’ free-agent pickup Ervin Santanta in his one-year deal.

ERIC BERRY | DB

DEMARCO MURRAY | RB

CJ SPILLER | RB

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adizero 5-star | 6.7 oz

STATE HOOPS FINALS

DEKALB COUNTY TEAMS SHINE IN FINAL WEEKEND BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

n incredible year of high school basketball came to an end this past weekend in Macon, where 15 state championship games were played and four teams captured first-ever state titles. The Miller Grove boys tied a state-record with their sixth straight state championship and the Redan girls, Kendrick girls and Greater Atlanta Christian boys finished the season with perfect records. DeKalb County crowned its 25th state champion in the past seven seasons last Friday with Miller Grove’s 70-43 win over Warner Robins. The Wolverines’ sixth straight title was fueled by a 26-7 scoring advantage in the third quarter and a game-high 21 points from senior Keith Pinckney. The Tucker girls won their first-ever state title with an 83-65 victory over defending Class AAAAA champion Southwest DeKalb. Nuba Jackson led with 26 points and shot 12-

of-13 from the foul line, while her twin sister Naima finished 9-of-10 from the charity stripe and netted 11 points. Redan finished 33-0 and won its second girls state title with a 63-53 win over Columbus. Brea Elmore led Redan with 20 points and Destini McClary and Jada Byrd each added 16. St. Pius X, which is also in DeKalb County, won its second straight girls Class AAA title. Buford took a 15-1 lead before junior Asia Durr sparked a 20-6 scoring advantage in the second quarter and the Golden Lions held on for a 48-45 win. Durr finished with a game-high 23 points and went 10-for-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. In Class AAAAAA, the Tift County boys won their first state title since 1996 with a 63-49 win over Wheeler. The Blue Devils led 11-3 at the end of the first quarter and stifled Wheeler while allowing just four fast break

points all game. McEachern claimed the girls Class AAAAAA state title with an 81-62 win over Archer. The Indians won their five playoff games by an average of 32.6 points per game and were led along the way by junior Caliya Robinson. The 6-foot-2 forward finished the postseason averaging 17 points, 12 rebounds, 9.6 blocks and 4.8 assists per game. Jonesboro won its first-ever state title 56-51 over Columbia. Tracey Hector, Jr. led the Cardinals with 19 points and 10 rebounds while freshman James Walker Jr. added 14 and a clutch 11-of-12 shooting from the foul line. It is just the second state title for a Clayton County school (North Clayton boys won in 1993). TOOKIE MONSTER … The most notable individual performance of the weekend came in the boys Class AAA state championship by Morgan County junior Tookie Brown. The 5-foot-10 guard led the Bulldogs to their first-ever title with a game-high 36 points. Morgan County scored 15 points off turnovers in the first quarter alone and Brown’s fearlessness and highlight-reel plays ran Buford right out of the gym in a 69-45 Morgan County win. CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES … St. Francis rallied from a 35-26 deficit to defeat Region 6-rival Whitefield Academy 6560 in the A-Private boys championship. South-

west Atlanta Christian toppled previously unbeaten Holy Innocents’ 57-52 in the girls Class A-Private finals. The state-champion Warriors played the whole season with just seven players on the roster. Greater Atlanta Christian escaped Calhoun 58-55 in the boys Class AA championship and finished its perfect season. The Spartans have won four titles in the last five seasons and were led by Virginia-signee Isaiah Wilkins’ 29 points and 12 rebounds. The Kendrick girls finished their perfect season by topping Wesleyan 69-58. The win kept the Wolves off the podium for the first time in seven seasons. Kahlia Lawrence led the Cherokees with 25 points, including 10 in the third quarter. Wilkinson County won its seventh state championship in program history with a 72-64 victory over Turner County and the RandolphClay girls beat Mitchell County for the fourth time this season 53-32 for the girls Class APublic girls state title. Houston County captured its second consecutive AAASP/GHSA Wheelchair Basketball with a 38-16 victory over Henry County. The sharks opened on an 21-0 run and JaQue Billingsley tallied a game-high 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists. Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman.

Score Atlanta Lacrosse Rankings BOYS

GIRLS

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

1.......................Centennial 2..........................Hillgrove 3.......................... Harrison 4................North Gwinnett 5.............................. Milton

1....................Westminster 2........................Northview 3...............................Lovett 4.........................St. Pius X 5................ Blessed Trinity

6............................. Walton 7...........................Lambert 8............................Roswell 9.............................Etowah 10..............Chattahoochee

6........Whitefield Academy 7................ Pace Academy 8......................... McIntosh 9.......Fellowship Christian 10.............................. Pope

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

1.............................. Milton 2........................... Lassiter 3................Chattahoochee 4............................. Walton 5............................Roswell

1....................Westminster 2........................Northview 3...................... Cambridge 4.................................. Kell 5................ Blessed Trinity

6.......................Centennial 7.............................Etowah 8................... John’s Creek 9................North Gwinnett 10.................... Woodstock

6...............Holy Innocents’ 7......................... McIntosh 8................................ Pope 9.........................St. Pius X 10............................ Marist

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Score Atlanta/AJC High School Boys Soccer Rankings Class AAAAAA 1..................Brookwood 2.........................Walton 3...................Centennial 4...................... Lambert 5....................Mill Creek

Class AAA 6..........................Duluth 7......... Peachtree Ridge 8......................Berkmar 9.......................Grayson 10....................Harrison

6.............Clarke Central 7.....................Allatoona 8...........Glynn Academy 9.......... Houston County 10...........Northside-WR

Class AAAA 1..........................Dalton 2.... Southeast Whitfield 3...........................Grady 4.. Johnson-Gainesville 5....................Chestatee

6.............. North Murray 7....................North Hall 8...........Dawson County 9............Oconee County 10...................West Hall

Class AA

Class AAAAA 1.....................McIntosh 2............................Pope 3.................. Gainesville 4........Lakeside-DeKalb 5.................. Greenbrier

1.....................St. Pius X 2.. Woodward Academy 3......................East Hall 4........... Coahulla Creek 5............Blessed Trinity

1..............................GAC 2............... Westminster 3.......................Calhoun 4.................... Wesleyan 5............Murray County

6.................Benedictine 7........... Toombs County 8................ Thomasville 9......... Atkinson County 10.......................Vidalia

Class A 6....................Columbus 7........................... Perry 8....Northwest Whitfield 9..........................Lanier 10....................Spalding

1...Atlanta International 2.......First Presbyterian 3.........Hebron Christian 4.... Pinecrest Academy 5...Fellowship Christian

6........................Paideia 7.........................Walker 8............Pace Academy 9.......................Aquinas 10.........Holy Innocents’

Final Score Atlanta Hoops Rankings

AAAAA Boys

1....................Miller Grove 2............... Warner Robins 3.................... Stephenson 4.............................Tucker 5...........................Jenkins 6.........................Allatoona 7.......................... Osborne 8................ Clarke Central 9..................... Sprayberry 10.............. Northside-WR

AAAA Boys

1.......................Jonesboro 2........................ Columbia 3....................... Alexander 4.........................Westover 5...................... Glenn Hills 6........................... Rutland 7................Fayette County 8...................Sandy Creek 9..............Eagle’s Landing 10....Johnson-Gainesville

AAA Boys

1...............Morgan County 2.............................Buford 3........Johnson-Savannah 4......................... Callaway 5........ Washington County 6.....................Cartersville 7....................Cedar Grove 8.........................Thomson 9........................ St. Pius X 10................Elbert County

AA Boys

1................................. GAC 2...........................Calhoun 3.............................Vidalia 4..............................Laney 5........................ Jefferson 6............................Pelham 7..............................Model 8.................... Manchester 9............ Crawford County 10............................Coosa

A Boys

1...................... St. Francis 2............... Whitefield Aca. 3.............Athens Christian 4......North Cobb Christian 5........... Wilkinson County 6.................... Calvary Day 7.....Greenforest Christian 8.................Turner County 9.............. Holy Innocents’ 10.........................Aquinas

AAAAAA Girls

1..................... McEachern 2.............................Archer 3.........................Lowndes 4..................North Forsyth 5................. South Forsyth 6.........................Parkview 7......................... Hillgrove 8.........................Norcross 9.............. Douglas County 10..............Mountain View

AAAAA Girls

1.............................Tucker 2......................SW DeKalb 3............................... Drew 4.......................... Osborne 5.....................Forest Park 6..............................Salem 7.................... Stephenson 8...........Effingham County 9..... Northside-Columbus 10....................Greenbrier

AAAA Girls

1..............................Redan 2....................... Columbus 3........................ Columbia 4.............South Effingham 5................Fayette County 6............Woodland-Henry 7....................Cross Creek 8.....................River Ridge 9.................Mary Persons 10......................... Rutland

Kids’ Tickets $10!

AAA Girls

1........................ St. Pius X 2.............................Buford 3..............................Beach 4........ Washington County 5.................... Pike County 6...............Morgan County 7................. Dodge County 8................Tattnall County 9...............Central-Carroll 10......Johnson-Savannah

Good on All Performances

Ages 2-12. Restrictions, exclusions and additional charges may apply. Subject to availability. Excludes premium seats.

APR. 26 & 27

Buy Tickets: GwinnettCenter.com 888-9-AXS-TIX Venue Box Office

A Girls

1...... SW Atlanta Christian 2.............. Holy Innocents’ 3...................... St. Francis 4............... Randolph-Clay 5......George Walton Acad. 6...............Mitchell County 7.......................Darlington 8.................... Calvary Day 9............................Claxton 10.................Mount Paran

Sat. 7:30 PM Sun. 2:00 PM

THE ARENA AT GWINNETT CENTER

AA Girls

1.........................Kendrick 2........................ Wesleyan 3..............................Laney 4................................. GAC 5............................Pelham 6...............Putnam County 7........................ Pepperell 8........................ Jefferson 9.............................Vidalia 10.........................Calhoun

252323

AAAAAA Boys

1.......................Tift County 2.......................... Wheeler 3............... North Gwinnett 4.........................Norcross 5...................Pebblebrook 6......................... Berkmar 7......................... Hillgrove 8..............................Luella 9.............................Walton 10.................... Brunswick

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

DAWGS WIN AT LSU, CLINCH THIRD PLACE BY JOE DEIGHTON | JDEIGHTON@SCOREATL.COM

he men’s basketball team clinched the third seed in this week’s SEC tournament. The top four seeds in the tournament automatically qualify for the quarterfinals. Should the Bulldogs win in the quarterfinals, they would most likely play Kentucky in the semis and probably be playing for a ticket to the NCAA Tournament in that game. At the beginning of the season, most experts had this team picked to finish 11th or 12th in the conference, so to finish third is a huge accomplishment. Last Saturday’s win over LSU was big going into the postseason. The 69-61 victory gave UGA its 18th overall win and its 12th in conference. Charles Mann scored 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds, while Kenny Gaines hit six of seven three-point attempts to finish with 20 points. The Bulldogs have won two in a row, four of their last five and eight of their last 10 heading into the SEC Tournament. WOMEN’S TOURNEY … After a win over Vanderbilt in the first

GEORGIA STATE

PANTHERS NEED TOURNEY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR NCAA BID BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

he regular season ended with Georgia State hoisting the Sun Belt Championship trophy after finishing the regular season with a 17-1 conference record. It was fitting that the final victory came over Western Kentucky, which had been the top program in the Sun Belt Conference for so long. The Panthers took the Sun Belt by storm in their first season back in the conference after several years in the Atlantic Sun and Colonial Athletic Association. TOURNEY TIME … This weekend, the Panthers will look to continue their season by punching their ticket to the Big Dance with two victories in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. Coach Ron Hunter is looking to leave New Orleans this weekend with a matching trophy to the regular season title and the distinction of winning the regular season title and tournament title in his first season in the Sun Belt. Georgia State must

round of the SEC Women’s Basketball tournament, the Lady Dawgs were eliminated by a 6748 loss to South Carolina in the second round. Lack of three-point shooting and missed shots kept UGA from moving on. The Lady Dawgs missed 33 of 42 shots in the game. Head coach Andy Landers was disappointed by the loss and knew exactly where things went wrong. “It had nothing to do with size advantage or any of the other things that impress you about South Carolina,” Landers told the AP. “It was about transitioning, get back on defense, get under the ball, get it stopped, know where their shooters are.” Erika Ford scored 10 points to lead UGA in scoring, while Krista Donald had a team-high 13 rebounds. TYLER IMPRESSES … Freshman pitcher Robert Tyler was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday. Tyler threw eight shutout innings against Georgia Tech, giving up just two hits and no walks in a no-decision. He also helped UGA to a 6-2 win over Western Carolina, pitching one inning, striking out one and giving up no hits and no runs. Tyler leads the team with a 0.93 ERA in 19.1 innings. The right-hander has 15 strikeouts and has allowed just two walks this season. The Bulldogs play nationally-ranked Mississippi State this weekend and Tyler is scheduled to get his third start of the year.

win the tournament to ensure itself a bid to the Big Dance. The Panthers have already run away with most of the postseason awards. Hunter walked away this week with Coach of the Year honors and his son, R.J., took home the Sun Belt Player of the Year award. Other honors for the Panthers included placing a player on each of the All-Sun Belt teams. Ryan Harrow found himself on the first-team with Hunter. Harrow, a Walton graduate from nearby Marietta, finished the season averaging 17.2 points per game, just behind Hunter, who provided 18.5 points a contest. Manny Atkins, one of the best three-point shooters in the country, ended the season averaging 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, good enough for second-team All-Sun Belt honors. On the third team is senior Devonta White. He averaged 11.8 points per game and tied for the team lead in assists with Harrow at 4.4 per game. All of these honors and recognition show how great of a season this was for a basketball program with little history, but this team doesn’t want its season to be over. The Panthers are two wins away from getting back to a place that the school hasn’t been since 2001. State has one NCAA Tournament win in program history.

GEORGIA TECH

WOMEN’S HOOPS WINS 20, EXPECTS NCAA BID BY STEPHEN BLACK | SBLACK@SCOREATL.COM

he Tech women’s basketball team (20-11, 9-7) is awaiting an expected NCAA Tournament berth after losing in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on March 7 to No. 10 Duke 82-52 in Greensboro. The Jackets had defeated Virginia 77-76 in the opening round. In that game, freshman Kaela Davis (28) and senior Tyaunna Marshall (26) combined for 54 of Tech’s points. However, a three-point play by Aaliyah Whiteside with 13.5 seconds left ended up being the difference in the game. The Jackets were given a No. 10 seed in ESPN’s Bracketology and are expected to receive the bid Monday during the women’s selection. Marshall was honored with the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Women’s College Player of the Year award Tuesday. It is the second straight year Marshall has won the award and fifth straight year a Yellow Jacket has won it. BEESBALL … Georgia Tech beat Western Carolina 7-5

KENNESAW STATE

BASEBALL FALLS TO AUBURN, SAWYERS NAMED TO ALLFRESHMAN TEAM BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

he baseball team took on Columbia this past weekend and it was able to take two of four games at Stillwell Stadium. The Owls won Game 1 2-0, lost Game 2 9-3, blasted Columbia in Game 3 15-1 and lost the finale on Sunday 8-5. Saturday’s 15-1 victory, in the second game of a doubleheader, was Kennesaw State’s 10th win of the season. Alex Liquori tallied six hits and six RBIs in the two contests. In the second game, Bo Way had four hits and Clint Wynn contributed two hits and three RBIs. Nathan Harsh got his second win of the season, pitching seven innings and giving up five hits and one run while striking out seven batters. On Tuesday, the Owls hosted Auburn and they could not take down the Tigers, losing 6-1. KSU’s offense struggled, producing one run on one hit. Way got the hit for the Owls, belting a double in the sixth inning. The run came in the same inning when Max Pentecost grounded out, which led to Jacob Bruce scoring from third. Auburn starter Justin Camp earned the

on Tuesday as the Jackets overcame an early 4-0 deficit. After the visiting Catamounts struck for four in the top of the first, Tech (9-7) rallied in the second to take a 5-4 lead and did not look back. Starting pitcher Tanner Shelton got shelled in the top of the first inning and was removed from the game after recording one out. He gave up three hits and four earned runs. After Shelton’s exit, six Tech pitchers combined to give up just seven hits and one run over the next eight and two-thirds innings. Devin Stanton, who tossed four and one-third innings of one-hit ball, got the win. Sam Clay closed the game out by striking out the final five hitters of the game. Tech’s offense was led by Mott Hyde, who scored three times and hit a solo homer, Thomas Smith, who had two hits and two RBIs, and A.J. Murray, who also homered. Over the weekend, Tech lost two of three to visiting Wake Forest in the ACC opening series for both teams. The Jackets avoided a sweep by beating the Demon Deacons 5-1 in the series finale Sunday at “the Rusty C”. Matt Grimes (2-0) got the win with 5.1 innings of work with two hits and one earned run. Clay and Zac Ryan came on to close the game out and Ryan was awarded a save. Next up for Danny Hall’s club is a home ACC series against No. 24 Miami (Fla.) (10-5).

win for the Tigers, going 6.2 innings, allowing one hit and striking out four. The Owls will be back in action on Friday as they host a fourgame series against Gardner-Webb. SOFTBALL UPDATE … The softball team got its seventh win of the season on Tuesday when it defeated Mississippi State 2-1 in eight innings. Courtney Sutter hit a single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and drove in the game-winning run. Paige Matthews pitched five innings and gave up three hits and one run while striking out three. Amanda Henderson came in on relief and pitched three innings and gave up two hits and zero runs while striking out five. The win came on the heels of a 2-2 split against North Florida last weekend. The Owls lost Game 1, won the doubleheader games on Saturday and lost the finale on Sunday. They will travel to Highland Heights Kentucky this weekend to take on Northern Kentucky for a three-game set. THE TOP FRESHMAN … Freshman guard Deandrea Sawyers had a stellar rookie season and because of it, she earned Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshmen Team honors on Tuesday. Sawyers was one of only two rookies in the conference to rank in the top 12 in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game. She made 60 three-pointers, which is the third most in school history in one season.

Vol. 10 Iss. 10 | March 14-20, 2014 ATLANTA HAWKS

LOSING STREAK ENDS AS MILLSAP, ANTIC RETURN BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

he Hawks finally ended their losing skid with a 112-110 win over the Jazz Monday in Utah to salvage their road trip. During their recent struggles, the Hawks have plummeted to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The only two teams the Hawks have beaten in the last 16 games have been the Knicks and the Jazz. During that stretch, the Hawks endured an eight-game and a seven-game losing streak and were without many of their key pieces from some, if not all of the contests. PAUL AND PERO … Paul Millsap is back and in his return to Utah he scored 23 points while collecting eight rebounds. His former Jazz teammate, DeMarre Carroll, added 11 points, six boards and four assists while connecting on 3-of-5 shots from behind the arc. Another former Jazz player, Kyle Korver, led all scorers in the game with 16 points going a perfect 4-for-4 from long range. It was a nice homecoming for the players who

ATLANTA BRAVES

OFFSEASON’S GOOD VIBES GO UP IN SMOKE BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

he Braves’ up-and-down offseason took another drastic turn last weekend. At first, they were signing next to nobody—not their own players and not other teams’ players. Suddenly, they went on a two-week spending spree that locked up just about every key young player on the roster for multiple years. Momentum shifted again last Sunday, however, and it shifted in a big way. Kris Medlen suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament, the extent of which was not confirmed as of Wednesday afternoon, in his right elbow. Medlen will see Dr. James Andrews— yes, the most dreaded name in Major League Baseball—later this week and the 28-year old expects to require Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. “Mentally preparing myself,” Medlen told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, referring to the possibility of missing the entire year. “It’s something that I’ve felt before. I think I had all the answers to anybody’s questions in my head

now call Atlanta home. Since his return, Pero Antic has scored in double figures every time he’s played. In those four games, he shot better than .500 from the field and averaged 12 points per game. Antic’s return has allowed Elton Brand to move back to a reserve role, providing Mike Budenholzer more flexibility with his rotations. GETTING HEALTHY … As the Hawks continue to get healthy, look for them to get more competitive and progress back towards the level they were playing at before they were besieged with injuries. Mike Muscala, signed midseason as a rookie, has begun his adaptation to NBA basketball and has appeared in four games so far this season. He has scored four points in three of those games and is averaging 3.3 rebounds per game. While he is still trying to grasp the offensive and defensive schemes, he will begin to pick up material that he can utilize his abilities the best that he can. This stretch run at the end of the season will create valuable experience moving in to next season and will quicken his development into an NBA player. After a Thursday game against Milwaukee, the Hawks will host Denver on Saturday and travel to Charlotte next Monday. Atlanta will return from that road trip next Tuesday for a game against Toronto.

when I was walking off the mound. I never do that. When I did it before in 2010, the same thing kind of happened. Nothing’s official, but I think I know and just go from there.” TO THE RESCUE … Atlanta’s problems were exacerbated when Brandon Beachy prematurely exited his Monday outing against the Phillies due to tightness in his right elbow and biceps. It is not expected to be as serious as, say, Medlen’s predicament, but Beachy will miss at least one preseason start. General manager Frank Wren responded on Wednesday by signing veteran right-hander Ervin Santana to a one-year, $14.1 million deal. Santana bounced back from a disappointing 2012 campaign with the Angels to compile a 9-10 record with a 3.24 ERA in 32 starts with Kansas City last season. “In light of what has happened over the past few days with our pitching staff, we felt it was incumbent on us to do everything we could to strengthen our starting pitching,” Wren told the team’s website. “Throughout the winter, we didn’t feel like we were going to be in this market. But we felt Ervin was the No. 1 guy in the market. We’ve always felt if we were going to go out there, we would love to have him.” “I’m really thrilled to be in this organization with the young talent,” Santana added. “It’s going to be a fun season for us.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS BULK UP LINES WITH FREE AGENCY BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he first day of free agency was a huge day and Falcons released two players, re-signed a pair of starters and brought in three linemen, all in a day’s work. Tuesday began with re-signing defensive tackle Jonathan Babineuax to a three-year contract worth $9 million. The deal guarantees $4 million in 2014 to the durable 32-year old who has missed a total of six games in his nine-year career with the Falcons. Defensive tackle Corey Peters was also re-signed and agreed to a one-year deal last week. Scott Pioli was hired as assistant general manager to Thomas Dimitroff this offseason after previously serving as GM of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Falcons have been shopping Kansas City’s free agents this offseason and were able to lock up Jon Asamoah and Tyson Jackson to long-term deals on Tuesday. Asamoah is a fifth-year offensive lineman most suited at right guard. The former third-round pick played in 59 games the last four seasons

in Kansas City and will help the right side of the offensive line that struggled this past season. Jackson is a big 6-foot-4, 296-pound defensive end that accumulated 201 tackles in his five seasons in Kansas City. Jackson was the third pick of the 2009 NFL draft and recorded four sacks last season. Defensive tackle Paul Soliai’s signing came after Babineaux, Asamoah and Jackson were announced and it brings one of the League’s better run-stoppers into the Falcons defensive tackle rotation. Soliai is 6-foot-4, 340 pounds and a former fourth-round pick that has been a consistent force the past five seasons. Soliai has played in 77 games over the last five years and comes off a career-high five pass breakups last season to go with 34 tackles. Soliai’s deal is worth five years, $33 million, with $14 million fully guaranteed and $11 million coming in the first year. Falcons center Joe Hawley signed a twoyear extension after playing in all 16 games last season and starting seven at center. CUT LIST … Safety Thomas DeCoud was released on Tuesday and will free up $3 million of cap space for the Falcons this season. DeCoud totaled 544 tackles (339 solo) and 14 interceptions with the Falcons. Tony Gonzalez, who is set to work with CBS this fall, was also released on Tuesday and placed on the officially retired list.

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

exchange with South Carolina this weekend.

GLADS WIN TWO STRAIGHT OVER FLORIDA

HATS OFF … Haddad has been one of the hottest players in the league over the past two weeks. In the last seven games, the 25-year-old has eight goals and six assists. He has notched multiple points in each of the past five games. This has been one of the greatest runs by any player in Gladiator history. Haddad also owns the distinction of having the ECHL’s longest consecutive point streak this season. As you would expect, Haddad leads Gwinnett with a total of 36 points. On the blue line, Rob Kwiet has also been streaky of late. Kwiet has eight points in the last 10 games. The defenseman has 30 points this season, which ranks ninth in the league among d-men. Forward Dirk Southern passed two milestones this week, scoring his 50th career ECHL goal and collecting his 100th career assist.

BY JOE DEIGHTON | JDEIGHTON@SCOREATL.COM

he Gwinnett Gladiators continued their success against the Florida Everblades with two wins on the road last Friday and Saturday. In 10 games against Florida this season, the Gladiators are 7-3. Gwinnett has won five out of its last six games overall, with four of those wins having come against the Everblades. Goalie Mark Guggenberger baffled Florida, making 30 saves during a 4-2 win in the second game of the weekend. Forward Joey Haddad raised his play up another notch with three goals and two assists in the two victories. Haddad has scored a goal in the last seven games dating back to February 23. Forward Will MacDonald was one of the best skaters on the ice for Gwinnett in the victory, scoring a goal and adding two assists. MacDonald has been a welcome addition to the team in his first two games. With the two wins, the Glads now have 50 points this season. They paid a visit to Greenville on Thursday (results were not available at press time) before facing a home-and-home

ON THE MOVE … Two players were called up to the big leagues this week. Jerome Gauthier-Leduc got the nod from AHL Rochester after playing just eight games with Gwinnett. Gauthier-Leduc scored a goal and added three assists as a member of the Gladiators. Justin Weller was moved to AHL Portland after 41 games this year and 65 games last year with Gwinnett. Weller had nine points and was a plus-2 for the Glads this season.

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