In need of a spark against Blessed Trinity in the GHSA Region 7-AAAAA boys’ basketball semifinals Wednesday, Calhoun found it on the defensive end.
The Yellow Jackets (19-5) rallied from an early 10-point deficit to secure a spot in Friday’s championship game versus Hiram with a 60-54 win at Calhoun. Coach Vince Layson’s team won for the third time this season against the Titans (14-13) despite the slow start.
“I think it was a couple of factors,” Layson said of the rally. “We came out flat, and they had good energy. After halftime we kept our composure and stayed the course. We were able to get some defensive stops and turn them into some transition buckets. Once we were able to grab the lead, they had to come out and guard us a little more than what they are used to, and that went in our favor.”
Blessed Trinity’s 6-foot-9 center, Brigham Rogers, dominated early with nine quick points. The Jackets, though, rode a big third quarter from Jaylan Harris, who had eight of his 15 points in the period, to gain control.
Dylan Faulkner scored 17 points to lead Calhoun, with Peyton Law adding 13.
Rogers led Blessed Trinity with 17 points, followed by Jack Whalen with 12.
The Calhoun girls weren’t as fortunate, falling 53-39 to Hiram, and will face Blessed Trinity in Friday’s third-place game.
Ooltewah boys 73, Rhea County 69 (OT): Senior guard Deleon Petty enjoyed a career night, dropping 40 points to help the Owls survive and advance in the District 5-4A tournament with a thrilling overtime victory. Petty scored 26 second-half points and went 9-of-10 on free throws to go with 11 two-pointers and a trio of 3-pointers. Ooltewah’s Keyshawn Corbin added 18 in the win. Rhea County was led by Bryce Dupree’s 21 points, while Kyler Akin added 18 and Kaleb Martin 17.
Ringgold girls 52, LaFayette 43: In the GHSA Region 6-AAA tournament at LaFayette, the Lady Tigers (19-7) advanced to the semifinals and earned a state tournament berth as Rachel Lopez had 16 points, eight assists and three steals. Also for Ringgold, which will face Murray County on Friday, Baileigh Pitts had nine points and 11 rebounds, with Addi Broome and Taylor Layne adding eight points each.
Sonoraville girls 45, Coahulla Creek 43: Also in the 6-AAA tourney, the Lady Phoenix (13-12) earned a semifinal berth versus No. 1 seed Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe and their 10th consecutive state tournament appearance as Erin Garland and Kayleigh Kelley had 13 points each. Brinkley Reed led the Lady Colts with 20 points.
BASEBALL
Ringgold 10, Gordon Lee 3: Mason Parker had a pair of doubles, drove in a run and scored twice to lead the Tigers in the battle of northwest Georgia powers. Dre Morris had two hits, an RBI and run scored, while Robbie Bates, Conner Christopher and Ross Norman each had RBIs for Ringgold (1-0). Kade Cowan and Nate Dunfee had two hits each for Gordon Lee (0-2), with Brodie Genter knocking in two runs.
Calhoun 4, Northwest Whitfield 1: Four Calhoun pitchers combined for a 13-strikeout four-hitter. Cooper Evans, who started the game and fanned five in two innings, had a two-run double in the fifth inning, with Jax Bishop adding an RBI for Calhoun (2-0). Aiden Hosford drove in Northwest’s run.
Heritage 6, Murray County 1: J.J. Hunt had two doubles among his three hits to go with two RBIs and scored twice as the Generals won their season opener. Brady Chandler and Landen Skeen added two hits each in support of Zach Barrett, who allowed two hits and struck out seven in four innings.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.