Area sports notes: Buddy Gross sixth in FLW's Toho tournament

Assorted Sports Equipment on Black
Assorted Sports Equipment on Black

Buddy Gross of Chickamauga, Georgia, caught a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 7 ounces Thursday for sixth place in the first round of this week's FLW Tour event on Lake Tohopekaliga at Kissimmee, Florida. John Cox of DeBary, Florida, led the 170-angler field with 31-9 - the largest one-day total ever for FLW competition on Toho. John Voyles of Indiana was second at 24-15.

Football

» Longtime local schoolteacher and coach John Atkins died last Saturday at the age of 82, and a memorial service is set for this Saturday at 11 a.m. at John P. Franklin Funeral Home on Dodds Avenue. The family will receive friends beginning at 10:30, and a post-service reception will be held at the Howard School Atrium (new gym entrance) with attendees encouraged to share memories of Atkins. He finished a 33-year teaching career in 1993 at his alma mater, Howard, where he was the football coach among other roles.

Basketball

» Lee University's men won 64-56 but the Lady Flames lost 66-60 in a Gulf South Conference basketball doubleheader Thursday night at Mississippi College. Quay Kennedy scored 14 points with four 3-point baskets for the winning Flames (12-10), who shot 50 percent on 3s and 48.1 percent overall as a team. Josh Lowe was 6-of-7 from the field while adding 12 points with seven rebounds, and Cody Jones had 11 points. The Lady Flames (17-5) shot only 29 percent. They were led by Abby Bertram with 18 points, including three 3s, and Lindsey Roddy with 11 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Anna Woodford also scored 11 points.

» The Dalton State College men surged from a late-first-half 20-point deficit to defeat 20th-ranked Bethel 89-84 in overtime. That made the Roadrunners 14-10 overall and 9-7 in the Southern States Athletic Conference and dropped the Wildcats to 19-6 and 13-4. Sean Cranney scored 22 points and Sean Chislom had 19 plus eight rebounds for DSC, while Randy Bell scored 17 points and Malik Pugh added 10.

» The Covenant College women stepped out of conference play and thrashed visiting Toccoa Falls 78-26 as Joanna Smith and Taylor Robinson provided 18 and 15 points and seven rebounds apiece. Raquel Rosa collected eight rebounds and Kaley Hallmark made four steals for the Lady Scots (9-15).

Baseball

» Cleveland State dropped to 0-2 with a 9-2 loss Thursday to Gordon State in Barnesville, Georgia. Lance Dockery was 2-for-4 with a double in defeat, and Rhett Baldwin and Ryan Wilson batted in the Cougars' runs. The teams play a doubleheader today.

Softball

» Catcher Shelby Hammontree from Heritage High School was one of two softball players from the University of North Georgia and 50 nationwide to be included on the "watch list" for the 2019 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II national player of the year. The other UNG player on the list, pitcher Kylee Smith, was the 2018 national winner.

Swimming & Diving

» The annual TISCA swimming and diving state meet is today and Saturday in Nashville, and Baylor School returns to the Tracy Caulkins pool at the Centennial Sportsplex as the defending combined and boys' champions. The Baylor girls were runners-up last year.

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