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Girls 8A standings
ćSchool Region Overall
Clarke Central 4-0 6-2
Madison County 4-1 8-3
Cedar Shoals 3-2 7-3
Winder-Barrow 2-3 4-5
Apalachee 1-4 4-4
Habersham 1-4 3-7
Girls 8B standings
School Region Overall
Loganville 5-1 6-5
Salem 4-1 10-2
Rockdale 3-2 5-4
Heritage 1-4 4-5
Monroe 0-6 3-7
ztaylor@barrowcountynews.com
In the fourth quarter against Monroe on Dec. 15, the Apalachee girls basketball team proved to the home audience that this was not last year’s Lady Cats.
Apalachee had already won three games against three defeats, but they had yet to beat a Region 8 AAAA opponent.
It wasn’t that the Cats hadn’t played tough. They fell one point short of defeating Rockdale in a 72-71 final, and they hung with powerhouse Loganville until the very end in a 60-52 loss.
What separates a good team from a great one is the ability to close out the close games.
The Wildcats and the Hurricanes entered the fourth quarter tied 48-48. Then Apalachee did something it hadn’t been able to do in the past, the offense exploded.
They scored twelve unanswered points and cruised to their first Region 8 AAAA win.
The difference between this year and last year? Experience.
The Cats are still a very young team, but the players have gained experience from last season.
Not to mention the addition of point guard Porshia Cleveland, the team’s lone senior, who transferred from a top basketball school in Kansas City.
Cleveland can do just about everything on the court, whether its passing to get the offense going, or driving the lane for a layup late in a close game.
In the win over Salem she was the top scorer on the court with 23 points.
If she passes, she has a trio of sophomores at her disposal.
Lacresha Mayweather, Saboyce Shelton and Kiarra Sanford all started last year as freshman.
Mayweather thrives outside the three-point arc. She has made at least one trey in almost every game this season, her highlight coming at Loganville where she hit all four of her team’s three-pointers.
On a small team that lacks a true center, Shelton is the top Cat in the paint. She has led the team in rebounds the last two games and led Apalachee in points with 19 in their 66-61 loss to Loganville on Dec. 18.
Sanford generally roams with Shelton near the paint, and the two can keep defenders from being able to double team one or the other. Sanford has been a consistent scorer, leading the team in scoring most recently when she dropped 24 points on Athens Christian Dec. 8.
The fifth starter is junior guard Aliya Ballard. You don’t have to watch a game very long before realizing her role, the lockdown defender. Against Monroe she swiped seven balls and scored 13 points, mostly off the fast break.
Head Coach Michael Parks can look to a solid bench when the starters need a break.
Amy Kelley and Ryan Burke have been able to provide more inside presence and intensity when they get on the court.
The only downside to the team right now is entering the Christmas break with a tough, five-point loss to Loganville Dec. 18.
The upside is that they start the Oconee Tournament in Watkinsville Dec. 28 with a familiar first opponent in Monroe, the team that fell victim to a different kind of Lady Cat attack than they had seen last year.
