November's Notes: Competition between middle schools like Langford and Columbia (for example) should begin as soon as possible

There has been nothing as uplifting and wholesome as the experience I've had following some of our area's best middle school teams from Richmond County and Columbia County. That Langford, Columbia, Spirit Creek, Grovetown Middle, and Hornsby are located in slightly different geographies means essentially nothing to the hordes of parents, family members, classmates and fans who have flooded to their entertaining and very well played games.

The rematch between Columbia and Grovetown Middle was a special evening, as the teams' supporters brought signs and wore special "white out" tee shirts. And the play was every bit as special, as Christian Chambers scored 33 points in 24 minutes to help the Raiders avenge their earlier loss to the Patriots.





Adding cross county games and championship tournaments to their schedules would add to the enjoyment of the players and fans. Doing so would also give the young competitors more opportunities to learn and get even more experience becoming mature and capable young men and women through the wonders of competition. Which players, coaches, or supporters of Columbia County's teams wouldn't want to be part of an atmosphere at Langford like the one shown below in the high profile matchup below between the defending Richmond County champs and visiting Spirit Creek? (And likewise for the Langford and Spirit Creek contingent regarding the Columbia Middle atmosphere above!)





When I exited Lakeside middle school in 1990, there were four schools in Columbia County. Our schedule consisted of games against the other three county schools and Norris Middle, which is now Thomson. And Richmond County had just began letting its schools compete with each other after not even allowing middle school sports competition before the late 80's.

Twenty-five years later, it is past time to do the common sense thing and allow the men and women (middle school coaches, many of whom are volunteers) who help develop our community's boys and girls to freely schedule games and tournaments that area hoops fans like me will flock to see.

Columbia Middle topples Grovetown; Chambers pours in 33

After Grovetown toppled Columbia on opening day and both teams sailed through the next six games without a blemish, I can imagine the good feelings Columbia's Christian Chambers must have after he scored 33 points to lead his Raiders to a 57-46 win over the Patriots in Thursday's highly anticipated rematch.

Two of the area's best eighth graders: Chambers scored 33
Thursday to eve the score after Williams'sopening day game winner.

He has many reasons to be happy. His Raiders avenged their only loss, one that must have stung, especially after he played so well, scoring 20 of Columbia's 33 points that game. He and his teammates got their revenge in front of a packed gym. The support from students, faculty, and parents, most wearing special "White Out" shirts made for the big game, had to be a unique experience for Chambers. As good as he is, I doubt he's played in front of a crowd like that before Thursday.

Then there is the simple math of Chambers's scoring explosion. 33 points in 24 minutes. Wow! I believe I've seen a good sampling of the best middle school teams in our area, and I can't think of another player in town who could put up those numbers in that time period in a game with this much attention.

Like I said, Chambers must be feeling very good right now. He should be.

I don't mean to imply Chambers was the only player who turned in an impressive performance Thursday. A game like this is highly anticipated because it includes good players.

Most of Columbia's students, faculty, and parents
wore special "White Out" T-shirts at Thursday's game.

Grovetown's Chris Williams scored 14 points and seemed unstoppable when his teammates found him. And his seventh grade teammate Rickey McGhee scored 21, mostly attacking the basket in the open court. This duo has led the Patriots all season, and they and their teammates have no reason to hang their heads.

When a guy scores 33 points in 24 minutes, he has earned his win. And all the good feelings that come with it.

Columbia whips Evans to set up showdown with Grovetown

          Click here to see my game report of the first Columbia-Grovetown game.

Julius Brown exploded for 12 third quarter points Tuesday.

Julius Brown's 12 point third quarter turned a comfortable Columbia Middle lead over Evans into a 53-25 blitz that positions the Raiders alone in second place in the Columbia County middle school standings ahead of Thursday's much anticipated rematch with undefeated Grovetown. Brown led all scorers with 14. Christian Chambers chipped in 12 as Columbia poured in the points with an unselfish attack that put eight Raiders into the scoring column.

Thursday's showdown at Columbia marks the first game of the second half of the season. Columbia (5-1) and Grovetown (7-0) have distinguished themselves at the top of the standings. Grovetown beat Harlem 62-21 Tuesday. Evans (5-2) and Greenbrier (4-2) are within striking distance. Greenbrier topped Riverside behind Drew Hollenback's game high 12 points.

Of the teams in the bottom half of the standings, Stallings Island may be due for a win against a top four team after scaring Evans (the Knights eventually prevailed 33-32) Friday and beating Lakeside 42-35 Tuesday. Lakeside's Darius Rayne led all scorers with 20 in the loss, while SIMS was paced by Andrew May (13) and Jayden Taylor (11).

Thanks to the Georgia Fusion AAU organization for the news from around the county.

Langford tops Spirit Creek in front of a capacity crowd

The much anticipated matchup between the defending Richmond County champ, Langford, and Spirit Creek started so fast I could barely focus my camera in time to capture Langford's first half explosion. The Lions overwhelmed Spirit Creek in the second quarter with a 16-4 run before cinching a 52-44 win behind a balanced attack in which three Lions scored in double figures.

Dajuan Collins sank 6-7 second half free throws
to cut Langford's 20 point lead to 3
in the fourth quarter Monday.

Makhi Climons leaped, sprinted, and bullied his way to 12 first half points and set the tone for the kind of fast and physical game that would unfold. Tyshun Briscoe made a move in transition that made the gym roar and the Lions took a 19-9 second quarter lead. But the crowd was loudest after Luther Reid finished in transition to send the Lions to the locker room leading 27-11.

After being pounded inside much of the third, Spirit Creek regained its footing in the fourth quarter as Travis Sturgis and Dajuan Collins found an offensive rhythm. Collins led all scorers with 18 points, including a string of important free throws, that briefly narrowed Langford's lead to 44-41 as coach Remwick Lee dealt with the loss of Climons, who fouled out pursuing a rebound.

Ultimately it was Briscoe and Reid who put the final distance between the teams as the pair made 4 of 5 free throws and each made a driving basket in the final two minutes.

Climons led Langford with 16 points. Reid added 14 and Briscoe 11. Sturgis scored 12 points in the loss.

Grovetown topples Greenbrier after second half surge

Grovetown Middle used an 18-0 second half run to beat Greenbrier 46-31 and improve to 6-0 on the season. The Patriots' twin towers, Chris Williams and Kentrell Tyree combined to score 22 points in the second and third quarters, setting up the second half blitz that broke a once close game wide open.

Williams is as good as any middle school player I've seen in the area this season. Playing without Tyree and guard Rickey McGhee throughout the first quarter, Williams did it all, rebounding, leading the break , attacking the defense off the dribble, and nailing his soft floaters and turn around jumpers. Grovetown led 10-5 after one quarter.

Grovetown's Chris Williams led all scorers with 14 points.

Greenbrier got good inside play in the first half from Tristan Moore and seventh grader Jacob Matthews. Matthews led the Wolfpack with 11 points after getting to the line 9 times. A timely second quarter three by Jackson Fulmer sparked a 9 point Greenbrier run, as the Wolfpack established a 19-15.

Several lead changes and another Fulmer three later, Greenbrier led 26-25 only to have its run thwarted by Grovetown's dynamic inside duo of Williams and Tyree. The two worked extremely well together against Greenbrier's zone, passing up good shots to get each other great ones.

After watching these two play four games, I've decided coach Dan Sneeringer probably feels lucky they are on his side. They have both been so consistent in their effort and unselfishness. Their combination of skill and will may be tough for opponents to overcome.

But those things will be decided on the court, especially during the following match ups:

Tuesday, Nov 17
Evans (5-1) vs Columbia (4-1)

Evans beat Stallings Island 33-32 tonight. Mackenzie Norman led all scorers with 20 points. Stalling Island's Jayden Taylor scored 15.

Columbia beat Lakeside 60-35 Friday.

Thursday, Nov 19
Grovetown (6-0) at Columbia (4-1)

Monday, Nov 30
Greenbrier (3-2) at Columbia (5-1)

These games will go a long way toward deciding whether Grovetown will be caught before the 14 game season ends.

I'll see you in the gym.

Langford tops Hornsby on opening night

Weeks ago Will Avery told me Langford plays like a junior varsity team. With that information, I knew where to go Monday on the opening night of the Richmond County middle school season. Langford, the defending county champs, hosted Hornsby, the only team able to defeat the Lions in the past twelve months. In fact that lone loss came against Hornsby exactly one year ago on opening night.

Langford took advantage of its second chance at revenge (the Lions beat the Jaguars in the semifinals of the county championship tournament last January), earning a 42-31 win behind 20 points from Tyshun Briscoe and 17 by Makhi Taylor. Langford is a well rounded team that plays unselfishly and has weapons at all positions.

Langford's Tyshun Briscoe scored 20 points in Langford's home win Monday.

Monday's matchup was the fifth middle school game on the AugBball calendar. They've all been highly entertaining. The gyms are smaller than at the high schools. The bleachers fill up fast and the crowds are loud. And in Richmond County Monday night, the middle school gym was also the place to be for the area's best high school players. Laney's Zep Jasper, Christian Keeling, and Donald Henley had their seats pulled up before halftime of the girls game.

Richmond County has a rich tradition of competitive and entertaining basketball, no matter the age of the players. Keeling and Jasper won a county championship together at Langford 5 years ago. I'm glad both counties have tipped off. And I hope the rest of the season is as good as this early stretch.

Evans Middle wins to move into tie for second in standings

The Columbia County middle school race got more interesting Friday. Evans put together two halves of timely shooting and bruising inside play en route to a 38-30 win over Greenbrier that put the Knights in a tie with Columbia Middle for second place in the standings as we near the season's halfway point.

Evans fell behind early to a disciplined Greenbrier team that is led by scrappy point guard Cyrus Wilder, who got Greenbrier's offense on track early. Wilder penetrated the paint, made floaters, and found teammates inside. The Wolfpack led 14-5 with less than 2 minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Mackenzie Norman (left) and Cole Anderson battle for
position Friday. Norman led all scorers with 15 points.

But Evans' perimeter trio of Mackenzie Norman and seventh graders Brandon Brown and Cameron Warren gradually heated up and quickly erased the deficit before halftime. The teams traded baskets and leads throughout the third quarter. But Evans forward Cameron Bridell, another seventh grader, established an inside presence that, along with the perimeter shooting barrage, was too much for Greenbrier to overcome.

Norman led all scorers with 14 points. Wilder scored 8 points to pace the Wolfpack.

Evans improves to 3-1 and stands tied with Columbia one game behind Grovetown. The Knights face Riverside and Stallings Island next week. Greenbrier falls to 3-1 and faces a brutal week with games against Columbia and Grovetown.

Grovetown, Columbia, Evans, and Greenbrier have carved out spots in the top half of the 8 team Columbia County field. But with ten games remaining, there is plenty of time for those teams to come back to the pack, and for the teams that haven't sprinted out to a fast start to get moving.

Grovetown moves to 3-0 with blowout win

Rickey McGhee and the Grovetown Patriots continue to roll.

Corey Warren, the coach of both the Riverside boys and girls teams, is coming off county championships with both after his Eagles squads posted a combined record of 28-0 last season.  But it was clear early in Tuesday's game at Grovetown that the title of best boys middle school team in Columbia County will be changing hands this season.

Grovetown improved to 3-0 with a 63-16 win over the Eagles.  The Patriots host Stallings Island Friday.




Grovetown is the most likely candidate to unseat Riverside as county champs.  After hearing Columbia topped Stallings Island 50-24 tonight, I predict the Raiders are the most likely to challenge the Patriots for the county's crown.  Columbia was impressive in a heart breaking loss at Grovetown a week ago.  And AJ Gregory, who led the Raiders in scoring today with 11 points, didn't play in that game.  Today's 50 point Raider burst makes me look forward to the next time these teams meet again.

But before I make too many assumptions, I will break my plans to follow Grovetown until the season's halfway point.  By my count, there is one more undefeated team: Greenbrier.  So Friday's feature game will be the Wolfpack's (3-0) invasion of Evans Middle (2-1).

Greenbrier beat Harlem 39-32 Tuesday.  Jake Matthews scored 9 points to lead the Wolfpack.

The Knights competed fiercely against Grovetown last week. Seventh grader Brandon Brown scored 11 points in last night's 34-30 win over Lakeside.

Thanks to Dan Monroe of the Georgia Fusion for the information from around the county!

Grovetown Middle improves to 2-0 with road win

Grovetown Middle School followed a dramatic home win over Columbia Tuesday with a decisive 33-23 win at Evans Middle Friday.  Chris Williams, a 6'4" eighth grade center, and 6'2" seventh grade wing Rickey McGhee were again too much for the opponent to handle.  Williams has been consistently impressive.  He moves well and keeps opponents from getting good scoring opportunities.  And he finishes almost everything around the paint with a soft shooting touch.

Chris Williams has towered above the competition in the season's first week.

As I explain and show in the video above, McGhee is very skilled with the ball.  He is the only middle schooler I've seen these first two games who attacks the basket with his off hand.  As Friday's game progressed, Rickey was more and more willing to finish his drives with a score, rather than pass to a teammate in no better position.  His second half baskets helped the Patriots build a 28-16 lead on the scrappy Knights.

Many thanks to Columbia County for the October basketball last week.  I plan to report on Grovetown's games until the season's halfway point (November 17), or until they are defeated, whichever comes first.  Then I'll move to the next most impressive team I see.  Before Thanksgiving, I plan to have seen and shared enough Columbia County and Richmond County (beginning November 9) middle school hoops action to show people why it's well worth following.

Grovetown Middle opens the season with a bang!

The basketball season officially tipped off Tuesday. Many watched or heard about Stephen Curry's 24 point first quarter explosion in the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors' home opener versus the Pelicans.

But on the same day a far less publicized, yet every bit as exciting, battle went down on the opening day of the Columbia County middle school hoops schedule.  In its home opener against Columbia Middle, Grovetown Middle trotted out an imposing front line that included 6'4" Chris Williams, a transfer from Texas, and 6'2" seventh grader Rickey McGhee. The Patriots dominated the paint, but Columbia's Christian Chambers did his best Steph Curry impersonation, draining 5 threes in a game that featured two lead changes in the final minute before Grovetown's Williams sealed his team's 31-30 win with a basket in the final seconds.

Williams and McGhee combined to score 25 of Grovetown's 31 points, and Chambers tallied 20 of Columbia's 30.  Williams adds athleticism and touch around the basket to his 6'4" frame.  Setting up Williams's game winner was set up by McGhee's late three that cut Columbia's lead to 28-27.

Chambers was probably the game's most impressive player.  Five threes is a lot in any game, especially one lasting 24 minutes.  He also attacked the basket, created opportunities for teammates, grabbed rebounds, and made key defensive plays to come within seconds of securing a road win.

Grovetown coach Dan Sneeringer told me Tuesday's game was the most exciting contest he's coached in 16 years. Marcus Curry, the AAU coach of many players in the game, agreed, calling it "a great way to start the season." My feelings exactly! Watching Steph Curry play Tuesday was certainly a treat. But I got just as much enjoyment watching Williams, McGhee, and Chambers bring in the new season of AugBball action with a bang!