Augusta University's Double-Header at North Georgia Tips Off Peach Belt Play

Augusta University will open Peach Belt Conference play with a double-header at North Georgia Friday. The women will tip off at 6:00 P.M. and the men are scheduled to begin at 8:00. Watch the action live via North Georgia's YouTube broadcast of both games, which can be found at this link. I also embedded it directly below so you can watch right here at AugBball.com.

Watch the Jags women's and men's teams live right here!

Men's and women's teams' paths have mirrored each other's 

Both Jaguar squads have exited the non conference portion of their seasons with a single loss. Both teams suffered their lone setback at the hands of West Georgia. Both responded nicely in their following outings with wins at home over Benedict. And both are led by preseason all conference guards, Keshun Sherrill and Breonna O'Conner.

Sherrill has continued to lead the way

Since the win over Benedict, the men have added another three victories to earn a 7-1 mark entering Friday's game. For the third straight season, preseason first team All Peach Belt Conference pick Keshun Sherrill has led the way. Just as striking as his scoring statistics (24.3 ppg on 50% FG, 48% 3 pt FG, and 92% FT) has been his knack for leading the team when he is most needed.

In a 76-72 win over Wingate, Sherrill scored 13 of his 29 points in the final 6:51 to help Augusta overcome a 7 point second half deficit:





Then in the following game, a 70-59 road win over Bowie State, the 5'9" All American guard scored another 29 points to lead Augusta on a day when no other Jag was able to score more than 7. Just before halftime, "Superman," my nickname for the 50%-40%-90%* shooting wunderkind, was able to get 3 of those points with this full court sprint that took less than 3.9 seconds:

I'm writing a preview for tomorrow's 11:00 A.M. @augustajags game and I'm using this clip from Sunday's win at Bowie State in which @keshunsherrill10 sank a half-courter just before halftime on the way to a 70-59 Jags win. #SuperMan - Tune in to the broadcast of the home game from work. I'll be color commentating, as usual.

A video posted by Chad Cook (@augbball) on Dec 7, 2016 at 1:01pm PST

And seemingly to prove his flare for last second threes is no fluke, he followed the Bowie State buzzer beater with another one in the following game, Augusta's most recent win over Vorhees:

At the buzzer Keshun for 3!

A video posted by Augusta University Athletics (@augustajags) on Dec 8, 2016 at 8:46am PST

Williams and Doyle Have Provided Scoring and Rebounding in Key Spots 

Sophomore Deane Williams and junior Kyle Doyle, who is playing in his first season after transferring from Georgia Southern and attending high school locally at Josey, have provided a much needed scoring boost on the frontline. Williams is averaging 11 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 58% from the field. And Doyle has made a similar impact off the bench, scoring 10.3 points and grabbing 6 rebounds per contest while making 68% of his shots. Here they are providing a second half spark against Wingate:

*"50-40-90" is a rare feat achieved by basketball players who make over 50% of their field goals, 40% of their threes, and 90% of their free throws.

O'Conner and Outler have led the way for the Lady Jaguars

Senior Breonna O'Conner is leading the team in scoring at just under 17 points per game. She started the season in style with 27 points in 23 minutes in a win over Fort Valley State:

And Cross Creek graduate Ashleigh Outler, who is averaging over 15 points per game, has already won Peach Belt player of the week honors:

@AUG_WBB Jr. Ashleigh Outler earns @PeachBelt Player of the Week honors! Congrats Ash! https://t.co/fi7oQWZePp pic.twitter.com/JKgRVStl7B

— AugustaJags (@AugustaJags) December 5, 2016

The Lady Jags have also gotten a boost from Wright State transfer JJ Williams, who scored 16 points in Augusta's most recent win, a 73-68 decision Sunday over Benedict:

Follow AugBball and don't miss Augusta University's first night of Peach Belt action!

Laney Rolls Over Glenn Hills 75-28; Battle of Two of State's Best Teams Comes Saturday

Junior Desha Benjamin scored 26 points and senior Aubriana Bonnner tallied 21 as Laney rolled over Glenn Hills 75-28 to start 2-0 in region play. During this my third season following the Lady Wildcats, I am struck by the fact that during that time coach Otis Smart's team has not lost a game against a region opponent, whether during the regular season or the post season.

Benjamin and Bonner, along with senior starters Jhessyka Williams and Jasmine Bartlett, starred on Laney's state title team of two seasons ago. And Jaiden Hamilton, a sophomore, has had a season of consistent playing time for last season's elite 8 state tournament team. All of that is to say there are good reasons to believe Benjamin and her senior teammates may not lose a region game before they graduate.

Left to Right: Seniors Aubriana Bonner, Jasmine Bartlett, and Jhessyka Williams

I mean no disrespect to Josey, a solid team that beat Butler 48-25 Tuesday, and that probably has the best chance to prove my statement wrong. The highlights above clearly show the Lady Wildcats, who are regarded by the GHSA expert Kyle Sandy as Georgia's second best AA team, have become a well oiled machine after all these seasons playing together.

Sophomore Jaiden Hamilton bangs in a three in Tuesday's win.

For fans wanting to see Laney be tested, a great opportunity will be Saturday's home game against Mays, which is ranked #2 in class AAAAAA by Sandy. Mays beat Laney at Mays last season. And they eliminated Grovetown, another top 10 AAAAAA team, from last season's state playoffs.

Desha Benjamin scored 26 points in Tuesday's win.

Benjamin told me in the interview in the video above that she is eager to see what Mays "will bring to the table." And she referred to "their guard." That would be Kamiyah Street, who scored 47 points in the win over Grovetown last February.

A team like Mays with a player like Street may be the only one Laney faces for months to come with the resume and talent to challenge Augusta's AA dynasty.

Josey Tops #3 Butler 60-56

Dominique Hurst, Jonathan Butler, and Rodriguez Daggett combined to score 45 points, including 31 of their team's 34 in the second half, to lead Josey to a 60-56 home win over Butler in region action. The win gave Josey even more momentum as the Eagles have won every game after dropping their opener last month. More importantly, coach Kelly Winstead's team improved to 2-0 in class AA, region 4 play after beating the #3 Bulldogs.





After the Eagles fell behind early, senior John Williams punctuated a second quarter surge with a one hand dunk in the open court just before halftime that gave Josey a 26-23 advantage. "That gave us momentum going into halftime. You need that sometimes to carry over," coach Winstead told AugBball contributor Harold Doby after the game.

That momentum carried over as Hurst, Butler, and Daggett's 31 points after the break withstood a rush by Butler's Deandre Barton, who scored 18 of his game high 22 points after intermission. Drez McBride also chipped in 16 for the Bulldogs, who visit Laney, winner of its first two region games, Friday night in yet another highly anticipated class AA, region 4 showdown.

Hurst led Josey with 16 points. Butler added 15 and Daggett chipped in 14 in the win.

Butler, the state's #3 class AA team according to Sandy's Spiel, has started region play with what has to be considered the most difficult schedule. After Friday's game at Laney, the Bulldogs will have played three road games against three of the state's best AA teams (Glenn Hills, Josey, and Laney) in the first 8 days of league play!

Thank you to Tuesday's sponsor!

Tuesday's double feature coverage was made possible in part because of the help of Big G Enterprises and Garret Siler's 5th Annual Community Holiday Dinner Giveaway. There is still time to show your support for this great cause by donating to the organization's "Go Fund Me" effort at this link.

Walker and Friends Lead a Laney Comeback Win Over Region Foe Glenn Hills

PJ Walker scored a team high 14 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter and overtime.

PJ Walker led Laney with 14 points, and he led a foursome of Wildcat guards who combined to score 30 points during the fourth quarter and overtime as Laney ended Tuesday's region battle with Glenn Hills with a 36-18 blitz to claim a 61-53 win at home.





Trailing 35-25 after Spartan guard Eric Farmer made a three pointer just before the third quarter buzzer, Walker during the next 13 minutes scored 11 points, while Tahj Tanksley and Donald Henley each added 7, and D'Juan Griffin chipped in another 5 to shock Glenn Hills, which had dominated the first 24 minutes of play.

Tahj Tanksley scored 10 points in Tuesday's win.

The dizzying run seemingly reached its peak when Walker put back a Griffin miss to put Laney ahead 48-45 with 45 seconds remaining, capping a 23-12 spurt in which Walker scored 7 points and Griffin tallied 5. But Glenn Hills freshman John Whitehead answered with a three pointer off the dribble from right in front of the Spartans' bench to force overtime.

Timmy Sellers led all scorers with 18 points and dominated both ends for much of the game.

During the extra period, Glenn Hills appeared to take back the momentum when 6'8" junior Timmy Sellers, who led all scorers with 18 points, recorded 5 quick points. But after Tanksley buried a three from the top of the key and Henley knocked down another, Laney had took a 58-53 advantage that only grew after Walker later made a touch pass on the break to Tanksley, who finished a layup to the roaring approval of Laney's fans.

Laney's 13 minute long offensive explosion came as a surprise after the Wildcats only managed 25 in the first 24 minutes. Coach Shawn Parks told me after the game he was proud of his players for staying together while facing adversity. And he was happy they were able to execute his spread offense with four guards on the floor at the same time after Glenn Hills's giant front line, which is anchored by Sellers, gave Laney so much trouble in the paint during the first three quarters.

Laney improved to 2-0 in class AA, region 4 action. Glenn Hills, which entered the week ranked #9 in class AA after losing a heart breaker at the buzzer to Butler Friday, dropped to 0-2.

Stay tuned to AugBball.com for more game reports from Tuesday's Game of the Night Double Feature, which included live highlights and updates from four class AA, region 4 games at @AugBball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Throughout the day Wednesday I will post game reports from Josey's win over class AA's #3 ranked Butler as well as #2 Laney's Lady Wildcats' blowout win over Glenn Hills.

Thank you to Tuesday's sponsor!

Tuesday's double feature coverage was made possible in part because of the help of Big G Enterprises and Garret Siler's 5th Annual Community Holiday Dinner Giveaway. There is still time to show your support for this great cause by donating to the organization's "Go Fund Me" effort at this link.

Laney-Glenn Hills and Josey-Butler Headlines Tuesday's AugBball Coverage with Special Sponsor

AugBball is partnering with Garret Siler and Friends for Tuesday's AugBball Double Feature

Georgia's class AA #3 Butler and #9 Glenn Hills hit the road tonight to take on Josey and Laney, respectively, in region 4 action. We will bring you full coverage with a special AugBball Double Feature, partly made possible by a special sponsor:

Big G Enterprises and Garret Siler's Fifth Annual Community Holiday Dinner Giveaway

The former Augusta University and NBA star's non profit organization is attempting to provide Christmas dinners to at least 100 families for the fifth year! The goal is to have as many people as possible donate and commit to volunteering toward this worthy cause.

Let's click on this link and donate and reach Garret's goal tonight y'all!

Double Feature Preview: Four Teams with State Championship Potential Square Off on this December Night that is Full of Playoff Level Intesnsity

(That's a mouthful of a title for tonight's preview. But forgive me because I am excited!)

Friday's instant classic showdown of top 10 (according to Sandy's Spiel) region rivals tipped off class AA, region 4 play. Friday's AugBball Game of the Night was well documented:

• Full game highlights, an interview, and my AugBball story can be seen here

And here is some footage I temporarily lost and have not shared before now. I hope it translates well the intensity that could be felt in the building Friday, which I expect to be turned up to an even higher level in tonight's games:

Josey and Laney aren't ranked, but they are good enough to be

Javen Whitehead - 6'3" senior, Josey

I have repeated to the GHSA expert Kyle Sandy and everybody who follows my work my "AugBball prediction" that all four of these teams are pretty much equally likely to make a deep post season run.  Josey has won every game since dropping their opener to a tough Lakeside team. Javen Whitehead (pictured above) is uniquely capable of matching Butler's Will Lambert's potent blend of strength, toughness, and athleticism. Whitehead's game features those first two traits well enough. But it's the athleticism part, which shines through in the picture, that can be dominating. His performance in last season's home win over Laney was easily one of the most exciting moments of 2016:

(Here is a link to the full highlights from Josey's defeat of Laney last season, the only loss the Wildcats had suffered in town at the time since November, 2014.)

Speaking of Laney, there remains tons of championship talent. 

In addition to senior veteran Tahj Tanksley's scorching play last week when he scored 35 points in a pair of Wildcat victories over Richmond and Westside, coach Shawn Parks can count on junior Donald Henley. An unforgettable play the lightning quick point guard made in the season's first full weekend was this dribble-out-the-clock-and-make-a-buzzer-beater shot at Greenbrier:

Laney's Donald Henley answered Crawford's 3, calmly finishing this drive off the glass to give Laney the 55-53 road win! pic.twitter.com/eSkogm8YJE

— Chad Cook's AugBball (@AugBball) November 19, 2016

Dorsey goes for 31 in Pine Hill's win; Collins and Blount lead a Spirit Creek route

According to Pine Hill's Jordyn Dorsey, who scored 31 points in 24 minutes in Monday's 35-23 win over Spirit Creek, she has been playing basketball so long she can't remember when she learned her complete array of moves and shots: "I've been playing basketball since like... whenever. But most of it is God given."

That answer made sense to me. A shot that fluid and a full compliment of dribble moves, not to mention Dorsey's instincts when finding teammates and defending the ball, are rare traits among high school players, girls and boys included. The 5'8" eighth grader who has led Pine Hill to a 7-0 start has an advanced grasp on the finer points of the game. She showed that in outscoring Spirit Creek, which entered Monday's game undefeated, all by herself.

Collins and Blount lead the way in Spirit Creek's 45-26 decision

DJ Collins scored 17 points and Jaylen Blount added 15 as Spirit Creek sprinted to a 45-26 win over Pine Hill to improve to 6-1 and claim sole possession of second place in the county's standings. Spirit Creek fell to 6-1.

The 6-1 Spirit Creek Dolphins

I look forward to the coming Richmond County middle school playoffs. The top four girls and boys teams will play next month to decide the champions.

Lady Jaguars Top Benedict 73-68; improve to 4-1 ahead of conference opener

Augusta University's Lady Jaguars topped Benedict 73-68 at home Sunday to improve their record to 4-1 for the season ahead of Friday's Peach Belt Conference opener at North Georgia. Junior JJ Williams led the way with 16 points, including 3 first half threes and an old fashioned three point play with 1:50 remaining that gave Augusta a 72-65 lead only 68 seconds after Benedict had cut the Jaguars' once 21 point advantage to 1.

Augusta's preseason first team All Peach Belt pick Breonna O'Conner also scored 16 points, and Brianna Middleton scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

After a 28-11 Augusta run that spanned parts of the second and third quarters, Benedict slowly chipped away at the deficit behind the play of Shirvel Luke (22 points) and Destiny Betts (15 points), who made a combined 17 of 27 field goals. After Luke scored to cut Augusta's lead to 1 with 2:58 remaining, junior Abrea Harris converted a three point play and Williams followed with another on the next possession to essentially seal Augusta's win.

Augusta's women's and men's teams play Friday at North Georgia and Monday at Columbus State, opening the Peach Belt portion of the schedule. Both teams have won every game but one in pre-conference play.

Follow @AugBball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Friday for live highlights and updates from Jags basketball at North Georgia.