Cavaliers ease to third straight region win

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 13, 2016

By Kevin Eckleberry

keckleberry@civitasmedia.com

The Callaway Cavaliers surged to a 15-point lead after the first period, and they never looked back on the way to a 75-23 road win over Haralson County on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers moved to 8-3 overall, and they’re now 3-0 in Region 5-AAA.

Tuesday’s game figured to be a mismatch, and it was.

Haralson County came into the game with just one victory on the season, and it had no chance against a Callaway team that has won three consecutive region championships and has a good chance to make it four in a row.

Callaway head coach Terry Hayes said the goal coming into the game was to play a solid game, regardless of how overmatched the opponent was.

“Just make sure we play well, do the little things correct,” Hayes said.

The Cavaliers led 20-5 after the first quarter, and by the half the lead had grown to 44-12.

There was no let-up in the third period, with the Cavaliers outscoring the Rebels 23-7 to take a 67-19 lead into the final quarter.

Everyone on the Callaway roster saw significant playing time, and all but one of the Cavaliers scored.

Dre Martin led the Cavaliers with 21 points, Braylon Sanders added 13 points, and Joe Brown scored 10 points.

In Tuesday’s girls’ game, Haralson County flexed its muscles on the way to a 79-47 victory.

Haralson County is having a terrific season, and it improved to 15-1 overall and 3-0 in the region with Tuesday’s win.

Callaway won its first two region games before falling to Haralson County.

“We started out real slow, and they did a good job of hustling and getting putbacks,” Callaway head coach Deyano Martin said of Haralson County.

The Lady Cavaliers, after scoring in double digits in all four quarters in Saturday’s win over Cedartown, were limited to eight points in each of the first two periods against Haralson County and they trailed 40-12 at the break.

The Lady Cavaliers found their offensive footing in the second half and scored 31 points, but the deficit was too great.

Ki Ki Owens led Callaway with nine points, Alexus Scott added seven points, and Kelly Carlisle and Chyna Cameron each scored six points.

Callaway’s teams will be at home on Friday against region foe Pepperell.

TROUP: The Lady Tigers were unable to overcome a slow start on the way to a 50-39 road loss to Whitewater on Tuesday.

The Lady Tigers were outscored 13-1 in the first quarter, and while they played much better after that, they couldn’t make it all the way back.

Troup fell to 0-3 in Region 5-AAAA.

Akhya Mitchell led the Lady Tigers with nine points, Jedda Madden scored eight points, Gabby Lockhart chipped in with seven points, and Kiya Fulton scored six.

In Tuesday’s boys’ game, Troup also got off to a slow start, with Whitewater taking a 9-2 lead after the first quarter.

The Tigers were down 24-13 at the half, and they trailed 41-27 through three quarters.

Troup ended up falling 66-39, and it is 0-3 in region play.

Troup’s teams will be at home against Fayette County on Friday.

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports