The Banks County High School basketball teams got started on their season this past week with a trip to Elbert County. The varsity teams played a scrimmage game to get the teams up to speed and so the coaches could see how well the teams have improved since starting practice.
The varsity girls easily won the contest 53-38. The Lady Leopards led the game in all four periods. BCHS was up 16-2 at the end of the first period.
The Lady Leopards led 30-11 at the half, out scoring their opponent 14-9 in the second period. BCHS lead the third period 37-24. Elbert Xounty mounted a come back outscoring the Leopards 13-7 but it wasn't enough.
[Full Story »]
Leopards to face Adairsville Tigers for first round of playoffs
The Banks County Leopards will face another tough opponent in the first round of the AA playoffs. The Adairsville Tigers are 9-1 on the season and are hungry for a win in the playoffs. It has been seven seasons since their last appearance in the state playoffs.
The Tigers have 23 seniors on their team and some pretty good talent. Senior Tail back Mike Upshaw has rushed for over 1500 yards this season. The only loss on the season for the Tigers came from the game against Pepperell (7-3 Overall , 5-0 Region), a 7A-AA team who will play Elbert in the first round of the playoffs.
The Leopards will have to be multi dimensional to beat the Tigers. The will bring a good running game and some of the passing game the Leopards saw last week with North Oconee. The Tigers hold on to the ball exceptionally well and the Leopards are going to have to force turnovers to win the game.
Special teams will need to step up to put a stop to the 15-20 yard average return on kickoffs by the Tigers. Adairsville has also held its opponents to an average of less than 11 points per game with the exception of Armuchee scoring 20 points.
The Tigers have 23 seniors on their team and some pretty good talent. Senior Tail back Mike Upshaw has rushed for over 1500 yards this season. The only loss on the season for the Tigers came from the game against Pepperell (7-3 Overall , 5-0 Region), a 7A-AA team who will play Elbert in the first round of the playoffs.
The Leopards will have to be multi dimensional to beat the Tigers. The will bring a good running game and some of the passing game the Leopards saw last week with North Oconee. The Tigers hold on to the ball exceptionally well and the Leopards are going to have to force turnovers to win the game.
Special teams will need to step up to put a stop to the 15-20 yard average return on kickoffs by the Tigers. Adairsville has also held its opponents to an average of less than 11 points per game with the exception of Armuchee scoring 20 points.
BCHS competes at Region 8-AA cross country meet
The Banks County High School cross county teams completed their season this past week at the Region 8-AA meet.
The runners had a great year with multiple records being set on the school course, coach Kelly McDuffie said.
"What a wonderful year,” the coach said. “With half of the team being new, we were not sure what to expect. Five of the new runners were freshmen and the team had only two seniors competing this season. Anything could actually happen. They stepped it up and were only one spot from the state tournament. There are more exciting times to come.”
The school record was broken by three runners and set by Makayla Hewell at 20:30.
The Lady Leopards finished fifth in the region with 134 points.
For more details, see this week's issue of The Banks County News.
The runners had a great year with multiple records being set on the school course, coach Kelly McDuffie said.
"What a wonderful year,” the coach said. “With half of the team being new, we were not sure what to expect. Five of the new runners were freshmen and the team had only two seniors competing this season. Anything could actually happen. They stepped it up and were only one spot from the state tournament. There are more exciting times to come.”
The school record was broken by three runners and set by Makayla Hewell at 20:30.
The Lady Leopards finished fifth in the region with 134 points.
For more details, see this week's issue of The Banks County News.
Cross Country team members honored
The Banks County High School cross country team recognized its seniors last Monday afternoon before the meet.
Maggie McCoy, Bridget Marlow, Avery Chastain, Jacob Loggins and Dakoda McDuffie are the current Seniors on the team.
"We will miss them,” Coach Kelly McDuffie said. “They and their families have been a huge part of the team through the years.”
Jacob Loggins led the boys team to a first place finish with a perfect score of 15. While the girls team was lead by Makayla Hewell. Maggie McCoy ran her season best at the meet.
"She is really gaining her strength back after being sick," said McDuffie. [Full Story »]
Maggie McCoy, Bridget Marlow, Avery Chastain, Jacob Loggins and Dakoda McDuffie are the current Seniors on the team.
"We will miss them,” Coach Kelly McDuffie said. “They and their families have been a huge part of the team through the years.”
Jacob Loggins led the boys team to a first place finish with a perfect score of 15. While the girls team was lead by Makayla Hewell. Maggie McCoy ran her season best at the meet.
"She is really gaining her strength back after being sick," said McDuffie. [Full Story »]
Lady Leopards cap impressive season
The Banks County High School softball team closed out the 2011 season last week finishing just one game short of making the state tournament.
The Lady Leopards finished with an 18-10 record and 4-6 in sub-region play. While BCHS did not reach its goal of making the state playoffs the Lady Leopards have continued to build a program that is quickly becoming one of the top programs in 8-AA and in Northeast Georgia. This season marks the third consecutive winning season for BCHS, which is the longest streak in school history.
Earlier in the season BCHS placed second in the Gold division at the North Fall Classic at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega. The Lady Leopards also brought home first in the Silver division at the Evans Invitational in Augusta.
Several team members stood out at the plate for the Lady Leopards this year. Madison Franklin led the team with a .500 average, 31 RBIs, and 34 runs scored.
Hayley Warner finished the season as the hottest hitter in the lineup and ended with a .427 batting average with 15 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
McKenna Rylee was also a key contributor hitting .380 with 27 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Lindsey Elliott and Kaitlyn Stewart added to the offensive mix with a .375 average and a .310 average respectively.
BCHS primarily used two pitchers this fall. Savannah Denton and McKenna Rylee stepped up for the Lady Leopards this year.
Denton threw 118 innings while only walking 18 batters and striking out 66 batters. She finished the year with a 2.79 ERA and a 10-9 record. Rylee threw 23.2 innings while walking 10 and striking out 16 batters. Rylee ended with a 1.48 ERA and a 5-0 record.
The Lady Leopards will graduate only one senior but she will be difficult to replace. Franklin has been a four-year starter at shortstop and has been a major contributor at the plate. Over the last four years, Madison has help lead the Lady Leopards to a school record of 70 wins.
The JV Lady Leopards finished out a very impressive season with an 8-0-1 record. The JV team was led the in the pitching circle by Leah Dowdy who had eight wins on the season. She pitched 46 innings while striking out 26 batters and only walking four batters all year. She ended the season with an impressive 0.76 ERA.
Several players stood out offensively for the JV Lady Leopards this season.
Overall, BCHS hit .357 as a team. Kaitlyn Duncan ended the season hitting .583 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Shelby Parson hit .500 with 13 runs scored and four RBIs.
Both Lindsey Elliott and Kaitlyn Stewart hit .440 on the year. Elliott had six RBIs and scored seven runs while Stewart had eight RBIs and 13 runs scored. Leia Rylee hit .409 and had eight RBIs and eight runs scored. Toni Mullins hit .391 with four RBIs and eight runs scored. Leah Dowdy hit .360 with seven RBIs and two runs scored.
The future is optimistic for the Lady Leopards with eight starters and several other players who saw playing time this year returning for the varsity, coaches said. The BCHS softball team will look to get better this offseason.
The Lady Leopards finished with an 18-10 record and 4-6 in sub-region play. While BCHS did not reach its goal of making the state playoffs the Lady Leopards have continued to build a program that is quickly becoming one of the top programs in 8-AA and in Northeast Georgia. This season marks the third consecutive winning season for BCHS, which is the longest streak in school history.
Earlier in the season BCHS placed second in the Gold division at the North Fall Classic at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega. The Lady Leopards also brought home first in the Silver division at the Evans Invitational in Augusta.
Several team members stood out at the plate for the Lady Leopards this year. Madison Franklin led the team with a .500 average, 31 RBIs, and 34 runs scored.
Hayley Warner finished the season as the hottest hitter in the lineup and ended with a .427 batting average with 15 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
McKenna Rylee was also a key contributor hitting .380 with 27 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Lindsey Elliott and Kaitlyn Stewart added to the offensive mix with a .375 average and a .310 average respectively.
BCHS primarily used two pitchers this fall. Savannah Denton and McKenna Rylee stepped up for the Lady Leopards this year.
Denton threw 118 innings while only walking 18 batters and striking out 66 batters. She finished the year with a 2.79 ERA and a 10-9 record. Rylee threw 23.2 innings while walking 10 and striking out 16 batters. Rylee ended with a 1.48 ERA and a 5-0 record.
The Lady Leopards will graduate only one senior but she will be difficult to replace. Franklin has been a four-year starter at shortstop and has been a major contributor at the plate. Over the last four years, Madison has help lead the Lady Leopards to a school record of 70 wins.
The JV Lady Leopards finished out a very impressive season with an 8-0-1 record. The JV team was led the in the pitching circle by Leah Dowdy who had eight wins on the season. She pitched 46 innings while striking out 26 batters and only walking four batters all year. She ended the season with an impressive 0.76 ERA.
Several players stood out offensively for the JV Lady Leopards this season.
Overall, BCHS hit .357 as a team. Kaitlyn Duncan ended the season hitting .583 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Shelby Parson hit .500 with 13 runs scored and four RBIs.
Both Lindsey Elliott and Kaitlyn Stewart hit .440 on the year. Elliott had six RBIs and scored seven runs while Stewart had eight RBIs and 13 runs scored. Leia Rylee hit .409 and had eight RBIs and eight runs scored. Toni Mullins hit .391 with four RBIs and eight runs scored. Leah Dowdy hit .360 with seven RBIs and two runs scored.
The future is optimistic for the Lady Leopards with eight starters and several other players who saw playing time this year returning for the varsity, coaches said. The BCHS softball team will look to get better this offseason.
Lady Leopards fall one game shy of state
Last week the Banks County High School softball team traveled to Dawson County to take on the South’s No.3 seed Jefferson in the first round of the Region 8-AA tournament.
Jefferson would score one run in the first inning and three in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead headed into the top of the fourth. This is when the Lady Leopards would begin their comeback.
McKenna Rylee, Hayley Warner, and Kaitlyn Stewart would all single to start the inning. Stewart’s single would drive home Rylee to score the first run of the game for BCHS. Taylor Kennedy advanced Warner and Stewart on a sacrifice bunt. Lindsey Elliott then singled home both Warner and Stewart to bring the Lady Leopards within one run of Jefferson. [Full Story »]
Jefferson would score one run in the first inning and three in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead headed into the top of the fourth. This is when the Lady Leopards would begin their comeback.
McKenna Rylee, Hayley Warner, and Kaitlyn Stewart would all single to start the inning. Stewart’s single would drive home Rylee to score the first run of the game for BCHS. Taylor Kennedy advanced Warner and Stewart on a sacrifice bunt. Lindsey Elliott then singled home both Warner and Stewart to bring the Lady Leopards within one run of Jefferson. [Full Story »]
Leopards to face Dawson County Friday
The Dawson County Tigers will come to Leopard Stadium this Friday night with hopes to put a black eye on the Leopards 1-0 region record. Dawson sits tied with Banks and East Hall at the top of the region and has a 2-3 overall record. Banks and East Hall both have 3-2 overall records. The Tigers beat Fannin County for their region win 35-30 last week. They have not had a winning season since 2005 when they beat BCHS 42-12.
The Tigers scored at will against the Pickens County Dragons and came away with a huge opening game win, 56-35. Against Gilmer the Tigers came out on the short end of a 26-20 score. Dawson had a huge loss to Jefferson 42-14 followed by a loss to Chestatee 27-22 and then the win against Fannin 35-30.
So far this season Dawson has had a hard time stopping anyone. The Tigers are giving up an average of 32.5 points per game. So the Leopards running attack may serve them well in the game Friday night against the Tigers.
The Tigers scored at will against the Pickens County Dragons and came away with a huge opening game win, 56-35. Against Gilmer the Tigers came out on the short end of a 26-20 score. Dawson had a huge loss to Jefferson 42-14 followed by a loss to Chestatee 27-22 and then the win against Fannin 35-30.
So far this season Dawson has had a hard time stopping anyone. The Tigers are giving up an average of 32.5 points per game. So the Leopards running attack may serve them well in the game Friday night against the Tigers.
Coach Jones looks ahead to Union County game
1. What kind of offense will Union County deploy?
Union County runs a no huddle, spread offense. They throw the ball more than anyone we have played so far. They try to control the ball with the short, high percentage passing game.
2. Are there any similarities in the teams offense?
No not really. We are primarily a power running team, and their bread-and-butter is their short, controlled passing game.
3. What will Union Counties defense hope to accomplish?
They will try to slow us down running the football and prevent big plays in the play-action passing game. [Full Story »]
Union County runs a no huddle, spread offense. They throw the ball more than anyone we have played so far. They try to control the ball with the short, high percentage passing game.
2. Are there any similarities in the teams offense?
No not really. We are primarily a power running team, and their bread-and-butter is their short, controlled passing game.
3. What will Union Counties defense hope to accomplish?
They will try to slow us down running the football and prevent big plays in the play-action passing game. [Full Story »]
BCHS falls late to Athens Christian School Eagles
It was a great night for football this past Friday evening. The nip in the air seemed to cause problems for both teams, however, resulting in seven combined fumbles, two of which came early for the Banks County High School Leopards. In the end, Athens Christian School took advantage of some BCHS miscues and escaped with a 27-21 win.
"We are really heartbroken over this loss after battling back in the second half and having a chance at winning the game," said Leopard head coach Philip Jones. "We took the lead with a two-point conversion play and hoped the defense could hold for the remainder of the game. I am proud of our team. They came out strong in the second half, but we have to get better in the first half to win games in the future."
Athens Christian School received the opening kickoff and returned the football for 10 yards. A couple of plays later, the Eagles made a first down and continued to move toward the 50-yard line. On third down the ball was fumbled but was recovered by the Eagles. Two plays later, luck would change and when the ball came loose this time the Leopards would recover. BCHS started its first drive of the night at the 35-yard line. [Full Story »]
"We are really heartbroken over this loss after battling back in the second half and having a chance at winning the game," said Leopard head coach Philip Jones. "We took the lead with a two-point conversion play and hoped the defense could hold for the remainder of the game. I am proud of our team. They came out strong in the second half, but we have to get better in the first half to win games in the future."
Athens Christian School received the opening kickoff and returned the football for 10 yards. A couple of plays later, the Eagles made a first down and continued to move toward the 50-yard line. On third down the ball was fumbled but was recovered by the Eagles. Two plays later, luck would change and when the ball came loose this time the Leopards would recover. BCHS started its first drive of the night at the 35-yard line. [Full Story »]
Softball Lady Leopards try to end slump
After a fast start to the 2011 season, the Banks County High School Lady Leopards fast-pitch softball team has missed a couple of opportunities to stay in the hunt for first in the subregion. Last week the Lady Leopards softball team hosted Fannin County in another 8-AA sub-region battle. The game was scoreless for three innings when Fannin County scored three runs in the top of the fourth.
BCHS battled back and pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth and threatened to score more but their rally came up short leaving the final at 3-1.
Offensively, Madison Franklin and McKenna Rylee each had two hits. Franklin scored the lone run for the Lady Leopards and Rylee had the lone RBI. Savannah Denton pitched seven solid innings allowing seven hits, one hit batter and striking out six.
The Lady Leopards are now 4-2 overall heading into a busy week. A big sub-region game against Rabun County on Thursday awaits the Lady Leopards this week. Then on Friday, BCHS travels to Augusta for the Evans Invitational. The Lady Leopards will play two games on Friday and three more on Saturday.
BCHS battled back and pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth and threatened to score more but their rally came up short leaving the final at 3-1.
Offensively, Madison Franklin and McKenna Rylee each had two hits. Franklin scored the lone run for the Lady Leopards and Rylee had the lone RBI. Savannah Denton pitched seven solid innings allowing seven hits, one hit batter and striking out six.
The Lady Leopards are now 4-2 overall heading into a busy week. A big sub-region game against Rabun County on Thursday awaits the Lady Leopards this week. Then on Friday, BCHS travels to Augusta for the Evans Invitational. The Lady Leopards will play two games on Friday and three more on Saturday.
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