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Monday, March 24
N. Luckhurst named to All State team for third straight year
Also named to Metro Prep Team of Year for second straight year
Wesleyan junior Nikki Luckhurst was named First Team All State in Class AA as the Atlanta Tipoff Club/AJC season ending awards for all classifications were released yesterday. This was Nikki's first such honor in Class AA as Wesleyan moved up to AA this year after spending it's first five years of existence in Class A. This is the third straight year she has earned All State honors. She was named Second Team All State in Class A in 2000-2001, her freshman year. Last season as a sophomore, she as named Class A player of Year as well as First Team All State. For the second year in a row, Nikki earned a spot on the Atlanta Tipoff Club/AJC Metro Atlanta Prep Team of the Year which honors the top 20 players in all classifications in the metro Atlanta area. Congratulations Nikki on some well deserved awards!
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CLASS AA
ALL STATE TEAM
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Player of the Year Ronalda Pierce, Turner County
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Coach of the Year
Mary Brown, Early County
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FIRST TEAM
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SECOND TEAM
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Player
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School
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Player
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School
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Ronalda Pierce
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Turner County
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Keywanna Price
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Randolph-Clay
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Nikki Luckhurst
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Wesleyan
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Abby Hand
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Armuchee
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Sparkle Davis
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Paideia
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Christy Brown
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Holy Innocents
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Jazz Covington
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Cook
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Caroline Williams
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Rockmart
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Erica McCoy
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Early County
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Amber West
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Macon County
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METRO ATLANTA GIRLS PREP TEAM OF THE YEAR
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Player
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School
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Player
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School
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Mandy Anderson
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Fannin County
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Tasha Humphrey
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Gainesville
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Stacy Booker
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Collins Hill
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Andreika Jackson
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SW Dekalb
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Shani Boston
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Westminster
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Ashley Key
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Landmark Christ.
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Kirby Copeland
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Morrow
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Nikki Luckhurst
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Wesleyan
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Megan Darrah
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East Coweta
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Lindsey Moss
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Chattahoochee
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Sparkle Davis
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Paideia
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Ashley Rile
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Cartersville
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Katie Hamilton
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Parkview
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Rachael Sheets
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Sprayberry
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Janese Hardrick
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McEachern
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Ashley Thomas
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Stephenson
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Shannel Harris
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Collins Hill
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Carrie Whitehurst
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Chattahoochee
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Amber Holt
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Meadowcreek
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Caroline Williams
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Rockmart
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2002-2003 Season News Articles
Lady Wolves ranked No. 6 in final Atlanta Tipoff/AJC Poll
The final Atlanta Tipoff Club/AJC rankings were released yesterday with Wesleyan ranked No. 6 in Class AA. Here are the final rankings for all classifications:
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Class A
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Class AA
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Class AAA
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Class AAAA
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Class AAAAA
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1.
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Taylor Co.
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Early Co.
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Gainesville
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Mays
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Parkview
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2.
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Jenkins Co.
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Randolph-Clay
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Perry
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Hephzibah
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Stephenson
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3.
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Landmark Christ.
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Holy Innocents
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Westminster
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Glenn Hills
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Riverdale
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4.
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Athens Academy
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Paideia
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Dodge Co.
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Ridgeland
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Bradwell Inst.
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5.
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Echols Co.
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Turner Co.
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NE Macon
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Dalton
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Chattahoochee
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6.
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Montgomery Co.
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Wesleyan
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East Hall
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Lithia Springs
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Redan
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7.
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Trion
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Macon Co.
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Elbert County
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Clarke Central
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Morrow
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8.
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Bowdon
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Blessed Trinity
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Westover
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St. Pius
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East Coweta
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9.
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Social Circle
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Cook
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Fannin Co.
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Woodward Acad.
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Collins Hill
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10.
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Gordon Lee
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Monticello
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Stephens Co.
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Kendrick
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McEachern
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Thursday, March 20
Luckhursts, Moye named to AJC All Gwinnett team
Wesleyan junior Nikki Luckhurst and sophomores Laura Luckhurst and Sarah Moye well all named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's 2003 All Gwinnett County Basketball Team released today. Nikki earned First Team All County honors for the third straight year, while Laura and Sarah are both enjoying their first All County recognition earning Honorable Mention honors. Here's a look at the entire All Gwinnett County Team for 2003.
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FIRST TEAM
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SECOND TEAM
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PLAYER
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SCHOOL
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PLAYER
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SCHOOL
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Katie Hamilton
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Parkview
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Stacy Booker
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Collins Hill
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Shannel Harris
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Collins Hill
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Ashley Doster
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South Gwinnett
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Stephanie Higgs
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Central Gwinnett
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Sara Kate Greene
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Parkview
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Amber Holt
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Meadowcreek
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Christian Pace
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Shiloh
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Nikki Luckhurst
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Wesleyan
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Sherida Triggs
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Meadowcreek
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HONORABLE MENTION
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Monica Alexander
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Norcross
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Sarah Moye
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Wesleyan
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Emily Bixler
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Dacula
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Petra Nagy
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Norcross
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Katie Bleau
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Brookwood
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Melissa Newkam
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North Gwinnett
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LaToya Carter
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Central Gwinnett
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Shelley Parks
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Grayson
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Kristin Darr
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Providence
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Carley Peterson
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Parkview
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Whitney Hall
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Berkmar
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Brittany Rogers
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Dacula
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Greteya Kelly
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Collins Hill
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Sarah Spivey
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Parkview
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Kelly Korrell
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Central Gwinnett
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Beth Sytsma
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Duluth
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Gia Lockett
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South Gwinnett
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Ashley Van Ryn
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GAC
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Laura Luckhurst
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Wesleyan
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Fana Walcott
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Meadowcreek
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Emily Marlette
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Buford
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Ashley Williams
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Collins Hill
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Sunday, March 2
Missed chances doom Wesleyan as Holy Innocents pulls upset
Macon just wont be the same this weekend. For the first time in three years, the Final Four will be missing the Wesleyan Lady Wolves as they were knocked out of the 2003 Class AA Girls State Tournament in the quarterfinals by No. 6 Holy Innocents 60-52 on Saturday night at The Forum in Rome. Wesleyan, which had already beaten Holy Innocents twice this year, could not come up with what it took to defeat the Lady Bears a third time. Not aiding Wesleyans cause was the knee injury incurred by point guard Laura Luckhurst against GAC in the semi-finals of the region tournament. The injury, a flare up of tendonitis, has greatly compromised her mobility, especially on defense. The Lady Wolves other top defender, Elise Whitney, was unable to play at all due to mononucleosis. Lauras and Elises defensive efforts were huge factors in Wesleyans earlier victories over Holy Innocents as they were able to keep the Lady Bears quick guards in check. In order to overcome these adversities, Wesleyan needed to play solid basketball. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Much credit should be given to the Holy Innocents defense which did a nice job overall. However, the young Wesleyan squad also has themselves to blame as they did not convert opportunities when they presented themselves. Wesleyan had numerous opportunities down the stretch. Down 51-50, Carolyn Whitneys breakaway layup was missed, Nikki Luckhursts wide-open layup spun out and Laura Luckhursts inside shot was off the mark, as Wesleyan squandered three easy chances late in the fourth quarter. These missed chances combined with the fact that virtually no fouls were called on Holy Innocents anytime a Wesleyan player drove the lane and drew contact (a luxury Holy Innocents was able to enjoy on the other end of the floor), spelled doom for the Lady Wolves. Trailing by two at the half, Holy Innocents outscored Wesleyan 17 -11 in the third quarter and took a 46-42 lead into the fourth. The advantage grew to seven before the Lady Wolves made a late-game run.
Carolyn Whitney hit a short jumper and Nikki Luckhurst got a great bounce on a baseline 3-pointer to bring Wesleyan to within two at 49-47. Moments later, Sarah Moye got fouled and hit one free throw to cut the lead to one. Wesleyan looked poised to take the lead just seconds later when Nikki Luckhurst raced down court all alone for a wide open layup. It rimmed out however, and after two more Wesleyan misses from point-blank range on the next two possessions, the Lady Bears began to pull away. Holy Innocents made 10 free throws in the second half alone, many of those as Wesleyan had to resort to desperation fouls, to hang on for the win. Holy Innocents had to play a superb game in order to win. They answered the call and were simply the better team that night. Many think that the state champion was decided by the winner of this game. Well see once Holy Innocents gets to Macon but it does seem that the two best teams in Class AA met in the quarterfinals. Wesleyan finishes the season with a record of 26-4 and will return four starters off of this team to make another run at the state title next year. Playing in their final games were seniors Cathryn Stringer and Sara Goodkind. During their four years on the varsity, the Lady Wolves complied an impressive record of 101 wins against only 20 losses, a winning percentage of 84%. Cathryn and Sara will be missed next season and their contributions to Wesleyan girls basketball over the last four years are very much appreciated. Also worth noting, over the last three years the Lady Wolves compiled an amazing record of 85-10 winning 90% of their games. During the current run, Wesleyan has won a state championship, three region championships, earned a state runner up finish and made it to the Elite Eight round of the state tournament. Add to that a winning streak at home of 28 games dating back to 2000 and a region win streak of 32 games that dates back to the 2001 state championship. The future only gets brighter as such a young group will use the valuable experience gained this year in future seasons. It is both a blessing and a curse that because of the rapid success of this program, the standards are now quite high. Because of these high standards, some might view this season as a disappointment. It is surely not. Most teams would be ecstatic over a 26-4 season and a run to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. However, this is not most teams. The Lady Wolves work toward and expect championships as the reward for their hard work. Just remember what happened the last time Wesleyan was denied their goal of a state championship
four straight wins the next season over the team that denied them that championship and avenging the loss in the state championship game. The same lofty goals will be set for next season: win the Class AA state title. If it happens, its just icing on the cake. As quoted by Holy Innocents coach Liz Kennedy in the March 2nd edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wesleyan by far is one of the top teams in the state, no matter what classification." Because of the last three years, the state of Georgia knows all about the Lady Wolves. Work hard in the off season and lets get that state championship back. Congratulations to all of the players for another outstanding year of Wesleyan basketball!
Saturday, March 1
Third straight Elite 8 as Lady Wolves rip Morgan Co. 71-42
 | |  | | Nikki Luckhurst and Taylor Voelker guard Morgan player |
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The Lady Wolves got hot early and coasted to an easy 71-42 victory over No. 10 Morgan County (19-6) in the Sweet 16 round of the Class AA Girls State Basketball Tournament at The Forum in Rome Friday night. The game was close for the first half of the first quarter as both teams had trouble finding the basket. However, Wesleyan broke a 4-4-tie midway through the quarter and went on a 17-10 run as they opened the second quarter with at 21-14 lead. This is as close as Morgan would be all night. Morgan had one strong post player, 63 Georgia State signee Robyn Gilbert. Cathryn Stringer held her in check most of the night as the Wesleyan guards did a good job of preventing the Morgan guards from getting her the ball. The clearly outclassed Morgan team simply could not handle the Lady Wolves defensive pressure or the fast pace of the game. They also had no answer for the depth of the Wesleyan bench as nine players scored and five different players hit threes including five by Nikki Luckhurst. Wesleyan led 38-25 at the half and never looked back. Nikki Luckhurst led the scoring with 23 points while Cathryn Stringer scored 10. Sarah Moye had a huge game as she scored 15 points and grabbed a school record 20 rebounds while benefiting from Stringers clearing Gilbert from the lane. Carolyn Whitney added nine points and eight assists for the Lady Wolves. Wesleyan advances to their third straight Elite Eight, as they will meet No. 6 Holy Innocents (26-3) tonight. The winner moves on to the Final Four in Macon. Many believe that this game is a match-up between the two best teams in AA. Its just an unfortunate circumstance of the way the tournament brackets are drawn that these teams have to meet in the quarterfinals. Wesleyan and Holy Innocents have met twice already this season with Wesleyan winning both, 55-44 at Wesleyan on January 25 and 57-52 at Holy Innocents on February 1. With the victory over Morgan County, Wesleyan improves its record to 26-3 while extending its win streak to 13. Beating a team three times in one season is a tough task but the Lady Wolves are up to the challenge. After all, they defeated Jefferson four times last year en route to the Class A state title. Lets hope they draw upon that experience as they aim for a third straight trip to Macon.
Friday, February 21
Lady Wolves take care of business, dismiss Pace 75-48
By Corey Clark
Staff Writer
Gwinnett Daily Post
ATLANTA The Wesleyan girls didnt play their best game of the year on Friday afternoon, but it was still more than enough to dispatch of Pace Academy in the first round of the Class AA state tournament at Holy Innocents.
Junior guard Nikki Luckhurst scored a game-high 22 points and sophomore Sarah Moye added 21 points and seven rebounds as the defending state champions began another run at a state title with an easy 75-48 win.
I thought we did a good job overall, Wesleyan head coach Jan Azar said. Sarah did a good job underneath and Nikki played well, too.
Luckhurst scored 11 points in the first quarter, on three 3s, as the fourth-ranked Wolves (25-3) took a 20-14 lead after one quarter.
But Azar wasnt happy with the Wesleyan defense and she switched to a full-court press for the second quarter. The change created havoc for the Pace offense and Wesleyan took control of the game.
The Wolves got seven points from Moye in the quarter and Luckhurst and her sister Laura (who sat out most of the second half nursing an injury) added five points each as they outscored Pace 23-8 in the period to take a 43-22 lead into halftime.
They were running with us, Azar said. I was glad they didnt try to slow it down. Because we want to run.
The second half was more of the same as Wesleyan kept the pressure defense up the Wolves forced 26 turnovers in the game and Moye kept having her way down low, scoring 11 points in the third quarter alone.
The lead was 63-36 going into the fourth period and Azar kept substituting freely, as 12 Wolves saw action in the 27-point win.
We were trying to play a lot of different people, Azar said. We were able to get a lot of different people in the game.
Wesleyan will play the winner of tonights Morgan County-Rockmart game next week in the second round of the state playoffs.
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Wednesday, February 19
Wesleyan girls aiming for title in larger class
|  | | Cathryn Stringer during practice |
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By Will Hammock
Staff Writer
Gwinnett Daily Post
Rather than defending their state basketball title, which they technically arent, the Wesleyan girls are looking at this years state tournament as a new challenge.
The Wolves won the Class A state title last season but a move up in classification to AA made defending their title impossible this year. However, they can win back-to-back titles and establish themselves as a force in a new class.
Were trying to prove we can compete in AA like we did in A, Wesleyan coach Jan Azar said. The competition is a lot different. Us losing two starters and our sixth and seventh person off the bench makes us a much different team this year.
Wesleyan lost starters, Jenny Hall and Anna Sheppard off last years state title team, as well as the two reserves. But those losses havent devastated the team by any means.
The Region 8-AA champion Wolves are 24-3 with losses only to defending AAA champion Gainesville, Riverdale (Tenn.) in the Deep South Classic and 8-AAAAA champion Parkview by a narrow 66-65 margin. Theyve won 11 straight since the loss to Parkview.
The season has been impressive enough that most coaches consider fourth-ranked Wesleyan the favorite to win the AA state crown.
I know people think were the favorite, Azar said. But with the youth I have on this team, you never know what can happen.
Of the teams main playing rotation, only senior Cathryn Stringer and junior Nikki Luckhurst, the teams leading scorer, are upperclassmen. The remaining players are sophomores and freshmen, although theyve stepped up nicely.
One of the sophomores is point guard Laura Luckhurst, a starter on last years title team as a freshman. Fellow sophomore Sarah Moye, who had a recent string of five double-doubles in points and rebounds, also has stood out.
Freshman twin sisters Carolyn and Elise Whitney also have emerged to help Wesleyan keep its three-year region unbeaten streak alive. Carolyn has been a starter and moved to point guard for the region final, when Laura Luckhurst rested a knee injury. Elise also started the region title game.
The Whitneys and the Luckhursts give Wesleyan a guard-laden attack, although Azar said the teams better play late in the season revolves around an improving inside game from Moye and Stringer. Stringer blocked five blocked shots in three quarters of action in the region final vs. Dawson County.
Our inside game has really come around, Azar said. Thats really helping our guards.
Wesleyan opens the state tourney Friday at Holy Innocents with a matchup against Pace Academy.
Sunday, February 16
Wesleyan wins third straight region title, routs Dawson
| |  | | 2003 Region 8-AA Champions |
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The Wesleyan Lady Wolves completely dominated the 2003 Region 8-AA Tournament and capped it off with a 68-37 humbling of Dawson County in the championship game Saturday night at Dawson. No team came within 30 points of the Lady Wolves during the tournament as the young Wesleyan varsity is really beginning to gel. The timing couldnt be better heading into the state tournament. This is Wesleyans third straight region title and first in Region 8-AA. Wesleyan won the Region 8-A Championship in 2001 and 2002. As for the championship game itself, Wesleyan raced to a 17-0 lead before Dawson finally got on the board. The Lady Wolves trademark defense looked its best yet and the Lady Tigers had trouble just getting the ball across half court. When they did, there was usually a Whitney there to steal it. What ensued was vintage Wesleyan girls basketball
. pass, pass, layup. The fast break never looked so good. When Wesleyan wasnt scoring via fast break opportunities, whatever half-court offense the team set up, worked like a charm. The guards consistently got the ball inside to Sarah Moye and Cathryn Stringer who capitalized on their size advantage. If the post was clogged, one of the Wesleyan corps of sharp shooters would hit a three. This tournament was the best the Wesleyan offense and defense have looked all year as a very young team is beginning to find its identity, and the first half of the region championship game was the team's finest performance yet. Wesleyan took a 44-15 lead into halftime and used generous substituting in the second half while using different combinations of players. Nikki Luckhurst led all scorers as she pumped in 28 points, 21 in the first half alone. Carolyn Whitney started at point guard replacing Laura Luckhurst who injured her knee in Fridays semi-final game against GAC. Laura was able to play in the championship game but didnt want to take any chances unless she was really needed. Carolyn did a fine job moving to the point as she recorded a double-double scoring 12 points while dishing 10 assists. Cathryn Stringer also had a solid night as she scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked five shots. The Lady Wolves have now won 11 straight games since a heartbreaking 66-65 loss to Region 8-AAAAA champion Parkview on January 14. The win also extends Wesleyans win streak versus region opponents to 32, dating back to the 2001 Class A state championship game in which the Lady Wolves were defeated by then region opponent Jefferson, 55-52. The win improves Wesleyans record to 24-3 on the year as the team looks toward its third straight state tournament appearance. The Lady Wolves begin their quest for a second straight state championship this Friday at Holy Innocents where they will face Pace Academy in the first round. Game time 4 PM.
 | | Nikki Luckhurst about to drive past Dawson player |
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Saturday, February 15
Wesleyan crushes GAC 82-49, advances to Region title game
|  | | Nikki Luckhurst drives past GAC defender |
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In their fourth meeting this season, Wesleyan defeated Greater Atlanta Christian 82-49 in the semi-finals of the Region 8-AA tournament at Dawson County. It was the Lady Wolves most convincing win to date over their region rivals. The Lady Wolves took it to the Lady Spartans from the outset as they built a double-digit lead in the first quarter. The team was clicking early when point guard Laura Luckhurst went down late in the first quarter with a knee injury. Freshman Carolyn Whitney took over at the point and the team didnt miss a beat. Wesleyan led 37-19 at halftime. More of the same in the second half as GAC could not figure out how to handle the Lady Wolves triangle and two defense which worked well all night. The scoring for Wesleyan was once again balanced as Nikki Luckhurst led all scorers putting up 21 points. She also dished seven assists while playing outstanding defense all night. Sarah Moye recorded her fifth straight double-double as she scored 15 points and had 10 boards. Cathryn Stinger, the other half of Wesleyans dynamic duo in the post, scored 13 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Carolyn Whitney chipped in eight points and five assists. Every Wesleyan player saw playing time in this game and each did a great job while on the court. The game was capped off by senior reserve guard Sara Goodkind nailing a three as time expired to give Wesleyan an 82-49 victory. Sara scored six points in under two minutes. Larua Luckhurst is expected to play tonight. The win secures Wesleyan a spot in tonights region championship, its third straight trip to the title game. The Lady Wolves opponent will be Dawson County who defeated Buford in the other semi-final game. Tipoff is 7PM. With the vicotry Wesleyan improves it's record to 23-3 while GAC drops to 13-14.
Thursday, February 13
Moye scores 21 as Lady Wolves rout Banks County 97-29
| |  | | Several Lady Wolves battle Banks for the ball |
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Wesleyan, the No. 1 seed from 8-AA South, soundly defeated Banks County, the No. 4 seed from 8-AA North, 97-29 Wednesday night in a quarterfinal round game in the Region 8-AA Tournament at Buford. Banks scored first to take 2-0 lead. This would be the only time the Lady Leopards would lead in this game as Wesleyan completely dismantled its outmanned opponent. The Wesleyan assault came from the outside as well as the inside and Banks just did not have the personnel to combat. The Lady Wolves pressure defense caused numerous turnovers which resulted in easy scores. A team can still look bad in a game like this as a teams focus can tend to slip and turnovers and other mistakes can result. That happened for a few minutes in the first quarter but then the Lady Wolves got going and executed nicely on both sides of the ball. Great teamwork and unselfish passing were fun to watch in a game that provided little drama. Sarah Moye continued her stellar play as she recorded yet another double-double scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Wesleyan had a very balanced scoring attack as five players scored in double figures. In addition to Moyes 21 points, Carolyn Whitney scored 15 and Nikki Luckhurst had 12 while Laura Luckhurst and Taylor Voelker each put up 11 points. Seven Lady Wolves hit at least one three-pointer during the game as the team had 12 total threes on the night. The victory over Banks assures the Lady Wolves their third straight trip to the state tournament and first in Class AA as Wesleyan had been in Class A prior to this year. Wesleyan will next face GAC, who defeated Union County 63-60 in its quarterfinal game on Tuesday. The semi-final round match up will be played Friday at 4:00 PM at Dawson County. This will be the fourth meeting this season between the schools. Wesleyan won the first three. With last nights win, the Lady Wolves improve to 22-3 on the season as they push their region win streak to 30.
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Saturday, February 8
Whitneys help stifle Providence as Wesleyan earns No. 1 seed
|  | | Sarah Moye rebounding in first quarter |
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Technically it wasnt a double team. But it was double trouble for the Providence girls basketball team. Wesleyan twin sisters Carolyn and Elise Whitney took turns checking Providences Kristin Darr, shutting down their top-scorer as the Lady Wolves won the Region 8-AA South regular season championship Friday night with a 68-47 road win. The twins effort sparked a tremendous defensive game for fourth-ranked Wesleyan as the visitors limited Providence to 17 first-half points and 29 points through three quarters. Providence made just 5 of 23 first-half shots (21.7 percent) and Wesleyan took control early and built a big lead. Mixing man-to-man, diamond-and-one, triangle-and-two and pressure defenses, the Lady Wolves frustrated Providence into a 13-for-49 (26.5 percent) shooting night. Darr, who averages 15.7 points, was held in check by the Whitneys. Carolyn logged most of the minutes on Darr. I tried to shut (Darr) down because shes their main scorer, Carolyn Whitney said. It was really hard but we all did a great job defensively. We did a lot better on defense this time and thats why we won the game. Darr scored 19 points in the earlier matchup with Wesleyan, but the Whitneys held her down Friday. The key was denying Darr the ball as the Providence senior rarely touched the ball. While Wesleyan built a 16-point halftime lead, Darr didnt attempt a shot. She ended up taking two shots all night, missing both, and one of her shots came on an offensive rebound. She was 5-for-6 on free throws, but four of her attempts came on rediculously called intentional and technical fouls on Wesleyan. Theyre both very aggressive on defense, Wesleyan girls coach Jan Azar said of the Whitneys. They were face guarding (Darr) and not letting her have the ball. Shes a good player and I felt like they did a good job holding her down. Nikki Luckhurst (10 points, seven rebounds) was the obvious target of the officials as certain influences resulted in fouls being called on her nearly every time she walked onto the court. Almost all of her the five fouls called on her were while Wesleyan was on offense and Nikki didn't even have the ball. Limited by "foul trouble", she fouled out ealry in the third quarter. Cathryn Stringer, another target of the officials, scored six points, grabbed six rebounds, and had five blocked shots, but also sat down for much of the game with "foul problems". Others stepped up for the Wolves, who play Wednesday night in the 8-AA Tournament at Buford. Laura Luckhurst led the Wesleyan offense with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. She made four of her teams eight 3-pointers. Sarah Moye had her third double-double in a row with 12 points and 12 rebounds while Carolyn Whitney had 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. Alison Watt came off the bench to score eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Wesleyan also held a commanding 46-25 advantage in rebounding. That helped overcome Providence going to the line 23 times to Wesleyan's mere six visits to the line. The first quarter set the tone for the night as Providence missed its first 11 shots on the way to a 2-for-13 quarter. The Wesleyan lead was seven points after a quarter, but it grew to 16 at halftime as Providence finished the half with 11 turnovers. Watt and Laura Luckhurst scored 14 of the Lady Wolves 18 second-quarter points. The lead grew to as much as 28 points in the second half before Providence closed the gap via free throws. Providence (19-6, 11-2) will play it's opener in the 8-AA Tournament on Tuesday at Buford. With the win, their eighth straight over Providence, the Lady Wolves improve to 21-3 overall, 13-0 in region play as they have now won 28 straight region games. Wesleyan also secures the No. 1 seed in the region tournament and will play the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed from 8-AA North on Wednesday at Buford, game time and opponent to be announced.
Wednesday, February 5
Another Moye double-double as Wesleyan races past Paideia
|  | | Alison Watt defends Paideia's Sparkle Davis |
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With Cathryn Stringer playing very little due to bronchitis, Sarah Moye stepped up big time Tuesday night. In a 69-63 win over 2002 AA Runner-Up Paideia, Moye dominated the post as she scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in yet another double-double performance in her young career. The Lady Wolves were running and gunning the from the outset as they scored 26 first quarter points. Moye was able to benefit from some nice passes by Wesleyan guards. The first half was all Wesleyan as the speedy quartet of sisters (Nikki and Laura Luckhurst and Carolyn and Elise Whitney) plus Moye, were constantly stealing and fast breaking their way down the court. Before the game was three minutes old, the Lady Wolves had opened up an 11-3 lead as they forced turnovers and turned them into fast-break points. That set the tone for 25 Paideia turnovers, and Wesleyan's 26 points were the most Paideia had allowed in the first quarter this year. Wesleyan took a 42-30 lead into halftime and seemed to be in total control. Then the second half came. Paideia made a run in the third quarter as Wesleyan was hit with several reach-in fouls to start the second half and had to play more conservatively as the officiating changed from the first half to the second. Paideia outscored the Lady Wolves 19-8 in the third quarter as Wesleyan only led 50-49 going into the fourth. That was as close as Paideia would get however as Stringer came in to the game in the fourth quarter but clearly looked ill. She provided a big presence underneath as she got some key rebounds and blocked shots as Wesleyan went on a 10-2 run and opened it up again. In addition to Moye's big game, Nikki Luckhurst scored 15 points, had six steals and five assists while Carolyn Whitney finished with 11 points and five assists. Laura Luckhurst once again answered the call and played great defense against highly recruited Paideia star Sparkle Davis. Last year Laura held Sparkle to 12 points which was well below her average. Last night, Laura held her to even fewer points, eight, as Davis was a non-factor in the game. The victory improved Wesleyan's record to 20-3 while Paideia fell to 17-6. Coming up Friday will be the last regular season game as the Lady Wolves face an improved Providence (19-5, 11-1) team. A Wesleyan win gives the Lady Wolves their third straight regular season region title and therfore, the No. 1 seeding in the region tournament next week. A loss would tie Wesleyan and Providence and a tie-breaker would determine the No. 1 seed for the region tournament. Tipoff is 7 PM at Providence.
Lady Wolves up to No. 4 in latest poll
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Class AA Girls Top 10
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1.
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Cook County
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2.
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Randolph-Clay
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3.
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Early County
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4.
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Wesleyan
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5.
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Macon County
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6.
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Holy Innocents
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7.
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Tri-County
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8.
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Monticello
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9.
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Armuchee
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10.
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Morgan County
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Sunday, February 2
Wesleyan spots Holy Innocents 13-0 lead, still wins 57-52
| |  | | Clutch free throw shooting down the stretch seals the deal |
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Five minutes went by in the first quarter before No. 5 Wesleyan actually had a number on the scoreboard other then zero. Unfortunately their opponents score was 13. The Lady Wolves dug themselves a hole early as No. 7 Holy Innocents couldnt miss early on, racing out to at 13-0 lead. Wesleyan weathered the storm however and got itself going as Sarah Moye connected with six first quarter points during an 8-2 Wesleyan run that closed the gap to 15-8 at the end of the first quarter. Wesleyan went on a 6-0 run to start the second quarter and gained the lead 18-17. Holy Innocents took at 21-20 lead to the locker room. Moye continued her solid play in the post in the second quarter, benefiting from some nice passes from Carolyn Whitney. Laura Luckhurst also had a solid quarter scoring six points while driving the lane, drawing the foul, but not getting the call. Wesleyan led 37-36 going into the fourth. The lead grew to as much as six at times and Holy Innocents could never get closer than three, much less regain the lead they enjoyed most of the first half. Final result Wesleyan 57, Holy Innocents 52. It was a nice comeback win for Wesleyan in a game where their true grit was tested. Not many teams can overcome a 13-0 deficit and win. The Lady Wolves played one of their finest games of the season defensively as they held Holy Innocents 63 post player Kiki McWilliams to 10 points. Twenty of Holy Innocents 52 points came from free throws. Once again poor free throw shooting, going 10 for 24 for the game plagued Wesleyan, however they were 10 for 16 in the second half. Moye finished the game with another double-double as she scored 17 points while grabbing 17 rebounds. Laura Luckhurst scored 10 points while Elise Whitney scored nine and Nikki scored eight respectively. Carolyn Whitney also had eight boards. With the victory, Wesleyan improves to 19-3 on the year while Holy Innocents falls to 20-3, two of their three losses coming at the hands of the Lady Wolves. A visit to last years AA runner up Paideia is up next for Wesleyan as the teams will square off at Paideia on Tuesday.
Saturday, February 1
Home win streak at 28 as Lady Wolves down GAC
Wesleyan again had trouble putting an opponent away last night as the Lady Wolves defeated GAC 55-49 after blowing a 21 point third quarter lead. A pattern to a few games this season has been the Lady Wolves inability to put an opponent away once they build a big lead. In front of a Senior Night, standing room only crowd, Wesleyan took a 29-21 lead into halftime after a Laura Luckhurst three-pointer at the buzzer. The Lady Wolves then started out the second half on at 12-0 run, 10 of the 12 points scored by Nikki Luckhurst who had to sit most of the first half because of foul trouble. Within minutes, Wesleyan was up 41-21 and appeared to be cruising. GAC was down by as much as 21 before closing the lead to 17 going into the fourth quarter. The Lady Spartans then went on an unexplainable 19-1 run as Wesleyans only point of the first six minutes of the fourth quarter came on a Cathryn Stringer free throw. GAC actually took the lead 47-46 with about two minutes to play in the game. The Lady Wolves answered with a play designed to have sharp shooting Nikki Luckhurst open at the top of the arc. And wide open she was as she knocked down the three as Wesleyan regained the lead 49-47. Nikki then made all of her free throws down the stretch, which resulted in the 55-49 final margin. Nikki led all scorers as she had 20 points in the game, 17 in the second half. Cathryn Stringer scored 14 while grabbing eight rebounds. Elise Whitney chipped in eight points while Laura Luckhurst dished six assists to go with her seven points. It was a bittersweet night for seniors Cathryn Stringer and Sara Goodkind who played their final game in Marchman Gymnasium. Both players were honored for their contributions to Wesleyan girls basketball in a ceremony honoring all Winter sports athletes. The win was Wesleyans third over GAC this season and fifth in a row dating back to 2000. Wesleyan improves to 18-3, 12-0 in region as it's home win streak stays in tact. The Lady Wolves have now won 28 straight games at home, a span of three years. Up next, a rematch of last Saturday's game with seventh ranked Holy Innocents. Tipoff is 6 PM at Holy Innocents.
Tuesday, January 28
Stringer leads Lady Wolves past Apalachee 87-42
Cathryn Stringer had her biggest all around output of the season as she scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked five shots in an 87-42 Wesleyan blow out of Apalachee Tuesday night at Apalachee. Laura Luckhurst added 16 points while Nikki Luckhurst finished with 11 points and eight assists. Carolyn Whitney put up 10 points and five assists. The Lady Wolves finished the game with 25 total assists to go with 12 three-pointers. With the win, Wesleyan improves to 17-3 overall, 11-0 in region play. Up next, a third meeting with GAC on Senior Night as Cathryn Stringer and Sara Goodkind play their last game in Marchman Gymnasium. Game time is 7:00 PM, Friday January 31.
Sunday, January 26
No. 6 Wesleyan storms past No. 2 Holy Innocents 55-44
Powered behind a desire to simply not lose, sixth ranked Wesleyan turned a seven-point halftime deficit into an 11-point victory as they knocked off second ranked Holy Innocents 55-44 in front of a standing room only crowd last night at Wesleyan. The game was very entertaining as there was high quality play by both sides. In the first half the Lady Wolves allowed Holy Innocents too many open looks at the basket, as their normally solid defense just wasnt there. The Lady Bears have two very quick guards as well as a very solid post player who provided most of their scoring. Wesleyan had plenty of open looks in the first half but nothing was falling. It also didnt help that our posts were not rebounding. Holy Innocents led 26-19 at the half. The Lady Bears scored the first two points of the second half as their lead grew to nine, 28-19. This is when the Lady Wolves decided to step it up as they went on an 18-0 run. Within minutes Wesleyan led 37-28. The defense tightened up which opened up the offense. Cathryn Stringer and Sarah Moye began crashing the boards as Holy Innocents was not able to get the easy put backs they had in the first half. The Wesleyan guards locked in on Holy Innocents two sharp shooters who became non-factors in the second half. Laura Luckhurst led the spurt of offensive activity as she drove the lane with reckless abandon and finished with a game high 16 points. Nikki Luckhurst chipped in with 13 points while Sarah Moye grabbed 10 boards. This was a statement game for Wesleyan who responded to the test nicely. It was also nice to have officials who allowed the girls to play as a normal number of fouls were called, unlike the night before at Buford. Holy Innocents is a worthy opponent to say the least and the Lady Wolves will have to play as well for the entire game next week when the two teams meet, as they did in the second half last night, if they want the result to be the same. With the win Wesleyan improves to 16-3 while Holy Innocents falls to 18-2. These same two teams will play again this Saturday at Holy Innocents which should be just as entertaining a game as this one.
Saturday, January 25
Let them play! 62 fouls called in ugly win over Buford
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The game seemed to last forever. What was supposed to be a region game between Wesleyan and Buford turned into a free throw shooting contest as both Wesleyan and Buford spent most of the game at the line. In a game where they were never allowed to get going due to the constant whistle blowing, Wesleyan still triumphed, posting a 68-56 win over Buford. Unbelievably poor free throw shooting plagued Wesleyan as the team shot an abysmal 13 of 40 from the free throw line. Thats right, 13 of 40!! Wesleyan missed 27 free throws!! Still neither team should have been put in this position as a ridiculous 62 total fouls were called in the game, 34 in each half. Wesleyan was never allowed to push the ball up the court. As soon as a steal would occur, the whistle blew because it obviously had to be a foul on someone. Poor Cathryn Stringer once again had to sit out the entire first half, as she was called for two fouls in the first minute and a half of the game. Apparently being 62 just isnt fair so off to the bench she goes. As for the game itself, it was just plain ugly. Wesleyans bench provided a spark in the second quarter and turned a five-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Quickly enough, the lead grew to double digits. However, Wesleyan again had trouble putting an opponent away. As has been a pattern against other teams, once Wesleyan builds a 20-point lead, they dont go for the jugular and allow their opponent back in
at least to within 20. Buford never threatened however and the result was a forgettable 68-56 win, Wesleyans 7th straight over Buford dating back to 2000. It was also Wesleyans 26th straight win over a region opponent. Nikki Luckhurst led the scoring with 18, while Alison Watt and Carolyn Whitney scored nine and eight points respectively. Wesleyan improves to 15-3, 10-0 in region while Buford drops to 7-12, 4-6 in region. No. 2 ranked Holy Innocents (18-1) pays a visit to Wesleyan tonight in what could be a preview of state tournament action down the road. Lets just hope theyre allowed to actually play basketball this time.
Saturday, January 18
Lady Wolves cruise past GAC despite turnovers
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An uninspired Wesleyan squad, coming off of an emotional loss to Parkview on Tuesday, did what was necessary to defeat an outmanned Greater Atlanta Christian team 63-48 in a forgettable game at GAC. Although this was a match up between the reigning Class A state champions (Wesleyan) and the two time defending Class AA state champions (GAC), this game just didn't have the same build up and hype as the team's previous two meetings last season and the season before. This is the second time the two teams met this year, Wesleyan winning 63-34 in the first meeting back in November during the Southern Company Gas Classic at Parkview. This game did not go down to the wire as did the 2001 game won by Wesleyan 87-82 in overtime, nor did it match last year's close contest also won by Wesleyan, 63-54. The biggest difference is that GAC lost four starters. Graduated are Sherill Baker and Katie Beth Pate while Krista Watson opted to play her senior year at Gainesville only to leave after half the season was over and move to North Carolina. Wesleyan lost two starters from last year's team but is still loaded with talent while GAC seems to be in rebuilding mode. As for last night's game, the Lady Wolves started off well enough as they built a 14-2 lead. Nikki Luckhurst had the hot hand as she scored 17 of her game high 20 points in the first half. Wesleyan led 29-20 at halftime. In the second half, Wesleyan fell back into old habits as they began to lose focus and play sloppy basketball. There were far too many turnovers committed in this game as the Lady Wolves grew complacent once they had a large lead. This often comes from a team so young. The Lady Wolves had one of their pattented spurts and the nine point halftime lead quickly grew to a 23 point lead late in the third quarter. This came via a few three's compliments of Laura Luckhurst, Carolyn and Elise Whitney and Taylor Voelker. Sarah Moye's impressive play in the post also helped. GAC never threatened in this game which is one of the reasons behind the Lady Wolves' lackluster performance. Still, a win is a win as Wesleyan recorded it's fourth straight victory over GAC dating back to 2000. In addtion to Nikki Luckhurst's game high 20 points, Sarah Moye scored 15 while Laura Luckhurst put up 11. With the win, Wesleyan improves to 14-3, 9-0 in the region. GAC falls to 8-10, 6-2 in region play.
Wednesday, January 15
No-call at buzzer undoes Wesleyan as Parkview prevails 66-65
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Class AA No. 6 Wesleyan and Class AAAAA No. 7 Parkview battled to the wire last night in a non-region game at Parkview. There was some pre-game hype about big school vs. small school but the Lady Wolves have proven time and again that they can play with anyone in the state regardless of classification. Parkview knew coming into this game that they werent playing just any school from a smaller classification. Each team got the others A-game. The casual observer could see the mutual respect the teams had for each other on the court. Wesleyan started off hot as they canned four threes in the first quarter including an NBA range three at the buzzer by Carolyn Whitney. The Lady Wolves led 17-9 lead at the end of the quarter. Wesleyan then added to its lead early in the second quarter behind another three from Taylor Voelker. The lead grew to 22-9 when Parkview called a timeout. At this point, there had been one foul called against Wesleyan and three on Parkview. During the remaining minutes of the second quarter, eight fouls were called on Wesleyan and only one on Parkview. Not coincidentally, Parkview was able to climb back into the game via numerous trips to the free throw line. Wesleyan led 29-26 at the half. The second half proved to be a battle of wills as the teams traded threes. Players were constantly diving on the floor for loose balls as hustle from both teams was evident. With 3:45 remaining in the third quarter, Parkview gained its first lead since it lead 2-0, behind a three-pointer by Sarah Spivey. The lead changed hands several times during the fourth quarter. The game was tied at 64 with 1:20 left. The Lady Wolves took the lead on a Sarah Moye free throw with 58.2 seconds remaining. Parkview called timeout and then setup a play to score quickly which they did. Wesleyan got the ball back with 35 seconds left but turned the ball over and had to foul with 13.2 seconds left. Parkview missed the two free throws but got the rebound. Laura Luckhurst stripped the ball and immediately called time out with 6.9 seconds left. With Parkview leading 66-65, Wesleyan in bounded the ball to Carolyn Whitney. She drove along the sideline and then the baseline and put up a layup that just didnt fall. As quoted in Michael Carvells article on the game in todays Atlanta Journal-Constitution, There was contact made between Whitney and Parkview defenders during the shot, but no foul was called. Tough to lose a game on a no-call but thats the way it happened. It would have been nice to have the foul called and let the player determine the ultimate outcome of the game but those are the breaks, especially when its a little AA school playing on the road at a big AAAAA school. Nikki Luckhurst led the scoring for Wesleyan with 15 points to go with her six rebounds. Carolyn Whitney scored 14 points along with four assists. Cathryn Stringer scored 11 points and had six boards while Moye grabbed six boards of her own and Laura Luckhurst put up eight points. Wesleyan has nothing to hang its heads about as this team looked like a completely different bunch than we saw on Saturday night. The team played a very good game overall and definitely made a statement to Gwinnett County and the rest of the state, especially Class AA. Parkview got all it could handle Tuesday night and knows it was fortunate to get out of there with a win. Parkview improves to 14-1 on the year while Wesleyan falls to 13-3. The Lady Wolves dont play again until Saturday when they meet GAC at 6PM at GAC. This will be the second meeting this year between the 8-AA rivals. Wesleyan won the first 63-34 back on November 26 in the Southern Co. Classic in a game that did not count toward the region standings.
Sunday, January 12
Wesleyan survives itself and scare from Providence
Wesleyan survived a late game comeback attempt by visiting Providence Saturday night as they escaped with a 54-52 victory in an important sub-region game at standing room only Marchman Gym. In what might be the poorest game the Lady Wolves have played in years, Wesleyan was able to stave off their region opponents in a game that should never have been close. The game was an extremely physical and emotional one... as well as a sloppy one. The Lady Wolves turned the ball over way too many times and just plain didn't execute. An improved Providence team under first year head coach Dan Davis, played the Lady Wolves a much more physical game than in previous meetings. Still, the majority of damage done to the Wesleyan side was self-inflicted. Cathryn Stringer started off well as she scored four quick points at the beginning of the game but was called for three fouls in the first 5 minutes of the game and had to sit on the bench until the second half. Wesleyan could not find the basket most of the game as the usual sharp-shooting Lady Wolves were shooting blanks from the outside and inside. They were doing plenty of damage to themselves as the visitors did not the aide of the crew in black and white. In the second half Wesleyan began to find a rhythm as they pushed an eight-point half time lead to and 18-point lead midway through the third quarter. All of a sudden, five straight fouls are called against them and Providence began to crawl their way back into it. The lead was again eight going into the fourth quarter. Providence had closed the gap to 51-50 with about one minute left when Nikki Luckhurst hit a very timely three-pointer to push the lead to four, 54-50. After having two brilliant games back to back against Buford and Apalachee, scoring 44 and 30 points respectively, Nikki had one of her most off-nights ever which happens to everyone at some point. Still she hit the big shot when her team needed it most and thats what the best players do. Providence hit a couple of free throws after that to close the gap to 54-52 and after each team traded missed free throws, the game was over. Laura Luckhurst led the scoring for Wesleyan with 14 points to go with her seven steals and five rebounds while Nikki, even with her unusual night, still managed to score 12 to go with her four steals and four rebounds. In the only other bright spot besides Stringers play in very limited playing time, was freshman Elise Whitney. Elise provided a spark off the bench as she played smart, excellent defense and scored nine much needed points including an intentional three pointer off the glass. Stringer finished with six points while Sarah Moye scored eight points and had a huge 18 rebounds. Wesleyan has now won seven straight games over Providence dating back to the 1999-2000 season. With the victory, the Lady Wolves improve to 13-2 overall, 8-0 in region while Providence falls to 11-5 overall, 6-1 in region. On Tuesday, Class AA No. 6 Wesleyan will be playing at Class AAAAA No. 9 Parkview (13-1) in a non-region game. If the Lady Wolves play like they did last night, it could be ugly. Lets hope the real Lady Wolves show up and it should be a fun, competitive game. Parkview is solid and Wesleyan will have to play a very clean game to win. Tip off is 6 PM.
Friday, January 10
Lady Wolves destroy Apalachee 102-24 as C. Whitney scores 34
Freshman guard Carolyn Whitney lead an all out Wesleyan assault on Apalachee last night as she and the Lady Wolves cruised to a 102-24 victory over the visiting Lady Wildcats in a Sub-Region 8-AA South contest at Wesleyan. Carolyn earned her first career triple double as she scored 34 points, dished 11 assists and had 10 steals. She also topped her previous career high scoring total of 22. It was an all around night of records for Wesleyan. In addition to Carolyns personal records, the Lady Wolves equaled their record for most points scored in a game, 102, which was set last season at Commerce. Rounding out the records, junior Nikki Luckhurst broke the all time school career scoring record previously held by Jenny Hall who graduated last year. The Lady Wolves jumped out early on Apalachee who did not know what to do about Wesleyans full court press. The Lady Wildcats were down 15 before scoring their first two points. Wesleyan then rattled off another 16 points as they led 31-2 at the end of the first quarter. All of the ensuing quarters played out the same results with the exception of the defense as the Lady Wolves fell into a half court defense from the second quarter on. In addition to Carolyns phenomenal performance, Nikki didnt do to badly herself as she scored 30 points in only 2 ½ quarters of playing time. It was the first time two Wesleyan players had scored 30 or more points in the same game. This was the best the Lady Wolves have looked yet this year as the defense and offense were really clicking. With the victory, Wesleyan improves to 12-2 overall, 7-0 in region play. Tonight Providence (11-4, 6-0) will pay a visit to Marchman Gymnasium in what will arguably be a battle of the top two teams in the region. Tipoff is 6PM.
Tuesday, January 7
N. Luckhurst shreds Buford with 44 as Wesleyan cruises 93-59
Nikki Luckhurst tied the school record for most points scored in a game as she unloaded 44 points on Buford last night in a 93-59 Wesleyan romp. The record already belonged to Nikki as she scored 44 against Providence on January 12, 2002. Nikkis points were definitely needed in the first half as almost all of the starters were forced to sit due to foul trouble. The Wesleyan bench caught the same fouling virus as the starters but this virus somehow didnt quite make its way over to the Buford side as they were allowed to make contact at will. This resulted in sloppy play and missed opportunities which enabled Buford to keep it relatively close in the first half. Poor shooting also plagued Wesleyan during the first half as Wesleyan lead 41-30 at halftime
most of the Buford points coming by way of free throws. Unlike in the first half, Wesleyan didnt try to rely on three-pointers in the second half and began working the ball inside. Sarah Moye and Cathryn Stringer were able to finally get going as they combined for 20 points. Moye scoring 14 along with 10 rebounds in another double-double performance while Taylor Voelker scored nine points. In addition to Nikkis 44 points, she also added eight steals, six rebounds and five assists. Buford, which scored 30 of its 59 points on free throws, was led by 19 points from Emily Marlette. Wesleyan improves to 11-2 overall 6-0 in the region as they await their first ever meeting with Apalachee on Friday night at 7 PM at Wesleyan.
Tuesday, January 7
Atlanta Tipoff/AJC State rankings as of January 7, 2003
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Class AA Girls Top 10
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1.
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Randolph-Clay
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2.
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Tri-County
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3.
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Holy Innocents
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4.
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Early County
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5.
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Cook County
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6.
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Wesleyan
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7.
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Monticello
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8.
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Morgan County
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9.
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Armuchee
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10.
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Macon County
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Sunday, January 5
L. Luckhurst pours in 22 as Wesleyan dumps S. Forsyth 73-26
On Saturday afternoon, South Forsyth traveled the 10 or so miles down GA 141 and quickly ran into the whirlwind that is the Wesleyan Lady Wolves. From the outset, the AAAA school from just up the road was not able to handle the defensive pressure applied by the Lady Wolves at the beginning of the game. Wesleyan raced to an early double digit lead and never looked back. As is their trademark the suffocating defense of the Lady Wolves created many scoring opportunities. Four players scored in double figures as the entire team contributed to the 73-26 blowout. Leading the way was Laura Luckhurst as she had her best offensive outing of the season unloading 22 points on South Forsyth including three three-pointers. Sister Nikki scored 14 while Carolyn Whitney and Sarah Moye had 13 and 10 points respectively. Wesleyan is now 10-2 on the season as its first sub-region game of the season approaches. The other Lady Wolves of Buford pay a visit on Tuesday at 6 PM.
Saturday, January 4
N. Luckhurst outscores Rabun as Lady Wolves roll 72-27
Nikki Luckhurst scored 28 points while the entire Rabun County team scored 27 as the Lady Wolves rolled over the Lady Wildcats 72-27 Friday night at Rabun. In Wesleyan's final game against teams from the north half of the region, the Lady Wolves dominated from start to finish. Rabun County, the 2002 8-AA Runner Up, had no answer to Wesleyan's pressure and tenacity on defense. They also didn't have an answer for Nikki Luckhurst who shredded the Lady Cats scoring 28 points, many from fast breaks and turnovers. As is their trademark, Wesleyan created offense from its defense by pressuring their opponents into turnovers. In addition to Nikki's 28, sister Laura Luckhurst scored nine points while Mary Claire Merlino added seven. All 13 Lady Wolves saw plenty of playing time in a game that belonged to Wesleyan from start to finish. The Lady Wolves are now 9-2 overall, 5-0 in the region as they posted their 21st consecutive win against region opponents. Class AAAA South Forsyth is up next for the Lady Wolves as they will meet Saturday in a non-region game at Wesleyan. Tipoff is 3PM.
Saturday, December 28
Big fourth quarter seals Wesleyan's comeback win over Newnan
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After coming off of a disappointing loss the previous night, the Lady Wolves really wanted to play a good game and get a win. They did not play a good overall game but did play a great second half against Newnan in their final game of the Deep South Classic, which resulted in a 54-38 win. Newnan, who finished last season ranked No. 6 in Class AAAAA after going 24-6, was too quick for the Lady Wolves to run with. This was a lesson Wesleyan learned in the second quarter with Newnan up by nine often benefiting from turnovers from the anxious Wesleyan starters. A fresh five went into the game for Wesleyan and immediately took control of the tempo of the game. The five Wesleyan players, all sophomores or freshmen, were not only able to prevent Newnan from increasing its lead, but closed the lead themselves as Newnan led by only six at the half. The starting five were able to see the under-control play of their teammates and were able to further cut Newnans lead in the third quarter. In another low scoring contest, the Lady Wolves trailed 34-31 going into the fourth quarter. This is where they decided to step it up. After gaining the lead on two Nikki Luckhurst free throws, the Lady Wolves relaxed and upped the defensive pressure while their opponents began to wilt. Wesleyan outscored Newnan 23-4 in the fourth quarter to turn a close game into a rout. Leading the scoring for Wesleyan were Nikki Luckhurst and Alison Watt who scored 13 each while Carolyn Whitney chipped in 11. Wesleyan finished the tournament with a 2-1 record as they upped their overall record to 8-2 on the year. Up next for the Lady Wolves is a trip to Dillard for a 7PM game with Rabun County on Friday.
Saturday, December 28
Riverdale dominant in the paint as Wesleyan falls 57-50
Riverdale (TN) senior and Division I signee Krystal Horton had her way with the Lady Wolves last night as she scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 57-50 defeat of Wesleyan in the quarterfinals of the Deep South Classic at Brookwood. The quick post player was always a step ahead as she scored many of her points from put-backs of missed shots by her teammates. The Lady Wolves did not help their own cause by allowing Horton these opportunities. Add that to the lack of rebounding and too many turnovers and you have the recipe for a tough loss. Riverdale was no slouch of a team as they went 28-3 last year in AAA in Tennessee. However, Wesleyan defeated themselves in this game and will have to play much better if they want to beat AAAAA Newnan today at 4PM. Nikki Luckhurst led the scoring for Wesleyan as she had 21 points including five threes. Taylor Voelker again came off the bench and had a big night as she scored 13 while Laura Luckhurst have five points, five assists and five rebounds. Wesleyan falls to 7-2 as they head into today's game with Newnan.
Thursday, December 26
Wesleyan wins ugly over Summertown in Deep South opener
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The twelve-day layoff and 9:30 AM starting time were evident in the way the Lady Wolves played today. However, they did what they had to do in order to pull out a 47-35 victory over Summertown (TN) in their first round game of the Deep South Classic hosted by Brookwood and South Gwinnett High Schools. Wesleyan had a tough time finding its rhythm, as they were never allowed to play their style of basketball. Summertown played the type of ball that is similar to most teams the Lady Wolves have encountered from Tennessee. They play the type of slow-down, clock-eating basketball that the Lady Wolves would rather not have to deal with. Summertown is a very disciplined team and knew that the only way they would be able to keep up with Wesleyan was to not allow the Lady Wolves to play their game. This worked for three quarters for the Lady Eagles as they led 21-19 at halftime and were only down by one going into the fourth quarter. This mostly frustrated Wesleyan and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, they had decided they had had enough. A couple of steals here and there along with finally executing their game plan and the Lady Wolves were up by 10 in the blink of an eye. Summertown has only one style of play and did not know how to increase the pace in order to get back in the game. In the end, Wesleyan won in an uncharacteristically low scoring game. Cathryn Stringer led the way for the Lady Wolves with 13 points while Nikki Luckhurst contributed 11. Taylor Voelker provided the spark off the bench that Wesleyan needed as she scored seven. The Lady Wolves next play the winner of the Brookwood/Riverdale (TN) game in the quarterfinals tomorrow night at 8:30 at Brookwood. Wesleyan improves to 7-1 on the season as they hand Summertown only its second loss of the season.
Monday, December 23
Broken water main cancels Wesleyan/Shiloh game
A broken water main caused the cancellation of the Wesleyan/Shiloh game that was to be played last Saturday night at Shiloh. Either a county or state law prohibits any indoor activity in a facility that does not have running water. The teams will try to find a common open date in the future to reschedule the game but as of now, it is cancelled.
Sunday, December 15
C. Whitney scores career high 22 as Wesleyan pummels Lumpkin
Her career only consists of seven games. However, it is worth noting that Wesleyan freshman Carolyn Whitney had her best game yet as she scored a career high 22 points last night in an 89-35 dismantling of Lumpkin County in Wesleyan's latest encounter with an opponent from the north half of the region. It is clear that Carolyn is becoming more and more comfortable playing against varsity competition. She had her most complete game of the season as she dished seven assists to go with her 22 points. Her teammates fared pretty well too as five players scored in double figures. The Lady Wolves continued their run of success against 8-AA North opponents in a game that was in their control from the outset. Once again Wesleyans stifling full court pressure proved to be too much as the Lady Wolves scored often off of steals. Everyone saw playing time and contributed to the win. In addition to Carolyn's outstanding performance, Nikki Luckhurst had a pretty good night herself. Nikki scored 17 points to go with seven assists and eight steals. Sarah Moye had another double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds while Mary Claire Merlino and Taylor Voelker scored 11 points each. Wesleyan has a week off, as the team will be studying hard for upcoming exams. The Lady Wolves will next play at Class AAAAA Shiloh on Saturday December 22. Wesleyan has now won six straight as they improve to 6-1, 4-0 in region play.
Friday, December 13
Second half surge powers Wesleyan past Union County 69-41
After an almost three hour bus trip in the rain through the mountainous roads of northeast Georgia, the Lady Wolves arrived in Blairsville to play a region game against Union County. Wesleyan was able to build a 28-16 lead at halftime despite feeling woozy from the trip through windy roads, and the absence of the Luckhurst sisters during the second quarter due to foul trouble. The Lady Wolves gained their rhythm in the second half as they turned a relatively close game into a 69-41 blow out of the host Lady Panthers. Wesleyans trademark defense was the key, as Union simply could not handle the pressure defense of the Lady Wolves. Carolyn Whitney led the scoring for Wesleyan with 12 points in a game where the scoring load was evenly distributed. Sarah Moye put up 11 points while Nikki Luckhurst had ten and Laura Luckhurst had nine. Cathryn Stringer also had another solid outing as she scored eight. Wesleyan improves its record to 5-1 overall, 3-0 in region play. Lumpkin County visits the Wolves Den tomorrow night in the final region game before the holidays.
Wednesday, December 11
Lady Wolves clamp down on Banks as N. Luckhurst pours in 31
Nikki Luckhurst was firing on all cylinders last night as she scored 31 points including five three-pointers, in only three quarters of play. Nikki led a 90-38 Wesleyan rout of 8-AA opponent Banks County in the Lady Wolves home opener. She also had eight assists and five steals in a fine all-around effort. Wesleyan jumped out early on the Lady Leopards as Banks could not handle the Lady Wolves defensive pressure. Wesleyan was able to score at will off of turnovers created by their suffocating full court press. Every Wesleyan player scored and saw plenty of playing time in a game that was never close. In addition to Nikkis outstanding effort, Cathryn Stringer continued to look good as she put up 14 points. Laura Luckhurst scored 11 points to go with her five assists. Freshman Elise Whitney had the best game yet in her brief varsity career scoring nine points while twin sister Carolyn scored seven to go along with her five assists and four steals. This game was Wesleyans most complete yet as they are beginning to show glimpses that they are coming together as a unit. The timing couldnt be better as the Lady Wolves head into the Deep South Classic in two weeks. That tournament features the No. 11 team in the nation in Narbonne (CA) and the No. 13 team in the nation in Shelbyville (TN). With the victory over Banks, Wesleyan improves to 4-1, 2-0 in the region. Up next, a trip to Blairsville to take on Union County. Game time is 7:00 PM, Friday December 13.
Tuesday, December 3
Moye earns first double-double as Wesleyan routs Dawson Co.
Wesleyan sophomore Sarah Moye earned her first career double-double as she scored 10 points and had 10 rebounds to lead a rout of Dawson County 75-33 Tuesday night at Dawson. In the first half, the Lady Wolves played as if they had not played a game in a week, which they hadn't. Even though they had a 20 point lead at halftime, the team committed too many turnovers and played generally sloppy basketball. A Wesleyan steal would result in a bad pass that would go out of bounds or directly to a Dawson player. Their shots weren't falling in the first half as well but good defense helped the Lady Wolves build a comfortable halftime lead. The team looked much better in the second half as every player saw playing time. Dawson County, which is coached by former Jefferson coach Kevin Jacobs, never threatened as the Lady Wolves earned their first region 8-AA victory. Nikki Luckhurst led the scoring with 14 points while sister Laura put up 13. Carolyn Whitney produced another strong game putting up 12 points while having many key assits. As a side note, even though it wasn't a stellar shooting night for the Lady Wolves, six different players hit threes during the course of the game. Another positive aspect of the game was Wesleyan's improved free throw shooting as they went seven for eight as a team. The Lady Wolves improve to 3-1 overall, 1-0 in the region and has another week off until it's next game when Banks County travels to Norcross for the Lady Wolves' home opener. Tipoff is 6PM, Tuesday December 10.
Tuesday, December 3
Latest rankings have Wesleyan at No. 3
Wesleyan has moved up to No. 3 in the latest Atlanta Tipoff/AJC state rankings. Here is the current top 10:
|
Class AA Girls Top 10
|
|
1.
|
Randolph-Clay
|
|
2.
|
Early County
|
|
3.
|
Wesleyan
|
|
4.
|
Tri-County
|
|
5.
|
Monticello
|
|
6.
|
Macon County
|
|
7.
|
Holy Innocents
|
|
8.
|
Dade County
|
|
9.
|
Cook County
|
|
10.
|
Armuchee
|
Tuesday, November 26
Lady Wolves overcome ugly second quarter, blow out GAC 63-34
| | |
Wesleyan had its first meeting with a region foe tonight even though it will not count as a region game. As the luck of the draw would have it, the Lady Wolves met the GAC Lady Spartans in the first of what will be at least three meetings this year. At stake was the Fifth Place game of the Southern Company Gas Holiday Classic at Parkview. Each team had lost its first round game in close contests. Wesleyan dropped a five-point decision to Gainesville while GAC lost a three-point game to Central Gwinnett. Each team then won it's second round game, Wesleyan over Berkmar, GAC over Pope. That set up this match up between the region 8-AA foes. It also set up a contest between the current Class A state champs and the current Class AA state champs. The game was never a contest however. The Lady Wolves jumped out to an early double-digit lead in the first quarter posting a 12-0 lead before GAC finally scored. At the end of one, Wesleyan led 19-6. Then they hit a wall. The team suddenly lost its composure and began making careless mistakes via turnovers and fouls. GAC was able to creep back into the game as Wesleyan was only able to put up a mere two points during the entire second quarter. Still, the Lady Wolves led 21-15 at the half. After one of Coach Azars patented half time speeches, the girls got serious as they outscored GAC 21-10 in the third quarter to take a 42-25 lead into the fourth. The Lady Wolves continued to pour it on in the fourth as they showed glimpses of the mid-season form that they are striving to reach. The end result was a 63-34 rout of the Lady Spartans. Everyone played during the game as freshman Alison Watt led all scorers putting up 11 points. Nikki Luckhurst, Laura Luckhurst and Taylor Voelker each scored nine while Sarah Moye put up eight. Wesleyan improves to 2-1 on the year while GAC drops to 1-3. The Lady Wolves next game will be at Dawson County on Tuesday December 3.
Tuesday, November 26
Wesleyan drops to No. 4 in latest Atlanta Tipoff/AJC poll
The AJC/Atlanta Tipoff rankings were released today and Wesleyan has dropped to No. 4 in AA. This is the result of a five-point loss to then AAA No. 3 Gainesville. The Lady Wolves aren't too concerned about rankings in November however. The March rankings are the only ones that matter. Playing a tough non-region schedule will only help them down the road as they again try to achieve the year-end No. 1 ranking they earned last year. Here is a look at the Class AA top 10.
|
1.
|
Randolph-Clay
|
|
2.
|
Early County
|
|
3.
|
Macon County
|
|
4.
|
Wesleyan
|
|
5.
|
Dade County
|
|
6.
|
Tri-County
|
|
7.
|
Monticello
|
|
8.
|
Cook County
|
|
9.
|
Morgan County
|
|
10.
|
Terrell County
|
Sunday, November 24
Lady Wolves rip Berkmar 73-57 behind N. Luckhurst's 28
| | |
After getting some kinks worked out in a tough 5-point loss to Gainesville in the first round, Wesleyan got on the winning track posting a 73-57victory over AAAAA Berkmar in the second round of the Southern Company Gas Holiday Classic at Parkview. Wesleyan led 15-12 after one and pushed that lead to 44-23 at halftime. Berkmar never threatened as the Lady Wolves looked more comfortable on the court after having a game under its belt. Berkmar showed much improvement since last season as they continually chipped away at Wesleyans lead. However, each time the Lady Patriots closed the lead to around 12 points, Wesleyan would go on one of its trademark spurts and within seconds, the lead was back to over 20. Nikki Luckhurst once again led all scorers as she scored 28 points including six three pointers. She also had four steals and three assists. Laura Luckhurst scored 11 points and had three steals. Sarah Moye had another strong game as she scored 10 while grabbing six rebounds. Cathryn Stringer was dominant under the boards as she grabbed 15 rebounds to go with her nine points. Wesleyan improves to 1-1 on the season and will next play GAC, who won its second round game over Pope. That game will be at Parkview on Tuesday at 3 PM.
Thursday, November 21
Missed free throws doom Wesleyan as Gainesville squeaks by
| | |
Consistency is something the Lady Wolves usually count on. Last night they were consistently bad at the free throw line converting only 17% while going 3-for-17 from the line as a team. Its hard to win ball games when you have trouble converting from the charity stripe. The lack of converted free throw opportunities ultimately led to Wesleyans undoing as AAA No. 3 Gainesville came from behind and squeaked by the AA No. 1 Lady Wolves 48-43 in an unusually low scoring game in a first round match-up in the Southern Company Gas Holiday Classic at Parkview. The Lady Red Elephants seemed more comfortable, as they had already played one game, a 5-point victory over AAAAA No. 10 Central Gwinnett last week. They also converted on their free throws which turned out to be the difference in the game. Wesleyan did not have the luxury of having one game already under its belt to help prepare for one of the states best teams and arguably, the states best player in junior Tasha Humphrey. The game was close throughout as Wesleyan held a one point lead at the half and at the end of the third quarter. A four-minute dry spell in the fourth quarter enabled Gainesville to open up an eight-point gap that Wesleyan eventually closed to three at one point. The Lady Wolves could not get any closer however and the end result was a five point win for the Lady Red Elephants. Defensively, Wesleyan did an outstanding job as they held Humphrey to 18 points, 16 less than she scored against Central Gwinnett last week. Wesleyans offense was a little sluggish and out of synch but that will come around in due time. Nikki Luckhurst led all scorers as she put up 22 points including four threes. Laura Luckhurst scored nine points in limited playing time due to foul trouble while Sarah Moye contributed six points. Wesleyans 20-game win streak comes to a halt as they drop to 0-1 on the year. Gainesville improves to 2-0. Up next for the Lady Wolves is Berkmar, which lost to Parkview in its opening round game. Tip off is 10 (yawn) AM Saturday.
Tuesday, November 12
Lady Wolves ranked No. 1 in Pre-Season AJC poll
The Wesleyan Lady Wolves have a target on them this year. They can no longer sneak up on opponents after posting a 59-6 record over the past two seasons while winning a state championship, two region championships and finishing state runner up. The committee responsible for the AJC/Atlanta Tip Off Club state rankings are giving the Lady Wolves much respect as they ranked Wesleyan No. 1 in Class AA in the pre-season poll released today. This lofty ranking is obviously based on previous accomplishments and the Lady Wolves know they will have to work hard and not rely on those previous accomplishments if they want to end the season ranked No. 1 just as they did last year. The Wesleyan girls are up to the challenge. Here are the pre-season state rankings in all classifications:
|
|
Class A
|
Class AA
|
Class AAA
|
Class AAAA
|
Class AAAAA
|
|
1.
|
Taylor County
|
Wesleyan
|
NE Macon
|
Glenn Hills
|
Collins Hill
|
|
2.
|
Jefferson
|
Paideia
|
Swainsboro
|
Hephzibah
|
Meadowcreek
|
|
3.
|
Echols County
|
Randolph-Clay
|
Gainesville
|
Dalton
|
Camden County
|
|
4.
|
Savannah Ctry.
Day
|
Early County
|
Fannin County
|
Westlake
|
Stephenson
|
|
5.
|
Social Circle
|
Macon County
|
Westminster
|
St. Pius
|
Lassiter
|
|
6.
|
Trion
|
Dade County
|
Laney
|
Stone Mountain
|
McEachern
|
|
7.
|
Bowdon
|
Tri-County
|
Franklin County
|
Columbus
|
Bradwell Inst.
|
|
8.
|
Athens Academy
|
Monticello
|
Dodge County
|
Clarke Central
|
SW Dekalb
|
|
9.
|
Treutlen
|
Cook County
|
Cedartown
|
Baldwin
|
South Cobb
|
|
10.
|
Calhoun County
|
GAC
|
Hart County
|
Marist
|
Central Gwinnett
|
Tuesday, October 29
Former Wesleyan teammates together again at Presbyterian
| | |
Former Wesleyan teammates Dana Birnie and Anna Sheppard are once again playing basketball together. The two players are on scholarship at Presbyterian College in South Carolina. Dana, a 2001 graduate of Wesleyan and member of the 2001 Class A state runner up Lady Wolves, is entering her sophomore year at Presbyterian. She had an impressive freshman season as she averaged 10.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while earning the South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year award. Anna, a 2002 Wesleyan graduate, member of the 2001 state runner up and 2002 Class A state champion Lady Wolves, is entering her freshman year at Presbyterian. She averaged 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a senior a Wesleyan. Both players are exptected to make big contirbutions for the Lady Blue Hose this season. Presbyterian should be honored to have such fine players as well as young women, in it's program. Best of luck to Dana and Anna this season. Be sure to click on the 'Wolves In College' link on the left side of the page to keep up with their season.
Tuesday, September 17
Wesleyan eager to test their skills in AA
Wednesday, August 28
Lady Wolves returning to Cingular and Deep South tournaments
|  | | Lady Wolves are ready to play |
| |
For the second straight year, the Wesleyan Lady Wolves have been invited to participate in two of the areas most prestegious holdiay tournaments. The Cingular Wireless Classic will be held November 20-26 at Parkview High School while the Deep South Classic will be held December 26-30 and co-hosted by Brookwood and South Gwinnett High Schools. The week prior to Thanksgiving, Parkview hosts the eight team tournament which always fields some of Georgia's best teams. This year's tournament will be no exception as it features the 2001 and 2002 Class AAAAA champion Collins Hill, 2001 Class AAAA champion Central Gwinnett, 2001 Class AAA champion Gainesville, 2001 and 2002 Class AA champion GAC, 2002 Class A champion Wesleyan, Class AAAAA teams Pope, Berkmar and host Parkview. This will be without question, Georgia's toughest tournament featuring all in-state competition. The Deep South Classic is held annually during the week between Christmas and New Year's and is widely recognized as one of the premier tournaments in the country. This tournament features a 16-team field with many teams coming from out of state. In addition to eight teams from Georgia, this years tournament features teams from Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and California. The lone team from California, Narbonne, finished last season ranked in the top 10 nationally by USA Today. These tournaments should provide some outstanding competition for the Lady Wolves and help prepare them for the second half of the season. All four of Wesleyan's losses from last season occurred during these two tournaments as the Lady Wolves posted 1-2 records in each. Wesleyan is looking to improve on those records this year and hopes to make a better showing at both tournaments. View the brackets for the Cingular Tournament below.
2001-2002 Season News Articles
Tuesday, June 18
Wesleyan girls post 163-11 record over last two years
Since the start of the 2000-2001 season, the four teams that comprise the Wesleyan girls basketball program, Seventh Grade, Eighth Grade, Junior Varsity and Varsity, have a combined record of 163 wins against only 11 losses. The 2000-2001 Seventh Grade team posted a record of 17-0 while the 2001-2002 team finished 14-5. The Eighth Grade team posted records of 19-0 and 21-0 in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 respectively. The JV also had back to back undefeated seasons going 15-0 in 2000-2001 and 18-0 in 2001-2002. Finally, the varsity posted a 31-2 record in 2000-2001 while finishing the season as the Class A State Runner up, while the 2001-2002 team finished 28-4 and won the state title that eluded them the previous year. It would be difficult to find a school that can boast a better record than 163-11 over a two-year span. This is a tremendous achievement and can be attributed to the hard work that the players put in during the season and during the off-season. Keep up the great work!
Tuesday, March 26
Lady Wolves celebrate championship season in style
| |  | | Lady Wolves pose for one last picture |
|
The 2001-2002 season of Wesleyan Girls Basketball officially came to an end Monday night with the annual awards banquet held at the Peachtree Corners Hilton. The undefeated Junior Varsity and the state champion Varsity teams were both honored. The JV Lady Wolves completed their second straight undefeated season going 18-0 and winning the Cingular Wireless Classic along the way defeating some of the better JV teams in Gwinnett County from much larger schools. Add this years record to last years 15-0 mark and the Wesleyan JV has won 33 consecutive games. Congratulations to the JV Lady Wolves on another great season! The Varsity Lady Wolves also celebrated their historic state championship season. The Varsity follwed up a 31-2, state runner up campaign from last year by posting a 28-4 record this season and most importantly, bringing home the state championship that eluded them last year. During the course of the evening, the players received various momentos from the season including state championship T-shirts and yearbooks containing pictures and newspaper articles from throughout the season. Freshman Sarah Moye received this year's Coach's Award. Freshman Laura Luckhurst earned the Rookie of the Year Award. Junior Cathryn Stringer received the Most Improved Player Award while this year's Hustle Award was shared by Senior Jenny Hall and Sophomore Nikki Luckhurst. Coach Azar spoke of her teams' success this season noting how all of the hard work and sacrifices her team made paid off in the form of a state title. She also thanked her players and managers, their parents and the administration for their efforts and support throughout the season as well as Assistant Coach Joannah Cook, who will no longer be coaching next year. She individually acknowledged the three graduating seniors, Jenny Hall, Anna Sheppard and Keri Paxten without whom Wesleyan Girls Basketball would not be where it is today. The three seniors also spoke, telling heartfelt stories of their four years on the varsity. It was an emotional as well as satisfying evening as everyone seemed to have a sense of closure about the year in contrast to last season where the feeling was more of unfinished business. Jenny, Anna and Keri will be sorely missed and their contributions to Wesleyan girls basketball will never be forgotten. Jenny departs as the school's all time leader in points scored, assists, steals, three pointers and games played. Anna will leave as Wesleyan's second all time leading rebounder as well as it's third leading shot blocker and is third all time in three pointers. Keri graduates as the school's sixth all time leading scorer and it's most dedicated team leader. Good luck to all three seniors in college and beyond. We hope to see all three of you next year and in future years supporting the team and program you helped build. Congratulations to all of the Lady Wolves on a truly remarkable season. 2002 Class A State Champions!! Let's start getting ready for next year to do it all over again, this time in Class AA!
Sunday, March 17
Nikki Luckhurst named Player of Year, Hall earns All State
Post-season awards pour in for State Champion Lady Wolves
The Atlanta Tipoff Club released it's list of Georgia High School Basketball Awards recipients today and there was no shortage of Wesleyan representatives as Wesleyan sophomore Nikki Luckhurst was named Class A Player of the Year. Coach Jan Azar was named Class A Coach of the Year while Nikki was named First Team All State and senior Jenny Hall was named Second Team All State. Nikki was also named to the Metro Atlanta Prep Team of the Year which honors the most outstanding players from the Atlanta area in all classifications. Also released today are the All Region teams. Nikki shared Region 8-A Player of the Year honors with Jefferson's Lee DuBose while Jenny was named to the All Region team along with Staci Childress and Annie Goza of Jefferson, and Kristin Darr and Meredith Spitler of Providence. Jan Azar was voted Region 8-A Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. The Gwinnett Tipoff Club released it's award recipients as Wesleyan was named a co-Team of the Year for the county. For the second straight year,Gwinnett County produced three girls state champions. Wesleyan shared this honor with Class AAAAA state champion Collins Hill and Class AA champion GAC. Coach Jan Azar was also named a co-Coach of the Year for Gwinnett, sharing this honor with the head coaches from Collins Hill and GAC. Nikki and Jenny were named All County while Anna Sheppard was named All County Honorable Mention. Congratulations to all on receiving these well deserved honors! Listed are the Class A All State Teams and the Metro Atlanta Girls Prep Team of the Year:
|
CLASS A ALL STATE TEAM
|
|
Player of the Year Nikki Luckhurst, Wesleyan
|
|
Coach of the Year Jan Azar, Wesleyan
|
|
First Team
|
Second Team
|
|
Player
|
School
|
Player
|
School
|
|
Lee DuBose
|
Jefferson
|
Staci Childress
|
Jefferson
|
|
Nikki Luckhurst
|
Wesleyan
|
Jenny Hall
|
Wesleyan
|
|
Juanita Martin
|
Johnson County
|
Rachel Morgan
|
Clinch County
|
|
Yolanda Prepress
|
Taylor County
|
Mallory Shaw
|
Trion
|
|
Gloria Troutman
|
Taylor County
|
Shekiya Tarpkins
|
Social Circle
|
|
METRO ATLANTA GIRLS PREP TEAM OF THE YEAR
|
|
Player
|
School
|
Player
|
School
|
|
Ganiyat Adeduntan
|
Clarke Central
|
Shannel Harris
|
Collins Hill
|
|
Lauren Allen
|
SW DeKalb
|
Stephanie Higgs
|
Central Gwinnett
|
|
Sherill Baker
|
GAC
|
Amber Holt
|
Meadowcreek
|
|
Shani Boston
|
Westminster
|
Dani Kubik
|
Collins Hill
|
|
Katie Cloud
|
Loganville
|
Nikki Luckhurst
|
Wesleyan
|
|
Lee DuBose
|
Jefferson
|
Racheal Sheats
|
Sprayberry
|
|
Chanae Early
|
Westlake
|
Kasha Terry
|
Douglas County
|
|
Brittney Ellis
|
Haralson County
|
Lavonne Thomas
|
Jonesboro
|
|
Janese Hardrick
|
McEachern
|
Kaylin Wells
|
Lassiter
|
|
Megan Harpring
|
Marist
|
Jessica Williams
|
Riverdale
|
Sunday, March 17
Final State Rankings - All Classifications
|
|
Class A
|
Class AA
|
Class AAA
|
Class AAAA
|
Class AAAAA
|
|
1.
|
Wesleyan
|
GAC
|
NE Macon
|
Glenn Hills
|
Collins Hill
|
|
2.
|
Jefferson
|
Paideia
|
Swainsboro
|
Hephzibah
|
Meadowcreek
|
|
3.
|
Taylor Co.
|
Randolph-Clay
|
Gainesville
|
South Cobb
|
Baldwin
|
|
4.
|
Treutlen
|
Early Co.
|
Fannin Co.
|
Dalton
|
Camden Co.
|
|
5.
|
Claxton
|
Tri-County
|
Westminster
|
St. Pius
|
Bradwell Inst.
|
|
6.
|
Social Circle
|
Macon Co.
|
Franklin Co.
|
Clarke Central
|
Newnan
|
|
7.
|
Montgomery Co.
|
Cartersville
|
Laney
|
Thomson
|
Stephenson
|
|
8.
|
Athens Academy
|
Morgan Co.
|
Liberty Co.
|
Columbus
|
SW DeKalb
|
|
9.
|
Echols Co.
|
Dade Co.
|
Dodge Co.
|
Westlake
|
Lassiter
|
|
10.
|
Bowdon
|
East Laurens
|
Haralson Co.
|
Central Gwinnett
|
McEachern
|
|
11.
|
Calhoun Co.
|
Jenkins Co.
|
Southside
|
Marist
|
Riverdale
|
|
12.
|
Johnson Co.
|
Rabun Co.
|
Cedartown
|
Stone Mountain
|
Jonesboro
|
|
13.
|
Heard Co.
|
Brooks Co.
|
Hart Co.
|
Creekside
|
Campbell
|
|
14.
|
Providence
|
Decatur
|
Effingham Co.
|
East Paulding
|
Valdosta
|
|
15.
|
Metter
|
Putnam Co.
|
Cedartown
|
Thomas Co. Ctrl.
|
South Gwinnett
|
Saturday, March 9
STATE CHAMPS!!
| |  | | Lady Wolves celebrate first state championship |
|
The Class of Class A: Wesleyan routs Jefferson to take state title
"One Team, One Goal". This was the team motto for the 2001-2002 season. You saw it often as it was printed on the back of the black t-shirts worn by the Wesleyan Lady Wolves prior to warm ups before every game. Having achieved so much success in the previous season with a region championship, two tournament victories, a 31-2 record, and a state runner up finish, this team felt it had only one accomplishment it didn't achieve, a state championship. After losing 55-52 in the 2001 Class A state championship game to region rival Jefferson, whom they had already beaten twice earlier in the season, the Lady Wolves felt they had some unfinished business. That game was theirs to lose and only a poor third quarter prevented Wesleyan from claiming the 2001 Class A crown. This season, the team adopted the "One Team, One Goal" motto. That one goal being winning the Class A state title that just escaped them last year. Anything less, and the team would consider this season to be a dissapointment. A lofty goal to say the least considering there are 72 schools that compete in Class A in Georgia and only one ends the season with a state championship. The Wesleyan Lady Wolves were determined all season to be that one team. Coach Azar knew that in order to achieve this goal, Wesleyan's non-region schedule needed to be more difficult. Last year's 31-2 mark was nice but some of those wins were too easy and did not prepare the team for the tougher competition they would face in the post season. The 2001-2002 schedule was beefed up and included games (and victories) against much larger schools from higher classifications and entry into two prestegious holiday tournaments that included very tough fields. The tough scheduling along with hard work, sacrifice and the teams' unyielding focus on their goal, paid huge dividends in the Macon Coliseum on Friday afternoon. The Wesleyan Lady Wolves won their first state championship posting a 65-47 victory over region rival Jefferson (25-8), their fourth win over the Lady Dragons this season, in the championship game of the Class A Girls State Basketball Tournament. The victory was especially sweet because the Lady Wolves got to play exactly who they wanted, Jefferson. Since the end of the 2000-2001 season, Wesleyan could not wait for their next opportunity to play Jefferson. These two teams know each other as well as any having played eight contests over the past two years. The seniors on both teams have seen each other for four straight years. The two teams play similar up-tempo, defensive oriented basketball and are both well coached. In the last two years, Wesleyan and Jefferson have set themselves apart from the other 70 schools in Class A, both reaching the state championship each year. During that stretch, neither team even had a close game in the state tournament until it faced the other. This season, the Lady Wolves set themselves apart from the rest of Class A including Jefferson. With a 4-0 record against the Lady Dragons this year, Wesleyan left no debate as to who was the best team in Class A. The bitter sting of the loss in last years state championship game was felt prior to each meeting with the Lady Dragons this year. Beating a team four times in one season in nothing less than amazing. When teams know each other as well as these two, they can make adjustments and corrections for the next time they meet. Wesleyan had an answer to Jefferson every time they played this year, the state championship win being the most definitive. The game started off in typical fashion, both teams feeling each other out. Jefferson took a quick 2-0 lead off of a Lee DuBose steal. Wesleyan then answered with a Nikki Luckhurst three-pointer and the lead went back and forth with Wesleyan clinging to a 19-16 lead at the end of one. The second quarter produced more of the same as Wesleyan would build a lead as much as nine only to have the sharp free throw shooting skills of Jefferson come into play and close the gap. The Lady Wolves' defense was certainly doing the job but the lopsided foul totals in favor of the Lady Dragons allowed Jefferson to stay close via free throws. Wesleyan led 31-28 at halftime. The third quarter began with both teams having trouble finding the hoop as the score remained the same for the first three minutes. Then the Lady Wolves went on a 9-2 run that stretched the lead to 40-30. During that stretch, Wesleyan made four free throws - doubling their number of first-half attempts - and got a key 3-pointer from Jenny Hall. Hall, who spent much of the second quarter on the bench in foul trouble, added another 3-pointer before the end of the third quarter to stop a 5-0 Jefferson run. Wesleyan entered the fourth quarter with a 43-35 lead. During the fourth quarter, the Lady Wolves played smart basketball, moving the ball around, eating time off the clock and most importantly, scoring. This happened on a couple of occasions with Cathryn Stringer getting the ball down low and converting. Wesleyan won the game going away and claimed it's first state championship. The main reason for this victory was Wesleyan's suffocating man-to-man defense. The Lady Wolves forced Jefferson into 11-for-53 (20.7 percent)shooting from the field for the game, 5-for-45 (11.1 percent) over the final three quarters. A huge factor in the victory was Stringer who played an absolutely fantastic all around game continuing the stellar basketball she had played throughout the state tournament. Jefferson simply didn't have an answer for her. She had a career-best night scoring 20 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking nine shots. Cathryn's performance almost overshadowed the superb effort given by Nikki Luckhurst. Nikki scored a game high 21 points to go with her seven assists, five rebounds and four steals as plenty of people saw why she is such a highly regarded player. With limited playing time due to first half foul trouble, Jenny Hall scored 10 points which included two big three pointers at crucial moments. Anna Sheppard finished with five points while Laura Luckhurst had five assists, three points and three steals while shutting down Lee DuBose defensively for the fourth time this season. Taylor Voelker added four points while Keri Paxten scored two for the Lady Wolves. Wesleyan finishes the season with a record of 28-4, a region championship and, most importantly, the 2002 Class A State Championship. They will also carry a 20-game win streak into next season. This game was the last in the Wesleyan careers of Jenny Hall, Anna Sheppard and Keri Paxten, all of whom have played on the varsity since their freshman year. These three helped define Wesleyan girls basketball and gave the younger players in Wesleyan's program hard-working, dedicated players to look up to. They will be sorely missed. It is very hard to imagine a Wesleyan team without Jenny, Anna and Keri on it. Anna will continue her basketball career at the next level as she has signed a full scholarship to play at Presbyterian College. Keri plans to attend Elon College and Jenny is still mulling over her college acceptances while planning on cheering in college. Congratulations goes to the entire Wesleyan team for a remarkable season. This team had to play under enormous pressure all season and had to live up to very high expectations from many people including themselves. The enitre Wesleyan School community has much to be proud of in these girls and their coaches. Way to go Lady Wolves, 2002 Class A State Champions!! Can't wait 'til next year.
Click to see video clip of Nikki Luckhurst's buzzer-beater three pointer from the state championship game.
 | | 2002 Class A State Champions |
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 Nikki hits buzzer-beater three
Friday, March 8
2002 Class A Girls Basketball Tournament
Tuesday, March 5
Wesleyan runs over No. 1 Taylor Co. as N.Luckhurst scores 34
|  | | Celebrating big win over Taylor Co. in the state semi-finals |
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