Bobcat woes carry on as NG visits

Jan. 17—A great substitution story was being written during women's college basketball action Saturday at The Centennial Center. Only, a visiting North Georgia Nighthawk swooped in to steal the lead character role.

Livi Blackstock watched the first half between her North Georgia club and the Georgia College & State University Lady Bobcats, one in which Georgia College had a significant amount of strong bench play. Blackstock, in the second half, scored 17 points with 5-for-7 3-point shooting, and behind her surge the No. 16-ranked Nighthawks escaped Milledgeville with a 60-48 win. Georgia College's women lost for the fourth straight time — all in Peach Belt Conference games — to go to 1-5 in the league and 9-7 overall.

Starting point guard Caroline Martin of North Georgia led all scorers with 20 points and all rebounders with 10. Georgia College's leading scorer came off the bench, guard Myra Stickland making four 3-pointers for 12 points. Starting guard Ashyia Willis had 10 points, but the other four GC starters combined for Blackstock's total of 17.

But North Georgia could not get its offense going ... and neither could Georgia College in response. North Georgia didn't score until 4:22 of the first quarter but only trailed 4-2. Lady Bobcat coach Ross Jolly didn't plan the substitution but put Jada Warren into the game when the training staff had to see to starting forward Deshaun Jackson.

Warren would proceed to get a steal in the paint and outlet the basketball to back-up guard Cierra Foster. She found Strickland for a 3-pointer putting GC up 7-2. It was 10-2 when Strickland turned an offensive rebound from Warren into 3.

Even Rose Bone was playing solid off Jolly's bench, and the quarter ended with the home team up 10-4.

North Georgia opened the second quarter missing from the floor, and Willis took the ball straight to the other end for 12-4. She had seven points in all before North Georgia could change its total, but down 17-6 the Nighthawks began to find a rhythm with eight straight.

Alexa Geary, at 2:46 before halftime, ended North Georgia's spurt, but she struggled mightily from the floor going 2-for-16. Jackson got back into the action, and at 1:32 she converted a Willis pass for 21-14 GC. That was it for the home team in the first half, and North Georgia had the final say on the offensive glass.

North Georgia in fact began the second half the same way and quickly had it a one-possession game at 21-18. Jackson had four points to counter the 3-pointers that were starting to fall for North Georgia. Georgia College had one shot go good from behind the are in the third quarter, and it would be the last points before the fourth. Warren had two offensive rebounds amount to no scoring, and at 2:06 North Georgia drew even 32-32.

That was the score to start the fourth, and thanks to solid play from Bone Georgia College owned a three-point lead at one point, 39-36. North Georgia hit two 3s to achieve another tie, and Blackstock put her side in front 42-40.

With five minutes to play, GC's Harper Vick's three-point play — scored at the shot-clock buzzer — plus two more from Bone set up a three-point lead, and there was Blackstock for a leveling make (45-45). Georgia College had just one more basket from the field, and after Blackstock final 3 made it 53-48, the Nighthawks added seven more from the foul line.

GC MEN

Going about 10 minutes of game action in the second half without a made basket from the field, the Georgia College & State University men's basketball team was unable to overcome the nine-point deficit that resulted and lost for the eight straight time Saturday. The Bobcats are still looking for the first Peach Belt Conference win of 2022-23 and the end of an eight-game losing streak as North Georgia left Milledgeville with the win 83-71.

North Georgia had four starters score 15 or more, and that was led by forward Frank Champion's 23 points and 11 rebounds. For Georgia College, three had 12 points, including Brendan Rigsbee, who also led in rebounds with eight. Point guard Richard Crawford III had 12 to go with seven rebounds and five assists, while off the bench Ian Davis added 12 with four assists.

The Bobcats played without regular starter Luke Chism.

North Georgia actually played like it was geared for a blowout going ahead 8-0 and 11-3 immediately answering the first points for GC. It was 15-5 when Davis made a difference in his reserve role. He made two 3-pointers, one assisted by Crawford, though the Nighthawks had a match for his second to stay up 10, 21-11.

Rigsbee had five points and several rebounds in GC's 7-0 run, Brandon Thomas knocked down a key 3 for the Bobcats, and Christian Koneman's second-shot score at 6:45 reduced the North Georgia lead to two, 27-25. Georgia College outplayed the Nighthawks as the half came to a close, Chris Parks giving four points off the bench and 3-pointers falling by Crawford, Thomas and Koneman.

The half ended on an 8-0 Bobcat run, the score 40-33 in favor of the home team.

Georgia College's offense, though, did not come out much for the second half as there was just one field goal in the first three minutes and a tied game, 44-44. Austin Sloan, Bobcat starter, had no first-half points, but got five on the board quickly. His 3-pointer made for a 49-46 lead, but there would be nothing else from the home team field-goal wise until Sloan scored again with under six minutes to play.

The Bobcats did well from the foul line, 16-for-20 in the game, but that was not enough. In-between the baskets by Sloan, North Georgia made seven and led 65-56. Rigsbee got GC within three at 65-62, but a 9-0 run followed with a Champion slam off a turnover.

Georgia College basketball will look to end these losing skids Wednesday at The Centennial Center, which will host more Peach Belt Conference play with Young Harris the opposition beginning at 5:30 p.m.