ATLANTA CAGERS
www.CagerHoops.net
Forsyth County Georgia
AAU and YBOA Basketball Organization

QUALIFIED!!!

Cager girls receive multiple bid to nationals as state championship month begins

9th Grade Celebrates!

Nelson off the glass

Ozment on the drive

Weiner fights for loose ball

Craven headed for the hoop

It was a great weekend for the Cager girls. Following up a strong showing in our own tournament last weekend, four teams made their respective Final Fours and earned a bid to the national championships in July-August.

The hit parade was led by coach Jen Fahey's 3rd grade Blue team, who overcame a tough 11-7 opening night loss to the Pistols Gold to race into the state championship game. Impressive wins over the Pistols Purple (21-7) and the always-strong Canton Flames (18-12) propelled the girls into a finals rematch with the Gold. While our girls put up a valiant struggle, foul trouble and fatigue contributed to a tough 18-11 loss.

Tom Martin's 5th graders also turned in a strong performance, despite being shorthanded the entire weekend. A five-point win over Peak Performance highlighted a first place pool finish and propelled the girls into the semifinals. Stellar defense against the Lions earned the girls a 19-13 win. The state championship against the Heat was a battle, and injuries to two of our girls left us with only five players. The girls fought hard, but couldn't pull it out and finished with the runner-up trophy.

The 6th grade Blue team once again dug itself a Friday night hole by losing a 16-point lead to fall to 0-1. But increased intensity on Saturday produced a 43-23 win over Peak Performance Black and a 53-22 win over FBC Red to earn the girls a place in the Final Four. The semifinal opponent was the Georgia Pearls, who had swept through the other pool undefeated with a 3-0 mark. Both teams got off to a slow start, but our girls started to pull away midway through the second half and finished with a 41-25 win. The state championship game versus FBC was a classic. Neither team could open up more than a 6 point lead the entire game, and as the horn sounded the teams were tied at 33... then tied at 36 after the first overtime, 41 after the second overtime, 44 after the third overtime, and 46 after the fourth overtime. The war of attrition ended after five overtimes with some clutch free throw shooting by FBC, sending our girls to a marathon 52-48 loss and the second place trophy.

Kim Pasonski's 6th grade Silver punched their ticket to D2 nationals as well. The girls rebounded from a tough 32-24 opening night loss to the North Georgia Heat win three quality wins- 31-6 over Peak Performance Blue and 48-38 over the Columbus Rising Stars on Saturday, followed by a 20 point win over the Lions on Sunday morning. This earned the girls the second seed going into the playoff round, but a tough 38-33 loss in a rematch with the Rising Stars dropped our girls to third place.

Lynn Hammond's 9th grade Silver also turned in a 3rd place D2 finish. Close losses to the Hiram Hoopers and North Georgia Heat landed our girls in the third place game, which enabled our squad to defeat the Heat in a rematch 45-34 for the bronze medal.

All in all, a great start to state championship month!

Congratulations Cagers!

Perfect Ten!

Cagers send 7 teams to finals in 10th annual Dawson Smith Jam

Nelson-Ododa get physical

Craven D's Up

McCollam Elevates

Walters fights for loose ball

Weiner looks for the dish

What a weekend! The 10th annual Dawson Smith Memorial Jam held April 27-29 attracted 151 teams- an all-time record for a girls invitational tournament in the state. The quality of play was just as impressive as the quantity, with multiple teams from across the southeast coming to battle for their respective crowns. An amazing seven Cager teams made their age group finals, which speaks volumes for the program and how hard our girls have worked this year.

The Cagers were well-represented by two teams in the 3rd grade division. Coach Jen Fahey's Blue squad came back from an early loss to the Pistols Gold to defeat the Gold in the rematch in the 3rd place game. And coach Shelly McGammon's Silver squad made the final before losing a tough game to the Tennessee Starz. The good news is that the Silver team assumed the #1 spot in the YBOA state rankings based on the weekend's results.

Coach Cat Allen's 4th grade girls also turned in an impressive performance in an unusually large (14 teams!) 4th grade field. The girls roared into the finals with a 5-0 record, highlighted by a 29-14 semifinal win over the Georgia Edge Black. The weekend ended with a tough loss to a great Starz team in the final, but elevated our girls into the state top five.

The 6th grade age group had a super weekend. Kim Pasonski's Silver team made the finals of the Division 2 event before suffering a heartbreaking one-point overtime loss to a tough Georgia Go Hard team. And Allen Bowns' White team had their best tournament of the year, making the semifinals before bowing out to the same Go Hard squad.

The first title of the weekend belonged to the 6th grade Blue squad, who were playing up an age group in a very tough 16-team 7th grade Division I event. The girls overcame an opening night 62-61 loss to a hot-shooting EOTO team to post wins over the Lions and Upstate Elite from South Carolina to qualify for the playoff rounds and set the stage for Sunday.

A stirring quarterfinal victory pitted the girls in semifinals versus the very tough Georgia Metros in a rematch of last year's state championship game. The game was a classic battle and the most exciting game of the season. Multiple lead changes throughout wound down with our girls behind 33-31 with 3 seconds to play, but a last second hoop forced overtime and we rode the momentum to a 42-37 victory. The final against the Middle Georgia Dream was a war of attrition, as each team was playing its third contest of the day. Our girls went up early and coasted to a 45-33 win and the championship.

Rodney Storms' 8th grade Blue posted a 4-0 record before falling to the North Georgia Heat in the final, continuing what has been a very strong season for the defending YBOA national finalist. And coach Storms' 9th graders won another title for the program by dominating a strong field to post a 5-0 record. The pool wins were over the Pistols Diamond (70-42), Lady Blazers (58-26), and College Park Rim Rockers (62-30). This advanced the girls into the semifinal match with the North Georgia Elite Gold, which we won 62-31 to set up a final with the DC Lady Tigers. Our girls finished off the weekend in style with a 56-32 romp to win the crown.

Gregg Jones' 10th grade girls completed the parade to the medal stand. The girls posted a 3-0 record in pool play, with wins over the College Park Rim Rockers, Douglasville Lady Tigers, and Georgia Dream. Winning the pool resulted in a finals rematch with the Rim Rockers, who unfortunately edged our squad 44-43 for the championship.

Still...two titles and seven finals in a tournament this large is a triumph in itself!

Way to go girls! Congratulations Cagers!

Trophy Time!

5th Grade Girls hit the medal stand

The 5th grade Cager girls of coach Tom Martin made their medal stand debut this weekend in the YBOA Spring Fling in College Park. The opened with an impressive 33-point victory over the YAJ Lady Eagles, and added a hard fought 29-18 win over always-tough Triple Threat. This earned the girls a finals rematch with the host College Park Rim Rockers, who defeated them 32-21 in pool play.

The final was a defensive struggle, and our girls showed real improvement over the course of the weekend. A narrow 22-17 defeat kept them from the title, but we see big things in store for this bunch in the future!

Congratulations Cagers!

Two for the Show

6th Grade Blue / 9th Silver Post Undefeated Weekends

Super Regional Champions!

9th Grade Wins the Big Trophy!

Nelson with the block

Sik playing tough D

Strong to the basket

Soaring for two

Cagers on the rise

The Cager girls notched another impressive weekend, with two tournament titles and an impressive showing in exposure events among the older teams.

The hit parade was led by the 6th grade Blue team, who came home from South Carolina with a 5-0 record and the AAU Super Regional title. The girls won their first four games by an average score of 44-8, bringing them into the finals against the host SC Stars. A spirited and intense game held in front of the home crowd was broken open by our girls with a nice run in the second quarter, and we cruised to a 41-17 win.

The weekend was a true team victory. Four different players- Tory Ozment, Hannah Sik, Tatum Shipes, and Jessica Nelson- led in scoring in various games. Nelson and Shipes shared the rebounding lead with Audrey Weiner. Ellie McCollam and Jordan Smith notched double-figure totals in steals, and Mary Walters combined with Ozment to lead in assists. M.E. Craven missed the first few games of the weekend, but gave the girls a big lift upon her return. Unfortunately Olivia Nelson-Ododa was unable to make the trip for health reasons, but we look forward to seeing her back on the court soon.

The title clinched a DI nationals bid for the girls for the fourth year in a row.

Coach Lynn Hammond's ninth grade Silver team turned in their second impressive showing of the season, and took home their first championship trophy. The girls opened with two strong pool play wins- 69-35 over the Lady Warriors and 49-25 over the Lady Extreme. This advanced the girls to a semifinal rematch with the Extreme, who worked their way through the loser's bracket. The rematch resulted in almost exactly the same score as in pool play, with our girls moving on to the finals with a 49-24 victory.

The final against the Gwinnett Lady Blazers was never really close, with our girls jumping out to an early lead and coasting to a 53-23 victory. We look forward to big things from this bunch in the future!

Next weekend is a big one in town, with the AAU North Atlanta Invitational and the YBOA Spring Break Classic. Good luck to our teams, and...

Congratulations Cagers!!!

One for the Money

6th Grade Brings Home Opening Weekend Title

The 2012 season got off to a good start for the program, with the sixth grade girls leading the charge in winning the Joyce Fox Memorial in Suwanee. Our girls, a mixture of players from the Blue and Silver teams, posted a 4-0 record to bring home the hardware.

The weekend began with a 49-20 win over the Georgia Red Storm. Audrey Weiner led the scoring charge with 16, and Jordan Smith and Mary Walters chipped in 8 each. Hannah Sik led in rebounds with 7. Saturday began with a game versus our perennial rival Pistols Gold. Spirited defense was the key in this one early, and our girls gradually pulled away to a 42-16 victory. Alicia Patterson was the scoring leader with 12, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa did good work on the glass and contributed 7 on the offensive end. Summer Edwards and Reagan Pasonski each hit key jumpers in a game-changing second quarter run. The final pool play game was against the Georgia Magic, who finished #5 in the state last season. M.E. Craven exhibited great floor generalship to put the team in position to win, and clutch free throws from Madalyn Townsend down the stretch helped earn a 36-31 victory. The finals brought a rematch with the Magic. Ellie McCollam, playing in her first game of the weekend, gave our squad a spark on both ends of the floor. Our girls opened up a17-7 lead midway through the second quarter and survived a last minute Magic rally to post a 31-27 win.

Special mention also to coach Cat Allen's 4th grade Cagers. The girls played up in a tough 5th grade division and took every game down to the wire. The quarterfinal 31-28 loss to the eventual finalist Lady Titans showed what promise these girls have.

Next week more of our teams are opening up, so we're expecting big things.

Congratulations Cagers!

Looking to the Future

Come join a winner in 2012!

The 2011 season was one of the biggest and the best for the Cager girls program. We fielded fourteen girls teams last season, and are proud to say that thirteen of them made it to the medal stand at least one time. In addition, we had the #1 or #2 ranked team in the state in seven age divisions out of nine. This included a state championship for the 7th grade Blue girls and a 6th grade state championship for the 5th grade Blue squad.

Now we're ready to take the next step, but we need YOU! If you are interested in more information on joining the Cagers in 2012, please contact the coach listed below for tryout and season information.

3rd Grade Girls: Jennifer Fahey ()

4th Grade Girls: Catherine Allen ()

5th Grade Girls: Tom Martin ()

6th Grade Girls: Ralph Smith ()

7th Grade Girls: Doug Metzger ()

8th Grade Girls: Rodney Storms ()

9th Grade Girls: Rodney Storms ()

10th Grade Girls: Gregg Jones ()

11th Grade Girls: TBD ()

We look forward to hearing from you.

National Treasures

Cagers place three age group teams in USA’s top eight!

8th Grade Blue hits the Sunshine State!

Ozment flies downcourt

Edwards and McCollam close in

Richards boxes out

Myers on the drive

Storms airborne for 2!

Craven leads D

Shipes snowed in

It was a fantastic postseason for the Cager girls, as five of our teams travelled hither and yon to compete with the nation’s best, and three placed in the top eight in their respective national tournaments.

The charge was led by coach Rodney Storms’ 7th grade Blue, who travelled to Orlando for the YBOA Division One championships. The girls had an unusual six-team pool, and opened with two strong wins on opening day. A 44-25 morning victory over the Tampa Bay Inferno was followed by a close 52-49 win over the Maryland Lady Clippers in the nightcap. The girls hit a roadblock on day two, losing to the Alabama Lady Hustlers and putting themselves in a precarious position. Two wins and some external help was needed to propel them into the championship game. Our girls took care of their own business on day three, taking down the SW Lady Bulldogs 55-36 and the Orlando Blazers 47-31. Then they had to sweat out a close game, as the Inferno knocked off the Lady Hustlers to propel our girls into the national title game.

The finals brought a rematch with the Lady Clippers. The game was streamed live over the internet, which was an exciting showcase for the program. Unfortunately, a cold shooting streak in the second half resulted in our girls being down by 10 with 4:00 to go. Strong pressure by K.K. Storms and Sarah Myers and some big rebounds by Julie Richards enabled the Cagers to pull even with a minute left. But the comeback ran out of steam and the girls lost a tough 3-point decision. But a #2 finish at the Big Dance was a great achievement!

Elsewhere, the 5th grade Blue girls went to Hampton, Virginia for the AAU Division One championships. There were 61 teams signed up for the 5th grade division this year, including 34 DI teams. The girls opened strong with a 47-30 win over the Indiana Blizzard North, who were the #3 team in their state. M.E. Craven led in scoring with 10 points, and Tatum Shipes led in rebounding with 12. Ellie McCollam led in steals and chipped in five points. Our squad really stepped it up in the second game, taking a 44-14 win over the Maryland state champion Lady Stars. Tory Ozment (8 points, 4 assists) and Courtney O’Malley (4 points, 3 assists) did a great job running the offense, and Audrey Weiner and Hannah Sik were strong inside, dividing 10 points and 14 rebounds. Sadly, the girls dropped their final pool game 39-30 to the Tennessee Pride, resulting in an extremely tough draw for bracket play.

The opening bracket play game was against the Central Jersey Hawks, and the girls seemed eager to make up for the poor performance versus the Pride. Shipes and Mary Walters dominated the glass, each tallying 6 rebounds and dividing 8 points. McCollam led in scoring with 12, and Ozment contributed 5 big assists. Tight man to man defense by Jordan Smith and Summer Edwards on the Hawks’ star point guard was instrumental in our 42-16 win.

The Sweet Sixteen matchup was against the Indiana Blizzard South, state champions and a very talented and well-coached team. This game was a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight contest, and was equally hard-fought. With just under 5:00 to go our girls were down 27-26, but an offensive explosion led by Craven, Ozment and Shipes (39 points between them!) resulted in a much-harder-than-it-sounds 49-28 win and return to the Elite Eight. Unfortunately, we expended all of our offensive energy in the final push against the Blizzard, and lost to the West Virginia Thunder in the quarterfinals to finish 8th. It was an amazing year for the girls, with six tournament titles, two state championships, and a 3rd consecutive national Elite Eight finish.

Coach Lynn Hammond’s 8th grade Silver also made a big splash at the AAU Division III championships in Orlando. The girls posted a 3-0 record to win their pool, which included a 32-30 win over the Alabama Cardinals, a 45-18 win over the Harundale Lady Hornets (MD), and a 55-17 win over the Jacksonville Lady Rams. The momentum rolled into bracket play with a 46-19 win over the South Georgia Angles that put the girls in the national semifinal. A heartbreaking 37-36 loss to the Massachusetts Wildcats ended the girls’ title hopes, but they rebounded with a strong 44-24 win over the Delaware Angels to claim 3rd place. The Wildcats team that beat our girls by one took the championship by 15 the next day, so our girls were very close to taking the whole thing!

Another shout out goes to the 8th grade Blue for a successful showing in the AAU DI event and to the 11th grade Cagers for a good showing in the AAU DII event, both in Orlando. All in all, it was an amazing summer for the program.

Congratulations Cagers!

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