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

Last Chance for Love

12U girls tune up for nationals by reaching medal stand again

Another 12U Trophy!

The 12U Blue played in the Last Chance Classic this weekend and came away runner up out of the 10 team field.

Friday night pitted the Cagers against the Georgia Thunder. The Thunder scored first, but the Cagers caught fire with pressure defense and ended the 1st quarter with a 12 - 2 lead, and extended it to 27 – 2 by the half. The team created multiple turnovers with nearly everyone scoring. The second half saw the Cagers executed superbly in their half court offenses and cruise to a 49 – 17 victory. The second game matched up the Cagers with the Georgia Cyclones. The Cagers again came out of the gate fast and with the press ran up a 30 – 2 half time lead. The girls then played a tight zone defense and rested their legs being down to 8 players and coasted to a 39 – 6 win.

The semifinal game against the Georgia Pistols Teal was a tougher game. The Cagers came out and pressed again early but could not convert multiple turnovers at the rim and committed to many errors and fouls allowing the Pistols to remain in the game. After playing hard but a poor 1st half, the Cagers were down 9 – 7. Our girls came out in the second half and played solid defense, sound offense and came away with a 30-21 win. Everyone contributed with rebounds, defense and scoring in taking what the Pistols gave up defensively to earn the win.

Our girls knew that the final game against the Hotshots was going to be tough. There were some early passing mistakes that prevented us from taking the lead but we went into half time down by five. Foul trouble late in the first half hurt as again, as our bench was a little short. The Cager girls played hard in the second hal,f but missed some opportunities at the line and missed multiple critical layups that kept them from taking the lead. We were still within striking distance with just 5 minutes to play, but the shallow bench took its toll. The Hotshots were able to bring in their top three players with fresh legs and the girls could not match their energy after being on the floor nearly the entire game. The girls played hard to the final buzzer but suffered a 53-39 loss. Still, the tournament was a strong finish in preparing for nationals. And taking second place was a nice prize considering the team was missing two starters from the line up!

Congratulations Cagers!

Young Guns

10U Girls reach state finals!

10U Finishes #2!

The 10U Blue girls turned in a great performance at the YBOA state championships, finishing #2 in Georgia.

The weekend started strong with a Friday night against the Georgia Phenoms, with jessica johnson scoring the first 12 points to pace a 34-4 win. Saturday morning pitted our girls against the Lions Gold and the 6'1' center. Julie Richards and Megan Hampton held the big girl in check, and great defense by Hannah Jones and Morgan Grindle was instrumental as our girls won 35-17. Johnson had 14 points, 11steals, and 6 assists in the win.

The pool play victories set up a quarterfinal match on Sunday with the Lions Blue. Our 41-7 win set up a tough semifinal match against the Georgia Extreme. The shooting of Johnson and Corrie Baker and rebounding of Richards was critical as our girls won 38-21. The state championship game against a very good Georgia Bearcats team was a war of attrition, and our girls played well but wore down at the end of a 27-21 loss. Still, a second place finish and collecting three trophies out of five tournaments on the season was a great showing.

Congratulations Cagers!

The Summertime BLUES!

8U girls win Summer Classic

The Champs!

The 8U girls, playing for the first time since the state championships three weeks ago, turned in a stellar performance to win the 9U division of the Summer Classic this weekend in Dacula.

Pool play began with a tough 14-10 loss to the hometown 9U Dacula Elite. A strong defensive effort by the Dacula squad and poor shooting on our part contributed to the loss, and the rust from the long layoff showed. Reagan Pasonski gave our girls a big lift with a quick basket and some key rebounding on the second half, but it wasn't enough to get us over the hump. Our girls bounced back Saturday morning with a strong 27-2 win over the Pistols Purple. Tory Ozment led our girls with 16 points and 5 steals, and Tatum Shipes chipped in 8 big rebounds. The game also marked the debut of new Cager Audrey Weiner, who came in and grabbed several key rebounds to seal the win. Pool play concluded with a stirring 28-15 victory over the 9U Woodstock Wolverines. Our girls really started to turn up the intensity in this game, led by ME Craven's 10 points and nine steals each from Shipes and Ozment. Natalie D'Allen hit a key basket when Woodstock was chipping into our lead that was instrumental in delivering the win.

The 2nd place pool finish earned our girls a semifinal matchup with the Pistols Gold, our toughest 8U opponent from the regular season. A spirited and aggressive first half ended with our girls on the positive end of a 4-2 score. Strong rebounding and ball control from Sidney Chason kept us on top. A quick 8-point run to start the second half enabled our girls to hang on for a tough 14-6 win. Courtney O'Malley led in assists, Craven knocked down 9 points, and Shipes and Ozment each had 8 rebounds and 6 steals.

The win earned the girls a rematch against the Dacula Elite. This game turned on the scoring of Craven and Shipes and the tough defense of Jordan Smith, who helped fluster the opposing point guard throughout the second half. Our girls were able to extend a 6 point halftime lead into a 27-14 victory.

The wins were especially hard-earned due to the absence of starters Amber Jones and Skylar Aledia, who only were able to make one game each over the course of the weekend. The girls will now be formally beginning their preparations for the national championships July 15-21 in Orlando.

Congratulations Cagers!

Stately Performance

14U Girls finish #2 in YBOA Georgia DI Championships

The 14U Cagers of coach Bruce Kidwell made it to the medal stand for the third time in four tournaments, finishing as the runner up in the YBOA 14U State Championships this weekend.

Our girls began pool play slowly, with a close 40-37 loss to the Peak Performance 14U team. In the second pool play game our girls faced Team Athens and made a strong comeback with a 54-38 win. Jenna Thompson led the way with 27 points, and Delaney Hollenbeck chipped in 19 rebounds, 13 blocked shots, and 18 points. Kierstin Kidwell led all guards with 6 defensive rebounds. The good news was that the margin of victory enabled the girls to win the pool. Bracket play began with a strong 51-39 win over the Georgia Pistols, paced by Hollenbeck's 28 points, Thompson's 14, and 8 rebounds from Colleen Malone. This earned the girls a winner's bracket semi-final against a tough Peak Performance 13U team. While Hollenbeck pumped in 21 points, the young Peak Performance squad proved to be too much and pushed our girls to the loser's bracket.

Facing elimination, the girls had a rematch against the Peak Performance 14U team. Determined to not start the game as we did on Friday, the girls took control from the start and never looked back in a 60-41 win. Scoring was led by Hollenbeck blocked 12 shots to go along with her 21 points and Malone chipped in 20 points and 13 rebounds. Abby Grant rounded out the scoring with 8. Defensive play was key in this game, as Brooke Heilman, Kierstin Kidwell, and Kaitlin Kidwell shut down their top scorer with a tough man to man defensive push. With the win the girls moved on to the Championship game to again face the stacked Peak Performance 13U squad. In the 6th game of the weekend the tank was empty and we went down to a tough defeat. The girls confirmed their standing as one of the top 14U teams in the state with the 2nd place showing. Our squad will take a well deserved rest next weekend after playing 11 games in two weeks, and will return to the courts next in the AAU National Qualifier.

Highly Qualified

Cager teams qualify for nationals in the Southeasters Super Regional!

14U Earns Number 2!

12U Silver punches ticket to Disney!

Little girls BIG trophy!

Ozment for 2!

Shipes and D'Allen track loose ball

Pasonski looks to pass

Jones spots an open O'Malley

Craven races downcourt

Chason grabs rebound

Aledia soars for block

Smith with the block

This was a big week for the program, as multiple Cager teams fought through tough fields at the Southeastern Super Regional to earn bids to the 2009 National Championships in July.

The parade was led by the 8U girls, who were playing up in the 9U division. The girls won their fourth tournament in a row despite being the sole 8U team in the field. An opening night 28-16 win over the North Georgia Heat Red team was a bit sloppy, but Tory Ozment came through with 12 big points and great floor leadership to carry our girls through. Saturday was a 3-game gauntlet, beginning with a huge game against a strong Running Saints squad. The tenacious defense of ME Craven and scoring of Ozment and Tatum Shipes kept our girls close, but we were still 1 point down with 12 seconds to play. Then Amber Jones stepped to the free throw line and canned the two clutch shots that gave our girls a 21-20 victory. We then played a tough tune up game against the North Georgia Heat Black, and Sidney Chason, Reagan Pasonski, and Natalie D'Allen really made the most of the opportunity to turn in quality minutes. The final pool play game on Saturday night versus the Lady Shooters was perhaps the best of the season, as our girls raced to a 31-11 victory. Skylar Aledia hit some big shots to ensure the win.

Pool play performance earned the girls a rematch with the Heat Black in the finals. Suffocating defense all round contributed to a first half shutout and eventual 14-8 win. Shipes was maginificent under the basket and Ozment in the open floor. Craven and Jordan Smith contributed a little bit of everything to aid the win, which earned the girls a paid-for bid to Disney.

The 14U Cagers of coach Bruce Kidwell also turned in another strong performance, making it to the medal stand for the second time in three tournaments. Our girls opened by defeating the Primetime Elite 50-46. The win was led by point guard Jenna Thompson with 12 points, guard Brooke Heilman with 7, power forward Colleen Malone with 11 and Delaney Hollenbeck with a triple double of 10 rebounds, 14 blocked shots, and 11 points. Saturday morning the Cagers played amazing defense to defeat Triple Threat 57-8. Malone had 16, Hollenbeck 14, and Peyton Card 9 to pace the win. Saturday afternoon paired the Cagers against the 14U Lady Shooters, and tough defense again was the key in a 52-25 win. Every Cager scored in a true team effort.

The semifinal on Sunday matched the Cagers against a tough Georgia Heat team. A great contest that went back and forth for four periods was decided by Cagers persistence in a tough 41-36 win. Thompson chipped in 20 points and Hollenbeck blocked a season high 19 shots in the win. The championship game was a classic, matching the girls against the Pistols, who were also undefeated for the weekend. The game was hotly contested and physical, and went right down to the wire. Our girls battled back from a 7-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but came up short in a 41-39 loss. A key three pointer by Kaitlin Kidwell couldn't quite get us over the hump. Hollenbeck turned in her second triple double of the weekend, with 14 rebounds, 11 blocked shots, and 12 points. Malone contributed 10 points and Thompson 9. The 4-1 record gives the girls a bid to the National Tournament.

Coach Tom Martin's 12U Silver team also made a strong showing, riding a 2-1 pool record into the finals against the Georgia Breeze. The girls came back from a seven point deficit in the final quarter to tie the score, but a few big shots by the Breeze enabled them to edge out our girls by a scant four points. Still, the trip to the medal stand earned yet another Cager team a bid to the Big Dance!

Coach Clay Roney's 10U Blue team also continues to progress, doing well in Division I and earning their bid to Florida as well.

Congratulations Cagers!

Big Men on Campus!

12 Boys reach Shootout final

Shootout Finalists!

The 12U Cager boys had a great weekend, bringing home the runner-up trophy from the Cherokee/Cobb Shootout.

The weekend started with a come from behind victory Friday night over the Allatoona Bucs 48-35. The boys were a little sluggish starting off the game, but kept their composure and outscored the Bucs 30-8 in the 2nd half. The boys then met the Atlanta Rush in their first game on Saturday. It was a close game throughout, with our boys hitting key free throws down the wire to seal the victory. The afternoon game on Saturday was a difficult matchup against the #1 seed in the tournament – the Georgia Scorchers. The Scorchers were too much for our boys, but the team learned a lot about the virtue of perseverance.

The 2-1 overall record earned the boys a semi-final matchup against the Atlanta Pistons. A great team effort and tenacious defense garnered a 35-22 victory, and the team's first trip to a tournament final. In the final the boys once again met the Scorchers. While our boys went down 59-30, it was a much better game than the score indicates. Several of the Scorchers coaches and parents commented on the difference between the two games we played against them. Our boys are getting better each week, and are looking forward to their next tournament the weekend of April 24-26.

Congratulations Cagers!

Triple Crown!

8U Girls win 3rd title in a row in Spring Break Classic

Champions!

The 8U Cagers Blue girls continued their winning ways this weekend, posting a 5-0 record en route to a championship in the 9U division of the Spring Break Classic.

The weekend began with a very tough 16-8 win over our 8U rival Pistols Gold. This was a tough and physical game that was won with defense and rebounding. Jordan Smith and Amber Jones, filling in for missing starter Skylar Aledia, did an outstanding job keeping the Pistols away from the hoop. M.E. Craven and Courtney O'Malley turned in stellar ball handling to mitigate a strong press. Pool play concluded with solid wins over the Habersham Raiders 25-6 and the Lady Xplosion 27-7. Tatum Shapes and Sidney Chason were very strong on the boards, totaling 32 in the two games. And Tory Ozment chipped in 16 points to lead in scoring. Reagan Pasonski turned in quality minutes on the defensive end to spur the victories.

The wins put the girls into the semifinals against the 9U Lady Shooters, who we'd played in an overtime thriller earlier in the year. Serious foul trouble early resulted in four starters sitting out large portions of the first half, which ended with an 8-7 Shooters lead. But the defense in the second half was the finest of the year, with the Shooters only score coming on a 3-pointer to end the third quarter. We slowly pulled ahead to win 17-11, with O'Malley, Ozment and Shipes hitting key baskets down the stretch.

The finals brought yet another rematch against the Pistols Gold, who defeated a tough (and huge) Xplosion 9U team in the other semi. This game was very similar to the first, with tough and aggressive play on both sides cilminating with our girls winning 18-10. Ozment and Craven again did an excellent job of moving the ball around to preserve the victory.

The girls will be taking some time off for spring break, and then gearing up for a run at the state championship. Congratulations Cagers!

Oldies but Goodies!

14U Girls lead parade of medals in upper age groups

AAU North ATL 15U Champs

15U Reaches Medal Stand!

Bennett eyes the lane

Harper goes up strong

Johnson receives pass

Smith denies entry pass

Turchi ready to fire-pass

Our Cager teams were spread throughout the metro area this weekend, but we're proud to say that all the older age groups (14U-15U-16U) came home with some hardware.

The 14U girls team led the charge, being crowned champions of the 14U/15U AAU North Atlanta Invitational tournament. Our girls, coached by Bruce Kidwell, Mark Runge, and Brian Pope, got off to a great start Friday night beating the GA Pistols 15U team 49-37. Our girls were led by 6'5" center Delaney Hollenbeck, who totaled 17 points. Jenna Thompson led in rebounding and Abby Grant shot 50% from 3 point range On Saturday the Cagers ran down a Lady Hornets 15U team, racing to a 46-23 win. Strong rebounding from Haley Pope and Hollenbeck and the passing of Kaitlin Kidwell keyed the victory. Saturday evening paired the Cagers against a tough GA Pistols 14U team. Taylor Runge led the team in steals, but a second half scoring drought resulted in the Cagers coming up short 56-52. Sunday's championship game pitted the Cagers in a rematch with the Lady Hornets. Our girls came out strong, outscoring the Hornets in the first half 34-21. This set the tone for the 63-48 victory and championship trophy. Scoring in the final game was led by Kierstin Kidwell with 19, and power forward Colleen Malone contributed 12. Hollenbeck recorded a triple double, with 13 points, 15 rebounds, and 16 blocked shots. This tournament was excellent preparation for the girls' next outing, a college exposure event the weekend of April 17-19.

Cliff Roberts' 15U girls also had an great weekend, making it to the finals of the YBOA March Madness tournament at North Gwinnett High School. The girls started with a tough 43-38 loss to the Georgia Breeze, but came back to make the semifinals after convincing victories over the Georgia Hoyas and GT Stars. The semifinals brought a rematch with the Breeze, and Kara Arps (16 points) led our girls to a 67-62 win. All ten Cagers scored in this one. A close loss to the Georgia Force in the finals was disappointing, but this team is clearly gaining momentum as they get used to playing together. Kasey Meadows led all scorers with 46 over the course of the weekend.

The 16U girls spent the weekend downtown at Georgia Tech, playing in the Southeastern Hoops Report Spring Showdown. This event was an exposure event for non-DI schools, and pretty much all of the top programs were there. Our girls got off to a good start against the Georgia Hoopstars, erasing a 37-24 deficit in the second half to win 47-45. Haley Chapman hit the critical 3-pointer to finally give our girls the lead. Taylor Johnson and Kelsey Turchi led in rebounding, and great pressing by guards Cara Malone, Jessica Harper, and Kirsten Ebert keyed the comeback. After a disappointing loss to the Southeast Elite, our girls toppled the previously undefeated NEGA Hoopsters 52-51 to claim a share of the Gray Division crown. Callan Bennett drained 3-pointers all afternoon to lead the girls in scoring with 15, and TJ Howell added several key rebounds. Lindsey Smith and Michaela Rice chipped in quality minutes keeping the Hoopsters off the glass, enabling our girls to hold off a furious rally and hang on for the win.

Most of our teams are off for spring break next week, but we are proud of our strong March and looking forward to hitting the hardwood again in April!

Lucky Seven!

8U girls bring home the crown to lead the 7th annual hometown jam

8U Blue takes the championship!

12U Blue wins another medal

10U Blue reaches medal stand

O'Malley looks for open man

Ozment takes off

Shipes after loose ball

Craven and Smith on the break

Aledia on the drive

Harman skies for the block.

What a weekend!

The 7th annual Dawson Smith Memorial Jam was a huge success, becoming the largest March tournament of the YBOA season. We nearly doubled the entry numbers from the same weekend a year earlier. Many thanks to all the strong clubs across the state and southeast that sent their teams to our event!

Three Cagers teams made it to the medal stand, led by another exciting performance by the precocious 8U Blue team. Our girls posted a 4-0 record to win the championship. The weekend started with a solid victory over a gritty Pistols Purple squad, highlighted by the defense of Bria Harmon, Natalie D'Allen, and Jordan Smith. Pool play concluded with a tough 19-10 win over the Running Saints, who sported a few huge post players to go along with their quicksilver guards. Outstanding defense from M.E. Craven and Tori Ozment helped hold the Saints in check during the second half and delivered the victory. A solid semifinal win over the North Georgia Heat was initiated by the quick scoring of Ozment and Tatum Shipes, as our girls raced to an 8-0 lead in the first few minutes and were able to hold it the rest of the game.

The final against the always-tough Pistols Gold was without a doubt the most physical game of the season. A rough and tumble first half ended with our girls on the top of an 8-4 score. Excellent passing by Courtney O'Malley, Skylar Aledia, and Amber Jones enabled our girls to negate a ferocious Pistols press and extend the lead in the second half to earn the victory. Ozment had a double-double in the victory and Shipes was two points away from one as well… but this was a true team effort over an outstanding opponent.

Clay Roney's 10U Blue Cagers also made the medal stand. A strong 30-14 win in the semifinals against the Lady Dawgs from Mississippi pitted our girls against the North Georgia Heat in the finals. The final was a classic; a back-and-forth game that went right down to the wire. Our girls unfortunately came up on the wrong end of a 32-31 last second defeat. But this team improved dramatically from their first tournament and we expect big things in the future!

Gregg Jones' 12U Blue Cagers also turned in another strong performance. Playing their fourth tournament of the young season, the girls reached the medal stand for the third time. We were pitted against an undefeated Lady Shooters team in the final, and our girls led throughout. But injuries and illness had thinned our roster, and the lack of depth enabled the Shooters to come from behind to hand our girls a tough three point loss.

Eleven other Cager teams were able to participate in this year's event, making it the biggest hometown showing yet. Some of our age groups are just now getting started and the rust showed a bit, but we were happy to be strutting our stuff in front of the home crowds, and we are confident more age groups will be bringing home trophies in the near future.

There's no doubt that Dawson was smiling down this weekend. Congratulations Cagers!

Young Guns!

8U-12U Win Trophies to Highlight Big Opening Weekend

8U Young Guns Take 9U Division!

12U Blue reaches medal stand!

Ozment on the drive

Shipes playing tough D

Jones protecting the ball

Smith denying the middle

Aledia and Jones pressure the ball

Craven on the break

O'Malley with the steal

The season started with a bang this weekend, with five Cager teams in action at the Georgia Slam-n-Jam in Kennesaw / Marietta. Great debuts were made by all, with two of our teams reaching the medal stand and bringing home the hardware!

The 8U Blue and 8U Silver elected to play up in the 9U division to find strong competition, and we definitely got what we were looking for. The Silver team had a great first tournament. The team was led by the rebounding of Sidney Chason and Sydney Ogbogu, the ball handling of Summer Edwards and Landyn White, and the defensive efforts of Reagan Pasonski, Madeleine Bertz, and Randi Jellame. Adrienne D'Souza also contributed quality minutes and had some key steals. The Silver defeated the Habersham Raiders and played tough against their older opponents as well.

The 8U Blue posted an undefeated record in pool play, bolstered by the scoring of Amber Jones, the rebounding of Natalie D'Allen and Jordan Smith, and the defense of Bria Harmon. This earned the girls a spot in the semifinals against the 9U Lady Shooters. The team earned a hard fought victory. We were paced by the all-round play of M.E. Craven (7 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals) and Tatum Shipes (5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals), and the ballhandling / distribution of Courtney O'Malley (3 assists) and Tory Ozment, who chipped in 8 points to go along with multiple assists and steals.

The 23-16 win advanced the girls to the finals against a huge 9U North Georgia Heat team. This game belonged to Ozment, who repeatedly got the ball up the floor against a ferocious Heat press. She finished with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals. Shipes and Craven did a great job on the glass, repeatedly boxing out the mammoth Heat front line. And Skylar Aledia contributed perhaps the most critical baskets of the tournament, sinking a jumper and a free throw in the fourth quarter to break a 9-9 deadlock and put our girls ahead to stay. The 15-9 finals win gave our girls the big prize!

Coach Gary Smith's 9U Cager squad had a productive debut as well, making it to the tournament semifinals on Sunday before dropping a close game to the Heat. The girls were great in their first time out, with a big pool play win and a few very close losses. We expect big things from this bunch! And coach Joe Gazza's 10U Silver team also made its debut. They had the misfortune of a very tough tournament draw, but competed well and benefited from the tournament experience.

The 12U Blue team played in their second tournament of the year, and excelled against a very strong strong field. Our first game against the Pistols on Friday night saw a lot of whistles and tough defense as the Cagers fought to a 40 – 33 win after a sluggish 1st half. The second game against the Lady Eagles was a better performance, as our girls built a lead early and broke open the game with smothering defense to win 37 – 15 with only 7 players. The third game was a rematch from the first tournament against the Georgia Bearcats. Our short-handed squad fought hard the entire game but came up short losing 55-37. The lack of depth really hurt late in the game as the Bearcats were able to pull away down the stretch.

Sunday's championship game pitted the Cagers against the Bearcats yet again. Our girls had the lead after the first quarter and were only down one at half time after playing great defense and scoring in transition. Down the stretch the free throw woes continued, however, and our girls fell short 48–38. Congratulations to the team on a well played tournament and taking second place! We got that trophy!

Congratulations, Cagers!

We Have a Winner!!!

12U Girls Winter Team Dominates the League!

Congratulations to Bruce Kidwell's 12U girls winter team for their outstanding season, which culminated last weekend with the first Cager medals of 2009! The young team, made up of Riverwatch Middle school 6th graders, finished regular season play with a 10 and 2 record, earning them the 3rd seed for the season ending tournament. The girls romped through the four-game tournament with an average margin of victory of 15 points, including a huge 21-14 win over a tough GA Heat team in the Championship. The win put the finishing touches on a stellar 14-2 record. Congratulations to the team for all the hard work this season and the championship achievement.

Go Cagers!!!

Things will be fine in 2009!

The stars are aligning for a very special season

How do we top 2008? With a near national championship, two state championships, and eight teams finishing in the state top five in their respective divisions, it will be difficult indeed. But with the players and coaches we have returning the sky is the limit… all we need is YOU!

The season has already gotten off to a wonderful start, as we have succeeded in scheduling the Cager-sponsored Dawson Smith Memorial Jam on the prime weekend of March 20-22. We have had the largest tournament in the state the last three years running, and this year we expect it to be no different. We will have several teams that have the goods to keep the big trophy at home... all we need is YOU!

For information on the upcoming season / tryouts, please contact the relevant coach. NOTE: YBOA and AAU have changed the age cutoff dates again this year. The objective is to ensure that all girls in the same grade may play together. Please use the guide below to find the proper coach / age group. If you have questions just email us at .

Wouldn't you really rather be a CAGER?!?!?

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