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Previous Season Highlights |
ATLANTA CAGERS
www.CagerHoops.net
Forsyth County Georgia
AAU and YBOA Basketball Organization
Finishing in the Top Ten...
PRICELESS!!!
11U Girls Join Nation's Elite
The Cagers 11U girls spent last week slugging it out with the top teams in the country at the YBOA National Championships in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Over 100 teams came to the ocean in search of the national title, and our girls capped an outstanding week by earning the #10 spot in the final rankings. It was truly magical from start to finish.
The highlights of the week included an opening game 24-22 victory over North End Rec, the top team from Connecticut. Lindsey Smith led the Cagers in scoring, Grace Ramey chipped in an incredible 14 steals, and Brittany Byrd hit two clutch baskets down the stretch to seal the victory. Our girls also scored an impressive victory against the Cedar Park Wolves, who were the top ranked team from Texas. This game was a thrilling 32-30 affair that was totally dominated by Emily Coffer, who had 18 points and 15 rebounds. The points included 4 nerves-of-steel free throws in the final minute to put the Cagers over the top. Our squad also received strong rebounding from Brittany Abrams and Smith, who grabbed the rebound of a missed Wolves' shot that finally sealed the victory with 4.8 seconds to play.
As wonderful as the victories were, our girls played their best games in a pair of close losses against two teams that eventually made the Final Four. The Lady Stingers from Tennessee jumped out to an 18-4 lead in the first half, but we fought back to a close 28-23 loss. YBOA chief Mike Turnbow remarked after the game that “if you can talk them into playing another quarter you can take them!” Kelsey Turchi led the team in scoring against the Stingers, and Coffer, Michaela Rice and Meagen Tesh contributed quality work on the boards. Our girls then had the opportunity to play the defending national champion Palm Beach Xtreme, who entered the game 41-0. After dropping behind 8-0 in the first minute, our girls battled back to tie the game and gave the champs all they could handle throughout. Megan Cox and Turchi provided a steady hand at the point against fearsome pressure, and Coffer once again led the way with 14 points. Although we suffered a 36-26 defeat, the girls definitely proved they could play with the best team in the land.
The Cager girls also received individual honors in addition to the team accomplishments. Coffer was selected for the first string All-Tournament Team, and Ramey and Smith both received honorable mention. Away from the court, our girls finished second in the banner contest out of 105 teams. This earned them the right to strut their stuff in front of over 1,000 people at the opening ceremonies… truly a moment to remember. And watching the surfing, swimming, and bonding that took place off the court all week only reinforced that this has been a special team with truly special chemistry.
The girls are finished for this season, but the excitement and quality of play demonstrated this week already have everybody looking forward to hitting the courts in 2005.
Many thanks to Russell Athletic and Spira for sponsoring our girls' trip to Florida. Their contribution of funds, products, and good wishes were instrumental in our being able to bring a top ten ranking back to Georgia. And the girls look so go-o-o-o-o-o-d in their new stuff, too!
We are the CAGERS!!! Congratulations girls!!!
Cager boys close out season in High Gear!
Led by the dynamic duo of Zac Swansey and AJ Gustavel, who collectively scored over 200 points in five games, the Atlanta Cagers fifteen year old boys won the YBOA Memorial Day Classic with a perfect 5-0 slate. John Overton contributed over sixty points with a variety of moves and exceptional footwork. The defense play of Taylor Cole, Addison Perry and Ross Williams galvanized the overall team effort and success.
Victories included a thrashing of the Kingdom Players, the current state 3rd ranked team, and two overtime victories over the Middle Georgia Knights, another top ten state ranked team.
Early in the month the team was awarded an invitation to play in the National Tournament in Orlando. The team is coached by Mike Herman, a former division I assistant coach.
We're Playing with the BIG Girls Now!
11U Girls Dazzle in the Carpet Capitol Classic
 Rice Sticks the Jump Shot  Coffer Looks for the Pass  Smith and Rice Get Position  Ramey Hits the Free Throw  Hewatt Drives to the Net  Tesh, Abrams and Cox Move the Ball Around |
The 11U Girls team continued preparations for the National Championships with a stellar showing at the Carpet Capitol Classic in Dalton, Georgia this weekend. This tournament was not typical in that the 11U teams were mixed with 12U and 13U, so our girls were among the youngest there. Some would view this as quite a handicap, but our girls did a fantastic job.
Our first game was against the 12U Georgia Hotshots Black. Our girls came out with a fearsome full court press and sprinted to a 26-0 first quarter lead en route to an impressive 55-2 victory. Grace Ramey led the way for the Cagers with 10 points and 10 steals. Brittany Abrams chipped in 9 points and 9 rebounds, and Meagen Tesh contributed 12 points and led the team in blocked shots. It was a true team effort as each girl scored at least one basket. The fact that this was our highest point total of the season was all the more impressive considering it was against an older age group and against an impressive program like the Hotshots.
Saturday brought a hard-fought win against the powerhouse Chattanooga Hotshots. Our girls had one of their worst shooting performances of the season, but were able to gut out a 24-23 victory thanks to the all-around brilliance of Emily Cofffer and clutch shooting by Ramey down the stretch. The Chattanooga girls hit a 3-pointer with 5 seconds to go to make the final margin close. The victory enabled our girls to win their pool and advance to the elimination round undefeated.
The third game was against the huge, fast, and physical 13U Silver Crush. Star forward Brittany Abrams was lost to a knee injury in the first quarter, leaving us with only 7 healthy players. After falling behind by 10 points early Lindsey Smith and Michaela Rice shut down the inside and guards Megan Cox and Christy Hewatt turned up the intensity on the perimeter. The offense of Ramey and Coffer cut the deficit to 34-29 with 4 minutes to play, and Rice rimmed out a 3-point shot that would have narrowed the deficit to 2. We couldn't quite get over the hump after that, falling by a final of 38-31.
It was a great performance in a great tournament. Our girls can legitimately lay claim to the 11U crown and served notice to the older teams that they weren't to be taken lightly. The girls will be taking a few weeks off before beginning preparations for Nationals.
Congratulations Cagers!
Check out the News page for more information on our season.
Info for Coaches
Monday, September 8, 2003
Check out our Coaching Starter Kit.
Basketball "Cager" Style
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
National Runner-Up & State YBOA Champs
"Cager... An Athlete that plays Basketball"
Atlanta and North Georgia based AAU/YBOA basketball organization whose goal is to train and develop boys and girls in the game of basketball to participate at high levels of competition.
We are a non-profit basketball organization that is affiliated with AAU and YBOA. All games are conducted through tournament programs, which begin in March and continue to state playoffs in May/June. Teams may also qualify to participate in National Championship Tournaments.
The organization consists of highly competitive teams of 10 to 17 year old boys and girls who exhibit a serious interest in basketball. Coaches and staff are volunteers.
Players selected to play will participate in five to six tournaments plus ongoing basketball practices. Each tournament consists of a minimum of three games and a maximum of six. The state tournament is included in this format. The cost of uniforms, tournaments, gym rental, insurance, and equipment is $ 500 per player.*
*Exceptions to this format are possible
Call 770.265.9670
Click below to send an email.
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The 9th annual Dawson Smith Memorial Jam, held April 29th-May 1, was a smashing success! This year's field totaled 144 teams, smashing the state record for a girls invitational by over 20. Many thanks to all the clubs that chose to participate, and many thanks to our sponsors for making our event possible, including
If your organization would like to join the sponsor group please let us know. We have several levels of sponsorship that will both promote your organization and help us develop the talents of the local youth. We hope to see you at next year's event! We will confirm the date as soon as the NCAA announces the April exposure weekend date. For more information please email us. |
