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

Winnersville!

Cager girls turn in a dominating 2006 performance

11U Champs

12U Celebrates

13U Finishes #9 in the US

14U with yet another title

The 2006 season was a major step forward for the Cager girls program. In only our fourth year of existence, the girls reached heights that parallel the elite programs in the state. Accomplishments for the program included the following:

Tournament Championships: The girls won eleven tournament titles and eleven runner-up trophies, demonstrating that we were always at or near the top in each age group. Five age groups (11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, and 16U) made at least two trips to the medal stand, led by the five championships of the 14U squad.

Rankings: Four age groups (11U, 12U, 13U, and 14U) finished in the top six in the state in the YBOA rankings. This accomplishment is even more impressive considering that the highest concentration of teams was in these middle age groups. The 11U and 14U squads spent a significant portion of the year ranked #1 in the state. And the 16U squad also finished in the state top ten.

Record: The 14U squad led the way with a 30-5 record this season, but they were by no means the only bright spot. The 12U and 13U squads also posted over 30 victories (32-11 and 31-14, respectively). And the 11U girls finished 21-10, giving us a cumulative record of 114-40 in the toughest age groups.

National championship appearances: Five age groups were offered bids to Nationals, and the 13U and 16U squads accepted. The 13U girls turned in a strong performance in Orlando, walking away with the 9th place spot in the country.

Dawson Smith Cager Classic: Our tournament was one of the largest and most competitive in the South. This year we welcomed 82 teams from around the region, including four of the nation’s top ten YBOA 13U teams. The awesome performance of our girls in the hometown jam (titles in three age groups) was icing on the cake.

All in all, it was definitely our most successful season... until next year! We already have several coaches in place and want to provide the continuity needed to ensure ongoing excellence. If you would like to be part of the Cager program in 2007 just email us at basketball@cagerhoops.net for tryout information.

Congratulations Cagers!

Cagers Hit the Big Time!

13U girls rocket into the national Top Ten

Mattox drives on Panthers

Malone and Byrd playing tough D

Ramey for two

Davis on the fast break

Turchi skies for the jumper

Geisler extinguishes the Flames

Smith fights for key rebound

Coffer looks inside

Tesh rifles inbounds pass

Celebration!

The Cagers' 13U girls spent the second week of July in Orlando slugging it out for the National Championship with 124 teams from around the country. This was the biggest YBOA national tournament ever, and our girls did a fantastic job representing the program and the state of Georgia.

The week began with a slugfest against the Orlando Lady Ballas, the Florida state champions and pre-tournament favorite to win the title. Our girls matched them basket for basket until the final minute of the game, when a turnover, foul, and resulting free throws enabled the Ballas to escape with a 49-44 victory. Angie Davis led our girls with 12 points and 9 rebounds, and Grace Ramey chipped in 9 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals.

Our girls were eager to avenge the loss and came out smoking in the next game versus the Lady Stallions, who were the #3 team from Maryland. Cara Malone scored 15 points for our girls, and Kelsey Turchi and Davis added 13 each in what quickly turned into a 65-36 rout. Victoria Geisler led the girls in rebounding and was a strong presence in the middle.

The final pool play game was against the San Antonio Starz, who were the #1 team from Texas. Tremendous perimeter defense by Brittany Byrd and Malone kept the Starz deadly three-point shooters at bay until the fourth quarter, when a big run by the Starz forged a 45-45 tie with 12 seconds left. Then Kelsie Mattox took off on a length of the court drive and lay in to secure the 47-45 win. Ramey and Mattox each totaled 10 points in the victory, and Meagan Tesh led the team with 3 critical blocked shots.

The 2-1 record in pool play landed the girls the #8 seed going into double elimination bracket play, and paired us with the South Carolina champion Cyclones in the first round. The Cyclones jumped out to a quick 25-11 lead, but our girls turned up the defense a notch and closed to 45-44 with 15 seconds to play. Our final offensive possession ended with four missed shots from close range, as post players Davis and Geisler did an excellent job keeping the ball alive. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the go-ahead shot to fall and had to foul a few times to try and retrieve possession, resulting in a heartbreaking 50-46 loss.

This dropped the girls into the loser's bracket, making it necessary to win out to get the title. The girls looked like they were ready to do just that. The first game was against the Lady Panthers, who were the #2 team from Alabama. Our girls played the first half like they were still disappointed from the Cyclones game, but pulled away to an easy 55-38 win. Key assists and rebounds from Lindsey Smith ignited the second half rally, and the scoring of Turchi and Malone put the game out of reach.

Thursday morning brought a contest against the New Hampshire Flames, who were the champions of the New England region. Tough defense and disciplined passing enabled our girls to advance with a 47-33 victory, improving our record to 4-2. Geisler turned in a dominant game in the middle, scoring 13 points and blocking multiple shots. The win guaranteed our girls a spot in the national top ten.

The final game was against the Lady Falcons, who were the #2 team from Florida. The wear of four games in 24 hours started to show, and our girls went down to a tough defeat. The loss ended our season and put the girls in a tie for 9th place in the country.

The tournament was a fantastic experience for the girls and families. The Orlando Lady Ballas team that defeated us by 5 points in the opener went on to win the national championship. And the Lady Falcons team that knocked us out also defeated the defending national champions by 20 points and finished #3 in the country. The moral of the story: our girls played their best ball of the season against the toughest teams in the country, and finished with a winning record and a well-deserved spot in the national top ten.

Congratulations Cagers!!!

Lance Chance before the Big Dance

13U Girls tune up for Nationals

Davis rules the lane

Geisler patrols the middle

Coffer hits the free throw

Malone and Ramey bring ball upcourt

The 13U girls turned in a very strong performance this weekend at the Last Chance Classic in Woodstock. The tournament is so named because it is the last chance to play in a tournament format prior to the National Championships in Orlando July 8-14. In light of this, the tournament field was quite strong, with four Florida-bound teams entered.

For our girls this was not so much of a last chance as a first opportunity. After a few regular season stars hung up their gear for the season, the roster had to be revamped. Joining the team for the stretch run were Angie Davis, Victoria Geisler, and Emily Coffer. While this was the first opportunity for the girls to play together, all three have already proven to be very valuable additions.

The tournament began Friday against the East Cobb Yellow Jackets. Davis and Kelsie Mattox dominated the game. Davis contributed 17 points and 13 rebounds in her Cager debut, and Mattox added 16 points and 10 rebounds. These two turned the game into a 53-21 blowout to get the tournament off to a good start.

Saturday afternoon featured a matchup against the always-tough SE Dekalb Lady Eagles. The scoring and defense of Geisler (10 points, 4 blocks) and the rebounding of Davis and Lindsey Smith (12 and 5, respectively) helped the girls overcome frigid shooting in the first half to post a hard-earned 35-27 victory. The win put the girls into a Saturday matchup for the pool championship with the undefeated and blinding-fast Atlanta Celtics. In what was undoubtedly the best quarter of basketball the team has played all season, our girls came out smoking en route to a 27-5 first quarter lead. Constant pressure from guards Cara Malone and Mattox forced multiple Celtic turnovers throughout as the girls pounded out a 54-26 victory. Coffer led the way offensively with 11 points and 4 assists, and Kelsey Turchi added 10 points to go along with 3 assists.

The pool championship advanced the girls to the semifinals versus the Hayes All-Stars, who are the top team from South Georgia. A close game that featured multiple lead changes finished 40-40 at the end of regulation. When Grace Ramey and Davis fouled out our squad was down to six players, and the girls finally ran out of gas and lost in overtime. Ramey and Turchi each scored 12 points, and Davis added 9 points and 12 rebounds.

This was a fantastic first time out for a team reloading for Nationals. With another week to prepare the girls definitely have their eyes on the top prize.

Congratulations Cagers!

2006 Cagers 10U Boys

The inaugural boys 10U Cager season was a great success with the Cagers taking victory's in every tournament.

The future looks bright with many players returning and we can't wait till next season.

Pic Cagers take on @ 2 team in state.

State of Excitement!

13U girls reach AAU state finals

Morris wins tip

Shultz on the drive

Shultz shoots down Stars

Ramey with the dish

Mattox looks inside

Morris brings ball down

Tesh looks for outlet

The 13U girls returned from Columbus Sunday with an impressive second place finish in the AAU State Championships. The tournament was a grueling four-day event that began Thursday night in Atlanta and ended 120 miles away late Sunday afternoon.

The highlights from pool play were a 33-30 win over the Pistols Blue, in which Grace Ramey led the way with 12 points and Kelsey Turchi chipped in eight. The girls overcame a sluggish start and 6-point halftime deficit to overtake the scrappy Pistols and get the tournament off to a good start. A close 47-44 game against the Warner Robins Lady Express qualified the girls for the quarterfinals. Kelsie Mattox totaled 14 points and 6 rebounds for the Cagers, and Jordan Shultz chipped in 13 points and 7 rebounds.

The quarterfinal opponent was the Lady Stars from Augusta, a blindingly fast team full of great outside shooters. After spotting the Stars an 8-2 lead our girls fought back to a virtual draw at the half. The second half was an epoch battle, with several lead changes and pressure shots made by both squads. A clutch basket by Ramey and two critical free throws by Logan Morris enabled our girls to escape with a tough 46-43 victory. Ramey totaled 18 points in the win, and Shultz added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

This matched the girls against the Middle Georgia Monarchs in the semifinals. Still flying high on the wings of the Stars victory, this one was never in doubt. Our girls cruised to a 56-33 win that advanced them to the final. Brittany Byrd led the team in scoring with 10, and Meagan Tesh and Lindsey Smith dominated the boards, contributing 9 and 7 rebounds respectively. New center Victoria Geisler made an impressive debut, blocking three Monarch shots and controlling the lane defensively.

The finals paired the girls against the Dalton Fire, who opened the game with a quick 16-2 run. Relentless pressure from Cara Malone, Byrd, and Mattox enabled our girls to close the gap to 40-37 with just under two minutes to play, but the effort exerted in the comeback caused us to run out of gas. Missed layups and free throws at the end sent us down to a 43-37 defeat and the runner up trophy.

The girls were buoyed somewhat at the end by the presentation of the trophies and invitation to the National Championships that came with the finish, but the frustration on their faces showed that this was a team that wasn't happy settling for second place. Next time the eyes will be on the big prize.

Congratulations Cagers!

Hometown Jam!

Cager girls dominate Dawson Smith Memorial Tournament

Champs again!

12U girls bring home the prize!

11U Girls take another win!

The Cager girls put on an unbelievable show last weekend throughout the area as we hosted the fourth annual Dawson Smith Memorial Jam. We added three more championships to our trophy case, with the 11U, 12U, and 14U girls picking up the hardware.

Coach Lisa Godwin's top-ranked 14U team led the way, posting a 4-0 record and winning their fourth tournament of the season (in five tries) to improve their record to 19-2. The tournament began with a close 45-39 victory over the neighborhood rival North Forsyth Storm and continued with a 59-29 mauling of The Raid, putting the girls in the semifinals. After destroying the Oconee Warriors, the girls found themselves in a rematch with the Storm in the final. A close game was decided on a reverse layup in the final seconds, giving the Cagers a hard-fought 55-53 victory and yet another title.

The 12U Cagers Blue broke through and won their first tournament of the year after two heartbreaking second place finishes. The win was all the more impressive considering that this was the first tournament of the year that was divided into American and National divisions. The National division was the more competitive of the two, yet Coach Carlyle Hewatt's girls were more than up to the task, posting a 5-0 record to take the title. The semifinals brought a hard-fought 27-22 win over the strong Gwinnett Storm White, putting the girls into the final against a Stars4Life team that had defeated the defending national champion in the other semifinal. The game was never in doubt, as our girls pounded them from the opening whistle en route to a 46-19 victory.

Not to be outdone, the 11U girls won their second tournament in three tries this season, also going undefeated and improving their season record to 12-2. The girls started with a 47-20 pasting of the North Georgia Heat Red, led by 15 points and three rebounds from Hunter Pugh. A 39-18 win over the Lady Cougars put our girls in the semifinal, where they cruised to a 30-14 win. The championship game was against a strong Lady Shooters team. While the game was close the whole way, the scoring of Kristie Mason and Allie Costley paced the Cagers to a 28-24 win and the championship trophy.

The 13U girls also turned in a strong performance. Wins over the Pistols Navy and Lady Jags put our squad in the playoffs against the rival Lady Eagles from Cherokee. A tie game after three quarters slipped away in the fourth, as the Eagles went on to win the game and the title.

And from far away locations...

Since our tournament didn't include the older age groups, the 15U and 16U girls headed for the mountains this weekend to play in the Sonoraville Shootout. The 15U squad played three tough games, the highlight of which was a nail-biter against the highly regarded LA Express from Alabama. Great patience, the scoring of star guard Amy Burke, and good ball movement against the zone kept us in the game until midway through the 4th quarter, but we came up just short at the end. The experience the girls gained was invaluable, as team will be returning to Sonoraville this week with their eyes on the prize!

The 16U's came out smoking in their first game, winning 71-26 against the Georgia Hotshots South. Lindsey Michelone, Alexa Conners and Stephanie Storms combined for twelve 3-point shots during the game, and everyone contributed on the defensive end of the court. The second game proved to be tougher as the Cagers faced the Warriors, a team comprised of Cherokee HS players. Great shooting by Lindsey Michelone kept the game close until the end as the Cagers fell 76-62. Our girls kept getting within 6 points but could not quite get over the hump. The girls redeemed themselves in the night cap by beating the North Georgia Ravens 51-49, which qualified the girls for the semifinals on Sunday morning.

The semifinal opponent was the Georgia Miracle, a team comprised of girls from nearby Northwest Whitfield HS. The Miracle did not have a lot of athletes but played well together, with constant movement with and without the ball. Despite a terrible shooting night from all of our 3 point specialists, the Cagers were tied at the end of the first quarter and at the end of the first half. The second half started out very slowly and we quickly went eight points down. Our girls tried valiantly to recover but never seemed to regain their composure, resulting in a 12-point defeat.

The trip was a great learning experience, however, and a good tune up for the National Qualifiers at Suwanee Sports Academy next weekend.

Congratulations Cagers!

Macon Progress

13U girls make strong showing in AAU Super Regional

Smith and Tesh playing tough D"

Morris drives to the hoop

Malone and Shultz deny entry pass

Byrd ready to take flight

The 13U girls took a road trip this weekend to play in the AAU Super Regional in Macon. The field was one of the strongest of the season and gave the girls a chance to get a great tune up for National Qualifiers in two week.

Opening night the girls suffered an embarrassing loss to the Pistols Purple. Jordan Shultz led the Cagers with six points and six rebounds, and Christy Hewatt nailed a few 3-pointers to keep the girls within shouting distance, but it was far from being enough. The loss meant the girls would need a 3-0 record on Saturday to advance to the semifinals. The first opponent was the Middle Georgia Monarchs, an AAU club from Macon. Our girls overcame a poor shooting performance to eke out a 42-38 victory. Logan Morris led the Cagers in rebounding with 9, and Kelsie Mattox tossed in 9 points to go along with 7 rebounds. Kelsey Turchi score 7, including three rainbow jumpers in the second half to thwart the Monarchs attempted comeback. Meagan Tesh added four rebounds and a few key blocks inside to preserve the victory.

The win enabled the girls to advance to a game versus the Macon city-champion Atomic Stars, who were undefeated in the tournament. Our girls jumped them from the beginning, taking an 11-point halftime lead. The stars battled back to take a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play, but 2 clutch free throw by Morris gave our girls a 41-40 victory. Shultz contributed an unbelievable 15 rebounds in the win, and Grace Ramey drove the middle all game long en route to 18 critical points. Lindsey Smith contributed 4 rebounds and tough post defense against the Stars' big girl.

This positioned the girls for a winner-take-all game against the defending national champion Georgia Metros… or so we thought. Right before tip off we received word that the Stars had upset the Pistols, which due to tiebreaker rules meant that we could not make the semifinals no matter what. The Metros game was still exciting, with Cara Malone leading the scoring with 13 points and Brittany Byrd forcing several turnovers from the Metros' guards. But the game had a scrimmage-feel to it, and ended 63-50 in favor of the Metros.

But the important news from the weekend was the great competition and the two wins over the top Macon teams. Great experience leading into qualifiers!

Congratulations Cagers!!

Two for the Show!!

13U and 14U Girls blow away the field in Easter Classic

Champs again!

Ebert with the assist

Strickland fights for position

13U Champions

Mattox on the drive

Turchi from the corner

The 13U and 14U girls were the only Cager teams in action last weekend, and both turned in dominating performances to win championships in the Easter Classic in Lithonia. The girls posted a collective record of 8-0, with each win coming in impressive fashion.

The 13U girls were returning to action after a month-long layoff, but showed no signs of rust in dispatching the Gwinnett Strom Silver 51-16 on Friday night. Grace Ramey led the scoring charge with 13 points and Lindsey Smith added 10 rebounds in the win. Saturday morning pitted the girls against the Gainesville Wildcats. In a very spirited and intense game, our girls fought their way to a 53-14 win. Jordan Shultz (13 points and 5 rebounds), Kelsie Mattox (11 points and 6 rebounds), and Brittany Byrd (4 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) turned in strong performances for our squad. The final pool game was against the Pistols Blue from the Northview area. After spotting them a 10-2 lead, our girls turned up the intensity and cruised to a 65-28 victory. Cara Malone led the girls in scoring with 17 points, while Logan Morris and Smith added 12 each.

The 3-0 record qualified the girls for the championship game against the longtime rival Running Saints, who came into the title game with a 3-0 record of their own. Our girls jumped on them quickly, with Meagan Tesh and Kelsey Turchi combining for 16 points. But the story of the game was passing, rebounding, and defense. Ramey was brilliant on the perimeter, working the ball inside for a season-high 7 assists. Morris was equally strong around the basket, totaling 12 points and 6 rebounds. And Shultz added two intimidating blocks to go with her game-high 9 rebounds. Tough pressure from Malone, Byrd, Mattox, and Turchi on the perimeter and Tesh inside forced several low percentage shots from the opposition. When it was all said and done it added up to a surprising 48-17 victory and the first championship trophy of the season. And the moral of the story was that this was a team victory… all 9 players did a marvelous job!

The 14U team won their 3rd tournament in four tries this past Easter weekend and improved their record to 15-2. The title was all the more impressive since the girls were playing up an age group in the 15U bracket... and actually included a 16U team as well. This did not slow our girls down in the least.

The girls got off to a good start, beating the Lions on Friday night 63-29. The first opponent on Saturday for the Cagers team was the 16U Lady Tigers from Macon. This team was very tall and looked as though they would be an obstacle for the girls. However, Cager post players Madison Strickland, Jocelyn Danely, Audrey Dorsey, and Chelsea Greene were up for the challenge. They played very strong, and pushed us to win by a 20 point margin.

For the second game of the day on Saturday, the Cagers completed pool play with a 54-12 route of the Loganville Red Devils. This win moved our team into the championship game against the Georgia Comets. The championship game would be the girls 3rd of the day, but knowing that they were playing for the trophy provided them with all the motivation they needed. The girls quickly jumped out to a lead and never looked back, winning the game and the title 64-33.

Both teams are gearing up to host our tournament next week, and this weekend provided an excellent tune up. Congratulations Cagers!!!

Ready to Rock

10U Cager Boys Land First Tournament Spot

10U Cager boys will be playing in their first tournament, The YBOA CHEROKEE EAST DIVISION SHOOTOUT, on April 28-30. Come out and show the boys your support!

Roster:

1. John Connery
2. Darrian Graves
3. Morgan Neenan
4. Bryson Lenderman
5. Chandler Cotter
6. Justin Westbrook
7. Jake Stanford
8. Jack Armstrong
9. Jake Morris
10. Aaron Rose
11. Jackson Putnam

YOUNG GUNS!!!!

11U and 12U Girls Overpower the Field in Spring Break Classic

The 11U and 12U girls were the only two Cager teams playing last weekend, and they put on an unbelievable show at the YBOA Spring Break Classic at Suwanee Sports Academy.

The 11U girls posted a 5-0 record and were never seriously challenged as they romped to the championship. Pool wins included an opening night 44-14 win over North Georgia Lady Cougars and Saturday victories against the North Georgia Heat Red (40-6) and always strong Team Athens (33-19). This qualified the girls for a semifinal playoff match Sunday morning against the North Georgia Fastbreak. Showing no effects of losing an hour for daylight savings time, the girls romped to a 40-7 victory to set up a championship game against the always tough Lady Eagles. After a competitive game early, our girls pulled away to a 30-16 victory and a first place finish. This makes the second consecutive title game appearance for the 11U squad and first championship. Great job by coach Doug Fields and the girls!

Not to be outdone, the 12U girls also had a very strong weekend. Despite the absence of several players and cold shooting throughout the weekend, the girls rolled into the semifinals on the strength of a 38-10 win over Lady Warriors Friday night and a 29-19 win over the Lady Tarheels on Saturday. This put the girls into a semifinal matchup Sunday against Stars4Life. Our girls jumped on them quick en route to a 25-15 victory.

The win put us in the finals against the Georgia Hotshots-Rome. This marked the fourth time in the last two tournaments our girls have run up against the Rome squad, twice with the title on the line. This game was an epoch battle, with our girls fighting back from a nine point deficit to take the lead by one with less than a minute on the clock. After dropping behind by one with 13 seconds left, Margaret Cassandra made a great steal. Unfortunately, an earlier ankle injury caused an awkward missed shot at the buzzer, sending us down to a 32-31 defeat. Our girls played another great game on defense, but came up just short at the end. This is the second tournament final in a row for the 12U squad is well… meaning the future is bright!

Congratulations CAGERS!!!

Irish Eyes Were Smilin'

Cagers girls place four age groups in the finals over St. Patrick's Day weekend

14U Girls Bring Home Another Title

Bureau on the break

13U Finalists

Smith and Shultz fight for key rebound

12U Finalists

Hewatt denies entry pass

It was another impressive weekend for the girls program. Not only did the 14U team win another title at the Collins Hill Classic, but the 11U, 12U, and 13U girls all made the championship game of the St. Patrick's Day Challenge in Woodstock / Cartersville.

Our 14U Cager girls won their second tournament of the season by taking first place in the AAU Collins Hill Classic. On Friday night our girls came out on fire and quickly put away the Lady Mustangs, winning by a final score of 57-27. Saturday was different story, as the girls did not play their best basketball. After beating the North Forsyth Storm 36-32 in a hard fought defensive battle, the girls fell behind 12-0 to the Lady Shooters. The girls showed great determination and heart to get back in the game, but came out on the wrong end of the 58-56 final score. The good news was that the 2-1 record in pool enabled the girls to make it to the championship game on Sunday... which was a rematch against the rival Storm. And what a difference a day makes… the girls not only played an outstanding defensive game, but balanced scoring from the whole team contributed to the final 66-41 romp. Two tournaments, two first place finishes… what a great beginning!

The 13U girls faced an especially strong field, including the star-studded Lady Eagles from Cherokee County, who were the first round opponent. An intense game saw the Cagers take a 37-27 lead in the fourth quarter, but foul trouble and a relentless Eagles press resulted in a 41-41 tie with 23 seconds to go. Lindsey Smith hit a key shot to provide the winning 44-41 margin. Grace Ramey and Meagan Tesh led in scoring with 10 points each, and Smith grabbed nine rebounds. The girls finished pool play with a 46-20 route of the North Georgia Heat. Cara Malone and Kelsey Turchi led the way with twelve points each, and Kelsie Mattox and Brittany Byrd shared the rebounding lead with six each.

The semifinal was a match against the Georgia Hotshots, who have revamped their roster and have an extremely athletic team. The scoring of Ramey and the rebounding and defense of Logan Morris enabled the girls to overcome a very poor shooting day to squeeze out a hard fought 30-24 victory. The finals matched the girls against the powerhouse Georgia Peaches, who finished fourth in the nation last year. The Peaches were riding the wave of three first round blowouts (average margin of victory: 46 points) and exhibiting their usual speed and defensive quickness. The game was a classic from beginning to end, with many lead changes throughout. Our girls stayed in the game until the final seconds thanks to the offensive brilliance of Jordan Shultz, who finished with 22 points and 2 assists. But hot shooting by the Peaches sent our girls down to a 55-51 defeat.

The 12U girls turned in another fine performance, winning their pool in dominating fashion with wins over the Rome Hotshots, Lady Shooters North, and Marietta Heat. A 41-18 rout in the semifinals against the Lady Shooters North earned the girls a rematch with the Rome team in the final. Unfortunately, our cold shooting in the second half was too much to overcome and the girls lost the rematch by a 25-12 score. Still the impressive defense and creative offense of the girls was a sign of great things to come!

The 11U girls made an impressive debut, riding a 3-1 record in pool play into the championship game against the North Georgia Heat. Despite the fact that the Heat is one of the power 11U teams in the state, our girls led most of the final. But unfortunately we came up eight points short at the end.

Congratulations Cagers!

Shootout in Duluth

16U boys reach the finals in first tournament

Cager 16U Boys

The upstart seven-man 16U Boys team opened their season in style this weekend, reaching the finals of the Duluth Shootout. Pool play victories were followed by a tough match up against the heavily favored Georgia Suns. The Suns had swept their three pool games with a margin of victory of 35 points, and came out and led our boys for the first three quarters. But the Cagers whittled the lead down to three entering the fourth, and a hectice fourth quarter both on and off the floor (the scoreboard went out to add to the craziness!) we pulled out a huge three-point victory.Scoring was paced by Jimmy Conley and Trevor Yochum, who combined for 33 points.

The boys fell short in the championship game to the Georgia Heat. The team scoring was balanced with Trevor Yochum scoring 15pts, Jimmy Conley and Justin Patterson adding 13pts each and Brandyn Storms tallying 10pts. This effort was terrific as the boys played three games (including the championship game) in one day, with only a 45-minute break between the end of the semifinal and the championship game. The boys went down in a hard-fought final by the score of 55 – 66.

Great start, guys! Congratulations, Cagers!

Slammin' and Jammin' in Suwanee

14U Girls title highlights big opening weekend

Champs! Ebert drives to the hoop Hanley dominates inside Mattox flies upcourt Malone applies pressure Shultz, Morris and Ramey get back on D

The Suwanee Slam-n-Jam served as the coming out party for the 2006 season for Cagers girls of all age groups. Our girls had entries in all age groups minus the 11U squad, which opens next weekend. All the girls gave a great accounting of themselves.

The 14U girls were clearly the class of their field, delivering five straight blowout wins and the first tournament title for the program this season. They began with a physical 56-31 win over the top-seeded NEGA Hoopsters. Great rebounding from Jocelyn Danley and scoring from Jasmine Little were instrumental in the victory. A resounding win over the Lady Tigers was followed by a 52-35 pounding of a very quick and fast Georgia Hawks Black team. A much-improved Gainesville Wildcats team was the opponent in the semifinals, and provided the biggest challenge of the tournament for our girls. Depth and the all around excellence of Kirsten Ebert were the keys in the second half, as the girls stretched a one-point lead into a 53-39 victory.

The championship game against the Georgia Hawks Red was close for a short time, but the overall skill and determination of the Cagers turned the game into a rout. Defense and rebounding were the keys to the 47-26 win. The 14U girls will be fun to watch this season; the seven returning players from last spring's state championship squad have been joined by three key new players. Their offensive ball movement and defensive depth should keep the team on the medal stand all season.

The 13U girls also turned in a fine performance, beginning with a program-first 43-18 win over the SE DeKalb Lady Eagles. Grace Ramey led the way in scoring with 14, and Jordan Shultz and Lindsey Smith each chipped in nine rebounds to enable the girls to pull away. The following game against the Pistols Navy was a close two-point affair going into the fourth quarter, but a few quick baskets by the Pistols guards were followed by necessary fouling that swelled the final margin to twelve. Logan Morris led the team in rebounds and steals and was second in scoring for the evening. The girls finished the weekend with a 48-17 romp over the Lady Shooters. Shultz led in scoring with 14, and Kelsey Turchi and Cara Malone chipped in 8 points each. Brittany Byrd and Kelsie Mattox each had multiple steals and fearsome drives to the basket. Meagan Tesh led the team in blocks. The 2-1 record was a sign of good things to come.

The 12U girls opened with a 40-point blowout of the Junior Cougars to get their season started in style. A close 12-point loss to the powerhouse Georgia Peaches and a 1-point heartbreaking loss to the Gwinnett Storm knocked the girls out of the championship round, but it was a fine first outing nonetheless. The 10U girls faced a super-tough field in their age group, but showed improvement every game. And the 16U squad battled mightily all weekend to follow up their championship game appearance in the Young Guns tournament in style.

What a great way to get started! Congratulations Cagers!

Be a Part of Our Winning Tradition!

For specific information regarding your age group contact the coach listed below for details.

9U-10U Girls (1995-1996 birthdays): Mike Croce

11U Girls (1994): Doug Fields

12U Girls (1993): Carlyle Hewatt

13U Girls (1992): Ralph Smith

14U Girls (1991): Lisa Godwin

15U Girls (1990): TBD

16U Girls (1989): David Macer

14U Boys (1994): Jeff Vidd

This will be the fourth year for the silver and blue, and each year has been better than the last. We have a state championship, national Final Four appearance, and numerous tournament titles among our accomplishments. We look forward to an even better 2006, and want you to be a part of it!

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.

Atlanta Cagers Basketball