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02-28-2007 Sports Girls softball sign-up forms available
Girls softball sign-up forms available Sign-up sheets for the upcoming Overton County girls softball league are available at county schools and at Hall's Sports. Forms need to be completed and submitted on Saturday, March 10 or Saturday, March 17 at Livingston-Overton County Chamber of Commerce between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. both days. For more information call Pat at (931) 823-5606 or (931) 823-1738.
Overton County Bantam Tournament held
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State Golf Hall of Fame adds new members Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame will receive four new members. Tennessee Golf Foundation approved the induction of Ann Baker Furrow, Connie Day (posthumously), Joe Campbell, and Bobby Greenwood. The induction of Furrow, and Day will be held in Maryville during the 2007 Tennessee Women's Amateur Championship. The date and location for Greenwood and Campbell's induction is not yet determined. Bobby Greenwood was introduced to golf at Cookeville Country Club at the age of 12. During the 1960s there was no better amateur player in Tennessee. Greenwood won the 1966 State Amateur and the 1968 State Open, becoming the third of eight golfers to accomplish this double. Greenwood became one of seven players to win the Sunnehanna Amateur multiple times, winning the event in 1965 and 1968. Golf Magazine ranked him among the nation's Top 10 amateurs twice. From 1969 through 1975, he played on the PGA Tour. He made 72 cuts, six Top 10 finishes, and fifteen Top 25s. Greenwood served as director of golf at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, a design coordinator for Golden Bear International, president of his own golf course architectural firm, and the designer with Kevin Tucker of Fairfield Glade's Dorchester course. He was editor-in-chief of one of Tennessee's first golf publications, Nifty Knicker, and a partner in a golf school operation and a discount golf shop. Ann Baker Furrow greatly affected Tennessee golf on and off the course. Furrow was a five time Tennessee Women's Amateur Champion with victories in the event spanning nearly 20 years. Along with her championships, Furrow placed second in the 1962 USGA Amateur Championship. She was recognized as the top-ranked junior golfer in the United States. She is the first female to participate in a men's varsity sport at University of Tennessee. She competed for the team in 1964 and 1965. In 1991, she played a major role in the establishment of a varsity women's golf team at UT. Through her dedication to the program, she was able to raise more than $2 million toward fully endowing the team. Connie Day was a lifelong resident of Cleveland and a 4-time champion and a 3-time runner-up in the Tennessee Women's Amateur Championship. In 1993, she claimed the State Senior Amateur Championship. She was recognized as one of the top female amateurs in the country by Golf Digest in 1966, and appeared on the cover of Golf World Magazine in April 1967. She was exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open for two years, and was an alternate on the Curtis Cup team in 1966 and 1970. Connie Day passed away August 30, 2002. Before joining the PGA Tour in 1959, Joe Campbell established one of the nation's most outstanding amateur golf records. Campbell was a standout golfer and basketball player at Purdue University. He won the 1955 NCAA Championship, along with the 1956, and 1957 Big Ten Conference Championships. A win at the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur in 1955 added to his impressive golf resume. Campbell competed in the Masters in 1956, 1957, and 1958 as an amateur. After college, Campbell made his home in Knoxville. During his 8-year career on the PGA Tour, he made 103 Top 25s, 43 Top 10s, and won three tournaments. He received Golf Digest's Rookie of the Year Award in 1959. From 1965 to 1972 Campbell won five State PGA titles. In the 1965 State Open, he set a record shooting 204, 12 under par, breaking the previous low of 207. Campbell became the golf professional at Knoxville's Whittle Springs in 1967 and remained there in 1974 before moving back to Indiana. For more information on the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame call (615) 790-7600 or visit the Golf House website at www.golfhousetennessee.com.
Lady Cats defeat White House in Region 4-AA Tournament
Kassie Hunley/OCN Sports By MAC McLEOD, OCN Sports "Now we have to go out and do what we have focused on. It will be a defensive game, and the team that plays the best defense will probably win." After four years of playing high school ball, West knew exactly what she was talking about, and so did her teammates. With five starting seniors on this year's team, post season play is no stranger to the Lady Cats, and anyone expecting to make it to the finals knows from here on out, it's a different game. In a hard fought game that saw both Livingston and White House, the number 3 seeded team from District 8-AA, put forth their best defensive efforts of the season, the Lady Cats came away with a 44-37 win and advanced to the second round of playoffs, which was played Monday night at Baxter against District 7-AA foe Smith County. It was the third meeting of the year between LA and the Lady Owls. Veteran LA coach Lesley Smith pointed out after the game with White House, "From this point on, you will probably see more low scoring, strong defensive games. They are not always pretty games, but that's defense, and defense is what wins games at this point in the year." Smith and her coaching staff know what they are talking about. Three of the four Livingston coaches can point to state championships in their resume. They have been here before, and it could be a big factor down the road. "Assistant Coach Lora Franklin took the defense back earlier in the season and made it her project," Coach Smith added. "I'm not sure the kids bought into it at first, and we used what she was trying to teach sparingly earlier so as not to give away too much too early. "After we lost to Macon County, we started to put in the new defense a piece at a time, and now it's paying off. The players realize how important it is, and tonight we played a very good defensive game. "White House did too, and that was one reason the game never really appeared to be all that exciting to the fans." She was right on the money. First quarter action looked from the stands like two schoolyard teams playing at recess, but in fact, it was two very highly tuned defenses going toe to toe. In that first period, a pair of 3-point shots, one by West and one by Britany Smith, added to a basket by Ashley Matthews and two free throws by West were all the points LA could put on the board. On the other hand, the visitors only got a basket and a free throw. Second period action picked up somewhat, and it started to appear the game would finally get rolling. Matthews scored all of Livingston's 11 points in the period, but White House continued to throw up a strong defense away from the basket. Six of LA's points came from 3-point range, and most of the Lady Devils' points came from the free throw line. At intermission, Livingston led by 4 at 21-14. Both teams returned to the floor after the break determined to keep the ball outside. Mallie Stephens opened the period with a pair of free throws, and White House answered with a 3-point bucket. West then responded to that with a 3-pointer of her own. Another pair of charity tosses and a 3-pointer by Stephens opened the gap to 32-24, and that's where the period ended. White House opened the final frame with a 5-0 run and closed the scoring gap to a point with 3:30 remaining in the game at 34-33. From that point on, Livingston failed to make another point from the floor, but did prove true on 10 of 15 throws from the free throw line. Matthews made 4, West was true for 4, and Stephens hit 2. On the night, Livingston was good on 19 of 28 free throws, while White House connected on 12 of 15. Stephens pointed out after the game, "They were a very good defensive team, but we played good defense tonight also. It wasn't all that pretty, but that's the way defensive games usually go. "Ashley (Matthews) got us some big points there in the second period that put us in a good position, and from then on, it was a parade to the foul line, and we made more than they did. "We finally figured out what the coaches have been saying all along about defense, and we'll need to keep that in mind the farther we go." With the win moving Livingston to 26-7 on the year, the Lady Cats kept playing, and the Lady Devils saw their season end with a 17-12 record. West said, "Last year, we didn't think that much about it because we all had another year to play. Now, we know when we lose, our career at Livingston is over. There is a lot more urgency in winning now, and we know it. "Tonight was good, but now we have to play Smith County again, and the more times you play a team, the more the odds are in their favor. Smith is a good team, and they have Kacie (6-8 Kacie Ferris). We beat them twice in the regular season, but one game was really close. "We know what we have to do, so we'll just have to go out and do it one more time." Matthews led LA's scoring with 17 points, while West had 12 and Stephens was good for 9. Smith was good for 3, Kendria Kilgore hit for 2, and Brittany McCoin added 1.
Lady Wildcats move into region championship game By MAC McLEOD, OCN Sports The win will send Livingston to the finals Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. In addition to Sells' big plays, Britany Smith had her best offensive effort of her career as she nailed four 3-point baskets and scored a total of 14 in leading the Lady Cats to the win. Livingston trailed only once in the game, a 1-0 early Smith County lead in the first period, and was ahead by as many as 13 during the contest. But Smith County refused to go away, and with big 6-8 Kacie Ferris leading the way, the Owlettes made a tremendous comeback late in the game to cut the LA lead to one on several occasions. Alison West and Smith put the Lady Cats on top 16-7 at the end of the first period on two 3-pointers each. Matthews added 4. In the second period, Kendria Kilgore took the hot hand with 6 points, while Smith added another 3. In the meantime, Ferris kept the Lady Owls in the game with all 7 points in the first period, and 18 of Smith County's 20 in the half. Smith nailed her fourth three early in the third period, and followed with a lay-up to push the LA lead to 12 at 34-22 early in the frame. West added a three minutes later to up the lead to 13. Then in the fourth period, Matthews went down with an ankle injury and Smith County took advantage of the situation. Ferris dropped in point after point to cut the lead to 3 at 43-0 with 1:40 remaining. Then with 39 seconds remaining and LA up by a point, Matthews missed a free throw and Sells grabbed the rebound. West then got to the line and made a pair of charity shots, and on the inbound play by Smith, Sells stripped the ball and gave it back to the Lady Cats. With 18 seconds remaining, Matthews made another pair of free throws, but a 3-point play by Ferris cut the LA lead to 2 at 47-45. Smith County then missed a chance to tie the game with only seconds remaining, and a foul was called on the Owlettes. Reacting to the call, Ferris received a technical foul and Brittany McCoin calmly went to the line with less than a second remaining, and made four straight shots to end the night's scoring at 51-45. Ferris had 35 of Smith County's 45 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, but it just wasn't enough to overcome the steady play of the entire LA team. Smith led Livingston with 14 points, while Kilgore added 12, West 11, Matthews 10, and McCoin 4. With the win, Livingston is assured of at least two more games, one in the Region 4-AA finals and one in the Class AA Sub State. A win Wednesday night would send the sub state game to Livingston Academy. A loss would send the Lady Cats on the road.
Cats win tournament championship
Kassie Hunley/OCN Sports By MAC McLEOD, OCN Sports By 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, both goals were accomplished and the Wildcats were slated to play Station Camp on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Baxter to advance to the region finals Thursday night. "We played well both nights," LA coach Richard Melton explained after Saturday's 63-44 romp over Donelson Christian Academy. "Winning the district tournament was big for us (a 54-47 win over Smith County on Tuesday, Feb. 20) and right now we are focused, and I'm pleased with our performances." Coach Melton had every right to be pleased. In the span of four days, his team played about as good as a high school team could play, holding off a determined Smith County team for the district title, then completely dominating DCA in the first round of the regional event. "Our big men (Deven Ramsey and Jeremy McLearran) are really playing well inside, Chase (Dunn) and Tyson (Stover) are really scoring well, and our entire defense is working extremely well. I can't ask for any thing more," the coach continued. Ramsey pointed out after Saturday's win, "Last year we went home early (first game of the regionals). We're not ready to go home now. "I thought I had a pretty good game against Smith County, and tonight Jeremy was really good inside. We just need to keep that up." To say he had a "pretty good game" in the district championship game would be an understatement. Five blocked shots in the final period against a stubborn Carthage team proved invaluable in the LA win. In addition to the outstanding fourth quarter, the big center dumped in 11 points and was the leading rebounder. And while Ramsey was dominating inside, the LA shooters were getting the job done inside and out. Leading 12-9 at the end of the first period in the district title game, the Wildcats outscored the Owls 17-9 in the second frame to take a 29-18 lead to the dressing room at intermission. In the meantime, LA's defense allowed only 9 points per period to the challengers. And it continued in the third period; however, in the final period, the Owls closed the gap to 5, but steady foul shooting by Todd Smith, Clint West, and Dunn kept the Owls at bay. In addition to his 5 blocked shots in the fourth frame, Ramsey also dumped in 5 vital points. Dunn paced the victors with 14 points, while Ramsey had 22, Stover 9, Smith 7, and Jordan Everley had 5. Named to the All Tournament Team from Livingston were Dunn, Stover, and Ramsey, and Todd Smith was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. With the district safely tucked away, the Wildcats returned home Saturday, Feb. 24 to face DCA, a team they knew little about except they had finished 4th in District 8 and were 9-17 on the season. "We shouldn't have much trouble with this team," one fan was overheard saying to another before the game. "All I can say," the other fan responded, "is they showed up." And as long as the other team showed up, nothing would be taken for granted. "You have to be ready for anything," Coach Melton said before the game, "and right now I know we are ready." Mark one down for the coach. Dunn and Stover opened the game with 3-pointers, and Dunn made two steals and followed with two uncontested lay-ups at the buzzer. LA was rolling to a 10-2 lead. In the second period, Dunn again found the range and ripped his second three of the night. Everley followed with a lay-up, McLearran went inside on a feed from Dunn, and West nailed another three, and suddenly Livingston was up by 14 at 25-11. Dunn nailed two more three's in the third period, wrapped around a three by Stover, and all DCA could do was stand by and watch. Stover hit the last LA 3-pointer in the final frame. On the night, Livingston had eight 3-pointers. Dunn had four, Stover three, and West one. Dunn explained after the game, "I usually throw up a couple early to see if I have the range. If they go in, then I keep shooting. If not, I quit. "Tonight they went in from the start, so I just kept shooting. It's just one of those things." Dunn ended the night with 26 points, while Stover added 14 and McLearran hit for 10 in a well-rounded scoring attack built around an outstanding defensive effort. LA's record moved to 23-10 with the win. Coach Melton said, "Stover has really come on, and I'm so pleased for him. He had his worst night ever at Baxter back during the regular season, but he has made up for it since then. He's confident and he's playing so much better on both ends of the court. "Our big guys really played well, and our defense is putting tremendous pressure on the ball. Jeremy had a great game tonight (Saturday), and Deven had an outstanding game Tuesday. They are both playing good, so I feel comfortable with either of them in there. "We don't know much about Station Camp right now but we'll be there Tuesday night."
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