A sizeable turnout for the Georgia Northwestern Bobcats’ season-opener saw the visiting Welch College Flames end the game on a 19-8 run to nip the home team, 65-61, at the Rossville Athletic Center on Friday night.
Freshman Darrius Fugh had a huge night for the Bobcats in his college debut. The former Pepperell High standout had a game-high 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. Fugh was 3-of-4 on 3-point attempts and went a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line.
Georgia Northwestern (0-1) took the lead early and maintained it throughout the first 20 minutes. They led 31-25 with less than four minutes to go before intermission, but a 5-0 run by the Flames cut the Bobcats’ advantage to 31-10 at halftime.
The Bobcats would keep up the pressure in the second half, opening up their biggest lead at 53-46. But on a night that saw seven ties and 10 lead changes, Welch would have the final say as their final push got them to the lead in the closing minutes.
Welch outrebounded Georgia Northwestern, 37-29, and enjoyed a 15-8 advantage on the offensive boards.
Sophomore Cameron Sherlin drained four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points, while freshman Christopher Ellis had 10 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
J.T. Jones had 17 points for Welch (1-1), followed by Chris Simon with 16 and Carson Outlaw with 12.
Welch women 69, Georgia Northwestern 35
The Lady Bobcats dropped to 0-2 on the young season with a home loss to the Lady Flames on Thursday night.
No further details on the game were available as of press time.
Both the Bobcats and Lady Bobcats will travel to Welch College next weekend for the Flames Classic on Friday and Saturday.
Georgia Northwestern will return to the R.A.C. on Tuesday, Nov. 17 for the first doubleheader of the season. The Lady Bobcats will take on the Brenau University junior varsity squad at 5 p.m., followed by the Bobcats game against the LaGrange College JV squad.