Freshman guard Veshawn Bell (Rome, Ga.) slashes and elevates for two of his nine points in Georgia Northwestern’s season opener Saturday versus Hines Academy (NC)
In a non-region opener for Georgia Northwestern Saturday, the Cats would trade leads with visiting Hines Academy (NC) six times before falling behind for good in the final two minutes. Aaron Moore would lead the way for the guests in their trip to the Cats Den dropping 20 points in the 66-61 win at the Rossville Athletic Complex (R.A.C.)
Down 64-61 with less than 20 seconds to play, the Cats would put a chance for a tie in the hands of sophomore shooting guard Tavish Reynolds.
Tough presser on the right wing would force Reynolds drive to the 15-foot range for a pair of shots that would miss the mark.
Reynolds (Calhoun, GA) led all Cats with 18 points in the effort. Reynolds would connect on four of seven jabs from beyond the arc. Teammate Richard Olsen (Calhoun, GA) would go four-for-four from three-point-line adding 16 points in all on the day. Reynolds, Olsen, and Hunter Ivester (Trion, GA) were named to the Pre-Season NJCAA Region XVII All-Second Team Roster earlier this week.
Georgia Northwestern Head Coach David Stephenson’s squad would go into the intermission up five, 28-23. However, Hines would almost double their first-half output by putting up 43 points in the final stanza. The Cats shot 50-percent from the three-point line (8-16) in the opener. Free throws were a sore spot for both squads as the Cats and Hines would hit from the charity stripe on 58 and 60-percent clips, respectively.
A noticeable absence from the floor was 6-foot-4 freshman forward LaDarius Watkins. The Chattanooga, TN-native suffered a sprained ankle in preparation for the opener this weekend. Watkins returned to practice late this week. His status is day-to-day.
The Cats (0-1) will hit the road next for action in the NCCAA Tournament held at Welch College in Nashville, Tennessee. Georgia Northwestern will not return to The R.A.C. until November 18 for a 7 p.m. tip-off with Sewanee (TN).
The Bobcats are a member of NJCAA Region XVII, the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, and a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. For more information on Bobcat Athletics, contact the Georgia Northwestern Office of Sports Information at 706.764.3813 or e-mail to dfoley@gntc.edu.
Georgia Northwestern (61) – Richard Olsen 16, Watkins 4, Mears 4, Harris, Tavish Reynolds 18, Powell 2, Ivester 6, McLin, Bell 9, Painter 2, Cochran, Stanley.
Hines Academy (NC) (66) – Augustus 9, Davis 7, Simpson 1, Reggie Jones 14, Wood, Roberts, Hammond 6, Hawkins 9, Aaron Moore 20.
Halftime Score: 28-23, Georgia Northwestern.
The Bobcats unveiled their Competitive Cheer squad at Saturday’s opener in Rossville on Saturday. ‘Shredder’ helped get the crowd on its feet as the Cats Cheer squad led the way at The R.A.C. this weekend