The Villa Rica High School boys’ basketball team remained undefeated after a commanding 63-36 win over Region 7-AAAAA rival Carrollton on Tuesday. The Wildcats extended their record to 17-0, 10-0 Region 7-AAAAA while Carrollton fell to 13-7, 6-5.
Villa Rica Head Coach Jason Robinson said he was pleased with his team’s execution during Tuesday night’s matchup.
“We had an absolute great job out of our seniors, and their leadership on the floor was a big factor in this game,” said Robinson. “Execution was the main factor tonight. We haven’t shot the ball consistently this year. We’ve shown spurts where we’ve been able to knock down the perimeter shots, but tonight we really shot it well.”
The Wildcats quickly gained a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game, and never looked back. Villa Rica’s squad showed strength in both offensive and defensive production during the game.
Villa Rica seniors showed out during the matchup with J.J. Franklin leading the Wildcats with 19 points, while Latrell Swanigan posted 13 points. Fellow senior Javonte Hart added 10 points, and sophomore standout Phillip Zachery finished with 9 points.
“We have had a lot of guys chip in and play hard all year,” said Robinson. “Swanigan had a lot of points early, he was shooting the ball really well. At times Phillips played well. Kalil has played well. Javonte, J.J., and Caleb’s come off the bench and been big for us. It’s been somebody different, and that’s the best part about it. To me, it’s easier to defend a team who has one great player. It’s hard to defend a team where anybody can shoot the ball, and anybody can be a threat offensively. If we had a strength, that would be our main strength.”
The Trojans struggled to gain momentum throughout the game. Carrollton interim Head Coach Paul Fitz-Simons noted that the game’s atmosphere was overwhelming for some of his players.
“The atmosphere was a little too big for us tonight,” said Fitz-Simons. “We had some bad luck, missed some shots early, and it just snowballed on us. We’ve been lucky though. We’ve had the same starting lineup all year long. It just kind of got us tonight.”
One bright spot for the Trojans was junior Isaiah Lancaster who was the only Trojan in double-digits with 15 points.
“Lancaster played so hard man, I’m proud of him,” Fitz-Simons said, “He’s improved so much. He’s grown into a leader really over the last three weeks.”
The Trojans will look to bounce back from the loss Wednesday night when they travel to Rome for another region matchup.
“Just like life has been filled with adversity, we get another shot again tomorrow to go win one away from home,” said Fitz-Simons. We’re at Rome tomorrow. We’ve got a chance to win every one of our upcoming games, but we have to play a little bit better than we did tonight.”
The Wildcats will hit the road to face Hiram on Thursday. Villa Rica remains atop the standings in Region 7-AAAAA, and hopes to continue their unbeaten record.
Lady Trojans end Villa Rica Girls’ Undefeated Season
The Carrollton High School girls’ basketball team handed the Lady Wildcats their first loss of the season Tuesday night in Villa Rica by a score of 58-46. The Lady Trojans jumped out to an early lead, and never let the Villa Rica squad catch up.
“We played like a seasoned team tonight,” said Lady Trojan Head Coach Shon Thomaston. “We have 7 seniors on our team. We’re a veteran team, but tonight, we really played like it.”
Carrollton had four players break double digits in scoring during the game. Seniors Erial Daniel, Elexus Bell, and Ansley Barge each scored a total of 14 points. Freshman standout De’Mauri Flourney scored 12 points.
Junior Deasia Merrill led the Lady Wildcats in scoring with a total of 19 points.
“I’m really proud of the fact that we played a complete game tonight,” said Thomaston. “That’s the reason we were able to beat a team of this caliber tonight, because we played as a team, and not as individuals. Our ladies looked like a well-rounded unit.”
Both teams are now tied for first in Region 7-AAAAA. The Lady Wildcats overall record now stands at 15-1, 9-1 Region 7-AAAAA. Carrollton’s overall record is now 16-4 with a matching 9-1 region record.
“We have to travel to Rome tomorrow, so we will be looking to have another solid team performance there too,” said Thomaston.
