Cartersville, GA - The Blue Devil men are preparing for a tough stretch of six games in eight days beginning Saturday, while the Lady Devils are back on track and ready to resume their season this Sunday. Also, there have been a few schedule changes for the coming weeks.

The Blue Devils kick off the second half of the season Saturday on the road at Truett McConnell in Cleveland (Ga), then return home Sunday to face Ravia JV. With only one day of rest, the Blue Devils will then travel to Waleska to battle a much improved Reinhardt JV squad, then play their first game of the CPRD Open League against "OLD" at 7pm on Wednesday evening. Then, two more games await the Blue Devils the following weekend, when they again travel to Truett, followed by hosting Latina Foroz on Sunday at 4:30pm. Standing at 9-4 on the season, the Blue Devils have an opportunity to make a real statement with a good run over the next week and a half. Coach Archer said, "it would real nice to be sitting at 15-4 on Monday January 15th.

Saturday's game at Truett will mark the last contest center DeRon Davis will be in uniform this season. On Sunday, Davis, who is active in the US Army Reserves, will report for a three month duty. Davis had become a huge presence inside, providing solid rebounding and defense for the Blue Devils. He is averaging 7.2 points and 7.9 rebounds rebounds per game, along with 2.7 blocks. The game will also see the return of shooting guard Michael Reynolds and point guard Jay Nelson to the roster.

After a month long hiatus, the Lady Devils have gotten things in order and will resume play on this Sunday revitilizing their competitive series with Chica Ravia, of the Atlanta Basketall League. The two teams have played seven times over the last two seasons, with Ravia leading 4-3. The Lady Devils will enjoy the return of post player Melissa Bunce, gaurd Shana Perkinson and point guard Trista Johnson. Several new faces have also joined the squad and will make the team a formidable opponent.

The orgininal schedule had Fort McPherson slated to come to Cartersville this Sunday, January 7th. But, military duty has pulled some and those matchups will be moved to Febuary 11th. As a result, the Ravia Latina organization has kindly stepped in to play the January 7th games. The Charlotte SBA teams were slated to travel to Cartersville to play the Febuary 11th games, but due to unforseen circumstances will not be able to make the trip. "We enjoyed Charlotte coming the last couple of years and regret they won't be able to make it this year. Things still worked out from a scheduling standpoint by sliding Fort Mac in that February 11th date. Hopefully we will be able to get Charlotte back down here next season."

Cartersville, GA - The Summer Hill Blue Devils and BaselineUSA Warriors advanced in the Georgia Shootout Sunday evening at JH Morgan Gym.

Summer Hill Blue Devils 109 Gordon College Highlanders 89...
Chris Morgan (6'0''-G-84, college: Wallace St. CC) continued his offensive on-slought, exploding for 42 points to help the Blue Devils advance to the Shootout Finals. Summer Hill jumped out to a 22-7 lead early, after Morgan, Jeff Croft and Mike Linley all drained threes. But, Gordon gradually worked its way back in the game behind their own long range shooting. Snoop Pye and Larry Johnson combined for four threes, as the Highlanders fought back to knot the score at 35-all. With Marcus Henderson (6'8''-F-79) claiming the middle, pulling rebounds and kicking the outlet pass, the Blue Devils transitition efforts regenerated the offense and the home team took a 54-46 lead into the break.

Similar to the first half, Summer Hill swamped Gordon early in the second, opening with a 6-0 run to go up 62-46, off of quick buckets by Morgan and Henderson. Summer Hill spread their zone defense out to curtail Gordon's open looks from the perimeter. Henderson and DeRon Davis repeatedly cleared the glass, starting fast breaks for Summer Hill, who would eventually build an 82-54 lead.

But, the Blue Devil reserves faltered, making a string of ill-advised mistakes, stalling offensive production. Gordon took advantage. Davieone Zellnor scored 10 points in a 22-4 run, cutting the Blue Devil lead to 86-76 with 6:20 remaining. Linley re-entered the contest to steady the flow of the offense. Morgan was immediately the beneficiary, as he reeled off eight consective transition points, six coming from Linley feeds. Later, Henderson put the nail in the coffin, as he cut down the lane, took a Morgan pass from the wing and dropped a lay-in while drawing the foul. He sank the freetrow, putting the Blue Devils up 99-77.

Pye finished with 23 for Gordon, as Ray Head got 15. Zellnor and Larry Johnson each scored 12.

To go along with Morgan's outburst, Henderson downed 21 points and grabbed a whopping 24 rebounds, while Linley had 17 points and 11 assists. Jeff Croft finished with 10, DeMarcus James six and Marlow Simmons five. DeRon Davis had a all-round night with five points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Rounding out the Blue Devil scoring was Daveed Blocker with three and Erik Braden with two.

Summer Hill moves to 7-3 on the season and will now face Baseline in the Shootout finals Monday night at 7:00pm.

BaselineUSA Warriors 114 Fort McPherson Knights 89...
Jermaine Spivey led a balanced attack, as BaselineUSA used a late first-half spurt to begin to pull away from Fort McPherson. Spivey scored 23 of his team-high 29 in the first half, as the Warriors took a 56-43 lead at the break.

Fort McPherson's J.Brewster did all he could to help his team's cause, tallying 25 of his game-high 40 points in the second half. But it was not enough as Baseline built a 24 point lead that the Knights could not come back from. Picking up where Spivey left off, Joseph Montgomery (6'1''-G-79) scored 15 points down the stretch, including three treys. The Highlanders would not get any closer than 18 the rest of the way.

Fort McPherson also got 16 from R.Broderick, 15 from P.James and 10 from C.Mullins.

For Baseline, Montgomery supported Spivey with 21 points and seven assists, while Joe Hamilton (6'6''-F-79, college: Virginia Tech) had 18 points and nine blocks. Also, Reggie Taylor battled for 17 points, as Antonio Cook (6'6''-G/F-80) had 14, Chris Jones (6'6''-F-82) 13 and a rusty Michael Reynolds (6'3''-G-84) had two.

Baseline move to 11-2 on the season and will prepare to face Summer Hill in the tourney finals Monday night at 7:00pm. Baseline was surprised by the Blue Devils last week, losing an exhibition contest to the younger squad. So, the Warriors know their work is cut out for them.

--------------------------------------------------------------

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT DAVID ARCHER, JR. AT 770-606-3764 or darcherjr@yahoo.com. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR BOOSTER CLUB OR SUPPORTING OUR PROGRAM THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS AND ADVERTISING, PLEASE CONTACT US. PLEASE VIST OUR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.LEAGUELINEUP.COM/SUMMERHILL

BaselineUSA Warriors 110 Summer Hill Blue Devils 103...

Cartersville, GA (Monday Dec. 18th, 2006) - Last week the Blue Devils shocked Baseline with a surprisingly easy 98-89 win, in an exhibition game. With the goods on the line, along with a bolstered and veteran roster, Baseline flipped the tables and used a balanced scoring attack to grab the lead in the latter stages of the first half - a lead never relinquished. In the second half, the Warriors were able to keep the scrappy Devils at arms length to claim a 110-103 win in the Georgia Shootout Title game at JH Morgan Gym on Monday night.

The lead changed hands numerous times during the first 13 minutes. The Devils grabbed a 5-2 lead early on a layin by Chris Morgan, followed by a three by Jeff Croft. Joe Montgomery answered with consecutive threes to give Baseline the lead. Later, Chris Jones' lay-in put Baseline up 23-15, but Mike Linley's 15 footer trimmed it back to five, igniting a mini-run 10-2 run. Linley drained a long trey as Summer Hill knotted the score at 25-all at the 10:25 mark. Lamar Hudson answered with a three for Baseline, along with a quick transition basket by Jermaine Spivey. After a Blue Devil miss, Jones [Chris] drove the lane, drawing a foul, and dropping the bucket. He hit the free throw to again put Baseline up 33-25. But, as was already becoming routine for this game, Morgan came back with two acrobatic dribble-drives for Summer Hill, slimming their deficit to four. After two Baseline miscues, DeMarcus James grabbed an offensive board and pulled Summer Hill within two. Then, DeRon Davis sank one of two freethrows for the underdogs.

The momentum appeared to be shifting as Baseline's offense seemed to bog down. With 7:14 left in the half, Marlow Simmons came off the bench and immediately drove off the right wing for a lay-up to push the Blue Devils to their first lead since early in the game. Spivey quickly answered, but Simmons came off the top of pick and connected on a 25 foot 3-pointer, that brought the crowd to their feet, and put Summer Hill back up 37-35.

Baseline proved that they may bend, but making multiple mistakes would prove costly against their potent offense. Over the next couple of minutes, the Devils faltered missing three point-blank lay-in attempts, fumbled two pin-point Morgan passes, and jacked up two ill-advised jumpers. The Warriors took advantage, with Antonio Cook capping a 12-2 run with two freethrows to go up 47-39. Henderson got two freethrows, followed by another Morgan two, as Summer Hill tried to keep it close at 47-43. But, again Baseline made Summer Hill pay for turnovers as Reggie Taylor got free for a left-handed lay-in, followed by a three in the deep right corner by Adrian Jones with 1:02 left in the half, as Baseline took its biggest lead at 53-43. After trading buckets to close the half, the Warriors led by ten points.

Baseline opened the second half with two freethrows by Jones [Adrian] to go up 12, but Summer Hill would answer. Linley connected on a three, followed by two free throws by Croft. Then after a Baseline miss, DeRon Davis pulled an offensive rebound and powered up for two to suddenly cut the Warrior lead 57-52, just two-minutes into the final half. But, Jones [Adrian] would counter by exploiting the man-to-man Devil defense by driving for the bucket and getting fouled. He sank the charity shot and extended his team's lead back to 60-52.

Every time Summer Hill would rally, Baseline would counter, punishing the Devils for costly decisions. Later in the half, another string of missed passes allowed Baseline to build its largest lead of the game at 74-58. Again, the Devils fought to make it interesting, as Daveed Blocker grabbed a loose ball in the lane and dropped a short shot. Then, Simmons got a steal and drained a three on the left side, followed by a Blocker tri-fecta and with 11:04 remaining Summer Hill had reduced the lead to 74-66. In standard fashion, Baseline dropped a three to push the lead back to double-digits. Morgan answered with a two, but Michael Reynolds buried another Baseline three. Baseline kept its cushion at 80-68.

Summer Hill was fighting but the Warriors always had an answer. Morgan had a stretch where he motored for three straight buckets, continually getting to the basket for short caromes off the glass, but Baseline countered each time with lay-ins by Spivey and Montgomery. Consecutive turnovers allowed the Warriors to match their largest lead at 95-79 on a Spivey three with 6:02 left in the game.

Again, the Devils attempted a comeback, Simmons got two freethrows, followed by another long bomb by Linley. DeRon Davis then blocked a Baseline shot, grabbed the loose ball, drove the length and dropped a reverse shot off the glass, drawing the foul. He missed the freethrow, but Baseline suddenly found its lead down to to 95-88 with 4:28 showing. True to form, Baseline answered with four straight points from Spivey and Taylor.

In the final minutes, Baseline would keep Summer Hill at bey going 8-11 from the line. The Blue Devils were able to cut the score back down seven twice, but could get no closer.

Summer Hill's Morgan, who took Tournament MVP honors, again pace all-scorers with 26 points, while Linley had 21 to go along with 8 assists. Henderson finished with another double-double, scoring 15 and grabbing 16 rebounds. Croft and Davis each tallied 10 points, Simmons eight, Blocker seven and James six. The Devils slipped to 7-4 on the season.

For Baseline, Spivey and Montgomery both drained 22 points, while Adrian Jones finished with 18, Chris Jones 14, Taylor 12, Reynolds eight, Cook and Hudson six each, and Brian Stevenson two. Baseline moved to 12-2 on the season, 20-4 overall.

Both teams will be idle until December 30th, when they will both play at home.

Cartersville, GA - The Summer Hill Blue Devils will join the CPRD Men's Open Basketball League beginning in January 2007.

The Blue Devils, along with a selection of BaselineUSA team members will join the league which starts in early January. A 10 game regular season will be played, with teams competing for two spots in the GRPA State sanctioned tournament in late February.

The decision was made to join the league so the Blue Devils can get more time in the gym. Once the local city leagues get cranked up the Blue Devils do not enjoy as much time in the gym. Getting in this league allows Summer Hill to get 10 more games and stay consistently prepared for their games against area colleges and military teams, as well as the NEAA Nationals in early March.

The additional games will be posted on the Blue Devil's master schedule on the website as soon as the CPRD schedule is released.

The Baseline organization has competed in the CPRD League in the past, taking second in 1989, while capturing League Titles in 1991, 1995, 1997 and 2001.

Cartersville, GA - After a 10 day break, the Blue Devils will step back on the court Saturday afternoon when they host the Adairsville Heat at JH Morgan Gym on Aubrey Street.

The Devils, who scrimmaged the Heat two weeks ago, will be with out DeMarcus James and Erik Braden for Saturday's matchup. The game will mark the official return of Michael Reynolds, who played 14 games for Summer Hill last season, averaging almost 17 points per game.

The Heat organization is sponsored by Bill Heard Chevrolet and will be playing in the Gordon County Open League beginning in January. They are using the game as a pre-season tune-up for their upcoming schedule.

The BaselineUSA Warriors will also return to action on Saturday when they face a tough opponent in the Marietta Outlaw. The Outlaw, led by 6'7" Tampa University swingman Derrick Owens, took the 1996 SEBL/Wilkins Summer Pro Am Crown and have competed in the Nike Pro City League in Atlanta for the past several summers. They will be a formidable opponent for the 12-2 Baseline squad. Tip off is set for 6:30pm.

Cartersville, GA - The extended break did not slow down the Blue Devils or Baseline, as both returned to the court with impressive showings Saturday night at JH Morgan Gymnasium. Summer Hill cruised to a 134-70 win over the Adairsville Heat, while the Baseline Warriors gradually pulled away for a 105-86 win over the Marietta Outlaw.

Leading 11-8 four minutes into the contest, the Blue Devils went on a 18-2 run to establish control. Jeff Croft drilled two threes and dropped a lay-in, while Chris Morgan drove the lane on three consecitive trips and later got a short jumper. Down 29-10, the Heat would never recover. Summer Hill took a 62-30 spread into to half-time.

The onslought continued in the second half, as the Blue Devils outscored the Heat 72-40. Morgan and Marcus Henderson combine for 28 in the half and Reserve forward Ray Nalls sparkled, scoring 11 straight points in one stretch, including three straight three-point jumpers from the left corner. Blue Devil center, DeRon Davis, followed two late-game misses off the rim, slamming both home for two. Adding insult to injury, Davis closed the game after breaking free in the lane for a two-handed gorilla dunk at the buzzer.

Prince King led the Heat with 16 points, while Jason Hudson and Erik Braden each had 11 and John Townsend eight.

Chris Morgan continued his torrid scoring pace, leading the Blue Devils with 34 points on 15 of 22 shooting from the field. Morgan, who was named the Georgia Shootout MVP two weeks ago, has averaged 32 points per game over the last four games. Croft broke out of a shooting slump to down 22 points. Davis had 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, while Henderson had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Nalls finished with a season-high 17 points on 7-8 shooting and Daveed Blocker got 10 points. Mike Linley tallied nine points and dished out 12 assists, while DeMarlow Simmons rounded out the Blue Devil scoring with eight points.

In the nightcap, Baseline jumped out to a 9-0 lead, only to see the Outlaw come back to take a 19-18 lead. Anthony Slater hit a three and Bobby Brown took a pass from Joe Montgomery, scoring in the lane to kick-start a 9-0 run that saw the Warriors build a 27-19 lead.

Marietta's Derrick Owens canned consecutive three-pointers to cut the lead back to 27-25 with 8:40 left in the first half. But, Baseline would begin to establish control behind strong a strong inside presence on both ends of the floor from Chris Jones and Bobby Rouse. The duo controlled the boards and combined for 12 points leading into the intermission, as the Warriors re-built their lead to 48-39.

Reggie Taylor drove the lane for two and Slater hit a short jumper to push Baseline to its largest lead at 52-39 just into the second half. Tim Moss countered with a shot in the lane for Marietta, but they would never get any closer. Joe Montgomery heated up, scoring all of his 18 points in the second half and helping the Warriors build as much as a 22-point cushion.

Owens paced Marietta with 33 points, while Maurice Rhodes downed 26 points. Tim Moss finished with eight for the Outlaw.

Baseline had eight players tally double-figures. Jones led the pack with 19 points, while Montgomery had 18. Adrian Jones and Taylor had 13 each, Antonio Cook 12, and Slater finished with 11. Brown and Rouse each collected 10.

Summer Hill moved to 9-4 on the season, while Baseline improved to 13-2 (21-4 overall). The Blue Devils will go on the road next Saturday to face the Bears of Truett McConnell College in Cleveland (Ga), before returning home Sunday to host Fort McPherson at 4:30pm. Baseline will return to action next Sunday at home in a 6:00pm tilt against Rome.

Cleveland, GA - On Saturday night, the Blue Devils took on a Bears team who is coached by first year Head Coach, Cory Baldwin. Baldwin, a very close friend of Blue Devil coach David Archer, was an assistant at Clayton State for seven years prior to taking the Truett position. Baldwin was instrumental in the expansion of Archer's SEBL Summer Pro League, paving the way for the summer league to have the opportunity to use facilities at Clayton State University over the last four years.

The Devils jumped out quickly behind a jump hook in the lane by Marcus Henderson, followed by a short shot on the left baseline by Jeff Croft. Chris Morgan drew a foul, sank the freethrows to give his team a 6-0 lead one minute into the game. The Devils went up 10-2 on Morgan dribble-drive at the 17:02 mark. Setting the stage for what would happen all night, the Bears countered with a full-court press and reeled off seven straight points, cutting the Blue Devil lead to 10-9. Henderson scored on a drop step, triggering a 9-0 run that saw Summer Hill go up 19-9. During the stretch, Duron Davis badgered the Bears into several missed and blocked three shots in the lane. Truett finally countered with a three to cut it back to seven. Both teams began to trade buckets. The Summer Hill reserves came off the bench to help maintain the lead. Mike Reynolds hit a baseline jumper and Daveed Blocker drove the lane, split defender, kissing a bank shot off the glass.

Croft hit a three to push Summer Hill's lead to 31-23. Up 36-29, the Blue Devils went on a 7-0 run to close the half, including a buzzer beater by Reynolds. Summer Hill went into the locker with a surprising 43-29 lead, holding the Bears to 30% from the floor, on just 12 of 40 shooting.

Morgan got things started for the Devils in the second half, driving the right baseline for a lay-in, then after a Mike Linley steal, raced the length of the floor for an uncontested lay-up. Summer Hill led 47-29. A few minutes later, Linley would can a three in the left corner, giving Summer Hill its largest lead at 54-33, seemingly breaking the backs. But, the Bears would clawed back, as their press defense began to take a toll. Quick steals turned into quick buckets and spot up three pointers. Truett went on a 21-6, shaving the lead down to 60-54 with 9:58 to go.

Chris Jones would enter and provide instant relief, scoring a bucket to help stop the Blue Devil bleeding. With Davis and Henderson in some foul trouble, Jones' inside presence allowed the locals to balance the offense again. Up 68-62, Jay Nelson and Mike Reynolds would get huge buckets in transition and the Blue Devils rebuilt their lead to 77-62 - again seemingly doing the home team in.

But, again the Bears would battle back, forcing Blue Devil turnovers and capitlizing to the tune of a 16-4 stretch. Linley would come up big when he drove left and lofted a 12 foot runner off the glass and drawing the foul. He would connect on the old-fashioned three-pointer, giving the Devils a little cushion at 84-78 with only 2:55 remaining.

The Bears answered with a bucket, then Chris Morgan found a seem for another penetration bucket, putting the Devils back up 86-80. It would be Summer Hill's last field goal, as the the Bears would begin to send the Devils to the line. Truett got a long three to cut it to three with 1:02 left, then immediately fouled Blocker, who calmly hit both, 88-83. After a Bear missed jumper, Jones was fouled and he dropped both, 90-83. Morgan would make the front end of a one-one, then miss the second to give Summer Hill a 91-83 lead.

But, again Truett's never say die attitude produced a bucket in the lane, cutting it to 91-85 with 27 seconds left. Summer Hill turned the ball over on the inbounds, but Truett could not knock the jumper down. Blocker got another freethrow and Summer Hill held on for the win.

Coach Archer said, "We played very well tonight, probably worked together as a team better tonight than at any other time this season. We seem to be coming together. Being able to capture a win against a Georgia JUCO is a huge accomplishment for our program. At the same time, winning can be bittersweet at times, because Coach Baldwin is a very good friend of mine and it was real difficult to see him feel down about losing the game. It is a tough part of the game." He went on to say, "however, we have to go back next week and I am sure he will have done his homework and the game will be another barn-burner."

Lucky Hamby led the Bears with 14 points, while Mathew Maddox had 11, Shawn Davis nine and Jazz Hulsy six. Truett slipped to 8-8 on the season.

Morgan again paced Summer Hill with 30 points, coming on 12 of 24 shooting. Chris Jones had 13 points, six rebounds, while Henderson had all 11 of his points in the first half, Linley finished with 10 points, five assists and four steals and Micheal Reynolds chipped with nine points, two steals in his comeback performance. Rounding out the scoring for the Blue Devils were Blocker with seven, Nelson and Croft five each and Davis with two. Davis also had 10 rebounds, six blocks and one steal.

The Blue Devils moved to 10-4 on the season, and after a busy week of games, will return to Cleveland (GA) next Saturday to face the Bears again.

Sunday evening would pose a whole different threat to the Blue Devils as they took on a much improved Ravia Latina squad. Last year, Summer Hill disposed of Ravia two times by a margin of over 25 points and earlier this season, dismantled the Ravia Foroz outfit 122-80.

Head Coach Jessie Torres recruited former Wofford star Adrian Borders, a 6'0" scoring gaurd and 6'10" Alfonse Dyer, who played at Northwestern State. The duo would prove to give the Blue Devils fits all night long.

The teams battled in the early going with neither establishing much of an advantage. Chris Morgan struggled to get his legs early in the game, missing several clean looks at the basket. The Devils looked as if weary legs from the road war with Truett-McConnell on Saturday night was having an effect. But, balanced scoring allowed the Blue Devils to keep a slim lead through the middle minutes of the first half, as ten different Devils had already contributed buckets. Jeff Croft got a lay-in and hit a deep three in the corner, while Michael Reynolds came off the bench to connect on a three and a mid-range jumper. DeMarcus James also executed a give and go, finishing off the glass for a left handed lay-in for the Devils.

Borders helped Ravia keep it interesting, scoring seven straight at one point. But, Summer Hill had pulled out to a 32-24 lead at the 7:20 mark, capped by a Chris Jones monster dunk. The Devils appeared to be taking control, when Dyer hit a turn around shot off the glass, then on the other end pinned a Morgan lay-up attempt off the glass. The sequence boosted Ravia, sparking a huge run to close the half on a 21-8 streak. Ravia's Jay Aday and Carlos Mateo each drained threes, and Borders and Dyer both got buckets while drawing fouls. The Blue Devils stopped executing on offense and several ill-advised, errant shots set Ravia up for easy buckets.

Jay Nelson managed to sink a three and Daveed Blocker hit a jumper in the lane in the latter minutes of the half, but Summer Hill found themselves down 45-40 at the break.

Morgan scored two quick transition buckets, and the Devils came out smoking to start the second half, outscoring Ravia 10-3 in the first two and half minutes to take a 50-48 lead. The teams would embark on a see-saw battle that saw the lead change hands repeatedly through out the second half. Mateo scored eight consecutive points to re-generate Ravia's offense, including two threes. As the Devils seemed to stall a little, Ivan Cabrera got two short buckets, sandwiched by a Border freethrow and Ravia built a 61-54 advantage. But, Blocker got two freethrows, Henderson caromed an eight-footer off the glass and Marlow Simmons nailed a three from the left baseline to cap a 7-0 run, re-knotting the score at 61-all.

Ravia's Dyer would answer with two more buckets in the lane. Nelson led Morgan with a long pass for a bucket, then Morgan came right back with a generous bounce from the rim on a 12 foot jumper in the lane. After forced miss by Ravia, Morgan hit one of two shots at the charity stripe and the Devils finally reclaimd the lead at 66-65 with 10:20 left in the game.

After trading buckets, including a trey from Nelson, Blocker took over offensively for the Devils. He scored the next nine points, starting with a triple, followed by two freethrows. He later he sank under the Ravia zone defense and connected on a lay-up, then capped it with another set of free shots at the line, re-giving Summer Hill the lead at 79-78. Ravia then drew fouls on three consective trips down the floor, each after Blue Devil-bungles. Mateo, Borders and Dyer each connected and Ravia suddenly had an 84-78 lead.

The game seemed to be slipping away when Michael Reynolds drove left and stepped back for a crucial three pointer, cutting the Ravia lead to three with only 3:40 left. After a Ravia miss, Morgan drew a foul sinking the front end, missing the second, but trimming the lead to 84-83. Dyer then grabbed a missed jumper off the rim and slammed it home, bringing the Ravia faithful to their feet and pushing their lead back to three with 2:58 showing.

On the ensuing possession, Reynolds feeling good, drilled another big trey to knot the score at 86-up. But, Mateo would answer with a 15 footer on the left side to put Ravia back up, 88-86. The Devils got the ball up the floor against Ravia full-court pressure, swinging the ball to an open Linley at the top of the key. With 1:20 on the clock, Linley nailed the three to lift Summer Hill to an 89-88 lead. Ravia could not answer on the other end, and Chris Jones grabbed a loose ball in the lane and drew a foul.

He missed both freethrows, but Ravia could not connect on the jumper attempt. Jones broke free under the basket and hit a reverse lay-up, drawing another foul, giving the Devils the 91-88 lead. But, he again missed the freethrow. Cabrera was fouled on a drive to the bucket. He made the first shot, making it 91-89, but missed the second. Jones pulled the rebound and brought the ball up the right sideline, drove baseline drawing another foul. This time he sank both, pushing the Devil spread to 93-89, with only 12 seconds left. Summer Hill called timeout to set up their defense. On the inbounds, Borders got the ball up the floor to Mateo on the left wing, was guarded by Morgan. Morgan left just enough space for Mateo to connect on a 28-footer with five seconds left. On the inbounds, Reynolds was quickly fouled with 3.9 ticks showing. He missed the first, then connected on the second, putting his team up 94-92.

After a timeout, Ravia threw the ball to Dyer at half court, who flipped it to Aday. Aday was errant on the 24 foot three pointer, but the referees realized a malfunction, as the clock never started on the inbounds. What was an apparent end to the game, was ruled a "do-over" by the officials. Ravia got a new 3.9 on the clock.

This time they threw the inbounds in to Borders just inside half-court, who flipped it to Dyer on the left side line. Dyer took one long dribble, planted and while falling out of bounds, watched his game-winning attempt barely miss as it bounced off the inside back of the rim.

Mateo burned the nets for 31 points, while Dyer had 22, Borders 20 and Aday 10.

For Summer Hill, Morgan led a balanced attack with 18 points, while Jones had 17, Reynolds 14, Blocker 13 and Linley eight. Henderson and Nelson each had six, as Croft got five and James and Erik Braden each collected two. Linley also had eight assists, Morgan four steals, while Henderson and Jones each had nine rebounds. The Blue Devils struggled from the line, hitting only 14 of 25 (56%) from the line, after going 28 of 34 at Truett (82.4%).

The Devils move to 11-4 on the season, and will travel to Waleska Tuesday night to take on Reinhardt College JV at 6pm, before returning home to open up the CPRD Open League schedule against O.L.D. Wednesday night at 7pm at JH Morgan Gym.

----------------------------------------------------
Notes: Former Blue Devil and Cass High Colonel Mikaiel Carter just late last week signed a scholarship to play at Truett. Facing a paper-work snag, Carter was unable to dress for the game Saturday night, but will be in uniform next week when the Blue Devils return to face the Bears again. Blue Devil's center, Duron Davis, played his last game of the season on Saturday night. He reported for a five month military duty on Sunday. The Blue Devils went 8-1 during Davis' stint with the squad.

Waleska, GA (January 9, 2007) - The Blue Devils came out flat against Reinhardt on Tuesday night, getting down by as many as 15 in the first half before turning around after the break and pulling away for an 86-68 win.

The Blue Devils jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. The Eagles evened the score and the two teams played evenly through the first 10 minutes of the half. The Devils showed signs of sluggishness, as a lack of offensive execution eventually led to a six minute drought with out a bucket. Reinhardt took advantage, building a 36-21 lead. The Devils managed to close the half on an 8-2 run to go into the half down 38-29. Mike Reynolds scored five points in the mini-run.

At the half, the Blue Devils made adjustments and came together with a mission to turn their fortunes around. A swarming zone defense triggered a huge run from the outset of the second stanza, led by Chris Morgan and Jay Nelson. Summer Hill went on a 27-8 run to go up 56-46 and never looked back. Summer Hill outscored Reinhardt 57-30 in the second half.

Chris Morgan led a balanced attack with 25 points, 19 of which came after the break, while Nelson finished with 18 and Marcus Henderson 14 as the Devils moved to 12-4 on the season heading into their opening game of the City League Open Conference on Wednesday night against O.L.D.

The Blue Devils came out of the blocks blazing in their Cartersville Open League Conference opener, breezing past the O.L.D. squad 102-51.

O.L.D., a collection of former college players, boasted a much bigger but less mobile line up. During one stretch, Chris Morgan buried three consecutive threes in the right corner off of exucution of the same offensive set. The Blue Devils speed and superior conditioning took its toll on O.L.D. as the first half wore on. The Devils took a 48-26 lead into the half.

The second half was not much different, as the Devils repeatedly had fast break attempts, with several culminating in open threes for the likes of Daveed Blocker, Jay Nelson and Mike Linley; or finishes and dunks for Joe Hamilton. Cordell Turmon put the icing on the cake with a three pointer at the final buzzer, to put Summer Hill over the century mark.

Chris Morgan drilled 7 threes in the game, on his way to 30 points. Hamilton had 18, Reynolds and Linley each had 11, while Blocker, Nelson and James each netted 10. Turmon rounded out the scoring with three points, as the Blue Devils moved to 13-4 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

Winners of six straight, and 11 of 12, The Devils will have a much deserved two day rest, before heading back on the road Saturday in a re-match against Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland (GA).

OUT-PLAYED, OUT-COACHED: TRUETT SNAPS BLUE DEVIL'S STREAK, 78-71...

Cleveland, GA (January 13, 2007) - Quite often basketball can be compared to a chess match. When two teams are closely matched, tactical changes can completely change the nature of matchups and previous outcomes. With excellent defensive adjustments and a renewed confidence coming off albeit impressive loss to #18 ranked ABAC, Truett-McConnell over-came a 12-point first half deficit to battle back and take control in the second half for a 78-71 win over a weary Summer Hill squad.

A week ago, the Blue Devils started out like gang-busters against a cold-shooting Bears squad, built a lead, then held off several rallies to surprise Truett 92-85 in Cleveland.
Truett Coach Cory Baldwin illustrated why he is one of the best coaches in the game, making adjustments in his starting line up and incorporating a defensive scheme that served to aggravate the Blue Devil's bread and butter - getting to the basket.

The Devils again came out strong in the first half, as the Bears struggled to put the ball in the basket. Summer Hill did not shoot the ball much better, but was able to capitalize on several Bear misses to build a 20-9 lead. But, the frustration had already begun for the Devils, as it was clear Baldwin had schooled his troops on the art of stepping in the lane to draw charges on barrelling penetrators. The Bears took four in the first half alone, that saw Blue Devil mainstays, Chris Morgan and Chris Jones get into foul trouble.

With about 2:30 remaining in the opening half, Marcus Henderson would sink two free throws to give Summer Hill its largest lead at 32-20. Despite the difficulties, Truett was still having a tough time from the field and the Devils appeared to be in contol of the game. But, the Bears would close the half on an 8-1 run, to trim their deficit to 33-28 going into the locker room. The Devils, who actually held the Bears to a dismal 22.7% shooting from the field, still had the lead but it sure didn't feel like it, as the momentum had clearly changed.
The Bear's eager style of play continued into the second stanza, as their defense continually produced points. Eventually Truett's vigorous style also helped to solve their shooting woes, with Will Davis knocking down a three-pointer and a mid-range jumper. Playing its 6th game in nine days, the Blue Devils began show weary legs and make mental mistakes, turning the ball over repeatedly. The Bears opened the 2nd half on an 18-7 stretch and led 46-40.

The Devils were able to break initial pressure in the Bear's relentless full-court defense, but being very wary of the charge call, the Bears were able to force Summer Hill into uncharacteristic decisions past half court. Morgan was called for another offensive charge in the stretch. In the half-court set, the Devils continually settled for long-range shots, ignoring the inside presence of Marcus Henderson and Jones who had actually had combined to shoot 9-16 from the field through the early portions of the contest. Truett had built a 62-54 spread with 7:20 remaining. Summer Hill seemed to be done.

But, Truett would miss on consecutive possessions and Morgan, abandoning the penetration move drilled two threes from the right wing, to cut the score to 62-60. After another Bear miss, Daveed Blocker got free at the top of the key, draining another trey. Suddenly, Summer Hill had raced back to take a 63-62 lead with 5:04 left in the game.
The Devils had a chance to build on their new found energy, but Blocker would miss another three. Truett answered, as Shawn Davis hit a jumper at the elbow to kick-start a 6-0 run. In the run, Summer Hill's Blocker threw away a pass and Jones fouled out. Truett went back up 69-63.

Down the stretch, Summer Hill got a three from Mike Linley to cut it to 72-69. But, On the ensuing possession, a Truett player missed a jumper. With the Devils failing to box out, a Bear rose over a flat-footed Devils and jammed the ball home. The basket would prove to close the door on the Blue Devils, snapping their six game win streak.

On the loss Coach Archer said, "I knew Cory (Coach Baldwin) would make adjustments and be ready. He would not be coaching on this level if he didn't know what he was doing. We planned to see something different defensively against Morgan. Truett found a weakness in our team and really exploited it. His guys had a different energy tonight. Cory did a great job! I think I may have been out-coached tonight." Archer went on to say, "though I am disappointed in the loss, I was proud our guys came out and fought hard. We have had a difficult stretch of games. Going 5-1 is pretty darn good. We have learn from our mistakes, look at what Truett exposed tonight, regroup and get ready for Ravia at home tomorrow afternoon."

Truett, who moved to 9-9 on the year, got 20 from Will Lewis, 19 from Shawn Davis and 13 from Lucky Hamby. Former Blue Devil Mikaiel Carter played seven minutes in his 2nd game as a Bear, shooting 0-2 from the field, dishing out an assist and collecting a steal.

Summer Hill slipped to 13-5, as Chris Morgan was held to 15 points on 5-14 shooting. Henderson had 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Jones had 11 and Blocker 10. Jay Nelson finished with seven, Linley six, as Jeff Croft and Mike Reynolds each got four. In the loss, Summer Hill shot only 8-32 from beyond the three-point line and struggled at the line, making only 13-20 on the night.
---------------------------------------

DEVILS BOUNCE BACK FROM "BEAR BLUES," RANSACK RAVIA 115-80...

Cartersville, GA (January 14, 2007) - Less than 24 hours after losing at Truett-McConnell College on the road, the Blue Devils rebounded to race past Ravia Latina, 115-80, at JH Morgan Gym. The bench provided 55-points, playing a big part in keeping the energy flowing for the Devils.

In the Truett loss on Saturday night, the Devils appeared weary-legged and mentally drained, which could've carried over into the game against Ravia. Ravia gave the Devils a fight last week, before the Devils pulled out a two-point victory. This time, the two teams traded leads in the early going, but Jeff Croft came off the bench firing. In a slump of late, Croft would drain 13 points in an eight-minute span, including three tri-fectas. Linley also got in the act, hitting two threes in the first half, to help Summer Hill take a 52-27 lead into the half.

The reserves continued to provide the spark in the second half as DeMarcus James hovered around the basket, continually finishing off nifty passes from Chris Morgan and DeMarlow Simmons. James, who did not play in the Truett game, scored 11 in the second half. Cordell Turmon also sparkled, scoring seven points down the stretch, on 3-4 shooting from the field.
Summer Hill enjoyed its largest lead at 108-63 with 4:02 remaining, when Ravia's Alphonse Dyer heated up to score 13 of his game high 26 in the final minutes.

Coach Archer said, "I was very pleased with how we resonded after the grueling loss on the road at Truett last night. We bounced back very well and concentrated on the execution that we lacked last night. We were prepared for another fight today from Ravia and responded." Archer added, "we made a point to get the bench a little more involved today and James, Croft and Turmon came up big for us."

For Ravia, Carlos Mateo followed Dyer with 22, while Shawn Cox had 14 and Eddie Gayton 12.

Morgan paced the 14-5 Devils with 23, while Croft hit 17, James and Chris Jones 15 each, Henderson and Linley 11 apiece. Turmon and Mike Reynolds both finished with seven, while Daveed Blocker had three and Dee Henderson two. The Devils shot a respectable 10-23 from the three point line and 7-11 from the freethrow line for the game.

In other games on Sunday, the Summer Hill Lady Blue Devils fell to 0-5 on the season, as they lost to Chica Ravia 59-35. Melissa Winters-Bunce scored 14 for the Lady Devils while Williams had five and Shagera Irwin and Erica Brown four each. For Ravia, Tanya and Leah Kessenich combined for 37. Also, the Baseline Warriors got by the Ravia Latina varsity team in an exciting triple overtime 119-116 barn burner. Ravia's Rodney Kirtz poured in 44 points and Aphonse Dyer had 40, but Baseline's balanced scoring proved to best Ravia on this day. Joe Hamilton had 35 points, while Chris Jones hit 25. Joe Montgomery and Rod Ashmore each had 23, as Reggie Taylor got six, Jonathan Smalls three, Brian Stevenson three and Preston Herd two. The Warriors moved to 14-3 on the season.
---------------------------------------------------------

BLUE DEVILS STRUGGLE TO GET BY AWU, 76-66...

Cartersville, GA (January 17, 2007) - A win is a win, is a win! Despite dismal shooting from the field and suffering through a long scoring drought, the Blue Devils hold on to get by a tough AWU club, 76-66, in City Open League conference play at JH Morgan gym Wednesday night.

The Devils worked out to a 22-10 lead, but faultered offensively in the middle minutes of the first half. An eight-minute scoreless stretch allowed AWU to climb back to take a 24-22 lead with 7:50 left in the half. During the 14-0 run, the Blue Devil reserves let the offense bog down, triggering a cold shooting streak. AWU's Jason Richie nailed three treys in the run, while fomer Blue Devil Monterio Fezzia cleared the offensive glass, connecting on two put-backs in the run. The Devils recovered to go on a 9-0 run behind two threes by a re-surgant Jeff Croft, along with a bucket and freethrow by Chris Morgan. AWU small foward Armond Knowles got several big buckets with dribble drive pull ups in the lane. Summer Hill had a shaky 41-36 lead at the half.

DeMarcus James and Daveed Blocker did the damage in the second half to help the Devils keep a cushion through out. James stayed in the lane to finish short buckets, while Blocker hit two big threes. Croft, who has shot the ball really well the last two games downed two more treys. Summer Hill's matched its largest lead at 71-59 with 1:40 remaining.

But, AWU's Landon McCarty hit a three from the top of the key, forced a turnover and dished to Richie for a bucket. AWU managed to trim the score to five at 71-66 with under a minute left and began to foul. The Devil's Morgan and Jones answered at the line, going five of six down the stretch. James put a stamp on the victory snagging a Morgan missed freethrow in the final seconds and dribbling out the time.

Fezzia led AWU with 14 points, while Knowles and Richie each finished with 13.

For the Blue Devils, who moved to 15-5 overall on the year and 2-0 in league play, Croft turned a huge 21 point effort, hitting 5-8 from beyond the arc. Morgan followed with 15, Joe Hamilton 14, DeMarcus James 11 and Daveed Blocker 11. Rounding out the scoring were Mike Linley and Michael Reynolds with two each.

The Devils, who shot 9 of 27 from the 3-point line and 19-26 from the freethrow line for the game, will now host Reinhardt JV on Sunday afternoon at JH Morgan Gym. Tip off is set for 4:30pm. Sunday afternoon will feature a triple-header on Aubrey Street, as the Lady Devils will get another shot at Chica Ravia on Sunday at 3pm, while Baseline will take on the Marietta Outlaw at 6pm.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BLUE DEVILS BUILD LEAD, HOLD OFF REINHARDT RALLY FOR 94-75 WIN...

MORGAN AND REYNOLDS COMBINE FOR 53 IN WIN OVER EAGLES

Cartersville, GA (Jan. 21, 2007) - Chris Morgan downed 30 and Mike Reynolds broke out of a slump to score 23, as the Blue Devils raced to a big lead then held off a rally-minded Reinhardt College JV squad, 94-75, Sunday afternoon at JH Morgan Gym.

The Devils downed nine three pointers in the first half, while building an impressive 55-32 lead at the intermission. Jeff Croft and Mike Linley combined for six of those treys and Morgan had 14 first half points. Summer Hill played a super first half, leading by as many as 28, while the Eagles struggled to keep pace. But, things would change drastically in the second half.

The Eagles came out with a re-newed focus behind the direction of second-year Head Coach Ryan Dyer. Aggressive, hard-nosed defense upset the Devils offensive flow. Avery Morris led a charge that saw the Eagles march back to eventually cut the Summer Hill lead to 74-64. Morgan and Reynolds got buckets on consecutive possessions to push the Devils lead back to 14, but Kyle Bishop got two free throws followed by a big three to bring the Eagles to with in 78-69 at the 5:48 mark.

Linley got a transition basket for Summer Hill. Then, after an Eagle miss, Morgan drove the lane for two. His basket was sandwiched between a couple of freethrows by Reynolds and a put-back by DeMarcus James. Summer Hill had capped off a quick 11-0 run to go back up 87-69. But, Shawn Courtney answered with two straight dribble-drives and Reinhardt trimmed it back down to 87-73 with 3:15 remaining.

Summer Hill began to use the clock, forcing the Eagles to foul. The Devils struggled with Morgan and Reynolds combining to go 5 for 9 at the line down the stretch, but it was enough to hold off the scrappy Eagles squad.

Morris and Cortney both had 16 for the Eagles, who slipped to 4-7 on the season, while Jackson Hays pounded his way for 13 points. Bishop finished with 11.

For Summer Hill, Morgan and Reynolds were supported by Linley's 16 points, while Croft finished with 10, Marcus Henderson eight, James six and DeMarlow Simmons one.

The Blue Devils, now 16-5, will next take on Shaw-Z in City Open Conference play Wednesday night at 7:30pm, then will go on the road Saturday to take on Fort McPherson. The Devils will then return home Sunday afternoon to face highly-touted NC Christian Elite with a 4:30pm tipoff.

In other games, the Baseline Warriors blew away Marietta Outlaw 146-97, behind Joe Montgomery's 33 points. Joe Hamilton and Chris Jones each downed 29, while Rod Ashmore hit 28 and Antonio Cook 12, as the Warriors moved to 16-3 on the season. Derrick Owens hit 29 for Marietta. In women's action, the Lady Blue Devils trailed 24-20 at the half, but collapsed in the second stanza as Chica Ravia pulled away for 66-42 win. Shagera Irwin had 14 in the loss. The sister-duo of Leah and Tanya Kessenich combined for 34 points for Ravia.

LINLEY DOWNS 9 POINTS IN FINAL 6-MINUTES, TO LEAD DEVILS TO VICTORY...

Morrow, Georgia (Jan. 27, 2007) - The Summer Hill Blue Devils went on the road Saturday afternoon to face the always scrappy Fort McPherson Knights inside the hostile confines of Neal Fitness Center at Fort Gillem. The Devils ran out to a big first half lead, and held as much as a 26 point cushion into the second stanza before the Knights pushed their way back into the contest.

Trailing 9-8 four minutes in, the Devil's Michael Reynolds got hot, igniting a 17-4 spurt. Reynolds drained three consecutive spot treys and Chris Jones got free for a couple of baskets in the lane, as Summer Hill worked out to a 25-13 lead at the 11:05 mark. Later, DeMarlow Simmons came off the bench and picked up where Reynolds left off, hitting three 3-pointers, helping the Devils stretch its lead out to 47-23 with under two minutes left in the half. Calvin Artis got hit a jumper, then hit a driving runner for Fort Mac to cut the deficit to 20. Chris Morgan answered when he took a pass from Mike Linley and scored a bucket to end the half, as Summer Hill took a 49-27 lead into the break. The half was highlighted by a Simmons break away pass off the backboard to a high-flying Chris Jones, who caught the ball, rose above the rim and jammed it down.

Clint Mullins scored consecutive baskets in the lane for the Knights, followed by a 25-foot bomb by Artis. Quickly, Fort Mac had trimmed the score down to 49-34, just 90 seconds into the second half. Summer Hill bounced back, reeling off a 13-2 run behind two buckets by Morgan, followed by Reynolds getting free in the lane for a finger roll. Reynolds then took his man off the dribble, laying the ball off the glass on the right side. Down 62-36 with 13:10 left, Fort Mac seemed to be doomed. But, Summer Hill stalled, began forcing on offense and not getting back in transition. Fueled by two Artis treys, along with several transition buckets by Felix Johnson, Fort Mac embarked on a furious comeback. The Knights went on a stunning 26-6 run, trimming the Devils lead to 67-62 with 7:30 left.

Summer Hill was on its heels, when Mike Linley drove the lane and made a bucket while drawing a foul, then connecting on the charity shot. Artis answered with baseline jumper, to cut the score back to 70-64. Linley would come up with a steal and another bucket and Chris Morgan hit a clutch 15-foot jumper to put the game away, as the Devils pushed its lead back to double digits. Fort Mac could not counter, missing several jump shot attempts, while Chris Morgan made them pay with a reverse lay-up in traffic. After Reynolds steal, he drew a foul and sank one of two freethrows. Artis missed a three attempt for the Knights with 3:38 remaining, and the Devils used the entire :35 on the shot clock, before Linley fed Chris Jones in the post. Jones curled in the lane, sank the short shot and Summer Hill had re-gained control. Linley sank two free throws in the waning seconds to ice the win.

Artis led all scorers with 28 on the day, while Mullins had 12, Ken Lewis 10 and Johnson eight.

For the Blue Devils, Reynolds paced a balanced attack with 22, while Jones had 17 and Morgan 15. Simmons and Linley each collected 11 points. Linley scored nine of his total in the final 6 minutes of the game.

Summer Hill, with a 107-68 win over Shaw Z in Open League play last Wednesday night and a forfeit win in Sunday afternoon's scheduled game against NC Georgia Elite, moves to 19-5 on the season.

In women's play, the Fort McPherson Lady Knights, opened up a close game after half-time, to blow the Lady Devils away, 80-44. The Lady Devils only trailed 28-22 at the intermission, but fell apart in the final stanza. Melissa Winters led Summer Hill with 17, while Shagera Irwin had 15, Sheronda Phillips five and Erica Brown three.

The Lady Devils were set to play Truett-McConnell College on Sunday afternoon, but the school's administration decided to forego the game. Along with NC Georgia Elite's forfeit, the only game on tap for Sunday was the Baseline Warriors. The Warriors hosted the Atlanta Speedboys at 6pm at JH Morgan Gym.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cartersville, GA - Summer Hill broke open a close game mid way through the first half, to blow Foroz Latina away 122-80 Sunday evening at JH Morgan Gym.

Leading 30-27 at the 9:14 mark, Demarcus James, Chris Morgan and DeMarlow Simmons ignited a run that saw the Blue Devils take a 67-37 spread into the intermission. In the run, the trio combined for 25 points.

In the second half, Summer Hill maintained their lead never letting Foroz get closer than 26 points. The Blue Devils largest lead was 108-64, coming on a Cordell Turmon baseline jumper with 3:45 remaining.

Morgan lead all scorers with 26 points, while James had a season high 25. Jeff Croft, Marcus Henderson and Ray Nalls each notched 11, and Erik Braden and Simmons both had 10. Rounding out the scoring for the Blue Devils was Mike Linley and Daveed Blocker with five each and DeRon Davis and Turmon both had four.

The win, the third straight, moved the Blue Devils to 6-3 on the year.

PRESS RELEASE
October 30, 2006

THE SUMMER HILL BLUE DEVILS OPEN ITS 2006 BASKETBALL SEASON TONIGHT. THE BLUE DEVILS WILL FACE OFF AGAINST ROME AT 7PM AT AUBREY STREET GYM.

SUMMER HILL WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO PLAY THE MARTINIQUE (V.I.) NATIONAL TEAM, BUT TRAVEL PLANS CHANGED FOR MARTINIQUE. SUMMER HILL WON A 76-57 DECISION OVER MARTINIQUE IN LAST YEAR'S CONTEST. TONIGHT'S GAME WILL BE AGAINST THE ROME SERVPRO TEAM THAT TOOK THE 2006 SEBL SUMMER PRO B-LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP.

ALSO, THE BASELINE-USA WARRIORS SEMI-PRO TEAM WILL PLAY ATLANTA AT 8:30PM. BASELINE FINISHED WITH A STELLAR 20-8 SEASON LAST YEAR.

SUMMER HILL WILL GO ON THE ROAD THIS COMING SATURDAY TO TAKE ON SOUTH GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE IN AMERICUS. IN LAST SEASON'S MEETING, THE BLUE DEVILS LOST A TOUGH 74-66 AFTER HOLDING A SLIM LEAD AT THE HALF.

THE LADY BLUE DEVILS WILL OPEN UP THEIR SEASON ON NOV. 18TH AT TRUETT-McCONNELL IN CLEVELAND, GEORGIA. TRUETT-McCONNELL'S NEW HEAD COACH, AMANDA CLONTS, IS A FORMER PARTICIPANT IN THE WILKINS PROGRAM SPONSORED PROGRAMS.

THE SUMMER HILL BLUE DEVILS POST GRADUATE PROGRAM IS A SECOND YEAR ORGANIZATION DESIGNED TO CHANNEL YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN BACK INTO EDUCATION, WHILE ALSO OFFERING A QUALITY INTERCOLLEGIATE BASKETBALL PROGRAM. PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED TO BE ENROLLED IN, OR IN THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING AND APPLYING TO, AN EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM SUCH AS... GED CLASSES, JOB TRAINING, TECHNICAL SCHOOL, JUNIOR COLLEGE OR CONVENTIONAL COLLEGE CLASSES. PARTICIPANTS ARE ENROLLED IN AREA INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS, NORTH METRO TECH, COOSA VALLEY TECH, KENNESAW STATE COLLEGE, GEORGIA HIGHLANDS, CLAYTON STATE UNIVERSITY, ATLANTA SCHOOL OF ART, GEORGIA STATE, ETC...

THE BASKETBALL PROGRAM WILL COMPETE AGAINST COLLEGE, MILITARY, PREP SCHOOL AND CLUB TEAMS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH EAST AND IS A MEMBER OF THE NATIOANAL ELITE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (NEAA). LAST YEAR SUMMER HILL FINISHED RANKED AS THE #8 TEAM IN THE SOUTHEAST AND #10 IN THE COUNTRY, AFTER POSTING A 23-10 RECORD. SOME OF THE BLUE DEVILS OPPONENTS THIS SEASON WILL BE... TRUETT-MCCONNELL COLLEGE, WALLACE STATE COLLEGE, GORDON COLLEGE, SOUTH GEORGIA TECH, REINHARDT COLLEGE AND FORT McPHERSON.

THE PROGRAM HAS BEGUN A FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN IN ORDER TO MEET THE STANDARDS REQUIRED TO HOST MORE COLLEGE ATHLETIC PROGRAMS. THE JH MORGAN GYM ON AUBREY STREET IN CARTERSVILLE, WHERE THE FAMED SUMMER HILL HIGH SCHOOL WAS LOCATED, IS IN DIRE NEED OF REFURBISHING OF THE LOCKER ROOMS. IF COMPLETED, THE PROGRAM COULD ENRICH THE COMMUNITY OF CARTERSVILLE AND BARTOW COUNTY BY HOSTING A FULL SLATE OF HOME GAMES AGAINST COLLEGES FROM AROUND THE SOUTH EASTERN AREA.

BLUE DEVILS OPEN WITH BIG WIN OVER ROME SERVPRO…

The Summer Hill Blue Devils opened its 2006-7 campaign on a good note running away from a weary Rome ServPro squad in the second half to claim a big 119-87 win on Monday night at JH Morgan Gym on Aubrey Street.

The lead changed hands in the early minutes, as the Blue Devils worked to get its offense going. Erik Braden nailed three early shots in the lane, but Summer Hill’s offense stalled, as Rome inched out to lead by as many as eight points in the first half. Rod Ashmore and Chris Morgan sparked a run to come back and build a 13-point Blue Devil lead at 51-38 with 5:50 remaining in the first half. But, Rome stormed back with a 12-0 run behind two treys by Maurice Mitchell, along with buckets by Derrick Carey and Jamie Reynolds. Rome had trimmed the deficit to 51-50 with 2:30 remaining. Newcomer DeMarcus James showed his value in the closing minutes of the first half as he got free on three consecutive trips down the floor, nailing three pointers from the corner. His efforts allowed Summer Hill to close the half on a 9-0 run, to take a 59-50 lead into the intermission.

In the second half, Rome threatened in the first few minutes, cutting the Blue Devil lead to six on two occasions. But, Summer Hill depth began to take its toll. Defensive pressure turned into quick transition buckets for Summer Hill’s Morgan and Daveed Blocker, who combined for 21 points in the middle minutes of the second half. Ashmore remained a steady offensive threat with 15 of his own in the second half. Jay Nelson got in the act with a long three and a steal and break away dunk. A platoon of good point guard play by DeMarlow Simmons and Mike Linley saw them combine for 12 points, while running the offense and effectively getting everyone involved.

Summer Hill cruised in the second half as Rome began to tire. Carey and Mitchell paced Rome with 20 each, while Reynolds and Jermaine Woodard each netted 12 and Shawn Nelson 10. For Summer Hill, Ashmore picked up where he left off last year, leading the way with 25 points in only 20 minutes of action. Morgan, a former standout at Wallace State-Hanceville, raced his way to 23. Daveed Blocker got 12 points, while Braden and James each finished with 11. Nelson turned in 10 points, as Linley and Simmons each got six. All Blue Devils players got in the scoring column, with David Lacy netting five, Marcus Henderson four, and Reggie King, Jeff Croft and Ray Nalls all contributing two points in the win.

The win technically moved Summer Hill to 2-0 on the young season, as the first victory comes on at the hands of Martinique, who had to cancel out. The Blue Devils will hit the road on this Saturday, as they travel to Americus (GA) to take on the Jets of South Georgia Technical College.

In the nightcap, the Baseline Warriors surprised Team Georgia, 96-94, as Joe Hamilton downed 20 and DeJuan Clark hit 16 of his 18 total in the second half. Chris Jones scored 17 for Baseline, while Ronald Thompson also had 12 and OT Lawson 11. Darius Wade collected eight, as Brandon Childs and Joe Montgomery rounded out the scoring with five each. For Team Georgia, former Georgia Tech star Eddie Elisma hit 17, while Dennis "Spyder" Chism collected 14. Former Univ. Georgia standout Adrian Jones was held to seven. Chism, an Atlanta resident, is well-known for his And-1 basketball endeavors. Baseline, who also beat Oxford College 106-69 last week moved to 2-0 on the season.

Americus, GA - Summer Hill ran into the stark reality that they are not quite ready to compete against the likes of South Georgia Technical College. The Jets jumped on the Blue Devils in the opening minutes and the Blue Devils could not muster any offensive cohesion to keep up, losing big 103-59.

The Jets, who are now under first year Head Coach Steven Wright, showed just what a month's worth of preparation will produce. With superior conditioning, execution and quickness, the Jets were already up 19-9 at the 14:30 mark of the first half. The Blue Devils were able to settle down a bit to keep pace for the mean time, but could never get closer than nine. Up 35-26 with 5:40 left in the opening half, the Jets turned on their propellers and went on a 16-5 run to close the half. Down 51-32 at the intermission, the Blue Devils desparately tried to make adjustements.

To start the second half, Summer Hill got a quick steal, followed by a three pointer from Mike Linley to cut the score to 51-37. But, the Jets answered with four straight points to counter. Summer Hill was able to force a couple of turnovers and missed shots over the next couple of minutes, but could not convert. SGTC then began to click again offensively. Long Summer Hill misses turned into several quick buckets and suddenly the Blue Devils found themselves deeper in the hole at 64-40.

Later, Mike Linley nailed a couple of threes to cut the score to 70-49, but there was just not enough to counter the transition game and the great offensive execution of the Jets. When the Jets were not in transition, Coach Steven Wright repeatedly directed his troops into offensive sets that produced successful perimeter shots, as well as neat mid-range jumpers on the elbows and short baselines. The Jet lead continued to grow as the Blue Devils struggled to find any offensive continuity. The Blue Devils failed to score in the final 3:20 of the game, as SGTC cruised to the end.

The Jets enjoyed 50% shooting from the field (39/78), while the Blue Devils shot a miserable 26.5%, on 18/68 from the field, including only 5/25 from beyond the arc.

Ziyadah Carter led SGTC with 24 points, while Jonqueveilin Turpin had 20 and Carlos West 13, as the Jets moved to 2-0 on the season.

For Summer Hill, Morgan finished with 17, including 9/12 from the freethrow line and four steals; Mike Linley hit 11 and was a bright note for the Blue Devils going 3 of 3 from beyond the 3-point line. Marcus Henderson grabbed nine rebounds, but struggled from the field going 1/9 and finishing with only four points. Daveed Blocker finished with eight points, while DeMarcus James got four points and six boards. Jay Nelson had a rough evening, shouldering most of the ball handling load. While he did an admirable job of getting the ball up the floor against the Jets steady pressure, he turned in an uncharacteristic 2/12 night from the floor and was only 1/8 from the 3-point line.

The Blue Devils sorely missed leading scorer Rod Ashmore on this night. Ashmore, who averaged 20ppg last year and had 25 in the Blue Devil's opener, was unable to make the trip. Also missing was long-range shooter Jeff Croft.

Nevertheless, Head Coach David Archer said, "we got a taste of reality tonight. We have not properly prepared. Coach Wright did his homework, as they knew the few offensive sets we did manage to run and his guys were in great condition and very athletic." Archer went on to add, "we are not as athletic as I thought and we are not in condition - physically or mentally. While we missed Rod and Jeff, who provided over 30 ppg for us last year, we still had six players with college experience with us tonight, and we were just not on the same page. SGTC and Coach Wright have put together a great team. We will have to see a similar level of competition next week at Wallace State and later against Truitt-McConnell, so we have to get to work. Three practices is certainly not enough to be competitive at this level. We were much more prepared last year. We came down to Americus with less overall talent and were much more competitive -- but we had been in the gym much more."

The Blue Devils will be back on the road next Saturday when they travel to Hanceville (AL) to face Alan Sharpe's Wallac State team. Morgan and Blocker will both be returning to play against their former school.

Cartersville, GA - The Blue Devils got back on the winning track with an 94-70 win over the Atlanta Speedboys "B" team.

It was a game of contrasting styles for the Blue Devils, who used the perimeter shooting of Jeff Croft and Mike Linley to build a double-digit lead in the first half. The combo combined for seven first half threes, accounting for 21 of the Blue Devils point total. The Speedboys' Jerome Nelson and Rahiem Stowe combined for 16 of their squads points, as they trailed only 36-25 at the break.

In the second, the bigs took over for Summer Hill, with Marcus Henderson owning the paint. Henderson repeatedly scored on turn arounds and short hooks in the middle, as the smaller Speedboys lineup had no answer. Henderson's play opened up the inside-outside skills of newcomer Preston Herd, who tallied all of his 19 points in the final 10 minutes of the game.

The Blue Devils outscored Atlanta 58-45 in the second half, while Henderson and Herd, together, chalked up 38 of those. The Speedboys made several valiant runs in the second half but could never get closer that six, as the Blue Devils would push their lead back to double-digits over the final phase.

Stowe led Atlanta with 26 points, while Nelson finished with 15 and Jeff Burns hit 10.

For Summer Hill, Henderson downed 24, pulled 11 rebounds and had 2 blocks, while Croft finished with six threes on his way to 20 points. Herd debuted with 19 points, showing what he will bring to the team. Linley, who did a great job of quarterbacking the team, tallied nine points, seven assists, three steals; as DeRon Davis had seven points, six rebounds and 3 blocks; DeMarlow Simmons five points, three steals, Ray Nalls three points; and DeMarcus James two points, two steals, four rebounds. Reggie King grabbed four rebounds, but struggled from the field, before leaving the game early in the second half with a twisted knee.

The Blue Devils moved to 3-2 on the season and will be off for the Thanksgiving holidays, before returning on Sunday, November 19th in a re-match against Rome Servpro.

BaselineUSA Warriors 91 Atlanta Speedboys-1 90 (OT)... The Warriors had to come from five down late in regulation to force OT, then inched out the win in the overtime period.

Leading by slim margins much of the game, the Warriors broke down late in the second half as the offense sputtered, allowing Atlanta to pull out to a five point lead with 1:01 remaining. But, Jermaine Spivey hit a runner in the lane to trim it to three. Then, after a quick time out, Baseline stole the ball and Spivey hit an open Bobby Rouse under the basket. On the ensuing play, Atlanta's Derrick Turner missed a 15-footer. On the other end, Joe Montgomery got tied up as he drove in the lane. While trying to get rid of the ball, he was fouled. He sank the first freethrow to tie it at 87, but missed the second. Baseline managed to force the overtime.

In the overtime, Atlanta drew first blood, going up 89-87 on a DeJuan Jackson jumper on the right side. Chris Jones answered for the Warriors with a reverse lay-in to re-knot the score. Derek Turner, then drew a foul with 48 seconds left. He hit made the first, but missed the second freethrow. Down 90-89, Baseline's Spivey drove the right side of the lane, found an opening and hit a clean shot off the glass from about 12 feet out with 32 seconds remaing. Atlanta's Reece missed a three in the corner. Baseline's Travis Camby cleared the board and Montgomery got it up court to play keep away. He passed to Spivey, who was fouled with 5.5 seconds on the clock. He missed the front end of the 1-and-1, and Bobby Rouse came up with a huge offensive rebound. He dribbled out and flipped it to Jones, then back to Spivey as time expired.

Turner paced Atlanta with 23 points, while Reece hit 22. Jackson finished with 15, as Corey McGowan collected 11. Marcus Byams also got eight for the Speedboys.

For the Warriors, Jones led all scorers with 24; while Spivey had 19 points; nine assists; Montgomery hit 18; Ashmore 12; Jessie Pesut seven points, two steals; and Rouse two points, six rebounds. Travis Camby did not register in the scoring column, but swiped the glass for 12 rebounds, and doled out four assists.

Baseline will return to action next Sunday, as they host the Fort McPherson Knights at 6pm.

Cartersville, GA - A revamped, prepared Rome team surprised the Blue Devils Sunday afternoon, scoring at will and fending off a late rally to pull off a 92-88 upset, sort of.

What a difference a couple of weeks can make. On October 30 Summer Hill opened the season against a Rome team that was out of shape and unprepared. The Blue Devils blew the game open in the second half to win 113-87. But Rome, has been busy. They competed in a big tourney in Rome taking the title, then picked up several new players. Key additions were Jay Nelson, who moved over from the Summer Hill team and Shan Finley. They paid immediate dividends, as they combined for 44 points in the win Sunday.

Nelson, a Rome-native has had to leave the Blue Devils because of logistical issues. Finley, who was slated to attend Texas A&M, then Carson Newman, has run into academic credit issues and is waiting to proceed with a petition process with the NCAA. He is a smooth 6'5" swing-man who played at Panola JC from 2003-5.

The contest was tight most of the first half, until Nelson triggered a 15-2 Rome run to take a 44-31 lead at the intermission. Nelson had 14 first half points, while Chris Morgan and Mike Linley combined for 13 in the opening half for Summer Hill.

ServPro maintained its double-digit spread for much of the second half. The Blue Devils made several spurts to close to eight points, but Rome would counter. However, with 4:40 remaining Preston Herd got free for a bank shot, then came up with a steal and immediate three point shot at the top of the key, getting Summer Hill with in six. After a trade of buckets, Croft nailed a three to trim the Rome lead to three. Rome's Finley answered with a bucket of his own at the 2:55 mark, followed by a freethrow to push it back to seven at 89-82. Marcus Henderson then connected on a short jumper, followed by a steal and bucket by Chris Morgan. After miss by Rome, Henderson Herd was fouled, making the two freethrows to bring the score to 89-88. On the ensuing possession, Nelson threw the ball away against trapping defense by Summer Hill with 11 seconds remaining. But, the referees were not in position to see it, awarding the ball back to Rome, Nelson promptly found a lane, making the runner and drawing a foul. He connected on the FT to put the game away.

Nelson paced Rome with 24 points, while Finley hit 20, Reynolds 16 and Derrick Carey 10. Summer Hill, who dropped to 3-3 on the season, got 20 from Henderson, 18 from Croft, and 13 from Linley. Morgan and Herd collected 11 and 10, respectively.

Summer Hill will be back in action on Sunday December 3, when it revives its rivalry with the Gordon College Highlanders. Tip off is set for 4:30pm, as the Baseline Warriors will face the Highlanders first, then the Blue Devils will take the court at 6pm at Aubrey Street Gym in Cartersville.

The Summer Hill Lady Devils lost a tough 79-62 decision to the Fort McPherson Lady Knights on Sunday. Ty Jackson and Shannon Williams led the Lady Devils with 14 points each, while Shagra Irwin and Hart Harrison tallied four apiece. Their scheduled game against Gordon College this Sunday has been cancelled.

Cartersville, GA - Chris Morgan and Mike Linley spear-headed a defensive attack that fueled an 89-69 win over the Gordon College Highlanders on Sunday evening at JH Morgan Gym.

Jamin Stewart hit a short jumper in the lane to open the game for Gordon. It would prove to be the Highlander’s only lead of the game, as Jeff Croft hit a three for Summer Hill. Gordon would keep things tight in the early going, with Akeem Francis hitting a bucket, and catching an alley for the dunk. After a driving lay-in by Morgan, followed by a jump hook by Marcus Henderson, Linley nailed a three from the left corner and Summer Hill had built a 26-16 lead at the 11:02 mark. Summer Hill’s offense sputtered and

Gordon then went on a 9-4 spurt behind threes by Garrick Cosby and Cedric Johnson. Center Erik Braden collected two short jumpers on each baseline for the Blue Devils. But, Gordon had managed to cut the score to 30-25 with 7:24 remaining.

Morgan re-entered the game, and his energy helped kick-start Summer Hill’s offense again. After scoring on consecutive drives, Morgan fed DeMarlow Simmons for a three and DeRon Davis grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the put-back. The Blue Devils rebuilt a double-digit lead.

Francis hit a three pointer, followed by another high flying slam to keep things in striking range for Gordon, as Summer Hill took a 47-38 lead into the half-time.

Gordon started the second half with a long three by Cosby to trim their deficit to 47-41. Morgan countered with a penetration bucket for the Blue Devils. Johnson then hit another three for Gordon to make it 49-44, and it looked like the Highlanders had shifted the momentum.

But, Summer Hill deployed a full-court pressure defense that triggered a huge 25-5 run. Summer Hill’s guards applied traps, causing Gordon to cough up the ball in the back court. When Morgan, Linley or Simmons were not coming up with a steal, Davis was the benefactor of errant Highlander passes in the front court. In the run, Morgan reeled off 12 of his game high 26 points, while Croft and Linley each drained treys off of the transition.

When the damage was done, Gordon found themselves down 74-49 with 8:45 remaining. Francis was able to get his offense re-generated for the Highlanders, scoring 11 down the stretch. But, the closest Gordon could get was 83-66 in the closing minute.

Francis paced Gordon with 23 points, while Jamario Smith followed with 10, Johnson nine, Stewart and Daveion Zellner had eight each.

For Summer Hill, who moved to 4-3 on the season, Linley followed Morgan with 14, while Simmons had 10, Croft nine, Davis seven and DeMarcus James six. Braden, Henderson and Preston Herd all notched four, while Daveed Blocker got three and Jay Nelson two. Morgan collected six steals, while Davis and Simmons each got three steals. Davis also grabbed 10 boards in the contest.

The Blue Devils will be back in action next Sunday at 4:30pm when they host Ravia Latina (22&Under. The Blue Devils were originally scheduled to play Rome again, but the Ravia organization is going to be able to bring three teams to play against Summer Hill, Baseline and Rome.