PageFebruary 3B THE 10, NORTH 2021 THEGEORGIA NORTH NEWS GEORGIA February NEWS 10, 2021 Page 3B Lady Panthers falter late in losses to Banks, Elbert; postseason begins Friday By Todd Forrest County last month) while scor- Sports Editor ing 4 points and blocking one [email protected] shot. Cook finished with 3 points, five boards, three dimes Winter weather reshuffled and a steal. Union County Basketball’s The Lady Panthers went 0 already-modified schedule last for 6 from downtown vs. Elbert week, postponing two region and 1 of 5 vs. Banks. Union has matchups and canceling Thurs- missed 27 of 29 attempts from day’s visit to Rabun Gap. 3-point territory over the last Wednesday’s night’s five games. home meeting with Banks The Lady Panthers hit 9 County, initially scheduled for of 15 (60%) from the line vs. Tuesday, ended in a 46-38 loss Elbert County and 9 of 16 (56%) after the Leopards pulled away vs. Banks County. late, doubling up Union County Overall, Union County 14-7 in the fourth quarter. shot 14 of 44 (32%) vs. Banks Trailing 32-31 after three, County and 13 of 48 (27%) vs. the Lady Panthers (2-9, 0-5) Elbert County from the field. could not secure their first re- Looking ahead: Sat- gion victory despite 16 points urday’s regular-season finale from junior Rebekah Chambers at No. 3 Rabun County was - matching a career-high (at Fan- delayed until Monday. nin County, Dec. 2020). The girls’ Region 8-AA Leading 9-8 entering the Tournament is slated to begin second, Banks County raced in Left: Ava Hunter draws a double-team vs. Banks County. Right: Panther pride runs in all age groups at UCHS sporting events. Photos/Karen Clark on Friday at Banks County front 23-15 at the break, limiting accounted for Union’s only 6 points, 10 rebounds and a sophomore Kaylee Helton add- with Union County this year. with Union facing Elbert at Union County’s leading scorer, fourth-quarter baskets as the blocked shot. ed two rebounds and freshman Hunter scored nine of her 7:30 p.m. The girls champion- junior Ava Hunter, to just one Lady Panthers finished just Freshman Lara Turner Sofia McNabb had one board. team-high 15 points during the ship and consolation games are first-half field goal. 3-for-7 at the charity stripe over finished with 3 points, four During Friday’s meeting first half while pulling down 14 on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 6 and Chambers (6 points) the final eight minutes. rebounds, two assists and two with Elbert County, the second- rebounds and blocking a shot. 7:30 p.m. and sophomore Ellie Cook (7) Chambers went 7 of 9 steals. Fellow freshman Kyra ranked Lady Devils ran away Turner had 7 points (one Next week’s State Tour- picked up the slack in the third from the floor and 2 for 2 at McKechnie rounded out the from Union County with a 32- shy of her career-high) and nament includes an 8-AA vs. frame, combining for 13 points the line while registering four scoring with 2 points to go with 13 second half during a 60-35 one assist. Hill finished with 6 5-AA first-round matchup. Re- as the Lady Panthers outscored rebounds and three steals. one steal. victory. points, five rebounds, five steals gion 5-AA features a three-way Banks 16-7, pulling within a Cook had 11 points, five Sophomore Corinne Hill Thirty-two turnovers and three assists. Chambers re- battle for first between Callaway point. steals, four boards and sank chipped in three rebounds, one doomed the Lady Panthers in corded her second double-digit (10-6, 6-1), Heard County (15-4, However, one field goal Union’s only 3 of the contest. dime and one steal. Junior Ans- the loss, giving Elbert County rebound game of the season 4-1) and Haralson County (15-3, each from Chambers and Hunter Hunter ended her night with ley Collins had three boards; 70 takeaways in two meetings with 10 (career-high 11 at Banks 3-2). UCHS sends a pair of swimmers to State Atlanta - On Thursday, fourth in Class AA, besting the the UCHS swim team fam- NASCAR 2021 Feb. 4, two swimmers repre- UCHS record that she previ- ily would like to extend their By Gerald Hodges/the Racing Reporter sented Union County High ously owned. thanks to the Union County School at the GHSA State Hunter White dropped Board of Education and Union Harvick To Start His 20th Daytona 500 Championships at Georgia his time in the 50-yard free- General Wellness Center for The 63rd running of the Tech. style, coming in fourth in Class their support and help during Daytona 500 on Feb. 14 at Day- Hannah Sheffield AA. this season. tona marks a milestone in Kevin dropped her time in the 50 -yard In addition, he had a per- The North Georgia News Harvick’s career. It will be his freestyle, coming in third place sonal best time in the 100-yard congratulates all UCHS and 20th career start in the Great in Class AA while breaking breaststroke, securing a second UCMS swimmers and coaches American Race, with his first her own UCHS record. Also, place finish in Class AA. on a remarkable 2020-21 sea- Daytona 500 coming on Feb. 17, Coaches Kelly Helton son. The program’s future is 2002. He started second in that she had a personal best in the race and finished 36th after get- 100-yard freestyle, placing and Emily Stafford, alongside exceptionally promising. ting collected in a multicar acci- dent on lap 150. He is coming off a career best, nine win season, and has to be considered one of the favorites to win this year’s race. “You’ve got to start over just because of the fact you just never know how things are go- ing to shake out, how your cars are going to run, and the deci- sions you’re going to make,” he said. “You just have to start over and forget everything that you’ve done, and I think that’s one thing we do really well as a team. Whether it’s a really good week or a really bad week, or a good season or a bad season, we’re re- ally good at just forgetting about whatever it is that happened and Kevin Harvick 2020 making sure that we’re focused on tona 500 victory, Harvick won the won a race every year since 2011, the things we need to be focused 2010 Coke Zero 400. He has 10 the second longest active streak. on for that particular week.” top-fives and 15 top-10s on the Additionally, he has three or more Five years and one day Daytona oval. wins in all but two of those sea- after his Daytona 500 debut, Har- Outside of the NASCAR sons and double-digit top-five re- vick won the 2007 Daytona 500. Cup Series, Harvick has made 19 sults in all but one. He edged NASCAR Hall of Fam- career NASCAR Xfinity Series Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) er Mark Martin for the victory by starts at Daytona and three IROC announced that it has extended .02 of a second in a frantic green- starts. Of his 47 Xfinity Series agreements with driver Denny Hannah Sheffield Hunter White white-checkered finish. wins, only one is at Daytona, the Hamlin and long-time sponsor To earn a spot in the Day- 2007 season opener. And Har- FedEx with a pair of multi-year tona 500, drivers must first com- vick’s best IROC finish at Dayto- agreements. First quarter vs. Banks, third quarter vs. pete in the Duel, twin 150-mile na is seventh, earned twice (2003 Hamlin is a three-time qualifying races that set the 40- and 2004). Harvick is a two-time winner and defending champion car field for the Daytona 500. Xfinity Series champion (2001 of the Daytona 500. He has 44 Elbert dooms Union men in 8-AA losses Harvick has won his Duel race and 2006) and the 2002 IROC career wins in the NASCAR Cup twice (2013 and 2019). He is cur- champion. Series and the Chesterfield, VA rently on a run of five straight “As a group, we want to native has been a model of con- top-five finishes in the Duel, and win,” he continued. “I would sistency amassing 280 top-ten he has finished among the top-10 rather win races than win a cham- and 179 top-five finishes in 542 in 11 of his last 13 Duel races. pionship at this point. In order to career starts. Nobody has visited Before drivers compete in keep the attitude and enthusiasm victory lane more than Hamlin the Duel, they race the clock in where it needs to be, we need to over the past two seasons, with single-lap qualifying. The two be competitive week in and week his 13 wins in the Cup Series tied fastest cars are locked into the out. If it works out in a champi- for the most over that time. field while the rest of the driv- onship at the end of the year, ul- Racing Joke: Kyle and ers are split into the Duel. Odd- timately that’s the goal, but the his wife celebrated their anniver- numbered drivers are in the first immediate goal when you start sary by visiting the Grand Can- Duel and even-numbered drivers the season is how competitive are yon during the off season.