Kelly MichamThe Pope Greyhounds hosted the Allatoona Buccaneers on Tuesday night with both the boys’ and girls’ teams being represented. It was a regional match-up and an important game for all teams.
The girls played first and what started out as a close game ended with the Greyhounds winning 61-46.
The game started out back-and-forth, but after ending the first quarter with a 7-point lead, the Greyhounds hit their stride and finished the half up by 21 points. Allatoona fought back in the third quarter, ending it with a 12-point run, but couldn’t seem to close the gap from the first half.
Both teams had a few ladies stick out as key players. For the Greyhounds, Senior point guard Cheyenne Holloman had an outstanding 34 total points from 14 field goals. She also had several vital rebounds and steals. Junior point guard Katie Ward had 6 field goals that led to 13 points.
Sophomore guard Abby Hohl led the Bucs with 15 points with Senior Jassira Fossitt following closely behind with 14 points. Senior guard Davi Loccisano led in rebounds while senior Maddie Gamblin had numerous crucial assists.
After the ladies, the boys took the court with a similar outcome for their match-up. Though the Bucs played hard, Pope won 76-47.
It was a quick first half as the Greyhounds took an almost immediate lead and never gave it up. A 16-2 run to end the second quarter allowed for a 27-point Greyhound lead going into the half.
Senior point guard Will Kolker led Pope with a tremendous 39 total points with 24 of those coming from 3-pointers. Kolker also had 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Junior forward Jack Dempsey followed with 6 field goals allowing for 13 total points. Dempsey had 8 rebounds with 3 assists. Junior forward Cameron Bleshoy led the team with 10 rebounds while also having 3 assists and 11 total points.
Buccaneers’ junior point guard Cayden Charles had 14 total points while senior power forward Cameron Baldwin had 10 total points and led the team in steals and rebounds. Senior shooting guard Kevin Taylor had 7 total points and several assists.
Kolker was recognized before the start of the game for his record-setting game last week. Kolker set a new assist record at Pope with 520 career assists. He has since added on to this record. Kolker also exceeded 1,000 total career points earlier this season.
After this series of games, the Greyhounds sit at a 10-6 overall record with a 4-3 regional record. The Lady Greyhounds have a 9-7 overall record with a 5-2 regional record.
Despite the loss, Allatoona still stands strong with a 10-5 overall record and a 4-3 regional record. The Lady Bucs have a 3-9 overall record and a 2-5 regional record.
Pope’s boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Kennesaw Mountain on Friday to face the Mustangs. The girls’ game starts at 6 P.M and the boys will follow at 7:30 P.M. Allatoona will host Lassiter at home on Friday with the girls’ game starting at 6 P.M and the boys at 7:30 P.M.
