SPORTS BRIEFS: Dougherty boys win McDonald’s Classic

Dougherty boys win McDonald’s Classic

After getting off to a slow start, the Dougherty Trojans boys basketball team appear to be hitting their stride. Dougherty has won three straight games, including winning two games against Colquitt County and Ware County to win the McDonalds Classic at Tift County last weekend.

Dougherty defeated Colquitt County 56-47 on Friday. In that game, the Trojans had three players in double figures. David Quimby led the Trojans with 15 points, Charles Porter scored 11 and Israel Shead chipped in 10 points.

In the championship game, the Trojans defeated Ware County 66-58 to win the tournament. Once again, Dougherty had three players in double figures. Quimby and Porter each had 14 points to lead the Trojans and Terry Lewis scored 12 to help lead the Trojans to victory.

Quimby was named All-McDonalds First Team. Dougherty (4-9) will resume play on Jan. 9 when they host Westover in a Region 1-AAAA matchup.

Westwood girls stay unbeaten

The Westwood Lady Wildcats improved to 10-0 on the season with a pair of victories in the Border Wars Tournament at Glenwood School in Phenix City, Ala. The Lady Wildcats defeated Evangel 67-45 on Monday, then pounded Morgan Academy 57-17 on Tuesday.

Callie Smith led Westwood with 29 points in the victory over Evangel. Morgan Singleton added 13 points, while Karlie Jones chipped in 11.

Smith again led Westwood against Morgan Academy, finishing with 16 points. Gracie Pollack added 10 points, while Jones and Haley Marshall finished with six points apiece.

Westwood returns to GISA Region 3-AAA play on Tuesday, Jan. 6 with a game against Southland.

Mann scores hole-in-one at Douglegate

Julian Mann scored a hole-in-one at Doublegate Country Club on Sunday on the par-3, No. 2 hole. He drilled the 161-yard hole using a 6-iron. The event was witnessed by Lee Walters, Mark Henley and Lenny Delamar.

Suh has one-game ban overturned

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has had a one-game suspension rescinded, making him eligible for Sunday’s NFC wildcard game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Appeals officer Ted Cottrell reduced the discipline to a $70,000 fine, the National Football League (NFL) announced on Tuesday.

Suh on Monday was suspended by the league for one game for violating safety-related playing rules prohibiting unnecessary roughness.

But he appealed the penalty, handed down for stepping on the left leg of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s regular season finale.

With Rodgers in a defenseless posture, Suh backed up and stepped on the quarterback’s leg with his right foot before repeating the move with his left foot in a display of “unnecessary roughness”, the NFL said in a statement on Monday.

“You did not respond in the manner of someone who had lost his balance and accidentally contacted another player who was lying on the ground,” Merton Hanks, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, said.

“This illegal contact, specifically the second step and push off with your left foot, clearly could have been avoided.”

Suh has a long history of player-safety violations.

Cottrell is jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association to hear and decide appeals for on-field player discipline.