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Coach
Bing Announces Retirement
04/12/07
By Jim O’Hara, Sports Editor
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Photo
by Ken Caruther
Rome
News-Tribune
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Rome News-Tribune
For the past three decades,
Larry Bing has been blessed with a job he dearly loves — coaching high
school basketball.
That’s why he has no regrets
about bringing an end to a remarkable career.
At Coosa High School’s
season-ending basketball banquet Wednesday night, Bing officially closed
his coaching book when he announced that he was retiring after becoming the
all-time winningest boys coach in Floyd County.
“God truly blessed me with the
opportunity to make a living at something I truly loved,” said Bing, who
compiled an amazing 618-252 record in his 32 years as coach at Cave Spring
and Coosa high schools.
“I feel the time is right for
a change to be made,” he added, “for our program to continue its present
level.”
And few programs in the state
can match the high standard set by Bing at Coosa, where he landed in 1984 after
a 10-year stint at Cave Spring.
In addition to the 600-plus
wins, Bing has rolled up some impressive credentials, including eight
straight appearances in the region championship game.
All told, the native Roman who
was a two-sport star at East Rome High has 14 subregion
titles and 10 region crowns, has been a region runner-up four times, and
has taken his teams to four Elite Eight state appearances and once to the
Final Four. “Coosa has been the pre-eminent basketball program in this
area,” Coosa High School principal Sam Sprewell
said. “There’s not another program around here that has put up the numbers
that coach Bing’s teams have.”
Yet Bing is quick to point out
the success can be credited to those who have always been there for him.
“I would like to thank my
family for their everlasting support and sacrifice,” he said, “the
administration and assistants for their trust and allegiance, the
tremendous loyal fan support for helping make it so special for the kids,
and all the players whose dedication, sacrifices and performances
contributed to our success.”
Success in athletics, however,
has always been synonymous with Bing.
An all-area standout in
basketball and baseball for the East Rome Gladiators, Bing headed to Berry
College on a baseball scholarship where he was a three-time all-conference
selection for the Vikings. He also earned All-American honorable mention
status.
After graduating from Berry,
Bing spent three years playing on the minor league level for the Atlanta
Braves, eventually hanging up his baseball glove and spikes to become a
teacher and coach at Cave Spring in 1974.
In addition to building a
top-level prep basketball program — he is a 10-time Georgia Athletic
Coaches Association Region Coach of the Year — Bing coached a number of
other sports, including baseball at Cave Spring, where he won four region
titles, six subregion crowns and one state
championship appearance.
All of that, however, is
secondary to Bing, who will continue to work as a part-time teacher at
Coosa.
“The victories and
championships,” he said, “don’t compare to the lifelong relationships with
the players, the camaraderie with other coaches and, yes, even referees and
sports writers.”
Sprewell said he will begin accepting applications to
start the process of finding a new basketball coach for the Eagles, but he
pointed out the standard will be high.
“We want to find the best
basketball coach around,” he said. “We want the program to continue at the
same high level coach Bing has taken it.”
Monday, March 5
Eagles Defeated in
Sweet 16
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Photo by: Ken
Caruthers, RN-T
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By David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune
The Coosa boys
laid it all on the line Thursday night. They lost it at the line, too.
And in the most heart-melting way imaginable.
After 36 courageous minutes, the Eagles could only stand by and watch as
Rutland’s Thornton Bridges stood at the foul line and swished a
tie-breaking free throw with ninth-tenths of a second remaining in overtime
to put the Hurricanes on top for good.
Bridges, who earned his trip to the line by virtue of a controversial foul,
missed the second free throw, but teammate Jonathan Brooks tapped it in at
the buzzer. That shot put the finishing touch on Rutland’s dramatic 95-92
win over No. 4-ranked Coosa in the second round of the Class AA state
tourney at the Northwest Georgia Trade Center.
It was only fitting that Bridges and Brooks scored the game’s final points.
The two players had contributed key baskets throughout the game while
combining for 60 points. Brooks finished with a game-high 31; Bridges added
29.
Equally important, those two players dominated the offensive glass much of
the night, giving the Hurricanes a steady stream of second-chance points.
Rutland now advances to the Elite Eight to face Manchester on Saturday at
5:30 p.m. at the Trade Center. Manchester beat Wesleyan 53-46 on Thursday.
“We really never effectively got them off the offensive glass and that
seriously hurt us,” said Coosa coach Larry Bing.
Though the final second of Thursday’s overtime period will be a
much-debated topic over the next few weeks, there certainly can be no
argument about Coosa’s character.
The Eagles were forced to play much of the first half without starting
guard Coleco Kidd, who picked up three fouls in
the first quarter and another in the second.
They also had to play much of the second half without sparkplug Bobby Lee
Smith. The senior went down with an ankle injury in the third quarter, and
though he tried to return in the fourth, he limped off the floor just
seconds later and didn’t come back.
Still, Coosa fought gamely to the end, including overcoming a seven-point
deficit in the final two minutes of regulation to tie it. Coosa then had
one final possession with a chance to win it, but came up empty.
Coosa took the lead on five occasions in the extra session, but Rutland
snatched a 92-90 advantage on a basket by Bridges with 47 seconds left and
never trailed again.
"For us to battle back the way we did is a tribute to the heart of our
guys,” said Bing. “I’ m really proud of them for that.”
Coosa’s Corey Edmondson, Tee Foster, Derrick Sams, Nick Moore and Kidd each delivered big plays and
huge baskets down the stretch. Edmondson finished with 24 points, and
Foster had 19. Kidd and Sams had 15 each.
Kidd scored all of his points on 3-pointers, including three in the fourth
quarter to fuel Coosa’s comeback bid. Foster took
over late, scoring eight of Coosa’s final nine
points in regulation.
Coosa trailed 42-37 at the end of an eventful first half that contained 12
lead changes and five ties.
Edmondson scored 14 first-half points for the Eagles, but Rutland outscored
Coosa 10-2 over the final 1:38 of the second period to build its five-point
halftime lead. Early in the second quarter, Coosa had built its largest
lead of the night, 28-22, after Edmondson completed a rare four-point play
— hitting a long 3 and a subsequent free throw – with 5:03 to play in the
period.
Coosa was the last of the 11 Greater Rome teams still left in the tourney.
Tuesday, February 27
 A Final Run for Edmondson
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Photo by
Ken Caruthers, RN-T
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Coosa’s Corey Edmondson tries
to cap off senior season by leading the Eagles to the Final Four
02/27/07
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
As a slender freshman, Corey Edmondson never dreamed he’d one day be
mentioned in the same sentence with former Coosa greats Mike Glenn and Mike
Dean.
But after scoring more than 1,400 career points, Edmondson, now a senior,
has proved himself worthy of being included with the Eagles’ elite. The
6-foot-2 guard/wing/post player is averaging 22 points per game for
fourth-ranked Coosa, which faces Rutland on Thursday night at the Dalton
Trade Center in the second round of the Class AA state tournament. “It’s
definitely an unbelievable feeling to look up on that board (that lists the
school’s all-time leading scorers) and see my name up there with some of
those other guys,” said Edmondson. “Some of them were like my role models
when I was in middle school. So, it’s an honor.” Edmondson, by the way,
doesn’t talk big. Nor does he even make much small talk, for that matter.
But his sublime skills certainly shout out. “What makes Corey special is
his versatility,” said Coosa coach Larry Bing about Edmondson, who has
drawn interest from several colleges. “He can post up, he has a tremendous
mid-range game, and he can shoot the 3. That’s a combination that not many
players have.” Making a name for yourself as a scorer at Coosa, as
Edmondson has done, is no small feat, given the amount of talent that has
come through the school in the past 30 years. Coosa’s
home gym, the Eagles’ Nest, has been the home to some truly terrific players.
Glenn, who became a 10-year star in the NBA, ruled the roost at Coosa in
the 1970s, and Dean, who went on to play at UGA and MTSU, shook a tail
feather there in the late 1990s. Still, Edmondson has managed to make his
mark.
“I’d say Corey is right up there with those other (Coosa legends) in terms
of being a scorer,” said Bing. “In his career, the only times he’s scored
under 20 points is when we’ve pulled him out (of lopsided games).”
Though he has his own style, Edmondson said he’s motivated by players like
Glenn and Dean.
“Just knowing how good they were and how far their careers took them —
that’s something that really drives me,” he said. “Because I want to go
that far, too.”
Always a threat to explode, Edmondson typically does his best work in
big-game settings. He scored 37 points in an 83-79 loss to Darlington in
the region championship game two weeks ago, after scoring 39 points against
the rival Tigers earlier this season.
This past Saturday, he produced 22 points — all of them seemed to come at
key moments — to lift Coosa to a 75-67 win over No. 6 Decatur in the
Eagles’ state-tournament opener. Depending on how far Coosa advances,
Edmondson has anywhere from one to four games left in his career. And he
plans to make the most of it. “I’m trying to enjoy it,” he said, “but more
than that, I’m trying to leave everything I’ve got out on the floor.” As
for stacking up with the legends, well, that’s just an added bonus.
Monday,
February 26
Coosa Boys the Area’s Sole Survivors
in State Playoffs
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Photo by Ken Caruthers, Rome
News-Tribune
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Moving on alone
02/25/07 Jeremy Wood, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
After
a prep basketball season chock-full of drama, quality matchups
and high expectations in Greater Rome, the opening weekend of the GHSA
state tournament was almost anticlimactic.
Of the 11 teams from the area that qualified for the tournament, 10 saw
their seasons come to an end over the weekend.
That leaves the Coosa Eagles, who overcame highly-regarded Decatur 75-67
Saturday to advance to a Sweet 16 matchup with
Rutland on Thursday at the Northwest Georgia Trade Center in Dalton. Tipoff for that game is slated for 8:30 p.m.
Coosa coach Larry Bing, who got the 600th win of his career earlier this
season, is looking to take the Eagles to an even bigger milestone: A Class
AA state championship.
To do so, they’ll have to start with the Hurricanes from Rutland, a new school
in Macon. Bing said he knows very little about Rutland, which was the
fourth seed out of Region 5, but that he’s sure that despite their lower
seed they’ll be no slouch.
“I’m familiar with that region a little bit,” Bing said. “It’s a very
athletic region. I’ve got a few feelers out trying to get a little more
information on them but I haven’t gotten anything yet. All those teams down
in that region play extremely good basketball.”
Bing said that from this point on, the seeds of the teams won’t matter at
all.
“Everybody is going to be very good from here on in,” he said. “In most
cases, everybody’s going to be capable of beating the other team. It’s
going to be a case of who executes and performs the best.”
Bing said that it was hard to tell why Coosa is the only team left standing
from greater Rome, but that he felt that other local teams were in position
to do well over the weekend.
“All the boys games were competitive in Class AA,” he said. “It’s a very
tough region we got lined up against. Darlington could have won their game
just as easily as they lost, and the Calhoun game looked like it was pretty
competitive.”
Darlington, which beat Coosa in three of their four meetings this season,
fell to Buford at the buzzer, 69-67. Calhoun lost at Wesleyan 48-44.
Bing said that he doesn’t derive any satisfaction from knowing that the
eyes of Greater Rome — including those of his rivals — will all be focused
on Coosa this week. “It doesn’t mean anything to me,” he said. “I’d rather
everybody be moving on.”
Monday, February 26
Coosa stands alone: Eagles win state
opener
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02/25/07
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
The Coosa boys were the higher-ranked team Saturday, and were playing on
their home floor, where they’ve lost just four games in the past eight
years.
And yet, somehow, the No. 4 Eagles’ pulsating 75-67 victory over No. 6 Decatur
in the opening round of the Class AA state tournament still felt like an
upset.
And a big one, at that.
Perhaps that’s a testament to just how hard-earned and monumental the
victory was for the Eagles, who atoned for last year’s first-round loss to
Decatur and advanced to the Sweet 16 to face Rutland on Thursday at 8:30 in
Dalton.
“Decatur was by far the best team we’ve played all season,” Coosa senior
guard Bobby Lee Smith said bluntly. “We knew we had to execute really well
today, and we came out and did that.
“We had a huge chip on our shoulder (from last year’s loss to Decatur), so
this win feels great.”
Smith and fellow guard Corey Edmondson finished with 22 points each for the
Eagles (24-4). Coleco Kidd and Derrick Sams, who both produced key buckets throughout,
finished with 12 and 11, respectively.
“Our kids played extremely hard, and I can’t say enough about the job they
did,” said Bing. “It was a tremendous win for our team and for our school.”
Decatur’s Jerron Stone, ranked by one publication
as the best “dunker” in the state, finished with a game-high 26 for the
Bulldogs (23-6). He had one slam, and it was a good one — a thunderous
stuff in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.
“He’s got some hops,” said Smith.
The highly-engaging contest featured 12 ties and 19 lead changes in the
opening three quarters. But just when it looked like neither team would be
able to put together a scoring run, Coosa finally did so, generating its
game-changing 18-6 spurt.
“The fourth quarter was the best eight minutes of basketball we’ve played
all season,” said Edmondson. “And the reason for that was because the
seniors were determined not to let it be the last eight minutes of our
careers.”
It was indeed the four seniors — Smith, Edmondson, Sams
and Kidd — who drove the surge. Sams started it
with a tip-in and pair of free throws, followed by a contested jumper in
the lane by Kidd.
From there, Smith and Edmondson both finished strong on fastbreaks,
and Kidd eventually capped it with a steal and a lay-up, giving Coosa a
70-59 edge with 1:48 left. “We played as hard as we could play,” said
Edmondson, who’s scored more 1,200 career points, “We just stepped up and
got it done.” The victory, which came in front of packed ho use at the
Eagles’ Nest, was Coosa’s 14th in the past 15
games.
“We came out hungry, and we’re going to be even more hungry (on Thursday),”
said Smith.
Bing, who’s won more than 600 games in his career, considered Saturday’s
victory to be among his most memorable. “I can’t really rank one win over
the others,” said Bing, “but yes, I’d definitely say today was up there
pretty high on the list. To beat a quality opponent, one with such a rich
tradition, in such a pressure packed environment, was huge.” Last year’s
loss to Decatur marked the first time since 1994 that Coosa had failed to
get out of the first round. On Saturday, revenge was sweet. “Oh yeah,
definitely,” smiled Smith.
Monday, February 26
Coosa advances; Darlington, Rome
Pepperell, Calhoun andTrion fall
02/24/07
ROME NEWS STAFF REPORTS
The Coosa High boys' basketball team prevented Greater Rome from being shut
out in the first round of the state tournament when the No. 4 Eagles defeated
No. 6 Decatur 75-67 in the first round of the Class AA state tournament at
Coosa High.
One day after all five locals' girls teams were swept out of the
postseason, Coosa was the lone survivor on the boys' side as No. 3
Darlington, Rome, Pepperell, Calhoun and Trion were all eliminated thanks
to first-round defeats.
In Class AA games, Darlington saw its season come to an end in a 69-67 loss
at the buzzer to No. 7 Buford, while Pepperell fell to Lovett, 55-32.
At Rome High, the Wolves' state run came to a sudden halt when Mays ousted
Rome from the Class AAAA playoffs with a 75-47 decision.
And in a Class A first-round game at Trion High, the Bulldogs fell to
Warren County, 73-68.
Coosa's Eagles, who were ousted in the first
round last year by Decatur, advance to the state sectional round being held
at the Northwest Georgia Trade Center in Dalton where they'll play at 8:30
p.m. on Thursday, March 1 against the winner of the first-round game
between Putnam County and Rutland.
Pepperell's Dragons saw their season come to an end Saturday when they
dropped their Class AA state opener to Lovett, 55-32.
Calhoun lost 48-44 to Wesleyan.
Monday, February 19
Eagles
Fall to Darlington in Region Final
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Eagles Fall to Darlington in Region Final
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
There were tournament championship basketball games all across the state
Saturday night, but it’s hard to believe that any of them were as engaging
as the one that took place at Georgia Highlands College.
It’s equally hard to imagine that any trophy-winning team was more elated,
or more exhausted, than the Darlington Tigers.
With star guard Corey Roper driving the pack, the third-ranked Tigers
downed fourth-ranked Coosa 82-79 in a wild-and-wully
Region 7-AA championship game, giving Darlington its second straight region
tourney title.
Roper finished with 27 points, 18 of which came on six 3-pointers. His
counterpart, Coosa’s Corey Edmondson, erupted for
37, but his gallant effort wasn’t enough to prevent Darlington (23-2) from
repeating.
“Being a senior and winning two straight titles is the best thing I can
even think of,” said a smiling Roper. “It’s just – I don’t know, man —
wonderful.”
Darlington and Coosa (23-4) will both host opening-round state tournament
games next Saturday. Darlington plays Buford (led by former Model coach
Milt Travis) and Coosa meets Decatur.
“We know there’s some stiff competition ahead,” said Darlington coach Jim
Van Es, “but for now, we’re going to enjoy tonight’s win for a couple of
days.”
As well they should, for it certainly was a war.
With the old gym at GHC rockin’ perhaps louder
than ever, the game contained a whopping 23 lead changes, with the final
twist of momentum being the biggest.
Darlington trailed 78-75 with 3:19 to go in the fourth quarter before Roper
hit a tying 3-pointer to kick-start the Tigers’ 7-1 game-ending run.
Darlington secured the victory when Tyshawn Good
stole Coosa’s inbounds pass with three seconds
left.
Derricus Ellis finished with 20 points for the
Tigers, Shawn Powell had 12 and Good 11. For Coosa (23-4), Coleco Kidd had 13 and Derrick Sams
10.
“This was typical Darlington-Coosa, I don’t know what else you could say,”
said Van Es. “I know there are times when it looks like the two teams
aren’t playing any defense, but that’s simply not true. Both teams just
have some tremendous shooters.”
Coosa, making its eighth straight appearance in the finals, hurt its
chances with missed free throws. The Eagles were 1-for-6 from the foul line
in the fourth quarter, and 4-of-11 for the night.
The loss was Coosa’s third to Darlington in four
meetings this season, and it ended the Eagles’ 13-game winning streak
(which, coincidentally, dated back to a late-December loss to Darlington).
“Our guys left everything they had on the court,” said Coosa coach Larry
Bing. “Unfortunately, we made some mental mistakes that we don’t normally
make … and at certain times, I think the guys were trying too hard.
“We missed some easy baskets and some free throws at the end, and
Darlington didn’t. That was the difference.”
Both teams continuously took the other’s best punch, and answered back with
one of their own. And by the fourth quarter, it was more than evident that
the players were completely gassed. Missed lay-ups and air-balled jump
shots were the themes of the final eight minutes.
“I didn’t expect to be this tired,” said Roper after both teams completed
their third game in three nights. “We played with a lot of emotion, and
that (drains) you.”
After combining for 50 points in the first quarter (Coosa led 26-24), the
teams combined for only 26 (13 each) on dead legs in the final eight minutes.
“Any time we play Coosa, we know its going to be a hard-fought battle,”
said Ben McAbee, who hit three 3s and finished
with nine points. “Both teams showed up to play tonight, but we pulled
through.”
How exhausting was it? This should tell you: There were eight lead changes
– in the game’s first three minutes. By the end of the first quarter, the
teams had combined for 21 field goals.
This was two talented teams going at it,” said Van Es. “We just happened to
finish a little stronger than they did.”
Monday, February 19
Eagles
roll, Tigers fight into 7-AA title tilt
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02/17/07
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Well, this should certainly be entertaining: There’s going to be another
Darlington-Coosa match-up, and another head-to-head meeting between the two
scoring Coreys.
And this will be the most significant one yet.
Darlington’s Corey Roper and Coosa’s Corey
Edmondson, two of the region’s highest point-producers, will be among the
central figures at tonight’s meeting, the fourth of the season between the subregion co-champions of 7-AA/A. Both players are
primed for the bash.
“Darlington-Coosa is the matchup everybody wanted
to see,” said Roper, who hit seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points in the
win over Pepperell. “This is a game that people are glad to pay to watch.”
“We’re excited about playing (Darlington) — this is the one we’ve been
waiting for,” said Edmondson, who scored 23 in Friday’s win over Calhoun.
“We’re going to be ready. It should be a great game.”
in Coosa’s win over Calhoun, the Eagles were
forced to play at a slower pace than normal, as the Jackets controlled the
tempo. Still, Coosa found a way to get it done.
“Calhoun is a well-coached team, and they had scouted us very well,” said
Coosa coach Larry Bing. “But it’s a credit to our players that they made
some adjustments, and won playing a different style.”
Bobby Lee Smith and Coleco Kidd scored 10 each
for the Eagles, who led 36-22 at the half, and were up by as many as 20
early in the fourth quarter — but Calhoun kept coming.
Tim Fortenberry and Chandler Rierson
scored 13 each for Calhoun (13-14).
“We gave a good effort,” said Calhoun coach Gary Barnes, “and I am proud of
the kids. But in order for us to win, we needed to shoot a high percentage,
and we weren’t able to do that.”
Coosa, which will be making its eighth straight appearance in the tourney
finals, has won 13 straight games.
Wednesday, February 14
Coosa Blows past Adairsville 93-67 to Open Tournament Play
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Coosa’s Coleco Kidd
provided one of the biggest storylines Thursday. The senior guard stroked
seven 3-pointers and finished with 23 points.
“I could tell in warm-ups that I was feeling it a little bit,” said Kidd.
“We usually shoot the ball pretty well in this gym, and today was just kind
of my day, I guess.”
Corey Edmondson had a game-high 24 points and Bobby Lee Smith added 17 for
the Eagles, who secured their ninth straight state tourney appearance.
Jacob Arp finished with 21 for Adairsville
(10-15) and Jeremy Johnson had 10.
“I was concerned about this matchup because
Adairsville had the height advantage,” said Coosa coach Larry Bing. “But I
felt like we did a good job of mixing our defenses, and we shot the ball
well, too.”
Coosa, which hasn’t lost since late-December, finished with 12 3-pointers.
“It’s tough to be in a do-or-die situation like this,” said Bing. “But our
team responded well. We’re thrilled to be moving on.”
Wednesday, February 7
Eagles Rock the Rock
No. 6 Coosa 82, Rockmart 56
Rome News-Tribune Staff Reports
Coosa was led by Bobby Lee Smith’s 24 points to a Region 7-AA/A win while Coleco Kidd pitched in with 19. Hosting the Yellow
Jackets in their final home game of the season, the Eagles (20-3, 10-1)
found themselves tied at the end of one, 19-19.
But Rockmart (10-12, 3-8) went cold in the third quarter, scoring just
eight points to Coosa’s 26. De’Andre
Blackmon led the Jackets with 14 points.
Monday, February 5
Eagles Down
Devils
No. 9 Coosa 87, Model 68
Rome News-Tribune Staff Reports
The visiting Blue Devils answered Coosa’s first
big run, but Model couldn’t answer the second during a Region 7-AA/A
game. Trailing 15-2 just four
minutes into the game, the Devils fought back gamely. They pulled within
38-32 at the half, and eventually tied the game at 48 on A.J. Mitchell’s
3-pointer midway through the third quarter.
But Coosa, led by Corey Edmondson’s game-high 25 points, closed the period
with an 11-2 spurt to rebuild a 59-50 lead, and pulled away over the final
eight minutes.
Bobby Lee Smith finished with 16 points, Coleco
Kidd had 15 and Tee Foster 12 for the Eagles (19-3, 9-1), who remained in a
first-place tie with Darlington in the subregion.
Model (7-14, 2-8) was paced by Jack Moss with 18 points, Zach Mathis had
14, Mitchell 13 and Ben Hawkins 12. “After we got the big lead, we started
to relax and started to try to do fancy things,” said Coosa coach Larry
Bing. “And to Model’s credit, they got off the deck and made us pay for
that. But our kids were able to regain their focus, which is difficult to
do after you lose it.”
Wednesday, January 31
Eagles
Scalp Indians
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Photo: Ken Caruthers, RN-T
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David Dawson, Rome
News-Tribune Sports Writer
The No. 9-ranked Eagles scored 97-43 victory over Armuchee’s
boys to push their winning streak to nine. In the game, Coosa’s
Corey Edmondson and Bobby Lee Smith scored 16 points apiece. Tee Foster and
Jason Kirk added 14 each for the Eagles, who exploded for 59 first-half
points. They outscored Armuchee 30-5 during a nine-minute stretch in the
first half while building their 35-point halftime lead.
“I was very pleased with the intensity we showed tonight,” said Coosa coach
Larry Bing of the Eagles (18-3, 8-1), who remained a half-game behind subregion-leading Darlington. “We’ve pretty much
assured ourselves of one of the top two spots from the subregion
(for the tourney) and now it’s just a matter of maintaining our focus.”
Kyle Davis scored 15 to lead Armuchee (5-17, 2-8) and Adam Patrick had 10,
but the Indians simply couldn’t keep up with Coosa, which hit 10 3-pointers.
“They shoot the ball as well as any team we face,” said Armuchee coach Ray
Tucker. “Once they get hot, they can really roll up some points.”
Saturday, January 27
Eagles Pop Pepperell
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01/27/07
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Slowing down the No. 9-ranked Coosa boys is one thing. Stopping them is
another.
Pepperell learned the difference between the two objectives Friday night
during a 65-47 loss to the Eagles in a key Region 7-AA/A game in Lindale.
Yes, the Dragons kept Coosa well below their 84.2 scoring average. But that
wasn’t enough to engineer an upset of the red-hot Eagles, who’ve ripped off
eight straight wins.
Coleco Kidd had 15 points and Corey Edmondson and
Tee Foster added 12 each while helping Coosa (17-3, 7-1) remain only a
half-game behind subregion frontrunner
Darlington.
“This was a game we really needed,” said Edmondson, who surpassed the
1,200-point career scoring mark earlier this week in a win over Darlington.
“We feel like we need to win out in order to get the No. 1 seed for the
region tournament, and this was a big step toward that.”
It was expected that Pepperell (11-6, 5-3) would be a tall hurdle for the
Eagles, given that the Dragons had won seven of their past eight games, and
were 4-0 in their new gym, which opened earlier this month.
But Coosa took care of business by racing out to a 22-12 lead at the end of
the first quarter, and maintaining a double-digit edge the rest of the way.
Coosa finished with nine 3-pointers, including three each from Kidd and
Foster.
“This game had me scared to death,” said Coosa coach Larry Bing. “Pepperell
is a formidable team, and Coach (Steve) Horne has them playing well right
now. Fortunately, we were able to execute in our half-court defensive sets,
and our pressure defense began to wear them down a little bit in the second
half.”
Steven Pruitt finished with a game-high 20 points for Pepperell, and Alex Tortoso added 10, but their teammates combined for just
17.
Bing said being the first team to win in Pepperell’s new gym — which is yet
unnamed — was an added bonus. “It’s nice to know that we’ll go down as the
first ones to do it,” said Bing. “But more than anything, this was just a
good win over a quality team.”
The Dragons held Coosa to only 24 second-half points, but were unable to
generate enough offense to overcome a 41-28 halftime deficit.
Facing a manageable 58-45 margin after Pruitt’s 3-pointer with 5:03 left in
the fourth quarter, the Dragons went five straight possessions without
scoring.
“That was the game, right there,” said Horne. “We had five straight chances
to get back in it and failed to convert every time. We missed some open
looks and missed a couple of free throws in that stretch, and that killed
us. We just weren’t mentally tough enough tonight to get over the hump.”
Wednesday, January 24
Third Time is
Charmed: Coosa Downs Darlington, 93-85
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No. 9
Eagles fly by No. 4 Tigers
01/23/07
Jeremy Stewart, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Respond to this story
It has been a match-up that has had an exciting history in just the past
two months.
But in front of an emotional crowd at Darlington’s Huffman Center, the No.
9 Coosa Eagles and the No. 4 Tigers met for the third time this season.
Coach Jim Van Es and the team from Darlington held a 2-0 advantage going
into Tuesday’s game.
Afterwards however, chalk one up for the Eagles.
On the strength of 12 3-pointers and the speed and prowess of a trio of
guards, Coosa led for the majority of the game and left with a 93-85
victory.
The win puts the Eagles (16-3, 6-1) half a game closer to Darlington, which
was dealt its first region defeat of the year.
The Tigers (15-2, 7-1) climbed to a 5-4 lead 2:33 into the contest but
Coosa quickly recovered and nabbed an 8-5 advantage that it would never
relinquish.
“We got in the lead with our transition game and then got into foul trouble
and had to back off,” Eagles’ coach Larry Bing said. “We missed free
throws, particularly late, but hit some big 3’s in the first half and I was
proud of that.”
Those shots from the perimeter included going 7-for-7 from behind the arc
in one stretch and a high-soaring trey from Tee Foster as the buzzer ended
the first half.
Foster went on to sink six 3’s and compile 20 points for Coosa.
“The 3-pointers were the difference obviously,” Van Es said, whose team had
three 3’s. “Their range was impressive. I don’t think you would get an
argument from anybody that it was the difference in the game.”
Add to the Eagles’ assault senior Corey Edmondson, who hit two 3’s but
totaled 26 points to pace Coosa, and senior Bobby Lee Smith, who finished
with 16 points and went 8-of-9 from the line. Coleco
Kidd and Nick Moore both finished with 13 points.
“I thought Nick Moore did a really good at both ends, grabbing steals and
being able to get inside and penetrate going to the hole,” Bing said. But
the Tigers didn’t necessarily lie down. Even without leading scorer Corey
Roper, who was serving the first of a two-game suspension, Darlington kept
battling for the entire game, using a 9-2 run in the fourth period to get
within four with 1:01 left.
The Eagles answered with an 8-4 stretch to end the game and complete the
effort.
Tiger sophomore Tyshawn Good led all scorers with
27 points and a 9-of-11 performance at the line while Derricus
Ellis had 20 and Shawn Powell added 19.
Coosa visits Pepperell on Friday, while Darlington hosts Model.
No. 9 Coosa 91, Temple 58
Rome News-Tribune Staff
Reports: The No. 9 Eagles
exploded for 31 points in the second quarter to blow open a close contest
in a Region 7-AA/A game at home. Corey Edmondson had a game-high 28 points
for Coosa (15-3, 5-1), including three of the Eagles’ 10 3-pointers.
Derrick Sams chipped in 17 for Coosa, while Coleco Kidd added 13. Shane Harmon had 23 points to
lead Temple (5-10, 3-3). The Eagles travel to Darlington next Tuesday.
Tuesday, January 16
Eagles Rock Rockmart
Coosa
95, Rockmart 73
Led by Corey Edmondson and Bobby Lee Smith, who each scored 23 points, the
No. 8 Coosa boys won their fifth consecutive game.
Tynoris Foster added 12 points for Coosa (14-3,
4-1), while Derrick Sams scored 10.
De’Andre Blackmon led Rockmart (7-7, 2-3) with 33
points, while Brashaun Knaff
added 10. Coosa hosts Temple on Tuesday while Rockmart travels to
Darlington.
Wednesday, January 10
Defense Leads Way for Eagles against
Devils
01/09/07
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
The Coosa boys moved up from No. 10 to No. 8 in the latest prep basketball
rankings.
If the poll was based entirely on defensive quickness, the Eagles would
likely be ranked even higher than that.
Demonstrating their speed, Coosa used its full-court press to create 35
turnovers, including a staggering 25 steals, on Tuesday night during a
98-57 win over Model at the M-Dome.
Bobby Lee Smith scored a game-high 29 points and Corey Edmondson added 25
during the 7-AA/A victory, which pushed the Eagles to 13-3 overall and 3-1
in the subregion. Model fell to 5-8, 0-4.
“They have tremendous team speed,” said Model coach Jeff Ozment. “Every player they put on the floor is fast.
And their press was definitely the difference in the game tonight. They
scored almost half their points off our turnovers.”
Coosa’s pressure defense was at its best in the third quarter, when the
Eagles outscored Model 30-16 to stretch a 44-32 halftime lead to 74-48.
“Forcing tempo is always the biggest key for us,” said Smith, the Coosa
guard who finished 10-of-13 from the floor and also pulled down a team-high
nine rebounds. “If our press is working and we get rolling, we are hard to
stop.”
Coosa coach Larry Bing said the Eagles’ full-court press is a work in
progress, which has to be a disturbing thought for Coosa’s opponents.
Surely it can’t get much more suffocating than it was on Tuesday. “It’s
getting there, but we still think it can improve,” said Bing. “But I will
say I was pleased tonight. This was one of our best all-around games of the
season.” Smith and Edmondson combined to hit 21-of-32 shots from the floor.
The duo was joined in double figures by Coleco
Kid (13 points) and Quinton Wood (10) for the Eagles, who finished 10-of-24
from 3-point range. Model, which attempted 21 fewer field goals than Coosa,
was led by Jack Moss with 14 points and A.J. Mitchell with 13. Coosa visits
Rockmart on Friday, while Model goes to Temple.
Wednesday, January 10
Coosa 76, Armuchee 55
Rome
News-Tribune Staff Reports
The No. 10 Eagles got a big night from Corey Edmondson in a Region 7-AA/A
road win at Armuchee.
Edmondson hit for a game-high 29 to pace Coosa (12-3, 2-1), while Coleco Kidd had 15 and Quinton Wood added 12.
Corey Dowdy had 23 to lead Armuchee (3-12, 1-3), while Kyle Davis scored
21.
Coosa is at Model on Tuesday while Armuchee visits Temple.
Thursday, January 4
Eagles Down Chattooga
Rome News-Tribune Staff Report
Coosa 95, Chattooga 48
Corey Edmondson led four Coosa players in double figures with 23 points as
the Eagles (11-3) rolled to a non-subregion win
on the road.
Coleco Kidd had 15 points on five 3-pointers,
Bobby Lee Smith added 13 points, Jason Kirk had 12 and Derrick Sams 9. Michael Brown’s 12 points paced Chattooga,
which trailed 42-23 at the half.
Wednesday, January 3
Coosa boys clip Yellow Jackets
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01/03/07
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
The No. 10 ranked Coosa boys knocked off Calhoun, 64-61, to complete the
non-subregion doubleheader. Corey Edmondson and
Bobby Lee Smith scored 17 points each for the Eagles (10-3).
Edmondson, Smith and Coleco Kidd (12 points)
proved to be catalysts for a Coosa team that didn’t have its usual umph.
Playing their first game since a loss to Darlington in Festival finals on
Dec. 23, the Eagles looked out of sync much of the way but played well
enough down the stretch to hold off Calhoun (4-10).
“To say that we were a little rusty would be a huge understatement,” said
Coosa coach Larry Bing. “I expected us to be a little flat, but I certainly
wasn’t expecting anything quite like this.”
Coosa, which routinely scores 80 points or more, led 46-42 at the end of
the third quarter. Then came a frantic fourth quarter that contained five
lead changes.
The game’s defining moment came late in the period, when the Eagles,
leading 57-56, held the ball for more than a minute. Edmondson then capped
the possession with a 3-pointer, and Coleco Kidd
followed with four straight free throws to help Coosa build a 64-58 lead
with 14 seconds to play.
And the drama didn’t end there. A basket by Calhoun’s Tim Fortenberry (who finished with a team-high 18 points),
coupled with a technical foul on Coosa gave Calhoun one last chance to tie
it in the final two seconds.
But a desperation 3-pointer missed the mark at the buzzer, and Coosa
survived.
“I was proud of the way the kids battled all night,” said Calhoun coach
Gary Barnes. “To come into this gym and have a shot to tie the game at the
end of regulation shows we can play with anybody.”
Mason Strickland had 15 points for Calhoun, which trailed 31-22 at the half
before engineering a third-quarter comeback.
“We’ve played the hardest schedule of any team in this state,” said Barnes.
“And hopefully that’s going to get us prepared to do something special in
the postseason.”
After the game, Bing sounded like a guy who’d just caught a three-eyed
fish. He wasn’t glowing about it, but he certainly wasn’t throwing it back.
“I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day,” said Bing. “And we can
take some positives from this. We did some good things at the end of the
game, and that’s always good to see.”
 Darlington downs
Eagles to repeat as Boy’s Champions
Excerpts from Article by: Jeremy Stewart, Rome News-Tribune
Sports Writer
The Eagles (8-3) made their move first, jockeying for the lead
with a 12-2 run in the first period and leading 24-22 after the opening
eight minutes. But some fast rebounding from Darlington (9-0) allowed them
to put up 13 unanswered points in the course of the second period. The
stretch helped them to overcome Coosa and take a 39-37 lead at the break,
one that they would never give up for the remainder of the game. And while
they finished in second place, Coosa did not leave the tournament without
some stellar performances and the respect and admiration of their long-time
head coach, Larry Bing.
“We still had opportunities to win right up to the end,” he
said. “We gutted it out and I really felt like we played as well as we
could under the circumstances.
“It was another typical Darlington-Coosa game.”
Eagle Bobby Lee Smith did the most he could to try and give
Coosa the win by sinking five 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 33 points.
Coleco Kidd was next with 17 points and another
five 3’s. Combined, the Eagles made 12 shots from beyond the arc. Corey
Edmondson added 13 for Coosa. The Eagles had to take the longest road of
any team to the finals, playing four games in five days, and winning three,
while the other three squads were given one contest less due to their
top-two finish in last year’s tournament.
Saturday, December 23
Eagles Rally to down Rome in Christmas
Tournament Semis
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Trailing by 10 points with 3:09 to play in the fourth quarter,
the No. 10-ranked Eagles closed the game with a frantic 13-0 run to post a
remarkable 61-58 win in front of a raucous crowd at Georgia Highlands
College.
Corey Edmondson and Bobby Lee Smith, who finished with 17 and 15 points,
respectively, keyed the late charge for the Eagles, who trailed by as much
as 19 points in the third quarter.
“Our guys showed a tremendous amount of heart,” said Coosa coach Larry
Bing. “They demonstrated the pride that comes with having that word ‘Coosa’
on the front of their jerseys.”
Rome led 30-22 at the half, and stretched the advantage to 52-33 with 1:02
left in the third quarter. The Wolves still seemed in control as late as
the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter, owning a 54-39 edge.
But Coosa ripped off a 9-2 run to make things interesting, and the tide
really turned when Rome star Tony Woods fouled out with 3:09 to play. The
Wolves, who led 58-48 at the time, didn’t score again.
Bobby Lee Smith and Edmondson soon went to work, scoring five points each
during the Eagles’ 13-0 game-ending run. Coosa, ironically, squandered a
13-point lead in the final three minutes of a 105-104 loss to Darlington
last week, which makes tonight’s Darlington-Coosa rematch all the more
intriguing.
“The (prospect of playing Darlington tonight) was a big motivation for us
during our comeback,” said Bobby Lee Smith. “We wanted that rematch.”
Saturday, December 23
Eagles Roll Past Cedartown in 2nd Ruond of Christmas Tournament
Coosa
92, Cedartown 54
by David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune
The Coosa offense doesn’t need any help to get in high gear, but Cedartown
provided some anyway.
Cedartown coach Cabral Huff, in fact, said his team did everything but roll
out the red carpet for the Eagles’ high-revving attack:
“When your defense doesn’t do its job, it enables other teams — and
especially good teams like Coosa — to take their games to a higher level.
We learned that lesson again tonight.”
Coosa, which hit 10 3-pointers, was paced by Corey Edmond son with 23
points and Bobby Lee Smith added 22. Tee Foster and Coleco
Kidd had 14 each for the Eagles, who led 51-23 at the half.
LaCurtis Diamond finished with 13 and Chris Careathers added 10 for the Bulldogs (2-5), who beat
Coosa in the first week of the season but have since fallen twice to the
Eagles.
Wednesday, December 20
Eagles Open Christmas Tournament
with Win Over Model
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12/20/06
Jeremy Stewart, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Coosa’s boys stormed their way past Model 69-48.
“The key to the first game in this tournament is you know it’s going to be
a grind,” Coosa coach Larry Bing said. “There’s not a packed house and I
was worried about our approach to this game following Friday.”
The Eagles (7-2) were edged out 105-104 by Darlington Friday night at home
in a huge Region 7-AA/A game.
But visions of a second loss in a row, a feat that has rarely happened
during the time Bing has spearheaded the Coosa program, were quickly
forgotten as Model fell 15 points behind after the opening quarter. Coosa’s
boys had a lot of room to work with as they led 35-20 going into the break
against Model and a solid second half gave way to a win and a continuing
journey through the winner’s bracket.
Going on a 14-2 run in the middle of the third period, the Eagles were able
to widen their lead over Model and prevent the possibility of a comeback.
Coosa, which set the bar high for the night by sinking five 3-pointers in
the first half, were led by Bobby Lee Smith, who scored 19 points, and |
