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Athlete of the Week: Transition a positive for Tribble
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Honor Roll
Basketball

Robby Hill, North Hall: 20 points in win over Gilmer.

Chris Barnes, North Hall: 24 points in win over Chestatee, making eight of 10 3-point attempts.

Tre Dudley, Johnson: Averaged 18.0 points in two games last week.

Grant Cagle, Johnson: Averaged 17.0 points in two games last week.

Chris Henry, Johnson: Averaged 17.0 points in two games last week.

Caitlyn Sloan, Johnson, 17 points in loss to Lambert.

Ashely Lowery, White County: 21 points in win over Lumpkin County.

E.J. Young, Lumpkin County: 28 points in loss to White County.

Ishmael Hollis, Flowery Branch: Averaged 14 points and 12.5 rebounds in two games last week.

T.J. Shipes, Buford: Averaged 17.0 points in two games last week.

Jake Burnette, Buford: Averaged 17.5 points in two games last week.

Andraya Carter, Buford: Averaged 15.0 points in two games last week; had 12 steals and eight rebounds
in win over Lovett.

A.J. Johnson, Gainesville: Averaged 12 points and 10.5 rebounds in two games last week.

Jaymee Carnes, Gainesville: Averaged 14.5 points in two games last week.

Peyton Robertson, Chestatee: 16 points, 10 rebounds in win over Gilmer; 29 points in win over Pace
Academy.

Erin Knight, Jefferson: 21 points in win over East Jackson.

Tyler Dotson, White County: 18 in win over West Forsyth.

Jarquise Young, West Hall: 23 points in win over Lambert.

Blake Sims, Gainesville: 25 points in loss to Westminster.

Chase Syfan, North Hall: 19 in loss to East Hall.

McKenna Rushton, North Hall: 23 in loss to East Hall.

Maddie Haymore, Lakeview: 19 points in win over Tallulah Falls.

Wrestling

Ed Villeda, Chestatee: Finished second in 189-pound class at Habersham Slam.

Wesley Adams, North Hall: Went unbeaten in North Hall Trojan War.

Nick Quinn, North Hall: Went unbeaten in North Hall Trojan War.

Shane Doster, North Hall: Went unbeaten in North Hall Trojan War.

Cody Wilsdon, North Hall: Went unbeaten in North Hall Trojan War.

Lee Sisson, North Hall: Went unbeaten in North Hall Trojan War.

Colby McClain, North Hall: Went unbeaten in North Hall Trojan War.

Even after leading his team to the Region 8-AA championship and the second round of the state playoffs last season, Riverside Military senior Richard Tribble had no problem handing off his point guard duties. In fact, the transition to shooting guard was a natural fit.

“Last year I was told I needed to shoot more,” Tribble said. “So I went to the shooting camps and everything, and (the position switch) really fits right in.”

Shooting more seems to be paying dividends. Aside from his team-high averages in steals (4.5 per game) and assists (3.9 per game), Tribble leads the Eagles (10-3, 3-0 Region 8A-AA) with 15.8 points per game. Last week, he scored 18 in a win over Banks County, then topped that with 26 in a win over Union County.

For his efforts, Tribble is The Times Athlete of the Week.

“(The opponents) let me shoot a lot more last week,” said Tribble, a three-year starter originally from Tampa, Fla. “That was pretty much it; they played back a lot and gave me room to shoot.”

Tribble’s transition to shooting guard was made possible because of Riverside’s new point guard, Kane Duncan, transferring in from Banks County. The addition was a welcome one for both Tribble and first-year coach Rico Zackery.

“When Kane came in he could control the game and slow it down a little more,” Zackery said. “And Tribble’s a better shooter than Kane. It’s easy for (Tribble) to catch and shoot, so it’s only smart to put the best shooter at the (shooting) guard.”

In last week’s wins the Eagles were without some key players in the low post, due to illness, and Zackery singled out his guard play for helping the team overcome that adversity.

“We just wanted to move the ball around and get open shots,” Zackery said. “We stressed that. And Tribble does a good job of getting open and he’ll knock that shot down. And once it’s falling, it’s falling and it won’t come out.”

The Eagles now move into the home stretch of the regular season, with six games left on the schedule before the region tournament begins Feb. 15. This week features crucial games against subregion foes Rabun County (6:30 tonight at Riverside) and Dawson County (7:30 p.m. Friday at Dawsonville).

This will be the Eagles first game this year against Rabun County (14-4, 3-0).


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