Oconee County, GA Politics

Athens Academy's Parker Skiles hoists a three in Premier League action Monday. Photo by Dan Matthews Nothing makes me happier than seeing a kid who could barely play dribble at the beginning of the season be able to run a play to perfect despite not having come close to winning a game all year. Such was the case for the Athens Academy Green Machine team this year, and green they were as most of the team had never played organized basketball prior to this season under the tutelage of Coach Chris Pittard. Tonight they fought valiantly against Coach Shane Todd and his Prince Avenue team who knocked off the winless Athens Academy squad 22-14 at the Spartan Center in front of an enthusiastic throng of family and friends in the first game of the post-season championship tournament. Games will continue all this week at Athens Academy and Oconee County High School in games for kids from 3rd through 6th grades. This is no Rec League action, this is an AAU feeder league with fast breaks a...

The Athens Academy White Shadows, coached by Chris Pittard, won the 3rd/4th grade division of of the Northeast Georgia Premier League this evening 15-14 in a thrilling game at the Oconee Practice Gym, capturing the League Tournament title in front of the likes of University of Georgia men's basketball coach Mark Fox and Athletic Director Damon Evans, among many other extremely interested parents. The teams battled nerves to a 0-0 tie at the end of the first period, followed up by a 7-0 run in the second quarter, highlighted by a three pointer from Lowell Matthews. The scrappy guard-forward engineered the victory with a half dozen rebounds and steals to go with five points and three assists. Oconee battled back in the third quarter to tie things up with four flawless free throws from Luke Dickens. The teams switched leads in a feisty fourth quarter with the White Shadows icing the game with a ferocious  full court press. Alex Deltchev and Carson Pittard, all star selections for ...

No better way to celebrate Presidents Day than with a tournament title game for the Championship of the Northeast Georgia Premier League with the fifth seeded Oconee 3rd and 4th grade team taking on the Athens Academy White Shadows at 6:00 pm Monday evening at the Oconee County High School practice gymnasium. Admission is $3.00 for the best in young basketball action in a six county area. This game got postponed and rescheduled twice and I am glad it is finally going to happen, unless of course the expected overnight snow freezes again.

All the championship and All-Star tilts in local Northeast Georgia Premier League basketball action were postponed for today Saturday, February 13 scheduled for the Spartan Center on the Athens Academy campus. No word on make-ups yet.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, may all your jumpers be nothing but net. Go Spartans! Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr.  Subject: FW: Championship Games and All-star Games for tomorrow  Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:57:44 -0500  From: chrisp@windowco.net  Here's the latest...I will do the best to keep you up to speed. Chris Pittard  Hi all,  Weather permitting, we are going with the schedule below for tomorrow  for both the Championship and All-star games. Please check the website  tomorrow morning for status on play. Due to loss revenue in combining the games to one day, please inform your parents that the admission  charge will be $4 rather than $3 to cover the additional cost, etc.  Trophies will also be presented for Champions, MVP's, and all-stars  tomorrow.  _*Athens Academy Spartan Center*_  1:00-3/4th championship  2:15-3/4th All-star  3:30-Blue/White 5/6th Cham...

Northeast Georgia Premier League This is the league of basketball teams that was hosting an all-star game tonight and a tournament hopefully still this weekend. All Star games originally scheduled for tonight ~ Friday, February 12, 2010 ~ are canceled due to concerns over inclement weather and snow. As of now the tournament games are on for tomorrow, although there was speculation over moving it up. My son and his second seeded Athens Academy "White Shadows" team is scheduled to play for the championship at 2:30 pm Saturday. Hope is still commences versus Coach Huckaby's fifth seeded Oconee team. Posted using ShareThis

The Northeast Georgia Premier League postseason basketball tournament begins this evening in the freshly refurbished Spartan Center on the lovely and spacious campus of Athens Academy, just barely into Oconee County on Highway 441 near the 10 Loop Bypass around the Athens metro area with Athens Academy's 3rd grade team coached by Marvel against Oconee County 3rd grade.  There are two more  game tomorrow, and my son's 4th grade team plays Wednesday night. Thursday's semis are in the Oconee Annex gym at Oconee County High School for at least one bracket.

Should you want to watch the best fourth grade basketball, please consider attending the Athens Academy High School games tonight ~ Friday ~ at the Spartan Center to see my son at the halftime of the boys game for a friendly exhibition between the green and white squads, then this also has the final two regular season games tomorrow ~ Saturday ~ at the Oconee County High School practice gymnasium. There are admission charges to both events. The following is an email from head coach Chris Pittard and should not be taken seriously or literally. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Subject: This week Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 16:15:36 -0500 This week Hello all. Chronologically: Wednesday Night is our last scheduled practice.  If its possible, we might have a practice next week, but only if time and gym permits.  I will keep you posted. Friday Night, its GREEN VS WHITE the REMATCH!  We will be playing at halftime of the boys game at the Spartan Center....

Tonight I saw the best basketball gymnasium in Oconee County, and before this week I never knew this brand spanking new facility existed. It is the practice gym in the other end of the older Oconee County high school which might be the straw that broke John Osborne's back as far as his public fall from grace with respect to North Oconee's desire to have just as good facilities at his place up Hog Mountain Road. So it was with great interest I inspected this hidden gem of a gym heretofore unknown to the general populace.  Could this have made John Osborne loose his grip on decorum? Perhaps it was a catalyst for other personal demons as well. But it does make one wonder when a visiting football team has to change in a tent at North Oconee while OCHS can handle a huge tournament of grapplers along with dozens of third, fourth and fifth grader hoopsters from at least four counties I am aware of. This practice gym even has a plaque with the members of the 2009 Oconee County Board ...