Sports weekend wrap-up
Sophomore guard Stedmond Ford carries the ball down the court.Photo by Neethu Athimattathil
The weekend proved to be very positive in the sports world for Lee University. Flames men's basketball kicked off the weekend with the first non-exhibition game of the season on the road Friday, Nov. 16. The weekend ended on a busier note with the men's basketball team on their second of two games on the road at Carrolton, Georgia, and the men and women's cross-country teams running in the NCCAA National Championship race in Houghton, New York on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Friday's game was not only the official season opener for Flames men's basketball; it was also the first game, for the Flames, of the GSC-SIAC Challenge. The Challenge is a basketball tournament that is hosted by West Georgia. Game one of the tournament for Lee was against Morehouse. Early in the game Morehouse held a 14-2 lead. At halftime the Flames had narrowed the gap to nine points, but still trailed 26-17. In the final 46 seconds of the game junior guard for the Flames, Cory Billingsley, scored six of his game leading 20 points, including a game-winning put-back shot as time ran out. The 49-48 victory for the Flames gave them a 1-0 record to begin the season.
Game two of the GSC-SIAC Challenge for the Flames was a match-up against the Claflin Panthers. The Flames held onto a 66-63 lead over the Panthers after a Panthers 3-pointer was waived off because the time had expired. Billingsley had 23 points on six of nine shooting from the field and four of five from 3-point land.
After two close road victories to open up the 2014 season, the Flames look to keep the winning streak alive in their home-opener against Truett-Mcconell College Monday, Nov. 17.
The men and women Flames cross-country teams took to the road Saturday for the 2014 NCCAA National cross-country Championship competition. Flames runners not only faced the obstacle of running against more than 50 teams and 375 opposing runners, they also faced the weather, which included almost freezing temperatures and snow flurries in New York.
Despite the weather conditions the Lady Flames came away with a fourth place finish. Junior Lady Flame Jessica Childers led the way for the Lady Flames with a 18:19 time, good enough to earn a fifth place finish. Lady Flame's runners Audrey Smith and Elizabeth Sillcocks also finished in less than 20 minutes. Childers and Sillcocks earned All-American status by finishing in the top 15 in the NCCAA Division I, in the contest.
The weather seemed to be no factor for the Flames men's cross-country team as they took first place and are now the 2014 National Champions for Division I cross-country. Freshman Flame Seth Eagleson led the way for the Flames with a 25:11.9 time, which earned him a third overall finish. Eagleson's teammate and fellow freshman Harold Smith finished on the heels of Eagleson with a 25:14.1 time, for fourth place. Sophomore Flame Tyler Boone finished with a time of 25:40.6, a twelfth place finish, which gave the Flames three top 15 runners on the day. While on their way to winning a cross-country National Championship for Lee University, Eagleson, Smith, and Boone all achieved the All-American status for their performance in the race.
With the cross-country season over, the Flames men's team can rest easy knowing that they are the 2014 NCCAA National Champions.
