Greenbrier girls team remains unbeaten

All 12 local high school basketball teams were in action this past weekend. Both Augusta Christian and Augusta Prep took part in a three-day tournament, while most public school teams participated in Friday and Saturday games.

The area's top team, Greenbrier's Lady Wolfpack, remained undefeated during the weekend with nonregion wins over Burke County and Morgan County. In Saturday's win over Morgan County, Greenbrier nailed 12 shots from behind the 3-point line, including eight 3-pointers in the first quarter. Sharp-shooting senior Tiffany Blackburn hit six of those 3-pointers.

"We're making that extra pass to find the open shot," Greenbrier girls basketball coach Garrett Black said.

Although a pair of wins is nothing new for ninth-ranked Greenbrier, the Lady Wolfpack did see a rarity Saturday night. Senior Michelle Swiec scored only seven points in the win. Black said it was actually a good sign.

"We're allowing Michelle to be a true point guard. We can have other girls score, which allows her to move the ball around," he said. "When we can win big and don't have to rely on her points, it's a good thing."

In the win column

The Lakeside boys basketball team picked up its first win of the season during the weekend. The Panthers defeated Washington-Wilkes 64-56 with Rosbie Mutcherson (12 points) leading the scoring. Lakeside trailed 29-19 at halftime, but outscored Washington-Wilkes 26-8 in the third quarter to give Panthers coach Ryan Morningstar his first win as a varsity head coach.

Lakeside went 1-1 on the weekend with a loss to Alexander on Saturday, but senior Blake Brandenburg scored 21 points in the two weekend games.

Knights news

A pair of Evans basketball players erupted in wins this past weekend. Lady Knights post player Lauren Middleton and Evans guard Brandon Durr both led the way in their teams' two wins Friday and Saturday. Middleton scored 21 points in a slim 44-42 victory over Harlem on Friday night, then added 10 points the following night in a 36-30 win over Aquinas.

Not to be outdone, Durr tallied 41 points in two games this past weekend, including a 28-point performance in a 56-52 win Saturday night. The senior hit seven 3-pointers in Evans' two wins over Harlem and Aquinas.

Former coaches return

It was a good weekend for former Augusta Christian coaches. Shonn Brown, a former assistant basketball coach for the Lions, returned to town as head coach of the Charlotte Christian boys basketball team last weekend in the Garden City Classic. Brown's squad went 3-0 in the classic, including a 68-60 win over North Carolina powerhouse Christ School on Friday night.

Brown is in his sixth season as head coach at Charlotte Christian, and attributed his success to his days at Augusta Christian.

"I thank (former Augusta Christian athletic director) Mike Gold because he's the one who taught me and helped me get to where I am today," Brown said.

Gold was also in town for the classic. Now in his third year as boys basketball coach at Dominion Christian, Gold's squad knocked off Curtis Baptist 64- 26 on Saturday afternoon at Augusta Prep.

"It gives you great pleasure to know you hopefully had an impact on young lives and young coaches," Gold said. "It was good just to come back and see some old friends."