Loaded field for Donnie Fenton Shootout
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WILLIAMSTOWN -- Following a one-year hiatus, the Donnie Fenton Shootout is set to return on Friday and Saturday at Williamstown High School.
"It's going to be a dandy," said Williamstown head coach Fred Sauro of the 6 p.m. Friday tournament opener which pits Class A, No. 2 Cameron against No. 6 Gilmer County in an early season showdown of respective 2-0 programs. "Cameron was state runner-up. I've seen them on film. They are good and are the real deal. They've got two sophomores, Kenzie Clutter and Ashlynn Van Tassell, a point guard and a post, and they run the pick and roll really well. Tassell is a beast."
"She's really tough in there. She's a 6-footer and Clutter is a really smooth guard. They will just battle you."
Following that contest, the host Yellowjackets will hit the floor for the first time this season when they take on Marietta, which is 3-3 for head coach Allen Ruth. WHS was tied for third with Frankfort in the Class AA preseason poll.
Williamstown should've been playing its third game of the season, but had some quarantine issues.
"We had a game scheduled for December 6 (at Tyler Consolidated moved to Jan. 4), a game for December 8 (now home versus Ritchie on Jan. 7) and a scrimmage set for November 30," coach Sauro explained. "We had seven of our kids get quarantined. We had to cancel our scrimmage and had to postpone the games.
"We're scrambling. I didn't have them Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday (of last week) and Monday we didn't have them. We just got them back last (Tuesday) night. We're hurting with that. We're a little bit behind, but these kids last night it was like riding a bike. They jumped right back on."
Coach Sauro is also interested to see Gilmer County head coach Amy Chapman's squad, which boasts five seniors.
"Trinity Bancroft was a first team all-stater a couple years ago," noted coach Sauro of the Titans, who landed Carrah Ferguson on first team all-state last year. "That's a good crew of kids.
"Gilmer wants to come back. Last year they didn't end the season the way they wanted to. Things just didn't go their way. I think they are coming back with a resolve. I really do. That's going to be a heck of a game."
Saturday's action will start at noon with a two quarter junior varsity tilt between the Yellowjackets and the Tigers.
The consolation game is set for 1 p.m. with the championship to follow.
"We had to put some new things in we're implementing," coach Sauro added. "We'll be ready to roll on Friday night. Our kids are anxious to play."
This will mark the 26th year of the tournament. It was held for the first time in 1995 as the Yellowjacket Shootout.
"We use it every year as a barometer to see where we are," said the coach. "We just thought we'd be able to have a couple games under our belt, but that's not going to happen.
"Attitudes are good and everything is positive. I've been a little bit antsy trying to get everything ready, but the kids have been great. They've been great."
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com