Newton Citizen

The Rockdale boys basketball team picked up its first victory of the season Tuesday night at Winder-Barrow, while the Heritage boys suffered their first defeat in the Jefferson Thanksgiving Tournament.

In girls action, Salem made an impressive debut in Region 8-AAAA with an easy win at Habersham Central.

BOYS

Rockdale 72, Winder-Barrow 69

At Winder, Nate Gissentanner had 19 points and eight rebounds as the Bulldogs (1-1) evened their early season record by winning their first matchup of the season against a Region 8-AAAA foe.

Julius Giles added 15 points for Rockdale, while Kevin Ware chipped in 11 points and five assists.

The Bulldogs return to action today, traveling to face Stephenson at 7 p.m. in Stone Mountain. Rockdale also plays at home against Forest Park at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Collins Hill 51, Heritage 49

At Jefferson, Shakeem Mitchell tossed in 16 points and Justin Jones chipped in 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Patriots (1-1).

"It was a tough loss," Heritage coach Ron Bradley said. "We took the lead a couple times in the fourth quarter and felt like we had a chance to win the game. But we didn't do a very good job of taking care of the basketball, and that's what hurt us in the end."

The Patriots will play Franklin County in the Jefferson Tournament at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Heritage opened the tournament with a 75-30 victory over host Jefferson.

GIRLS

Salem 85, Habersham Central 52

At Mount Airy, senior Precious Elkins tallied a team-high 28 points and 12 rebounds as the Lady Seminoles cruised to victory in their first Region 8-AAAA matchup of the season.

Ariel Wynter chipped in 23 points and nine boards for Salem.

In other girls action, Heritage fell 71-38 to Collins in the second round of the Jefferson Tournament. The Lady Patriots play at 4 p.m. Saturday .

No details were reported on the Rockdale and Winder-Barrow game.