Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Basketball Classic Preview - Lovett vs. Cherokee Bluff (Boys)

In the second matchup of the 2025 Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Basketball Classic, the Lovett Lions will square off against the Cherokee Bluff Bears at Newton High School.

It will be a battle of postseason teams from a season ago as Lovett made it to the second round before losing to Mount Paran Christian in the Private Classification bracket and its opponent, Cherokee Bluff, losing in the first round to Peach County in the Class 3A postseason bracket.

Both programs are coming off strong performances from a season ago as Lovett finished 17-12 with a postseason berth and Cherokee Bluff finishing last season with an impressive 24-5 record as both teams finished third in their regions. The Bears won the Region 8-3A tournament championship and were awarded the No. 2-seed in the Class 3A postseason before being upset by Peach County early in the playoffs.

Lovett has played in five games this season and has won three, and lost two with wins over Collins Hill, Central-Carrollton and Greater Atlanta Christian. Cherokee Bluff has remained undefeated with a 4-0 record so far this season with victories over Rabun Gap, Lanier Christian Academy, Valdosta and Lambert.

The Lovett Lions are led by junior guard Cameron Cannon as he has picked up right where he left off a season ago. Cannon is coming off of a first-team all region selection a year ago and has only gotten better in the months leading up to the season. Cannon currently leads this year’s Lions in multiple important categories such as points, assists and steals per game. Cannon is averaging a team-high 21 points per game, three steals and three assists per game for the Lions making an impact in all facets of the game.

Lovett has gotten a boost from one of its newcomers on the team in freshman Phillip Claybrooks who has been a valuable addition to the Lions so far this season. Claybrooks is second on the team in points per game, averaging nine points a game so far this season and almost six rebounds per game proving to be a big contributor to the Lovett team.

For Cherokee Bluff, the Bears have a 14-man roster that is made up of seven seniors as the upperclassmen lead team has big aspirations for this season following the upset loss in the first round last year.

The seniors for Cherokee Bluff are Connor Robinson, Jordan Hayes, Cooper Glover, Alex Blurton, Bode Fisher, Andy Quirarte and Cooper Dean as they are all looking to right the wrongs from last season.

Both Glover and Dean provide great size for the Bears with both seniors standing at over 6-foot-5, and can impact the game in various ways with their height.

Glover has good size for a high school guard and has continued to impress thus far this season, recently receiving an offer from Berry College before the season started.

Both head coaches, Josh Travis (Cherokee Bluff) and Mike Harner (Lovett) know they will have their hands full with an intriguing early season matchup.

Lovett Roster

Head Coach: Mike Harner

1, Phillip Claybrooks, G, 9

2, Davis Kennedy, SG, 12

3, Benny Crane, G, 9

4, Hongyu Zhu, G, 11

5, Frank Shaifer, G, 12

10, Trey Sullivan, G, 11

11, Daniel Gadsden, W, 11

12, Cameron Cannon, G, 11

13, Dalil Carr, F, 11

20, Austin Stevens, F, 12

22, Hunter Silliman, F, 11

23, Biko Rice, SF, 12

34, Leyton Collins, C/PF, 10

Cherokee Bluff Roster

Head Coach: Josh Travis

0, Jathen Combs, PG, 11

1, Cole Brooks, PG/SG, 11

2, Connor Robinson, SG, 12

3, Jordan Hayes, PG/SG, 12

4, CJ Payne, PG/SG, 10

5, Luke Nordholz, PG/SG, 11

10, Aidan Williams, PG/SG, 9

11, Cooper Glover, PG/SG, 12

12, Tony Rushin, PG/SG, 11

13, Alex Blurton, SG, 12

14, Sean Kelly, PG/G, 10

15, Bode Fisher, PG/SG, 12

21, Andy Quirarte, SG/PG, 12

33, Cooper Dean, SF, 12

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