Rosewood jumps out fast on rival Princeton

By David Williams
Published in Sports on January 21, 2004 2:00 PM

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Getting off to a good start is such an important part of a basketball game, it is often mistaken for coach-speak when put into words.

Princeton's coaches and players understand the concept all too well.

Both Bulldog teams got off to horrid beginnings against arch-rival Rosewood Tuesday night, and the Eagles took complete control of the varsity games. The boys won their second straight Carolina 1-A Conference game in a 63-47 win, while the girls cruised to a 52-11 victory.

Both Princeton clubs opened their games in a struggle to find the hoop.

The boys did not score through the first quarter as Rosewood built a 19-0 lead, finally scratching on a Brandon Pate jumper at the 6:21 mark of the second period.

Rosewood was hitting on all cylinders. a pair of Kyle Bunn three-pointers got the Eagles going and the inside game, with center Kyle Grey and forward Taylor Carr, were open all night as Princeton could not match up with the hosts' size inside.

"We are being unselfish, looking for the open player," said Rosewood coach Daniel Mitchell. "Winning is now the important thing. I am pleased with how we came together."

A big key to the game was the play of Princeton's Karter Yutzy. The hot-shooting junior has struggled in his last few games, and Rosewood did him no favors by applying tight man-to-man defense that left Yutzy with only seven points through three quarters. Yutzy came on late to finish with a game-high 19 points.

"It wasn't anything Rosewood did," said Princeton coach Jeff Davis. "The last four or five games, he's not been himself. He's thinking too much. He feels the pressure to score."

Bunn and Grey each had 16 points to pace Rosewood, which has won two straight league games and goes to Farmville Central looking to gain more momentum.

Davis said his team, which was looking at the matchup as a playoff game, was not ready to play.

"I don't know how we couldn't be ready," he said. "This was like a playoff game to us, and against our biggest rival.

"We looked nervous."

Princeton's girls did not find a field goal in the first half, trailing 32-1 going into the locker room. After halftime, Nicole Hargis' 3-pointer put the Lady Bulldogs on the board, but far too late to make a dent in a large lead.

Rosewood, currently leading the Carolina Conference by a half-game over Farmville Central, used their pressure defense and good spot-shooting and board work to overwhelm their Johnston County neighbors.

"Its not easy to play with a big lead sometimes," said Lady Eagles coach Jerry Narron. "Sometimes you play in a way that's not meaningful. I thought our girls kept their focus all night."

Jessica Hill had 14 points to pace the homestanding Eagles, while Nikki Strawn added 10. Shanda White, who has been nursing an injury, came out of the game hobbling but returned to score four points -- and more importantly, good mobility.

Hargis and Heather Braswell had five points each to pace Princeton (0-10, 0-5).

Rosewood's girls, winners of 12 of their last 13 contests, now prepare for Friday's showdown of league leaders at Farmville.

"Farmville has set the standard for the Carolina 1-A Conference," said Narron. "They are one of the best teams in the state at any level, and we will get a good chance to see what kind of team we are."

Princeton now begins a brutal four game stretch of home games -- Thursday with Community Christian, Friday with Ayden-Grifton, Monday with Smithfield-Selma and Tuesday with Spring Creek.

Girls game

Princeton 1 0 6 4 -- 11

Rosewood 18 14 8 12 -- 52

PRINCETON (0-10, 0-5)

Nicole Hargis 1 1 0-3 5, Heather Braswell 1 1 0-0 5, Michelle Gray 0 0 1-4 1. TOTALS -- 2 2 1-7 11.

ROSEWOOD (12-1, 5-0)

Jessica Hill 6 0 2-2 14, Nikki Strawn 3 0 4-5 10, Stephanie Rhodes, 3 0 0-0 6, Shanita Monroe 2 0 1-2 5, Latitia Wade 2 0 0-2 4, Shanda White 2 0 0-0 4, Hannah Aycock 1 0 1-2 3, Clare Narron 1 0 1-2 3, Jennifer Boren 1 0 0-0 2, Sara Poole 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 22 0 9-15 52.

Three-point baskets -- Princeton 2 (Hargis, Braswell). Turnovers -- Princeton 32, Rosewood 15, Total fouls -- Princeton 8, Rosewood 10. Fouled out -- Atkinson. Technicals -- none.

Boys game

Princeton 0 16 12 19 -- 47

Rosewood 15 14 18 16 -- 63

PRINCETON (2-12, 0-5)

Karter Yutzy 4 2 5-5 19, Brandon Pate 3 2 0-1 12, Diandre Dublin 2 0 2-4 6, Bren Hall 0 1 0-0 3, Addison Gainey 1 0 1-3 3, Daniel Gerrell 1 0 1-4 3, Josh Thompson 0 0 -2 1. TOTALS -- 11 5 10-19 47.

ROSEWOOD (4-9, 2-3)

Kyle Bunn 3 3 1-1 16, Kyle Grey 7 0 2-6 16, Taylor Carr 3 0 1-2 7, Antell Richards 3 0 1-2 7, Javon WIlliams 2 0 0-0 4, Matt Hill 2 0 0-0 4, Dustin Overman 2 0 1-4 3, Matt Howell 0 1 0-0 3, Danny Langston 1 0 0-0 2, Michael Spriggs 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 23 4 7-16 63.

Three-point baskets -- Princeton 5 (Pate 2, Yutzy 2, Hall), Rosewood 4 (Bunn 3, Howell). Turnovers -- Princeton 20, Rosewood 20. Total fouls -- Princeton 14, Rosewood 19. Fouled out -- none. Technicals -- none.