Hawk girls stay in EPC 2-A title hunt

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 11, 2004 2:01 PM

• Print
• Email

LAGRANGE -- Upset by its performance nearly three weeks ago at SouthWest Edgecombe, the North Lenoir girls basketball team used that as motivation in Tuesday's rematch at Wooten Gymnasium.

The Lady Hawks held the Lady Cougars scoreless in the final 4 1/2 minutes and exacted revenge with a 46-37 victory before a Senior Night crowd. They dealt SouthWest its first defeat in Class 2-A Eastern Plains Conference action and forced a tie atop the league standings at 8-1.

Should the teams remain tied after their respective regular-season finales on Friday night, a coin flip will determine the No. 1 seed for the EPC tournament. Whoever advances farther or wins the tournament secures the No. 1 seed and an opening-round bye in the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Hawk boys moved within a game of clinching at least a share of the EPC regular-season championship with an 84-53 win. North Lenoir and North Pitt each stand 7-2 in conference play.

"They were ready," North Lenoir girls coach Wayne Floyd said. "They've had blood in their eyes the last couple of days. They wanted to come out and prove that this is their house, and at least take a tie for first place."

North Lenoir, ranked No. 5 in Tuesday's ihigh.com poll, snapped SouthWest Edgecombe's 12-game win streak. The Lady Cougars lost their first road game since blowing a double-digit lead Dec. 26 against Northwest Halifax in a Christmas tournament at Tarboro.

Floyd is in position to grab his first conference title since 1986 when the Hawks competed in the now-defunct Coastal 3-A Conference. Floyd said that the school won a Coastal title in the 1990s when Anna Spear was head coach.

The victory denied the Cougars their first outright crown since 1997 when they competed in the Big Eight 3-A Conference.

"I told them you're a young team and we had been winning so easily at one time, that the teams the second time around are more better and ready for you," SouthWest coach Sandra Langley said. "You've got to be up."

The Hawks (21-2) played physical in their fulcrum zone press and trapped out of their halfcourt zone. While the press didn't force many turnovers and lead to transition baskets, they also benefited from the Cougars' impatience on offense.

SouthWest played passive and endured a 12-minute scoring drought. By halftime the visitors had more turnovers (16) than points (10). The guards, which outscored the Hawks' backcourt 48-16 in their previous meeting, didn't create any scoring opportunities against the zone.

"If they were going to beat us, they had to shoot the ball ... not penetrate and do the razzle-dazzle they did to us up there," Floyd said. "Our 22 trap gave them some problems. We didn't take it away from them, but they threw it away.

"They didn't try to beat us on the penetration dribble and that played to our advantage. Our girls didn't give up."

Even when the Cougars (16-7) took a four-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Hawks didn't stop playing. Tier Broadie, Katy Maloney, Shannon Plymouth and Lonnie Jones each hit key baskets in a game-ending 13-0 run.

Jones tallied 10 points and came up with key back-to-back steals which sealed SouthWest's fate and ended its five-game, road win streak. Jones finished with a game-high 20 points, including 12 in the second half.

"Sometimes, losses can be blessings in disguise," Langley said. "For a young team, maybe they were getting a little bit big-headed. They got a reality check now."

SouthWest's boys hit five of their first six shots and stayed within striking distance after one quarter. But North Lenoir's athleticism and Jamie Mason's outstanding work on the perimeter enabled the Hawks to grab a 10-point lead at intermission.

Hawks coach Charlie Stevens prodded his team to increase its intensity in the second half, and it did. North Lenoir broke the game open with a 24-9 run and never wavered en route to its 19th victory of the season.

"I asked the kids to come out and have a workman-like attitude," Stevens said. "I just wanted to build on last week and fortunately we were able to. We're playing real well and you always want to start playing good about this time of year.

"We're finally hitting our peak."

Mason delivered 11 assists and buried a pair of 3-pointers. As a team, the Hawks recorded 25 assists on 32 field goals, including nine on successful 3-point baskets.

John Cobb hit nine field goals and collected a game-best 21 points. Leon Best added a double-double -- 21 points, 10 rebounds. Kevin Lee provided 17 points, including three third-quarter dunks which sent the Hawk Krazies into a frenzy.

Jarrett Eason led three Cougars in double figures with 15. Brandon Mabry contributed 12, while Kendrick Thorne knocked down 10.

Girls

SW Edgecombe 7 3 17 10 -- 37

North Lenoir 10 7 11 18 -- 46

SW EDGECOMBE (16-7, 8-1 EPC)

Tamara Hyman 2 1 2-4 9, Dominique Hudson 3 2 0-0 12, Monique Hudson 1 0 0-0 2, Tracey Edwards 5 0 0-0 10, Tahara Epps 1 0 0-2 2, Jamie Fisher 0 0 0-0 0, Geya Norwood-Shaw 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 13 3 2-4 37.

NORTH LENOIR (21-2, 8-1)

LeMonica Rasberry 0 0 0-0 0, Tiera Broadie 1 1 0-0 5, Shannon Plymouth 5 0 0-0 10, Sade Jones 0 0 0-0 0, Chanee Lynch 2 0 2-4 6, Lonnie Jones 9 0 2-7 20, Katy Maloney 1 0 0-0 2, Tammy Moye 1 0 1-2 3. TOTALS -- 19 1 5-13 46.

Three-point baskets -- North Lenoir 1 (Broadie), SW Edgecombe 3 (D. Hudson 2, Hyman). Turnovers -- SW Edgecombe 30, North Lenoir 14. Total fouls -- SW Edgecombe 15, North Lenoir 10. Fouled out -- none. Technicals -- none.

Boys

SW Edgecombe 14 14 9 16 -- 53

North Lenoir 21 17 23 23 -- 84

SW EDGECOMBE (8-15, 2-7)

Taurence Dickens 0 0 0-0 0, Cedric Hopkins 1 0 0-0 2, Brandon Mabry 3 2 0-0 12, Taquaris Pearce 2 0 0-2 4, Isaac Johnson 0 0 0-0 0, Josh Boseman 0 0 0-2 0, Jarrett Eason 4 1 4-4 15, Linwan Ewell 4 0 0-0 8, Kendrick Thorne 4 0 2-2 10, Jackson Perry 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 19 3 6-10 53.

NORTH LENOIR (19-4, 7-2)

John Cobb 6 3 0-0 21, Jamie Mason 0 2 0-0 6, Leon Best 3 4 2-2 20, Justin Dunn 2 1 0-2 7, E.J. Brown 1 0 0-0 2, Samuel Edwards 2 0 0-2 4, Omar Jones 1 0 0-0 2, C.J. Sherrod 0 0 0-0 0, Calvin Super 0 0 2-2 2, Kevin Lee 6 0 5-6 17, Russell Rouse 1 0 1-2 3. TOTALS -- 22 10 10-16 84.

Three-point baskets -- North Lenoir 10 (Best 4, Cobb 3, Mason 2, Dunn); SW Edgecombe 3 (Mabry 2, Eason). Turnovers -- SW Edgecombe 26, North Lenoir 11. Total fouls -- SW Edgecombe 14, North Lenoir 12. Fouled out -- none. Technicals -- none.