Prep basketball -- Gator boys topple Union

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on December 14, 2004 1:57 PM

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SEVEN SPRINGS -- Offensively, 17 points is simply another good night for Spring Creek senior guard Josh Bishop.

A key block by Bishop on the defensive end against Union helped make Monday night even better for he and some hot-shooting, Gator teammates.

The block started a fourth-quarter assault that turned the tide quickly as Spring Creek outscored the Spartans 32-12 in the final period to win 78-63 at home.

"It doesn't take much sometimes to get things started," Gator boys coach Sonny Kilpatrick said. "Josh (Bishop) got 17 points, not a season-high by any means, but he factored in the ball game. He got some good assists and steered the defense towards him.

"After the good block, we got some momentum and got into our running game."

The Gator girls looked poised to pick up their first win of the season under first-year coach Mandy Ramjford, until Union's Brambley Stanley stole an errant inbounds pass and converted a lay-up with less than a minute left in overtime to give her team a one-point lead. The Spartans eventually held on for a nail-biting, 48-44 victory.

Spring Creek, a team with just one senior, erased a 24-16 halftime deficit in the girls game as the lead see-sawed through the second half. Brittany Billups led the Gators with 15 points, while Tomeka Pride chipped in 14.

"Our record really doesn't show what we are made of," Spring Creek coach Mandy Ramfjord said. "The first few games we got blown out , but that's just being a young team."

In the boys game, Chris Wright led a quartet of Gators in double figures with a career-high 28 points, along with 10 assists and three steals. With six three-pointers, Wright paced a Gator backcourt that combined for 12 makes from behind the arch. Five of Wright's three's were in the fourth.

Cliff Wilson added three, while Dalreese Bell drilled two and Bishop added one.

Speaking of threes, Union's Zack Honeycutt drained five of the Spartans eight in a game that saw both teams consistently match each other until the final four minutes. All of Honeycutt's points came on three-pointers, while teammate Rodleck Beatty added 12 points down low.

Undersized against Beatty, Gator center Mychael King provided 14 points and nine rebounds, including an eight-point second period that proved to be the offensive bright spot in a sluggish first half. King scored only once after intermission, but his rousing, one-handed dunk on a dish from Wright seemed to give his team a huge lift with just under two minutes left in the third period.

"That might have been the beginning," Kilpatrick said. "It got the crowd in the game and might have been the beginning of the comeback."

Bishop had a balanced effort, finishing with four rebounds, three steals and three blocks to go with 17 points. Bell added five rebounds.

Both girls' teams had their fair share of chances to take control of the game, but turnovers plagued both through the contest. Union finished with 29 turnovers, while Spring Creek had 26. However, the Spartans had just one turnover in overtime and outscored the home team 11-7.

The Gators failed to make a basket in the extra period, but Anna Potter drilled five-of-six from the free throw line to help keep her team within striking distance. Pride added two-of-two at the line with 1:30 left to put Spring Creek up 44-41, but Union finished the game on a 7-0 run on its way to its third win of the season.

"She (Potter) stepped up and was a big plus for us tonight," Ramjford said. "Patryce Pounds stepped up on defense. Defense is going to win games for us, and I think the girls are starting to buy into that."

The Gators travel to Newton Grove on Friday to face Hobbton in non-conference action.

Girls game

Union 7 17 6 7 11 -- 48

Spring Creek 11 5 12 9 7 -- 44

UNION (3-2)

Markeisha Beatty 2 0 2-2 6, Lynn Lanier 1 0 2-2 4, Brambley Stanley 6 0 4-13 16, Jennifer Bright 2 2 4-6 14, Kim West 2 0 0-0 4, Leslie Bass 1 0 0-0 2, Jasmine Underwood 1 0 0-0 2, Danielle Davis 0 0 0-2 0. TOTALS -- 15 2 12-25 48.

SPRING CREEK (0-7)

Brittany Billups 5 0 5-6 15, Barbara Witherington 1 0 0-0 2, Anna Potter 0 0 6-8 6, Tomeka Pride 4 0 6-11 14, Margo Sauter 0 0 0-6 0, Patryce Pounds 1 0 0-2 2, Troia Morgan 1 1 0-0 5. TOTALS -- 12 1 17-33 44.

Three-point baskets -- Union 2 (Bright 2), Spring Creek 1 (Morgan). Turnovers -- Union 29, Spring Creek 26. Total fouls -- Union 18, Spring Creek 25. Fouled out -- Davis, Billups, Potter, Morgan. Technical fouls -- none.

Boys game

Union 9 19 23 12 -- 63

Spring Creek 16 12 18 32 -- 78

UNION (1-4)

Antonio McKoy 2 1 1-1 8, Dusty Weeks 0 2 0-0 6, Zack Honeycutt 0 5 0-0 15, Lamont Lamb 1 0 0-0 2, Alfred Williams 1 0 0-0 2, Lorenzo Becton 3 0 3-4 9, Shamarrow Henry 2 0 0-0 4, Dedrick Stringfield 2 0 1-1 5, Rodleck Beatty 5 0 2-3 12. TOTALS -- 11 8 7-9 63.

SPRING CREEK (6-1)

Josh Bishop 6 1 2-2 17, Chris Wright 4 6 2-3 28, Cliff Wilson 1 3 0-0 11, Dalreese Bell 1 2 0-0 8, Mychael King 7 0 0-0 14. TOTALS -- 19 12 4-5 78.

Three-point baskets -- Union 8 (Honeycutt 5, Weeks 2, McKoy 1) Spring Creek 12 (Wright 6, Wilson 3, Bell 2, Bishop). Turnovers -- Union 16, Spring Creek 11. Total fouls -- Union 11, Spring Creek 10. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.