Hawks deliver knockout punch

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 30, 2005 2:00 PM

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LaGRANGE -- Third-year Spring Creek men's basketball coach Sonny Kilpatrick is beginning to think he's a glutton for punishment.

Take a look at the Gators' non-conference schedule and you'll understand why. Kilpatrick's team has played several heavyweights this season, but none seemed more impressive than perennial Class 2-A power North Lenoir on Thursday evening.

Omar Jones tallied a game-high 26 points and the Hawks turned a three-possession game into an 85-63 rout on day one of the 2005 Kinston Free Press Invitational at Wooten Gymnasium. North Lenoir defends its Invitational title today against West Craven at 8 p.m.

The Gator women didn't fare much better.

North Lenoir utilized its patented 1-2-1-1 fullcourt press and forced Spring Creek into numerous turnovers in a 58-23 victory. The Hawks, the reigning Invitational champions, oppose West Craven at 6 p.m. today.

Spring Creek faces fellow Wayne County opponent Eastern Wayne in the consolation games. Play begins at 2 p.m. with the men's game immediately following.

"I keep asking myself why did I sign up to play Southern Wayne twice this year?" said a grinning Kilpatrick. "Why am I in this tournament? North Lenoir is always strong and my guys fought hard ... played hard.

"The first half we had a lot of easy shots that weren't falling, but we were rushing them a little bit because they were a little taller."

The Gators, who endured their seventh consecutive loss, dictated the tempo by playing a solid halfcourt game in the opening quarter. Kilpatrick's squad trailed 17-14 and prevented the Hawks from extending the lead for nearly two-thirds of the second quarter.

However, a couple of quick turnovers and missed shots allowed the Hawks to jump start their transition offense. Jones and Adrian Brewer combined for 12 points to give North Lenoir a 38-29 lead at halftime.

Spring Creek stayed within striking distance at 58-50 late in the third quarter. The Hawks tallied two quick scores off turnovers and in what seemed like the blink of an eye for Kilpatrick, North Lenoir had grabbed a 20-point lead three minutes into the final period.

"I look up on the board and they've got 74 points," said Kilpatrick, who is 0-3 all-time in Invitational play. "It was just that quick. Their press hurt us. I've got some guards who are decent, but I don't have the point guard I had last year.

"I knew going into the game that if we couldn't stop their fast break, we couldn't stop them."

Dalreese Bell led three Gators in double figures with 24 points. Josh Wright added 13, including a 5 of 5 effort at the free throw line. Senior Cliff Wilson provided 11, including nine in the second half.

Brewer and Emmanuel Rosber complemented Jones' effort with 18 and 16 points, respectively, for the Hawks. North Lenoir is 5-0 all-time in the Invitational's three-year history.

In the women's game, North Lenoir forced 15 first-quarter turnovers and claimed a 21-3 lead. Katie Maloney and Carla Miller combined for 19 points during that stretch as the Hawks eventually claimed their 10th victory of the season.

"The first quarter always hurts us. I don't know why," said second-year Gators coach Mandy Ramfjord, whose team slipped to 1-11. "North Lenoir has better guards than mine."

Maloney finished with 26 points, while Miller pumped in 16.

Sophomore forward Brittani Billups came off the bench to tally eight points and grab a team-high 15 rebounds for the Gators. Vanity Brooks contributed seven points and three rebounds.

Tomeka Pride added four points and 10 rebounds.

Girls game

Spring Creek 3 4 11 5 -- 23

North Lenoir 21 13 16 8 -- 58

SPRING CREEK (1-11)

Brittani Billups 3 0 2-7 8, S. Brooks 0 0 0-0 0, Vanity Brooks 0 1 4-4 7, Ford 0 0 1-2 1, Parks 0 0 0-0 0, Maura Phipps 0 0 0-0 0, Anna Potter 1 0 0-0 2, Janet Potter 0 0 1-2 1, Tomeka Pride 1 0 2-2 4, Margo Sauter 0 0 0-0 0, Tasha Whitfield 0 0 0-1 0. TOTALS -- 5 1 10-18 23.

NORTH LENOIR (10-1)

Tiara Boynes 1 0 0-0 2, Gabrielle Hill 1 0 0-0 2, Brittany McPhail 1 0 0-3 2, Keshonnia Miller 2 0 0-0 4, Katie Maloney 9 0 8-11 26, Sheminia Lynch 0 0 0-0 0, Lashura Spruill 2 0 0-0 4, Helena Davis 0 0 0-0 0, Briana Brignoni 1 0 0-2 2, Carla Miller 5 2 0-0 16. TOTALS -- 22 2 8-16 58.

Three-point goals -- S. Creek 1 (V. Brooks), N. Lenoir 2 (Miller 2). Total fouls -- S. Creek 14, N. Lenoir 14. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- Spruill.

Boys game

Spring Creek 14 15 21 13 -- 63

North Lenoir 17 21 24 23 -- 85

SPRING CREEK (4-8)

Cliff Wilson 1 2 3-4 11, Dalreese Bell 2 5 5-8 24, Josh Wright 4 0 5-5 13, Desmund Raeford 2 0 1-2 5, Daniel Chewning 4 0 0-0 8, David Harris 1 0 0-0 2, Orlando Hamilton 0 0 0-0 0, Daniel Correll 0 0 0-2 0, Carsheme Ruffin 0 0 0-0 0, Lucas Potter 0 0 0-0 0, Phillip Williams 0 0 0-0 0, Cody Rose 0 0 0-0 0. TOTALS -- 14 7 14-21 63.

NORTH LENOIR (8-3)

Adrian Brewer 5 2 2-2 18, Eddie Cox 1 0 0-2 2, Emmanuel Rosber 8 0 2-3 16, Dusty Davis 0 0 0-0 0, Sam Edwards 2 0 1-3 5, Omar Jones 9 0 8-10 25, Joshua Hines 1 0 1-2 3, Jackie Sutton 2 0 0-0 4, Chris Artis 0 0 1-2 1, Adrian Madry 0 0 3-6 3, Andrew Manning 0 0 0-0 0, Marcus Batts 0 0 0-0 0, Eric Edge 1 0 1-2 3. TOTALS -- 30 2 18-34 85.

Three-point goals -- S. Creek 7 (Bell 5, Wilson 2), N. Lenoir 2 (Brewer 2). Turnovers -- S. Creek 19, N. Lenoir 15. Total fouls -- S. Creek 20, N. Lenoir 19. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.