Spring Creek and Princeton girls advance to semifinals

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on February 14, 2006 2:26 PM

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PRINCETON -- Spring Creek forward Brittani Billups has shot thousands of backyard layups with her father Brian.

It's the simplest shot in basketball, but she knows that in the Carolina 1-A conference tournament, no shot is a gimme.

Especially with North Duplin players Sierra Ward and Lauren Blackmore in her face.

Especially with Spring Creek coach Mandy Ramfjord screaming "box out" over the chanting cheerleaders.

And, especially with her team down by two with just two seconds left in the game.

Despite all that, Billups only thought of her father drilling her on a thousand more layups -- what would have happened if she had missed -- as she scooped up a loose ball and tossed in the shot that sent the game into overtime at 47-47.

Billups' shot gave Spring Creek -- which fought back from a seven-point deficit with five minutes left in regulation -- a chance to win its first-ever conference tournament game.

The Lady Gators scored five points in the first minute of overtime and held on for a 53-50 win.

"I knew that if I went home without making that basket, I was going to hear it from my father," said Billups, who led all scorers with 19 points. "So I had to make that basket for my father and for Spring Creek.

The instant the buzzer sounded, Vanity Brooks jumped off the bench and into Billups' arms.

The Spring Creek guard, whose right thumb was heavily taped due to an injury suffered against North Johnston last week, had missed two free throws with 18 seconds to play and the game tied at 45.

She fouled out just an instant later, as she tried to defend Ward. The foul sent Ward, who scored 17 points, to the foul line with 16 seconds to go. Ward made both of her free throws, setting up Billups' tying putback.

"My girls, they weren't going to give it up after that," Ramfjord said.

The extra period gave Spring Creek senior Tomeka Pride a chance to make an impact on the game, as she scored four points in the first 55 seconds.

"I guess I just knew that I had to put the ball in the hole," said Pride, who scored 14 points. "We were in overtime and the ball had to go in there."

Ramfjord said she used some tough love -- including calling a timeout early in the third quarter expressly to replace her starting five -- to get Pride into the flow of the game.

"I had to pull it out of her," she said. "I had to make her mad and then tell her 'everything's gonna be alright.' Sometimes you have to do that."

The tactic worked, as the Lady Gators went on a 9-2 run during a two-minute stretch of the third quarter to cut a 30-22 deficit to 32-31. Not coincidentally, that comeback came when North Duplin coach Danny Blackburn called off his full-court press.

Despite Pride's quick overtime baskets, the game was still in doubt when Billups stepped to the foul line with 14 seconds left and the Lady Gators ahead 52-50.

She missed the first shot, but made the second one after two practice wrist-flicks got her focused on the target.

In the night's second game, Princeton came back from five-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Ayden-Grifton 37-34. The Lady Bulldogs will face No. 2 seed North Johnston in their second round game on Wednesday.

Princeton took its first lead of the second half at 28-27 when Tiesha Williams hit a 10-footer to complete a 9-3 run with 2:59 to play.

The lead changed four more times, but Princeton went ahead for good at 35-34 when Sarah Gibbs scored off of a rebound with less than a minute to play.

Stephanie Daughtry iced the game at 37-34 with a 10-foot jumper from the right wing with 25 seconds to go. Daughtry scored five of her nine points in the final 2:05.

"The North Duplin coach (Danny Blackburn) said they're the best (winless) team in the state, and I agree with him," Princeton coach Rick Boyette said. "I feel fortunate to win the ball game."

Quarterfinal No. 1

Spring Creek 7 13 12 15 6 -- 53

North Duplin 7 15 12 13 3 -- 50

SPRING CREEK (5-6, 6-18)

Sarah Parks 1 0 1-4 3, Anna Potter 1 0 0-0 2, Tomeka Pride 7 0 0-1 14, Vanity Brooks 0 0 0-2 0, Brittani Billups 7 0 5-8 19, Shaquita Brooks 1 3 0-0 11, Tasha Whitfield 1 0 0-0 2, Maura Phipps 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 19 3 6-15 53.

NORTH DUPLIN (3-8, 7-10)

Rayanna Hargrove 1 0 0-0 2, Heather Hudson 1 0 1-4 3, Rebecca Coats 1 0 0-0 2, Jessica Pridgen 3 0 1-2 7, Jodie Williamson 1 1 2-4 7, Sierra Ward 6 0 5-6 17, Lauren Blackmore 3 2 0-1 12. TOTALS -- 16 3 9-16 50.

3-point goals - Spring Creek 3 (Brooks 3), North Duplin 3 (Blackmore 2, Williamson). Total Fouls - Spring Creek 19, North Duplin 17. Turnovers - Spring Creek 34, North Duplin 31. Fouled out - Brooks, Potter. Technicals: None.

Quarterfinal No. 2

Princeton 9 8 2 18 -- 37

Ayden-Grifton 7 12 4 11 -- 34

PRINCETON (5-5, 14-9)

Stephanie Daughtry 4 0 1-1 9, Amber Wood 1 0 0-2 2, Brittany Baker 1 0 0-0 2, C.C. Sanders 4 0 2-2 10, Tiesha Williams 2 0 0-2 4, Sarah Gibbs 3 0 1-2 7, Cynthia Peedin 1 0 1-2 3. TOTALS -- 16 0 5-11 37.

AYDEN-GRIFTON (0-11, 0-21)

Krystal Williams 0 0 2-4 2, Lakowya West 1 0 2-2 4, Julia Blue 0 0 1-2 1, Cierra Myers 3 0 0-4 6, Erin Savidge 1 0 3-8 5, Tierra Johnson 6 0 4-8 16. TOTALS -- 11 0 12-28 34.

3-point goals -- None. Total Fouls -- Princeton 20, Ayden-Grifton 13.Turnovers -- Princeton 16, Ayden-Grifton 15. Fouled out -- West. Technicals: None.