Spring Creek survives DSA in extra session
By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on December 29, 2009 1:50 PM
KENLY -- It took four extra minutes to decide the game between Spring Creek and Durham School of the Arts, but when the smoke cleared the Gators walked away with a hard-fought victory.
Spring Creek scored 26 points in the fourth quarter and forced overtime en route to a 66-64 win in the opening round of the North/South Christmas Classic at North Johnston High School on Monday.
Early in the contest it appeared that the Gators were in for a long afternoon.
Poor perimeter defense and a lack of intensity on the boards allowed the Bulldogs to seize a 21-4 lead after one period.
"We came out and were really flat," Spring Creek head coach Taylor Jones said. "It was like we were in zombie land. We weren't getting any of the hustle plays that we need to be successful."
After a slow start to the second quarter, the Gators cut the Bulldogs' lead to 29-23. The momentum turned toward the Spring Creek sideline and renewed the teams' hopes.
The squads traded baskets throughout an even third quarter, but foul trouble mounted for Durham School of the Arts and a short bench began to be exposed. As the pace picked up so did the Spring Creek (5-3 overall) offense.
Melvin Deveaux was the beneficiary of the break-neck tempo. The Gators' guard scored 10 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter before fouling out.
"We need to play at that pace all the time," said Jones. "I realize that teams are going to try to slow the game down against us, but no matter what speed our opponent plays we need to play fast."
With his team down 58-57, Adam Haggerty knocked down two free throws. After a Bulldog
Continued from 1B
turnover, John Midgette added two more baskets from the foul line to increase the Gators' lead to three points.
On his team's final possession, Brandon Shaw rolled around a screen and calmly buried a deep 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
In the extra session it was Haggerty's defense and Anthony Green's offense that pushed the Gators out in front. Green sank a putback to give Spring Creek a 66-64 advantage and Haggerty blocked the Bulldogs final shot attempt of the game as time expired.
"Adam has the potential to be a very good player for this team," said Jones. "The biggest thing for him as a sophomore is to gain experience and to work hard in the weight room to get stronger."
Haggerty finished with 10 points and five blocks. Green and Midgette each added nine points in the victory.
Spring Creek will be back in action tonight in the semi-finals of the bracket at 8 p.m.