Princeton uses height to snap 14-game skid

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on January 11, 2016 1:48 PM

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By RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

SEVEN SPRINGS -- Out-sized in the paint on occasion this season, Princeton finally had the advantage Friday evening.

Boy, did the Bulldogs use it.

Grey McCoy pumped in a team- and career-high 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the Bulldogs' 76-69 conquest of Carolina 1-A Conference rival Spring Creek at "The Swamp" on Friday evening.

Fellow "bigs" Austin Sullivan and Adrian Whack combined for 30 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots.

The trio helped Princeton erase a frustrating 0-14 start to this season and end a 16-game skid overall that began toward the end of 2015.

"We knew that coming in we had the size advantage, so we had to look for our post players and I happened to be the one to get the touches (early)," McCoy said.

The senior knocked down 13 first-quarter points and converted a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays, which helped the Bulldogs build a 12-point lead.

Spring Creek answered with 25 second-quarter points and seized its just its second lead of the half, 36-35, on a technical foul free throw. The Gators carried that one-point margin into halftime.

McCoy said PHS head coach Jeff Davis encouraged his team to duplicate the first quarter when it dominated the post, made the extra pass and scrambled after loose balls.

The Bulldogs followed their coach's advice.

Demarcus Ellis drained a pair of field goals, Landon Futrelle swished a 3-pointer and Sullivan connected on an offensive putback -- all within the first 90 seconds of the third quarter.

"The very last thing I said coming out of the locker room was the first three minutes are the most important (of the third quarter) and we have to start strong," SC head coach Taylor Jones said. "I don't know how we started flat. I think that's just being young."

Princeton eventually scored 13 of the first 15 points.

"That's a big confident boost, especially about the talk of coming out hard," McCoy said. "To actually do it and see it pay off, it helped us finish the game strong."

Spring Creek (2-12 overall, 1-4 CC) closed the gap to 68-64 and 72-69 within a 14-second stretch on drives from Najee Young and DeVante Williams. Teammates Jamerion Dawson and Landon Smothers each buried a 3-pointer during those scoring spurts.

McCoy dropped in a free throw with 16.9 seconds left and Sullivan's open-court layup off of a long inbounds pass from Futrelle squelched any further hopes of an SC comeback.

Princeton owned a decisive 47-29 edge on the glass and logged 18 team assists on 26 made field goals.

"Our bigs, that was the difference in the game," Davis said.

Najee Young pumped in a game-high 24 points for the Gators, who endured their sixth consecutive loss. Dominique Morse knocked down 16 points, while Jamerion Dawson provided 11 points.