PLAYOFFS: Mariners' defense, rebounding bothers Gators

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 24, 2016 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

rcoggins@newsargus.com

BEAUFORT -- The heavy wooden door squeaked as Spring Creek head varsity girls' basketball coach Charlie Cotten opened it and emerged from the locker room Tuesday evening.

"That was tough," he said.

Downright physical and heart-wrenching, too.

Back in the postseason for the first time in six years, and just the third time overall in program history, the Gators could neither match East Carteret's tenacity on the boards nor contain its transition game.

The Mariners scored 20 points off offensive putbacks and could have purchased real estate at the free throw line during their 54-49, opening-round triumph in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A playoffs. East Carteret attempted 32 charity shots compared to nine for Spring Creek, and won a playoff game for the first time since 2012.

Cotten shook his head.

"They were just pounding the boards and pounding. That's really what got away from us," said Cotten, whose team lost the rebounding battle 52-28.

"Once they got the boards, they just ran out from us and we just couldn't (stop them). That initial (period) not being able to get the rebounds and even in some of the other quarters, they were getting three and four shots at the basket. If you can't rebound the ball, you can't win."

That wasn't the Gators' lone problem.

The 14th-seeded Mariners (13-11 overall) opened the game in a 1-3-1 defense that shied away from sharp-shooting Amber Buchan and trapped on the other side -- unless Buchan got her hands on the ball.

EC also played a triangle-and-two on either Buchan, Ashley Marriner or Destiney Sutton. Cotten implored for Sutton to take her defender one-on-one to the basket, but the speedy guard could never find an open lane to the basket.

"I think that worked well for us," Mariners coach Shelley Garner said of the triangle-and-two scheme. "It was to the point where they didn't feel like they could do what they wanted to do (offensively). If nothing, we had to target her (Buchan)."

Buchan ended the night with eight points.

The Mariners broke a 7-7 tie with a decisive 16-5 run during the final 4 1/2 minutes of the opening quarter. Kasey Waller and Monica Dixon each converted a traditional three-point play off an offensive putback.

Meghan Nyberg buried a couple of 3s off assists from Alyssa Garner and Nysheyl Godette in transition. Dixon and Nyberg combined for 26 points.

East Carteret continued to get extra opportunities on the boards and extended its lead to as many as 13 points in the second half. Spring Creek (12-14) chipped away at the deficit and pulled to within 53-49 on Teachey's layup off Buchan's steal and assist from midcourt late in the final period.

Cotten's team squandered two chances to either pull to within one possession or possibly tie the game. Nyberg's free throw with 1.4 seconds remaining sealed the outcome and ended the Gators' historical campaign.

The Gators' Tysha Teachey logged her 12th double-double -- 16 points, 10 rebounds -- of the season. Sutton knocked down 13 points and Marriner collected 10. Buchan concluded her prep career with 1,225 points.

"It is something to hang your hat on, but I'm not satisfied," Cotten said of the team's success. "I really wanted this for the girls. We had a very good season this year. I'm proud of the effort they gave. They kept fighting."