GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Spring Creek gambles, gathers victory

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on January 28, 2017 11:11 PM

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jhayes@newsargus.com

SEVEN SPRINGS -- It's official. The Charlie Cotten Gang is right with the house again.

His varsity girls' basketball outfit, two days removed from a stinging, last-second loss to rival Princeton, played all the right cards Friday night to slip past Carolina 1-A leader Neuse Charter, 43-38, in a see-saw, whistle-heavy contest the resembled more than anything an old West-inspired battle of nerves.

The triumph moved the Lady Gators to 10-8 overall on the season, and 7-3 in tests of league significance.

Both teams struggled to find offensive rhythm in the first half, fumbling easy looks around the basket and accumulating turnovers at a rapid clip.

Moreover, SC found foul trouble -- significant foul trouble.

Junior Jordan Lane -- who figured prominently in Cotten's 1-3-1 zone defense of Neuse Charter forward McKenna Kersat -- fouled out with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter, leaving Cotten with limited options down a bench that extends just four Gators deep.

So he gambled with freshman center Belinda Carson.

"She's been working hard," Cotten noted, "and has bounds of energy... she tries her best to what you ask her to do, and got a lot of important rebounds for us."

Carson steadied the middle for SC, grabbing board upon board and allowing senior forward Destiney Sutton to scare up the formation of a rally that provided a shot of life to the green-and-blue.

At the break, Neuse Charter held a 19-18 advantage.

Spring Creek then found its rhythm in a back-and-forth third period, getting four points apiece from Carson, sophomore Ivey Rouse and the versatile Sutton.

Their revival provided the Gators with a 33-32 lead with eight minutes to play.

But Neuse Charter, however, refused to go quietly.

Paced by Kersat, the Cougars at last found their touch from the field and created a slim advantage before the junior fouled out with nearly three minutes remaining.

Which is precisely when Cotten played his ace.

Trailing 38-37 with just over a minute left in regulation, the Gators created a turnover out of a scrambled defensive package that led to a layup by senior Ashley Marriner.

Her basket was followed by another from Sutton, and when Carson finally cleaned the glass on a series of hurried Neuse Charter field goal attempts, it was over.

Marriner iced matters with two cord-rips from the free throw line, completing the SC comeback and easing the disappointment it endured earlier in the week.

"That game that we lost to Princeton... was still kind of eating at us," Cotten said of the week that was, "and we talked about how that could help us. Having the heart and the guts to grind it out. They showed me tonight."

Carson finished with nine points and a season-high 23 rebounds. Sutton filed a 14-point outing, while Lane finished with seven points.

Kersat led Neuse Charter (16-5, 18-2) with 14 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Junior guard Lacey Jones contributed 11 points.

The Gators, now one of four teams with seven Carolina 1-A wins, host new league-leader Princeton on Tuesday night.

Tip-off is 6 p.m.