BOYS' BASKETBALL: Gators topple Tigers, win Carolina 1A tourney

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on February 18, 2017 11:06 PM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

CALYPSO -- Spring Creek head coach Taylor Jones felt the energy ooze out of his team Friday night during pre-game shoot around.

The Gators were locked in -- more so than he had ever seen. It was so extreme, that Jones urged his players to calm down in fear of too much excitement.

But titles cannot be won without passion.

And the Carolina 1-A Conference tournament championship is no exception. The Gators emptied their emotional tanks in a thrilling 73-69 triumph over James Kenan.

"I knew they were going to have (fight)," Jones said. "Because last week (against James Kenan) we didn't have fight...Our practice the day before yesterday was phenomenal... At shoot around they were locked in and they were beautiful (Friday night)."

The opening half was played at a blistering pace, with each team exchanging haymakers. Neither team led by more than five points in the first 16 minutes.

The Gators led 36-33 at halftime.

Jones said the energy he witnessed before the game never wavered in the locker room. It may have actually increased as the game progressed.

Spring Creek left its locker room with the intent of imposing its will. The Gators did so via a 13-2 run to start the third quarter.

"Just do what we've been doing all year," said Taylor, describing his halftime speech. "We've done a good job this year of starting third quarters. It's an experienced group that's been through a lot. All day long they've just been riding a high. At halftime, they were locked in and ready to go."

The Tigers would not go down quietly. In the fourth quarter, James Kenan used a spurt of its own to cut the Gators' lead to 58-55.

Spring Creek managed to keep James Kenan at bay until the foul carousel began. And when that happened, all the Gators on the court knew what to do.

Get the ball to Landon Smothers.

The sophomore went 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the final minutes of the game, effectively sealing the Gators' title victory.

"I told the boys in the locker room, I don't single out. But I would be wrong not to single (Smothers) out," Jones said. "That took big guts to stand up there and knock down those free throws in a pressure situation."

Najee Young paced Spring Creek with 18 points and also added five rebounds. Smothers recorded 14 points and seven rebounds.

Jones said he couldn't be more proud of how his team responded against adversity late in the game.

The veteran coach believed Friday night's game was an excellent way to prepare for the palpable tension that comes with state playoffs.

"It was a great experience," Taylor said. "Like I told them, if you can play through that, with all that intensity and all that pressure, you can play through anything."