GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Princeton tops Rosewood in Carolina 1A tourney final

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

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bcoley@newsargus.com

CALYPSO -- Princeton's Jazmaine McCain looked on from the bench, eagerly waiting her turn.

The senior was saddled with three fouls in the first half, so Bulldogs' head coach Paula Wooten decided to sit her the entire third quarter against Rosewood on Friday evening.

Then the final period came, the 6-foot center wasted no time letting the Eagles know she had returned. McCain recorded eight points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in the final quarter, leading Princeton to a 49-30 victory and the Carolina 1-A Conference tournament title.

"My thought process was we could keep a decent lead and then I was going to keep (McCain) for the fourth quarter," Wooten said. "For one thing, she was fresh. I know I didn't want her to get four fouls."

Princeton boasted a 25-10 edge at halftime.

However, with McCain on the bench, the Eagles started to break down the Bulldogs' defense. Rosewood outscored Princeton 13-8 in the third quarter and forced six turnovers. The Bulldogs' lead shrunk to 33-23 entering the final stanza.

On the Eagles' first possession of the fourth quarter, McCain stepped in front of a lackadaisical pass and dribbled to the rim for a basket. She followed up the momentum-swinging score with a blocked shot during the ensuing possession.

"(McCain) was huge," Wooten said. "She just went in with a lot of energy. She sat on the bench and saw how things were going wrong ...She came in determined that she was going to make a difference, and she did."

Rosewood could find no answers on the offensive end with McCain commanding the middle. The Eagles mustered only nine points in the final quarter.

When the Eagles did have opportunities, they couldn't convert -- the team went 0 for 11 from the free throw line in the final eight minutes.

Though they had chances, Rosewood head coach Tee Wooten attributed his team's deficit to the foul disparity.

"Early in the game, the fouls were one-sided," Wooten said. "And I said it last time we played them, and I'll say it again. When the fouls are one-sided, what can you do? It got a little bit better in the second half, but in the first half, the fouls were one-sided."

McCain finished the game with 11 points and 21 rebounds. Princeton's Jordan Benson added 10 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

Payton Lane and Nekia Williams paced Rosewood with eight points apiece. The Eagles' leading scorer, Braylee Butts, scored just three points.

Princeton enters the state playoffs riding a 13-game winning streak. More importantly, Wooten said the Bulldogs finished the conference season letting everyone know who truly belonged at the top.

"I think sometimes you win the regular season and people may think, oh well that's a fluke," Wooten said. "But when you come in here and win the tournament as well, I think that kind of makes a statement."