GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Mariners knock off Bulldogs

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 24, 2017 9:57 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

PRINCETON -- PRINCETON -- Down by 13 with 11/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Princeton's heartbeat barely registered on the monitor.

The blip appeared.

Then disappeared.

Finally, the Bulldogs found some fight and resuscitated themselves in the fourth quarter. But 12th-seeded East Carteret fended off the charge and claimed a 39-29, second-round victory in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A girls' basketball playoffs Thursday evening.

The Mariners (18-5 overall) meet perennial power Martin Riverside, the state runner-up in 2014 and 2015, on Saturday.

"The girls played their hearts out, didn't quit and kept pushing," said PHS head coach Paula Wooten, who guided her team to 22 wins -- the most since 2014 when the Dogs posted 16 victories with then-head coach Marty Gurganus.

"(The) difference was us missing a few shots early in the third quarter. We had some key turnovers, and they converted those turnovers. We cut it to six and just couldn't score."

East Carteret led 18-16 at halftime.

That slim margin slowly ballooned to 33-20. Guard Nychyel Godette logged seven of team- and game-high 13 points during that stretch. Godette also had the highlight-reel play of the game -- a rebound and assist to Kayla Stewart in transition that forced Wooten to burn a timeout.

It was one of 17 miscues that led to 12 fast-break points for the Mariners, co-champs of the Coastal Plains Conference.

"Penetration...getting a few steals...getting out for layups," EC head coach Shelly Garner said of the third-quarter surge. "We (normally) score a lot of points off turnovers. With how much speed we do have, we felt like we should be running circles around them.

"They didn't have the quickness we had. They were strong girls, they battled."

Jazmaine McCain's consecutive offensive putbacks started a 7-0 run for the Dogs. Emily Ricks drained a 13-footer off Madison Adkins' assist that closed the gap to 33-27 with 3 minutes remaining in regulation.

Dixon's two free throws broke a 71/2-minute scoring drought for the Mariners. Jordan Benson answered with her only basket of the second half before EC sealed the outcome at the free throw line.

Benson filed a team-high 12 points -- 10 in the first quarter. McCain added eight points and snared 19 rebounds. Princeton won the battle on the boards, 50-36, but couldn't overcome a frigid 13 of 57 (22.8 percent) shooting effort from the floor.

"I'm proud of them," Wooten said. "We've accomplished so much this year, improved so much. You can't take away what we've done. They're upset, the seniors especially...it's their last time.

"Tomorrow morning they'll wake up and see what they have accomplished."