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SportS
the courier-times | roxboro, Nc
wedNesday, feb. 4, 2015
Rockets stun PAC-6 leading Falcons Person survives chaotic final minutes to upset conference-unbeaten Jordan, 73-72 By Kelly Snow courier-times sPorts editor kellysnow@roxboro-courier.com
This wasn’t even supposed to be close. The Jordan High School boys’ basketball team was undefeated in PAC-6 play, riding a six-game winning streak with an 18-1 record and facing a Person team it destroyed by nearly 50 points about a month ago. The Rockets had to be an emotionally wounded club after squandering a lead in the final seconds Friday night at Northern Durham, and had won just twice in its last eight games. But the home-standing Rockets played possibly their best game of the season and survived a wild final minute to upset Jordan 73-72 Tuesday at home. The win keeps Person (8-13 overall, 2-5 PAC-6) in the hunt
for one of the conference’s three automatic bids into the 4-A playoffs, just a game behind East Chapel Hill (8-11, 3-4) heading into Friday’s meeting between the two teams. The Rockets dropped their first four games in conference but have won two of their last three and were within an eyelash of having a three-game winning streak. Person battled numerous injuries throughout the early part of the PAC-6 season, but coach Charles Dacus has nearly everyone back at full strength for the second trip through the conference. “They feel that the biggest part of our problems starting off in conference was the injuries,” Dacus said. “They’re seeing that everyone is getting back to form. All we’ve got to do is tighten up our system and game plan and they’ve been doing that. As long as they do that, they believe they
can beat anybody in our conference.” Person proved it could beat anyone, including the conference leaders, but it was far from uneventful. The Rockets led the Falcons, playing without four-year starting guard Mike Lee who was out with a bruised knee, for most of the game and had a comfortable 71-61 lead after Mike Terry knocked down a pair of free throws with 55.6 seconds to play. Jordan made it more than just a little interesting. The Falcons’ full-court pressure forced three turnovers in the final minute, took advantage of Person missing the front end of a one-and-one, and drilled three 3-pointers and had a chance to force overtime. Chris Braswell’s second three in a See ROCKETS, Page 7
redemptive win in a couple of ways for a rocket team on the rise with two weeks to play It was described by someone inside the locker room as a heartbreaking scene. The Person High School boys’ basketball team was just one loose ball landing in the right hands, or one shot clanking off the rim instead of going through the rim from pulling off a major upset last Friday night at Northern Durham. Instead, the Rockets were forced to make that normally short bus ride home up 501-North stinging from a 58-57 loss in which they had a two-possession lead in the waning seconds. But it was on that bus that that the healing began. “I think we really came together after the loss on the bus ride,” Person senior guard Mike Terry said. “We talked it out with each other and really came together as a team and picked each other up. We talked about keeping our head up and giving Jordan their first loss. We knew we’d have to keep going forward for the rest of the season.” That loss could have easily been the death knell to the Rockets’ season.
the blizzard
Kelly sNow They were just 7-13 and in the position of practically having to win the final four conference games to earn a playoff bid, because the likelihood of getting in as a wildcard was all but nonexistent. Sure, Person could win the conference tournament, but that was a real long shot. Oh — and the 18-1 Jordan Falcons, who were ranked in the top-10 in several state polls and were undefeated in conference play was coming to visit Tuesday night. And these were the same Falcons that beat Person so badly the first time through conference play that the fourth quarter was played with a continuously-running clock. What the Rockets pulled off last night would have been extraordinary for a senior-laden
team — but ridiculously amazing for a team that at times will have four underclassmen on the floor at once. Just a couple of days removed from that crushing loss at Northern, Person upset the Falcons 73-72, ending their hopes of going through the conference unscathed. The game was frenetic at times, gritty, tough, but somekind-of-fun to watch and cover. This group of Rockets have several key seniors, led by Antwon Smith, D.J. Jeffers and Mike Terry, but many others who are just now getting used to being on the floor in crunch time. The Kelly sNow | courier times way they were able to recover Person High School guard Rashi Richmond rises up for a floater in the lane over Jordan’s Chris from the Northern loss and play Braswell late in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game. The Rockets led by 10 in the final minute and inspired, winning basketball held on for a 73-72 victory against the Falcons. Jordan entered the game undefeated in conference See BLIZZARD, Page 7
play, and defeated Person by 45 in the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 9. Richmond finished with 17 points in the win.
] rocket girls basketball [
Bigger Jordan squad overwhelms PHS, 81-31 By Kelly Snow courier-times sPorts editor kellysnow@roxboro-courier.com
Kelly sNow | courier times
Person’s Ahlexys Obie tries to drive past Jordan’s Rachel Ruderman during the first half of Tuesday’s game.
The Jordan High School girls’ basketball team got off to a blistering start and never looked back in its 81-30 rout of Person Tuesday in Roxboro. The loss dropped the Rockets to 4-17 and 0-7 in the PAC-6, while Jordan was able to hold steady to third place in the conference at 4-3 and 14-6 overall. The Falcons reeled off the first seven points of the game and didn’t allow a Person field goal for the first three minutes before Jada McGhee hit a floater over All-PAC-6 forward Liz Layne. Jordan followed with a quick 11-0 run over the next two min-
utes, with four players scoring baskets during the spurt. The Falcons’ overwhelming size advantage with three sixfooters in the lineup was too much for the Rockets to handle. Jordan put the game away early, leading 32-9 after the first quarter and stretched its lead to as much as 35, 52-17 by halftime. The lead ballooned to 41 by the 1:52 mark of the third quarter and remainder of the game was played with a continuouslyrunning clock. Cyanna Lester paced the Rockets with seven points, while Alicia Paylor and Tylesha Smith pitched in five points each. Jada McGhee added four points, while Soren Williams hit a first-quarter 3-pointer for her only points of the game.
Ahlexys Obie, Taylor Williams and Nicole Sutherland rounded out the scoring with two points each. Rachel Ruderman led the Falcons with 26 points and hit her first four 3-point attempts in the game. University of Richmond recruit Salita Greene poured in 21, while Liz Layne scored 12 of her 19 in the first quarter. Chantille Green chipped in eight points, while Jazmyne Norwood added five. The Rockets will be back in action Friday when they host East Chapel Hill for senior night. Game time is set for 6 p.m. and will the final home game for seniors Brianna McLamb, Janeesha Graves and Taylor Williams.
SPORTS
wednesday, feb. 4, 2015
the courier-times | roxboro, nc A7
ROCKETS: Person survives wild final minute to win From Page 6 span of just 49 seconds sliced the Rockets’ lead to 73-70 with just under seven seconds and the clock running. Person forward Ebon Jay tried to inbounds the ball, but his pass sailed over the scorers’ table, giving the Falcons a chance to tie the game with 2.1 seconds to play, no timeouts and inbounding the ball under their own basket. The passer tossed the ball to a player standing alone under the basket, he scored the uncontested layup, but with no way to stop the clock, time expired and the Rockets celebrate a huge conference victory. The Rockets led by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter, had a stretch of committing five consecutive turnovers, but made enough plays down the stretch and hit their free throws. Person converted 9-of-11 opportunities from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. “The first thing I told them (after the game) was that I have enough gray hairs, I don’t need anymore,” Dacus said. “We’ve got to do better than that to close
out games. For the most part, we kept our composure. When they hit a big shot, we’d score. The thing is, nobody got down and started to hang their heads. They just kind of gutted it out. Jordan turned up the heat and turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter and we kept battling. They had it in their minds they wouldn’t be beat like that again.” Antwon Smith had a huge game for the Rockets, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds before picking up his fifth foul on a baseline drive to the basket with two minutes to play. Jay sat out the entire second quarter because of foul trouble but still finished with 13 points and two blocks. Junior guard Rashi Richmond had one of the best games of his career, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds — with 10 points and six boards coming in the fourth quarter. Richmond hit a key floater in the lane that lifted the Rockets to a nine point lead with under two minutes to play. The junior was hampered with a thigh bruise when the teams met in early January.
“He’s finally getting back in the groove,” Dacus said. “We keep challenging him and telling him the things that he needs to do to help this team. He really responded these last three games and he’s stepped it up. With the defense we’re playing, he’s going to have to rebound. He’s going to be down there with some bigger guys and that ability is huge for us.” Person’s starting backcourt of Terry and D.J. Jeffers combined for 19 points and 6-of-6 from the line in the fourth quarter. The Rockets closed the first half of a 10-4 spurt, capped off by a threepoint play by reserve forward Tyrique Wright with 2.6 seconds remaining. Jordan started the second half hitting its first three shots, and eventually closed to within two, but the Rockets weathered the Falcons push and took a 52-46 advantage into the fourth quarter. Victor Gray led the Falcons with 16 points, while Josh Thompson poured in 15 and Braswell added 14. Person will be back in action Friday when it hosts East Chapel Hill for senior night. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
] northern middle school boys basketball [
Kelly snow | courier times
Raiders rout Stanback to move to 9-0 The Northern Middle School boys’ basketball team stretched its undefeated record to 9-0 with a 67-33 rout of Stanback Thursday. Bryce Crutchfield paced the Raiders with 20 points, while
Terrill Drumwright chipped in 18. Devonte Thornton poured in 14 and Torrey Reid added six. Emmanuel Faulker chipped in three, while James Lamb, Jayce McIver, Shaun Royster and Luke
Person’s Mike Terry tries to keep the ball away from a Jordan guard during the late stages of Tuesday’s game.
BLIZZARD: trip home helps steady rockets
Clayton rounded out the scoring with two points each. The Raiders’ JV team edged From Page 6 Stanback 42-39 to improve to 6-3 on the season. against a good Jordan team was Zaki Norwood led Northern extremely mature and impreswith 14 points sive. “They bounced back because they knew they left everything out there on the court (at Northern) and played as hard as they cheering bulldogs can,” Dacus said. “We just came up short and that’s going to happen from time to time. I think that tied into them not letting it happen tonight. Their will to win this game was immense. They kept battling and grinding the whole game.” The Rockets were certainly teetering in the final minute against Jordan and nearly lost a double-digit lead, but they didn’t. Person celebrated a seasonsaving victory at home and is now in the remarkable position of being able to play its way into the playoff. Seriously. I’ll freely admit that I wasn’t exactly making playoff coverage plans for the Rocket boys after losing by a combined 81 points to Jordan and East Chapel Hill the first time through the conference schedule. But here we are. Person is three wins away from practically locking up a berth in 4-A state playoffs and the second leg of the Rocket Redemption Tour will be Friday against East Chapel Hill on Senior Night. The simple truth is that this Rocket team is playing an unselfish, tough-minded style of submitted basketball that will make it difficult on whomever it sees for the The Roxboro Community School cheer team competed in The Raleigh Rumble, Cheer and Dance remainder of the season. The Extreme Regional Event. The Bulldogs finished second in the varsity tumbling division. The team exciting thing is...a lot of the Kelly snow | courier times will compete again on Feb. 28. Members of the team include: front row (left-to-right) Allie Carpentier, Catie Mooney, Skyler Bryan, Chandler Warren, Ashley Foreman, Emmey Cobb. Middle row: Madi- key players will be back for the Person’s Ebon Jay battled through foul trouble to finish with 13 next couple of years and the best points in the Rockets’ 73-72 win against Jordan Tuesday at home. son Howard, Savannah Elder, Jalen Blanks, Audrey Conner, Vashti Cash. Back row: Emily Watkins, could be yet to come. Brianna Connolly, Michael Holbrook, Talor Allen, Alycia Parker.
]
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Saturday, February 7, 2015 2:00 p.m.
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the courier-times | roxboro, Nc
SportS
wedNesday, march 4, 2015
Bulldogs headed to regionals RCS wins three games in four days, including a thriller against NCAC rival Franklin Academy to earn trip to Fayetteville
the blizzaRd
Kelly sNow
Freshman already on the path to greatness
By Kelly Snow courier-times sports editor kellysnow@roxboro-courier.com
TIMBERLAKE — The only thing that Roxboro Community School girls’ basketball coach Brian Cousin didn’t do was put four fingers in the air. With the Bulldogs clinging to a one-point lead with 4:06 to play in Tuesday’s 1-A sectional final, the team’s first-year head coach pulled his girls back, spread the court and put the ball in the hands of freshman point guard Elana Ingram. The strategy worked. Roxboro Community School was able to milk the clock with its modified Four Corners offense, get key stops and hang on for a 42-38 victory over North Central Athletic Conference rival Franklin Academy in the third round of the 1-A state playoffs. The victory was the RCS’s third in a fourday gauntlet that will send the program to its first-ever regional semifinal. When the week began, the Bulldogs’ program had never even won a playoff game — let alone three in a row. “They came into the season knowing that we had a lot to prove,” Cousin said. “We’re a team that’s been learning together all year and we told them in November that we were going to come together, play together and work hard together. One thing I’ve told them is to just take care of your own responsibility because if we all do that, everything else wll take care of itself.” Franklin Academy (23-4) controlled the pace and slowed down the speedy Bulldogs with its 2-3 zone for most of the game. The Patriots were inviting the RCS’s shooters to launch from beyond the 3-point arc, and most were off target, but the Bulldogs came through with three huge bombs that helped launch the team all the way to Fayetteville. Reserve forward Carlee Garrett drained a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game up at 33 late in the third quarter. The Patriots were able to go into the fourth with a slim 3433 advantage, but had that disappear when senior Alyssa Morris buried a 3-pointer from the elbow with 5:30 to play after a nice pass from forward Brianna Henderson. Franklin came right back and tied the game up on its next trip up the floor when Abby Keel scored after an offensive rebound. The Bulldogs’ final bomb, and last field goal of the game, gave the team the lead for
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Kelly sNow | courier times
Above: Roxboro Community School forward Mya Johnson comes up with an important steal late in the Bulldogs’ third-round victory against Franklin Academy Tuesday at Helena Gym. Johnson finished with 12 points and eight rebounds to help lead the Bulldogs to their first-ever regionals appearance. (below) The team celebrates the victory as time expired.
verything stopped. One overwhelming thought permeated Helena Gym with 3:10 remaining in the Roxboro Community School girls’ basketball first-round playoff game against Pinetown Northside. Not again. Bulldog guard Elana Ingram drove hard to the basket, was knocked down for the umpteenth time by a Panthers’ player, but this time she wasn’t able to bounce right up. It was a horribly scary case of deja vu. Five weeks earlier, RCS boys’ player Darius McGhee attacked the rim similarly, landed awkwardly and in an instant had his season come to an abrupt, grotesque end with a broken arm. Ingram reached for her knee, and her eyes immediately grew big as Bulldog coach Brian Cousin whizzed by to check on her. After a few anxious moments, she walked back to the bench without any help — everyone exhaled and sound returned to Helena Gym. She stretched out her knee for the next few minutes before making a surprise reappearance with 43 seconds to play and her team winning by 20 points. After the game, I casually asked her why she felt like she had to scare everyone. Her answer — “whatever, I’m good.” She’s a whole lot better than good. Ingram is the Bulldogs’ electric leader who can get to the rim and score pretty much at will. “Elana does what she does,” Cousin said. “She’s a heck of an athlete and a heck of a ball player. She’s our floor general and get things going for everyone else.” The freshman has a basketball IQ far beyond her years and rarely changes her expression, but there were a couple of exceptions in the team’s first two playoff games. Ingram got off to a blistering start in her playoff debut, with a layup, a steal and a couple of free throws in the first 37 seconds. She scored 10 points in the first quarter, her final three coming after scooping up a loose ball following a blocked shot by teammate Brianna Henderson and going the length of
See REGIONALS, Page 7
See BLIZZARD, Page 7
] RoxboRo community school boys basketball [
Roxboro Community School guard Christian Ingram tries to shoot over a pair of defenders during the Bulldogs first-round playoff game against Goldsboro Rosewood. The Eagles used a box-and-one to slow down Ingram, who entered the game averaging nearly 24 points a game. Kelly sNow | courier times
Eagles box up RCS’s season defense carries rosewood past bulldogs in opening round matchup By Kelly Snow courier-times sports editor kellysnow@roxboro-courier.com
TIMBERLAKE — The Roxboro Community School boys’ basketball team prides itself on playing its best inside of The Box — the nickname the players affectionately gave to their home gym. But it was the box (and one) that ultimately ended the Bulldogs’ season as they fell to Goldsboro Rosewood 59-45 in the first round of the 1-A East playoffs Saturday at Helena Gym. RCS was the 16th-seed in the 1-A East and finished the season 18-9 and third in the North Central Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs have made the state playoffs in each of the last three years, but fell short Saturday in
winning the program’s first-ever opening-round game. “We’re starting to change a culture and that’s what we’re going to have to continue to do to be successful,” RCS first-year coach David Kent said. “No one in that locker room wanted this to be our last game. We didn’t want to end (this season) like this in The Box. We wanted to get our seniors their last home win and see what could happen at (top-seed) East Carteret. We’re going to take a little time off and get back at it and get better.” RCS rallied from an early double-digit hole to trail by just one, 31-30 at halftime, behind 16 points from senior Christian Ingram. Ingram was one of the top scorers in the 1-A ranks this season at 23.9 points a game, but took his game to an even higher level after a season-ending arm injury to sensational sophomore guard Darius McGhee in late January. Ingram averaged nearly 35 points a game in McGhee’s absence and Rosewood made a point to take him away after his strong first half.
Rosewood switched from a man-to-man defense to a boxand-one at the start of the second half, with physical guard Ethan Chapin matching up with Ingram while the other Eagle defenders played a zone. Rosewood swarmed to Ingram every time he touched the ball with multiple defenders, and the Bulldogs’ offense struggled to find an answer. Ingram scored eight points in the second half, but six at the free throw line. RCS managed just four baskets from the floor, including an uncontested layup by Ingram in the final seconds. “When they put the box-andone on us, it slowed Christian,” Kent said. “Getting him open and getting him going was hard and no one else really wanted to step up. Te’Shon (Clayton) would at times, but wasn’t consistent in shooting. We needed big shots from everyone, and it never came.” The Eagles took a 46-37 lead into the fourth quarter after a 3-pointer by Chapin in the wanSee RCS, Page 8
SPORTS
wednesday, march 4, 2015
the courier-times | roxboro, nc A7
BLIZZARD: ingram could be Person county’s next great female basketball player FROM PAGE 6
Kelly snow | courier times
Roxboro Community School basketball players (left, white uniforms) Te’Nisha Clayton, (middle) Carlee Garrett and Alyssa Morris get on the floor after a loose ball during Monday’s game against Tarboro.
RegIOnALS: late threes help bulldogs outlast Fa FROM PAGE 6 good. Forward Mya Johnson stepped into a three just a couple of feet away from the Bulldogs’ bench and drained it, pushing RCS to a 39-36 lead with 4:15 to play. “Those threes were huge for us,” Cousin said. “Carlee came off the bench after being a starter for us for a while. She knew she was the first-man off the bench and when she got in there, she knew we were going to need her. Those threes from Carlee, Alyssa and Mya kept us in it.” The Patriots had another response, this time with a bucket on the inside by Dara McClusky. When RCS got the the ball back with just a one-point lead, it spread the floor and forced the the Patriots to come out of their stifling zone. “I was watching Dean Smith’s tribute the other day, and I thought if we got a comfortable lead against a zone, this was what we were going to do,” Cousin said. “I knew we had to make them come out of that zone and I think we did a good job. The last four minutes of the game, we did a nice job of pulling it out and moving the ball around.” The last four minutes were not without a few scary moments.Franklin’s Amelia Huffman deflected an Ingram pass near halfcourt and missed a layup short with just over a minute to play. Ingram, still nursing a knee injury from Saturday’s first-round game, only hit just 1-of-3 free throw attempts in the final minute. McCluskey had a clean look for a go-ahead three with less than 30 seconds to play, but missed, and Johnson corralled the rebound. Johnson calmly stepped up to the free throw line and drained two free throws with 19.7 to play to stretch the Bulldogs’ lead to four. The sophomore forward also had a pair of big steals that helped the Bulldogs dribble out the clock and escape with the win. The Patriots’ zone helped slow down Ingram, but the freshman finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists while playing all 32 minutes. Johnson stepped up huge for the Bulldogs with 12 points and eight boards, while Morris chipped in six. Garrett came off the bench and added five points and two rebounds, while Danielle Holt battled through foul trouble and finished with three. Henderson had one point and led the Bulldogs with 12 rebounds. The sophomore forward has pulled down 30 rebounds so far in the playoffs. Keel had a big game for the Patriots with a season-high 18 points. The forward had all of Franklin’s first quarter points, 11, many on second-chance opportunities. “(Keel) hurt us big time in the paint,” Cousin said. “They did a good job of feeding her in the high post and backdoor screening for her. She did a lot on the boards, and we had to sag on her
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LAST yeAR’S STATe fInALIST wAITIng On The BuLLDOgS In RegIOnALS RCS will challenge last year’s East representative in the state title game, Williamston Riverside, in Thursday’s regional at the Crown Arena in Fayetteville. The Knights are in the midst of a 15-game winning streak and haven’t lost since falling to 4-A regional participant Raleigh Athens Drive 76-72 in the HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational in late December. Riverside came ever-so-close to ending one of the most dominant runs in the state’s history, but fell a little short in last year’s state title game against ninetime consecutive 1-A champion Kernersville Bishop McGuinness. The Knights are led by 6-foot-1 sophomore Kayla Jones, who’s averaging more than 21 points a game and is considered a top-10 forward nationally in the class of 2017 according to ESPNW.com. “She’s outstanding,” Cousin said of Jones. “We know we have to try our best to contain her as best we can, and try to shut down everyone else around her. It we do the job on the defensive end, I think we’ll be okay.” NOTE — Game time for Thursday’s regional semifinal game will be announced by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association today. When the tip time is released, it will be posted on personcountylife.com and on The Courier-Times’ Facebook page.
BuLLDOg gIRLS SuRvIve PhySIcAL BATTLe wITh TARBORO In SecOnD ROunD The Roxboro Community School girls’ basketball team had an off-night on the offensive end, but did enough defensively to knock off 15-seed Tarboro, 4333 in the second round of the 1-A
state playoffs Monday night at Helena Gym. RCS held Tarboro scoreless for all but the final eight seconds of the first quarter and took a 13-2 lead into the second in Monday’s second-round contest. The Bulldogs led throughout the game, but Tarboro trimmed the lead to seven by the end of the third quarter. RCS made just four field goals in the second half, but connected on 13-of-27 free throws to keep the Vikings at arms length. Freshman Elana Ingram paced the Bulldogs with 19 points and five rebounds, while Mya Johnsn had a strong allaround game with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Ne’Tonya Boddie led the Vikings with 10 points.
RcS OuTRunS nORThSIDe fOR PROgRAm’S fIRST-eveR PLAyOff wIn The Roxboro Community School girls’ basketball team advanced to the second round of the 1-A state playoffs with a 59-39 victory against Pinetown Northside Saturday afternoon at Helena Gym. The win was RCS’s first playoff victory in the program’s history. CS took a 20-11 lead into the second quarter and battled through foul trouble to starters Danielle Holt and Mya Johnson to stretch to lead to 35-23 by halftime. The Bulldogs were able to extend the lead to 20 by the start of the third quarter. Freshman guard Elana Ingram led RCS with 27 points, six assists and five steals, while Alyssa Morris poured in 17 points, including four 3-pointers. Brianna Henderson had a strong game on the backboards for the Bulldogs with 12 rebounds to go along with four points, three steals and two blocks. Alexandra Adams led Northside with 13 points.
the floor for a layup as the clock hit triple-zero. She scored while being hammered and let out a huge yell as she was being congratulated by teammates. Ingram continued on to have an outstanding game with 27 points, six assists, five steals and four rebounds. The freshman was noticeably favoring her knee in Monday’s second-round game against Tarboro, but was still dictating the pace of play and having a strong outing. The Bulldogs couldn’t quite shake Tarboro, and had a surprisingly-slim seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Viking guards kept playing very physical against Ingram, borderline chippy, and even shoved her during a loose ball near halfcourt. Some of the RCS fans in the bleachers wanted one of the Tarboro player thrown out, but she wasn’t. Ingram’s expression got a little colder, her jaw clinched a little tighter and her game got a little tougher. On back-to-back drives early in the fourth quarter, the freshman drove left hard towards the basket, jump-stopped and Tarboro guard Ne’Tonya Boddie went airborne both times after getting beaten to the spot. Ingram missed the shot the second time, but teammate Mya Johnson ripped down the offensive board, scored and was fouled. Tarboro coach Jamie Willoughby flew off the bench furious at the non-call, erupted at the officials during the timeout, got a technical, and the Bulldogs rolled from there to a 43-33 win. Ingram scored 10 points after the dust-up with a Tarboro player at halfcourt — a moment that I described to RCS assistant boys’ basketball coach Kirk Redman as “poking the bear.” She’s a fantastic scorer, but the way she’s able to get teammates involved and play defense without fouling makes her even more special. Ingram drew the assignment of guarding Northside’s best player, Alexandra Adams, in the first quarter. Ingram made life miserable for Adams, held her scoreless as the Bulldogs got off to a 20-11 first-quarter lead and cruised to the win. “We knew (Adams) was their best player and was going to take a lot of shots,” Cousin said. “(Adams is) a heck of a ballplayer. A
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lot of times, we’ll put Elana on the other team’s best player and she does a good job of slowing them down. I tell the girls that if we play our best defense, we’ve got a great chance to win. There are times that we have to have her guard their best player.” Ingram’s debut season for the Bulldogs has been fantastic, as much for her unselfishness and willingness to do the little things to win as her impressive stats. She’s already the best player to ever lace them up at RCS, but if she continues to improve as a player, Ingram has the potential to be for Roxboro Community School what Wendy Palmer and Melinda Goodson are to Person
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Mar. 4-10, 2015 Roxboro Community School forward Brianna Henderson battles for a rebound with a taller Tarboro player during Monday’s secondround playoff game. Henderson has pulled down 30 rebounds during the first three rounds of the playoff.
Kelly snow | courier times
Roxboro Community School guard Elana Ingram scores as the end of the first quarter while being fouled during the team’s firstround playoff game against Pinetown Northside.
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— an all-time great. So after Tuesday’s third-round win against Franklin Academy, I again asked her about her knee. “It hurts, but if we keep playing, I’m going to keep playing. It feels better now (that we won).” Yep...the kid’s a gamer.
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A6
SportS
the courier-times | roxboro, Nc
saturday, oct. 25, 2014
Rockets pull away from East Chapel Hill for first PAC-6 victory By Kelly Snow courier-times sports editor kellysnow@roxboro-courier.com
CHAPEL HILL — The start of the game wasn’t exactly as crisp as Person High School coach Dave Kleine was looking for, but the second half was much better as the Rockets overwhelmed winless East Chapel Hill 42-6 Friday on the road. The victory snapped a twogame losing streak and was Person’s first PAC-6 win in its last five games, dating back to a win last October at Jordan. Person (2-7 overall, 1-2 PAC-6) is now tied with Jordan for fourth place in the PAC-6 with two games remaining in the regular season against Riverside and Hillside, both at home. “We’ve had some bumps and bruises and some difficult situations this year,” Kleine said.
“Anytime you can have something positive where you finish a job is a great feeling.” The heavily-favored Rockets forced a three-and-out on East Chapel Hill’s first possession of the game, and promptly scored the first time their offense touched the ball on a 15yard Taymon Smith touchdown less than three minutes into the game. The Wildcats, playing for the first time in 14 days after forfeiting their game to Northern Durham last week after not having enough healthy players, found a spark in freshman running back Amier Alston. The Wildcats’ elusive back had four nice runs after the Rockets’ first scoring drive, including a 2-yard burst up the middle to ignite the Homecoming crowd and bring the score to 7-6 early in the second quarter.
Person’s offense struggled to put much together, but got the benefit of a pair of short fields courtesy of its special teams and defense. Safety Malik Street picked off a pass from East quarterback Brater Gerber and and returned it to the Wildcats’ 13-yard line. Two plays later, Tyrique Wright scored on a run up the middle to push the Rockets’ lead to 14-6 with a little more than seven minutes to play in the first half. The next big break came on a fourth down deep in ECH territory when Person’s Matthew Mayer and David Elliott sandwiched the punter after an errant snap. The Rockets took over at the Wildcats’ 13-yard line, and Smith scored another short touchdown four plays later with less than a minute remaining in See ROCKETS, Page 7
Kelly sNoW | courier times
Person’s David Elliott helps put pressure on East Chapel Hill quarterback Brater Gerber that leads to an interception during the first half of Friday’s game.
] roxboro community school volleyball [
Eagles end Bulldogs’ perfect season roxboro community school bows out of the playoffs in third-round, finishes best year in progam’s history 23-1 By Kelly Snow courier-times sports editor kellysnow@roxboro-courier.com
TIMBERLAKE — The ride came to an end about a week sooner than they hoped. The best season in the brief history of Roxboro Community School volleyball team came to an end with a heart-wrenching 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 17-25, 25-19, 1511) loss to Lincoln Charter in the third round of the 1-A state playoffs Thursday in a jam-packed and noisy Helena Gym.
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The Bulldogs finished their season 23-1 after an undefeated regular season that included winning their first North Central Athletic Conference championship. “This went back and forth both ways. Ultimately, (Lincoln Charter) did prevail, but not without our girls giving them a fight. If we’re going out, with these special girls playing their hearts out in this atmosphere, in my book we ended our season on a positive note,” RCS coach Meagan Tatum said. “It would have
been nicer to have gone a little farther, but I could not be more proud of these girls and the season we’ve had. Every single one of them contributed, whether they played all six rotations, or challenged them in practice. I just had so much fun enjoying these girls, all the competition, everything.” But the chances were certainly there for the Bulldogs to advance to today’s West regional semifinals. See BULLDOGS, Page 8
tatum: ‘We put the community in rcs’
t was almost a perfect night. Several hundred people were shoehorned into tiny Helena Gym, so much so that the bleachers couldn’t hold everyone who wanted to be in the building to see the undefeated Roxboro Community School volleyball team play in the third-round of the 1-A state playoffs against Lincoln Charter. There were folks practically sticking to the walls to get a good view of the incredibly intense match between two outstanding volleyball teams who still had dreams of playing next Saturday in Reynolds Coliseum for the 1-A state title. The crowd, clad mostly in black, got a little appetizer when the middle school Bulldogs rout-
the blizzard
Kelly sNoW ed River Mill Academy earlier in the afternoon, but the main event was something special. There were the good guys — the Bulldogs who, except for a couple of players, would probably be the state champions of a 5-foot-9 and under league. This team makes up for a lack of powerful 6-foot-plus hitters by doing everything so well and so precise. The girls can pass, they can cover, they can receive serve — and almost all of them are deadly behind the service line.
They’re definitely talented, but what makes this team so special is how likeable the girls are and how their love and devotion to each other is so apparent. And then there were the bad guys — the Eagles with a coach who stomped all around the bench area, sometimes to get her players’ attention and at others to celebrate a great point. She would also occasionally put her hands up to her ears See BLIZZARD, Page 8
Kelly sNoW | courier times
Left: Roxboro Community School’s (left) Mackenzi Thornburg and Ryann Tate try to block a kill from Lincoln Charter’s Meghan Smith during Thursday’s third-round 1-A playoff game. (right) Kelsie Holt bends deep to handle a serve while teammates Garrison Bowes and Camryn Black look on.
SPORTS
A8 the courier-times | roxboro, Nc
saturday, oct. 25, 2014
BLIZZARD: ear-splitting fun for rcs playoff games at helena FROM PAGE 6
Kelly sNow | courier times
Members of the Roxboro Community School middle school volleyball team try to get the crowd excited in a jam-packed Helena Gym during Thursday’s second-round match.
BULLDOGS: best season in school history ends in third round FROM PAGE 6 After four grueling sets, RCS took control early in the fifth after three consecutive kills by middle hitter Kelsey Cole, with her final quick shot lifting the Bulldogs to a 7-4 lead in the firstto-15 finale. The Eagles (19-3) roared back led by outside hitter Bentley Earnest, winning six of the next seven points. The 6-foot-1 freshman had two kills, a block, and an ace that pushed their lead to 10-8. Earnest was one of five Eagle who were 5-10 or taller. RCS rallied to tie the set 11-11 with Mackenzi Thornburg coming up with a huge solo block, but Lincoln Charter finished off the victory by winning four consecutive points. Those final four points came on a push shot that fell just inside the back line, two RCS spikes that landed just inches deep and when a Bulldog player made contact with the net while attempting a block. “We got a little comfortable,” Tatum said. “As soon as you see that, our serve-receive fell apart. That team was very good about getting those free balls and turning them into kills. Those little things matter and there were a lot of things going around the perimeter of the court and we had a lot of close calls.” Senior Kelsie Holt paced the Bulldogs’ hitting attack with 14 kills and 14 digs in her final high school match. Garrison Bowes had 13 kills and 20 digs, while senior Kelsey Cole finished her career with nine kills, including four in the fifth set, and 18 digs. Thornburg handed out 33 assists with four kills and 12 digs, while freshman Hannah Hawkins hammered five aces. The Bulldogs got off to a blistering start in the opening game, leading 13-7 after a Ryann Tate kill off a quick set. Lincoln Charter rallied to close the set on an 18-7 run, courtesy of eight RCS hitting, passing or communication miscues to steal the first game 25-20. Lincoln’s Heather Hubeli wrapped up the set with two kills and an ace on game-point. “We saw the opening to take the lead and instead of pushing it and putting the pressure on
them, we backed off and stopped communicating and that’s not our style,” Tatum said. “We’ve been winning because of the way we work together and once we didn’t have that we fell apart and it was the same thing in serve-receive. When that was lacking, we struggled. That’s our biggest advantage and we lost focus when we had the opportunity. That first game would have been very helpful.” Lincoln appeared on the verge of taking the second set after back-to-back aces by Meghan Smith capped off a 6-1 run to push the Eagles to a 19-16 advantage. The Bulldogs’ response was led by one of their youngest pups. Hawkins ripped off five consecutive points on serve to ignite a 9-1 run to give RCS the second-set victory. The Bulldogs won the third set comfortably and Lincoln fought back to take the fourth to set up the dramatic final game. Outside hitter Madi NeSmith paced the Eagles with 23 kills, while libero Haley Hubeli played a fantastic defensive match with 66 of the team’s 146 digs. Lincoln Charter will host Swain County in today’s 1-A west regional semifinal match. The Bulldogs will lose seniors Cole, Holt, Ryann Tate and Peyton Thornburg, who suffered a season-ending foot injury early in the season. Tatum will bring back several key pieces next season, and hopes an influx of talent from the middle-school level will keep her program rolling along. “We had high hopes of where we would end this season, and I think we may have gotten a little ahead of ourselves especially in the west, instead of the east,” Tatum said. “In the three years since I’ve been here I’ve seen so much dedication and growth from the girls. The same thing happened when I was at Person. Girls are getting motivated and their playing club and choose volleyball over other sports and this is what we get. They might not all be playing at the highest level, but all of my girls played some kind of extra volleyball that wasn’t school related. They just want to keep improving and growing so much and that’s a coach’s dream come true.”
Kelly sNow | courier times
Roxboro Community School middle Kelsey Cole pushes the ball just over the top of the net early in Thursday’s playoff game, while teammate Mackenzie Thornburg looks on. Cole finished with nine kills including four in the final set of the Bulldogs’ 3-2 loss to Lincoln Charter in the third-round of the 1-A playoffs.
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vantage was going to be huge and it was. We had three walls completely packed and it wasn’t just a spectator sport. They were just as involved as our girls. That’s the part that I remember (as a player) — the strength in the atmosphere and the encouragement we got from everyone. I hope when the girls look back, they don’t think about the loss, but instead when the school, their parents, their fans came to support them. We put the community in RCS and I’m overwhelmed.” There’s obvious sadness in not being able to continue this ride, and having to say goodbye to seniors Kelsey Cole, Kelsie Holt, Ryann Tate and Peyton Thornburg, but there’s a major silver lining. The talent pool that Tatum has to work with at Roxboro Community School is deep and young. There were many key points in Thursday’s match that the Bulldogs had three freshmen on the floor, including limitlessly-talented setter Mackenzi Thornburg. But I’ll tell you all about them in the next couple of weeks when we put together a commemorative special section devoted to Roxboro Community School’s outstanding volleyball program, including the undefeated middle school teams. For today, let’s celebrate the fantastic 23-1 season that this group of high school Bulldogs enjoyed. Their run reminds me of the halftime speech delivered by Coach Gaines in the movie version of “Friday Night Lights” before the second half of the Permian Panthers’ state championship game. “Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It’s not about winning. It’s about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you did everything you could. There wasn’t one more thing you could’ve done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that, you’re perfect.” Congratulations, RCS on a perfect volleyball season.
Hulk Hogan-style egging on the partisan and loud Bulldog faithful. Truth be told, Lincoln Charter and their enthusiastic coach were far from the “bad guys.” Just like RCS, the Eagles were a talented, close-knit, gutty crew that had every opportunity to call it a night on numerous occasions, but played brilliantly in key moments. The crowd was ear-splittingly loud and trying its best to pull the Bulldogs through to the fourth-round. It was almost perfect. Two outstanding teams, battled with everything they had for five games — 202 gut-wrenching, ulcer-inducing points. When it was over, the visitors were the victors, and the Bulldogs’ undefeated season was no more, but not before one final ovation from the overflowing crowd of supporters. It was almost perfect. In the moments after the final rally, the RCS girls came together, most of the them with tears in their eyes as they listened in to one final huddle led by coach Meagan Tatum. Tatum knows exactly what it’s like to play in such a charged-up, supportive environment. She was a key member of the three Person volleyball teams that made consecutive state championship appearances, winning the title twice. Tatum was the Most Valuable Player of her final high school match, a state-title win against Charlotte Myers Park. Throughout those magical playoff runs, the community embraced and adored those Rocket players and coaches and for a couple of times throughout this season, especially the final two playoff matches, her girls enjoyed a similar experience. Among those cheering for the Bulldogs were several studentathletes from Person, including volleyball players. Leading the cheers in Tuesday night’s five-set win against Alleghany was none other than Tatum’s high school coach Sandy Mathews. “It’s been fantastic,” Tatum said. “We knew home-court ad-
REVIVAL
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday November 5-7, 7:30 pm nightly
Guest Speaker Rev. Ron Tiller, Carrollton, KY
Rev. Tiller has preached in revivals, youth meetings, youth crusades, & revival crusades all across America, and in foreign countries. Come and be blessed by his outstanding ministry!
Everyone welcome! Special music & singing in each service!
First Pentecostal Church 707 N. Main St. • 336.330.0600 Matthew Wilmoth, Pastor
Lamberth Memorial Baptist Church 1026 Long Store Rd, Roxboro
Homecoming Service Sunday, October 26 Sunday School 9:45 Morning Worship 10:45 Sermon by the
Rev. Dr. Jeff Raymond and Rev. LeJeanna Raymond and we welcome their children
Pender & Paxton A covered dish lunch to follow after the 10:45 special “Coming Home” service in the fellowship hall. We look forward to seeing those with special ties to our church on this special day!
Who wants David Brooks dead? I have requested that Mr. Jones come out & witness the crime site for himself. But his reply to me was that it was out of his jurisdiction. But I see his ofcers parole inside of the city limits all the time. The city investigator said it was just vandalism. So I passed it on to the DA ofce. If Mr. Jones can ignore a threat like that on my life, then it tells me that he will in turn pick & choose people he will serve and protect. I am asking the people for this one time to STAND UP for what is right. If my death should occur before the Election Day, please VOTE Mr. Jones out of ofce.
Paid for by the David Brooks for Sheriff Campaign.