[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
Thomasville head coach Woody Huneycutt didn’t have to do much from the bench in the Bulldogs’ 81-30 thrashing over the Wildcats, wrapping up the Yadkin Valley Conference and the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament. Huneycutt’s teams have won the last 14 conference championships, meaning no player on the current roster was even in school the last time the Bulldogs failed to finish the regular season on top.
“It’s unreal,” said THS coach Woody Huneycutt. “I’m as proud of that as anything because you can have a great run of kids come through but they’re only going to be here a few years. Some of these kids were two, three years old when we won our first one.”
In the opener, Lacardo Means, the Lady Bulldog’s first-year coach, clinched a share of his inaugural YVC title following a 70-40 victory over a very game Lady Wildcats crew.
***
Since losing to Jordan-Matthews last Tuesday, the Bulldogs have rededicated themselves to playing defense and running the floor with a reckless abandon. A pair of solid wins carried over into Friday’s clash with South Davidson, a team that needed to play a perfect game just to stay close with the more talented Thomasville unit.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the Bulldogs (16-2, 11-1) came out of the break sizzling and ready to run the Wildcats into the ground. Before SDHS even knew what hit them, Thomasville led 9-0 in less than two minutes. E.J. Abrams-Ward converted a pair of baskets and Evander Davis knocked down a 3-pointer before Barrett Clodfelter’s free throw ended the frenetic start. That one point, however, didn’t slow down the Bulldogs, who proceeded to score the next 11 points for a 21-1 advantage. Zach Borgman’s 3 at the first quarter horn marked the Wildcats first field goal.
“We’ve got to play hard from the start,” Huneycutt said. “We can’t let missed shots and stuff like that bother us. We’ve got to be moving, hustling and running the floor. We are not the type of team that can take plays off. We are like an ol’ yeoman type team. We have a bunch of guys that work hard and when you work hard good things will happen.”
With the game already firmly in hand, the Donald Simms to Abrams-Ward act took center stage. Two minutes before halftime, Simms dropped one of his patented lobs over his right shoulder to a streaking Abrams-Ward who flushed home an emphatic jam that woke up an otherwise unspirited crowd.
Auditions for the YVC slam dunk championship didn’t end there. Before the third quarter concluded with THS leading 62-19, Abrams-Ward blasted another rim-rocker from Simms and caught a Dominique Pickett pass off the backboard for a massive flush, ending his evening with 21 points.
“It was actually a good thing that they beat us,” said Abrams-Ward of the J-M loss. “It humbled us and brought us down a level. It made us realize that we aren’t unstoppable by any means. We regrouped and started working hard on the things we need to correct. We definitely want to see them [J-M] again. They got us in football and basketball. It’s redemption time.”
Thomasville will open the YVC tournament Thursday night at 6 p.m. at South Davidson High School against an opponent to be determined.
***
The Lady Bulldogs took the long road to the top of the YVC but still found their way nonetheless. After dropping its conference opener to Chatham Central in December, THS (17-3, 11-1) has reeled off 11 league victories in a row and await a coin toss today to determine if the Lady Bulldogs enter next week’s YVC tourney as the top seed. Thomasville and Chatham Central finished with identical league marks, including a regular-season split.
“If we have to play Monday, it’s just an extra game we have to play,” Means said. “If we play Wednesday, that’s an extra practice we have. I asked the girls what they wanted me to call — heads or tails. I told them if we lose it , it ain’t my fault.”
South Davidson (12-10, 6-6) had just as much to play for with third place riding on Friday’s outcome. The Lady Wildcats had a plan to slow the game down against the wide-open Lady Bulldogs but falling behind 16-0 negated any thoughts of that. Tia Davis and Christina Carter combined for 10 points early until Secily Ray started making her presence felt. Ray ended the first quarter and started the second drilling 3s from the left-corner as the Wake Forest signee eclipsed the 1,200 point plateau for her career.
“From the get go I told them we have got to hold on to the ball,” said South coach Fonda Jackson. “When they get out in transition we’re dead. If we could have just held the ball it would have went a lot better. They get a little panicky when they play Thomasville.”
Coin flips will take center-stage today with SDHS and THS eagerly awaiting the outcome. Should the Bulldogs win the toss, Thomasville doesn’t play until Wednesday thanks to a first-round bye. The Wildcats could claim third place and a spot in the state playoffs if things go their way.
Ray led all scorers with 28 points, Carter tallied 15 and Hall and Tia Davis each scored 10. Annie Pauley paced the Lady Cats with 20 points and Mary Harrison chipped in 14.
Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 233, or at eliotduke@hotmailcom.