Fall
from page Bl
a phenomenal job running
his team."
Dealing with Jackson
wasn't the only issue that
plagued QEA. The
Phara&hs had a lot less
bounce in their step after
winning their semifinal
game against Sunrise
Academy (Kan.) six hours
earlier. The semifinal round
and championship game
were played on the same
day.
"With us playing two
games in one day, we sim
ply didn't have our legs,"
said Pitts. "As a result, we
couldn't attack and press
like we normally do. We
didn't look anything like
the QEA team that people
had seen all season. In that
second half, we looked like
we were walking in quick
sand."
wim uic exception 01
senior forward Keith Sugg,
the Pharaohs had a horrible
shooting night. Sugg, who
led all scorers with 28
points, closed the curtain
on his high school career
with his best offensive
game of the season. He was
4-of-5 from the field and 6
of-8 on 3-pointers. The rest
of the team shot 34 percent
for the game.
Top scorer Deshawn
Corprew had his worst out
put of the season with six
points on 3-of-9 field goal
shooting. Corprew did
compensate to some degree
with 5 rebounds and 4
assists. Jaylan McGill con
tributed 10 points, but had
an icy shooting touch from
long distance (1 -of-11 from
3-point range). Renathan
Ona Embo added 9 points
and 3 rebounds and
Marsellis Purvis chipped in
with 9 points, 7 rebounds
and 2 assists.
"Our guys played a
very good basketball
team," said Pitts. "They
kept fighting and they
never quit."
In the semifinals, QEA
got a huge lift from McGill,
Embo and Purvis in a 73
67 win over Sunrise
Academy. With Corprew
(12 points, 3 rebounds, 6
assists and 3 steals) com
manding so much attention
whenever he touched the
basketball, those three pro
vided all the offense the
Pharaohs needed.
Coach Pitts
McGill hit all six of his
3-point attempts and fin
ished with 20 points.
Embo, who was a perfect
7-of-7 from field, added 15
points. Purvis contributed
12 points, 4 rebounds, 3
assists and 2 steals.
For Sunrise, Bryan
Trimble and Rashad Davis
were the leading scorers
with 11 and 10 points
respectively.
QEA started its title run
with a 74-69 victory over
Athlete's Institute (Canada)
in the quarterfinals.
Corprew turned in a solid
night's work with 15 points
and 8 rebounds and he got
ample assistance from his
teammates. Purvis went 8
for-9 from the field and fin
ished with .19 points and 7
rebounds. McGill and
Stagg chipped in with 13
points apiece.
The Pharaohs turned in
one of their best defensive
performances against a
team that features one of
the nation's most coveted
major-college prospects.
Even though Thon Maker,
a 7-1 post player scored 24
points and pulled down 10
rebounds, he never domi
nated for lengthy stretches.
For the game, tie was only
3-of-13 from the field.
Most of his point total
came from beyond the arc
(6-of-6 on 3-pointers).
Notes: The format for
the Grind Session national
championships was differ
ent from what teams expe
rienced during the regular
season. In high school
games, teams play four
quarters which are 8 min
utes long. In this GS event,
the college format was
used. Games were played
in two, 20-minute halves
with a 30-second shot
clock.
?QEA's Corprew, who
averaged 30 points per
game during the regular
season, was one of 12 play
ers named to the All-Grind
Session team. The players .
were chosen by coaches
whose teams participated
in the Grind Session this
season.
?"Corprew, who's cur
rently being pursued by a
number of high-profile pro
grams such as UCLA,
Texas, Texas A&M,
Louisville and Kansas, is
expected to announce his
choice of schools in the
coming weeks.
Photo by Cnug T. Greenlee
QEA 's Keith Stagg had his best offensive performance of the season in the
championship game of the Grind Session nationals.
Photo by Craif T. Greenlee
Will Tibbs, who played at Winston-Salem Prep,
flourished in his first college basketball season as a
multi-purpose performer for Fayetteville State.
Tibbs
from pageW
Eastern Shore. That sea
son, however, was
uneventful. Tibbs was red
shirted and did not play. In
the meantime, he became
dissatisfied with his situa
tion and started to think
about alternatives.
Teammate Jaiquan
Manning wasn't happy
either. So they talked at
length about possibilities
during the car ride from
Maryland to North
Carolina in December
2014. Before coming to
Winston-Salem, though,
Tibbs had to drop Manning
off in his home town,
which is Fayetteville.
The subject of
Fayetteville State basket
ball came up. So he decid
ed to visit and have a talk
with the head coach. The
following summer, Tjbbs
made his move from
UMES to Fayetteville.
Manning also left and now
he's playing at Pitt
Community College.
Tibbs, a 6-6 forward
who graduated from
Winston-Salem Prep, flour
ished in his first season of
college basketball. As a
red-shirt freshman,' he
averaged 8.1 points, 7.2
rebounds and was named
to the CIAA's All-Rookie
team. Perhaps the truest
measure of Tibbs' value
was the fact that he started
all 29 games and was sec
ond on the team in minutes
played at 312 per game.
"Will, had an outstand
ing season," said coach
Alphonza Kee of
Tibbs
Fayetteville State. "Since
he came from a (high
school) program that has a
winning tradition and the
right kind of tutelage, 1
knew that he'd come in and
be ready to play."
As a newcomer with
the Broncos, Tibbs proved
himself as a valued contrib
utor with a multiple skill
set. He's usually penciled
in at small forward. But
over the course of games,
there are times when he'll
play every position.
"We asked him to
rebound, defend and finish
around the basket," said
Key. "But he can also help
out at point guard and there
are times when he's at the 5
(center). Next year, he'll do
that and even more. He'll
be more involved in initiat
ing our offense as a point
forward and we're looking
for him to expand his
shooting range from the
perimeter."
Looking back on his
first year in college, Tibbs
learned a few lessons. As a
key player at Winston
Salem Prep, he was accus
tomed to competing every
season. So, it's easy to
understand how difficult it
was for him to sit and
watch from courtside.
"It was tough," Tibbs
recalled. "While I was sit
ting out, I learned a lot
about work ethic from the
players at Maryland
Eastern Shore. At the col
lege level, you can't afford
to take any days off. If you
do, you could end up losing
your spot (on the team).
That's why you have to
bring it (focus, intensity
and desire) every day."
After having his initial
conversations with Key, it
became clear in Tibbs'
mind that he wouldn't have
to do any more searching
for a new college home. "I
was sold from the begin
ning," he said. "I really
liked the environment.
f
There were no cliques or
anything like that. It was so
much like family. That's
what I was looking for."
Tibbs is part of a high
school state basketball
championship legacy.
During his time at Prep, the
Phoenix pulled off a three
peat by winning Class 1-A
state championships in
2012, 2013 and 2014.
Playing under the guidance
of coach Andre Gould, he
explained, served as good
preparation for the college
level.
"It's all about working
hard and playing hard to be
the best you can possibly
be," said Tibbs. "That's
what I learned while play
ing at Prep."
Now that Tibbs has his
first college season behind
him, he's keenly focused
on helping Fayetteville
State improve on its 14-15
record from this past sea
son. In the CIAA
Tournament, the Broncos
had a strong run and won
two games before bowing
out to eventual tournament
champion Virginia State in
the quarterfinal round.
"The season didn't end
the way we wanted, but we
learned a few things," said
Tibbs. "We have a better
idea of all the things we
need to work on as a team.
That's really going to help
us in the long run."
Softball
from page B1
young team with no seniors on board. Nine
new faces are on this year's roster, which
includes six freshmen and three transfers.
"Yes we have a lot of new people," added
Hilliard-Gray, "but with all the games
we've played up to now, they no longer
____________ can be considered
rookies."
At this point
in the season,
WSSU, picked to
finish second in
the CIAA, has
performed well at
the plate. Against
UNCP, the Rams
had 18 hits in two
games. The main
issue, however, is
Coach HUlard-Gray defense A throw
ing error in the
seventh inning of
the first game allowed an unearned run,
which helped to set the stage for the
Braves comeback. In extra innings, a lead
off walk led to the game-winning run.
"Overall, we have to get better defen
sively," Hilliard-Gray said. "We've given
games away by committing errors at cru
cial times. Still, I'm pleased with where we
are right now. So far, we're 5-1 in the
CIAA and we played well in a 5-1 loss to
the 13th-ranked team in the country (West
*
Virginia Wesleyan)."
It hasn't taken long for WSSU's new
additions to make their presence felt.
Freshmen Destiny Snipes and Taonya
Stanley rank among team leaders in RBIs
(15 and 11 respectively). Sophomore out
fielder/catcher Tiarra Delaney tops all
Rams with a 341 batting average, and jun
ior college transfers Rebecca Demko and
Idaysha Quinones provide stability and
veteran leadership for a young group.
"Snipes is extremely versatile. I can
play her in the infield or the outfield," said
Hilliard-Gray. "And she's good enough at
the plate where I can put her in the lead-off
spot or at No3 in the batting lineup.
Quinones is an asset for us defensively.
Her ability to throw runners out at the plate
(from centerfield) makes her very valu
able."
The make-up of this year's team, while
young, could help the Rams go further
than they did a year ago, when their season
ended in the semifinal round of the CIAA
tournament. Their only league loss so far iS
to Chowan, who was picked to win the
conference in the pre-season voting.
In Hilliard-Gray's mind, this year's
team is one of the most seasoned that she's
ever had during her 13-year tenure at
Winston-Salem State. "We have a little
more speed and more versatility," she said.
"We have several people who can play
multiple positions. My job now is getting
them to embrace our growth as a team, so
that we can continue to enhance what
we're building." ?
4
Pluto by Oalg T. Ornate
Tiarra Delaney of the Rams lays down a bunt during last week's doubleheader
against UNC Pembroke.
t? r t> ,