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Patriots Clinch
^TGWI^RT Poothills Crown
Thuraday, February 24. 1B17 —MIRROR-HERALD-Page 8A
LS\
I Thinfiia Have To Get Better
' For Blalock And Mountaineers
Hie dust haa hardly settled on Kings Mountain
High's basketball season, but already Moun
taineer head coach John Blalock Is looking for
ward to next season.
He flgurea things can only get better for the
Mountaineers.
Blalock, In his first year as coach, saw his
Mountaineers go through a miserable B-17 season
this year and that mark represents one of the
worst records In KMHS basketball history. It also
marked the first time In 18 years Blalock had
coached a loser.
"It really hurts," says Blalock. "It’s hard sit
ting cn that bench knowing you’re playing these
tough teams and just don’t have the players to
compete with them.’’
Ihe Mountaineers had the outside shooting
talent, but their Inside game suffered. Their two
Inside threats had a combined average of less
than 10 points per game.
Blalock figures If the
Mountaineers are to re
turn to their winning
ways next season, he’ll
have to come up with a
good point guard and a
dominant Inside player.
.. one that can reach the
high teens or twenties In
both points and
rebounds.
^ good
year next year, William
Lockhart will have to
come through for us In
side,’’ noted Blalock.
"He began to get the
r^ounds for us late In
the year but we still
need 16-20 points per
game out of him.
"Eddie Ingram came along at the point for us
the last three or four games, so we’re going to
miss him," Blalock added. “I hope Steve Boggan
can step in and do the job for us there. Another
possibility Is Eric Dixon, who has been a solid
player for the junior high this year."
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iOngs Mountain Junior
High’s Patriots wrapped
up their second straight
Foothills Conference
basketball title Monday at
home with a M-4B victory
over Shelby.
The victory gives Coach
Ken Napier’s charges a 10-
8 record heading into
today’s season’s finale at
West Lincoln. The Pats can
do no worse than tie for the
champlondifo as Bums Is
the only chib wtthln a
game of the Pats with a 0-4
9PORT9
Need Guard, Big Man^
The Mountaineers lose'billy’tlu%e players, Wil
liam Thcxnpson, who was dismissed from the
squad late In the year for disciplinary reasons,
Ingram and Bobby Odums.
Sophomore Vernon Bell, who averaged 12 points
per game, and Everette Burris, who worked his
way Into the starting lineup late In the year, will
give Blalock a strong outside scoring punch.
"If we get a point guard that can really play
under pressure, and a big man inside that will
really play some tough basketball tor us, we’re
qii going to be pretty good next year,” says Blalock.
~ ' "We’ll set our goals much higher than we did this
year.”
Blalock said he actually felt like his team could
be a winner this past season. "But,” he said,
"after we dropped those first four or five
ballgames, the roof really caved In on us. After we
lost Thompson, we really started to play good
basketball. And most of the guys we were playing
were sophomores and juniors, so we should really
be In the thick of It next year."
The Mountaineers played the Southwestern
Gbnference’s top three teams — Crest, Shelby and
North Qaston — three of their toughest basketball
games late In the year. They lost to North Gaston
on the road by one, led Shelby the entire game
before falling by three, and dropped a tough 10-
polnt decision to the then-unbeaten Chargers.
Blalock will be looking to several junior varsity
players to plug some holes and he’s already trying
‘to talk a 6-6 sophomore who has a lot of potential
Into coming out for the team next year.
.^nd Winning TradUion
"The jayvee team had three or four players that
can do a good job for us," he said. "Darryl Friday
will help us out a lot at the point guard and Stan
Scruggs and Terry McClain should help us a lot.
Dennis Dukes did a marvelous job with that
jayvee team.”
Blalock said several of the current junior high
players also show a lot of promise.
"We’re going to try to keep all the sophomores
on the jayvee team,” he says, "unless they are
really good players and can start for us. If they
can’t help us right off the bat, we’re going to keep
' them on the jayvee team and give them ex-
l^perience.
"We’re going to have to re-establish a winning
tradition here,” he wont on. "We’re beginning to
get the kind of players wo want from the junior
high and jayvee programs. They have good at
titudes and as long as we continue to get those
kind, our program Is going to Improve.”
Blalock says he’s enjoyed all 16 of his years In
coaching, even this past season, but he’d rather
not go through another 6-17 campaign.
"We tried everything," he said, "and nothing
seemed to work. But we did get a lot of Im
provement out of t'.em and all the kids got ex
perience.”
That experience, Blalock feels, will pay big
' 'dividends next year. But he’d suit like to see some
big tall superstar come out.
Anybody know of one?
•W-'
Photo By Gary Stewart
HITS LAYUP - Khigs Mountain Junior High’s
Dennis McOUl (51) scores from close range in
liieaday’s Foothiiis Conference game with Shelby at
the KM gym. The PaMoto won 84-4S to claim their
second stralglrt leagne title.
KMHS Spring
Sports Slates
GOLF
MARCH
10, at CherryvlUe
17, at Chase
24, at Shelby
81, at B. aty
APRIL
7, Cherry., Crest, E.
Oaston
21, at Burns
28, Crest, R-S, Shelby
MAY
6, at R-S Central
9, Oonf. at Shelby
16-17, Assn, at Shelby
BOYS TENNIS
APRIL
7, at Shelby
11. Crest
14, at CherryvlUe
18, at E. Ruth.
21, R-S Central
25, at Chase
28, Burns
MAY
2, at S. Point
12-18, Bl-Conf. at Shelby
19-20, Assn at Shelby
GIRLS TENNIS
MARCH
81, at R-S Central
APRIL
4. S. Point
7, CherryvlUe
11, Watauga
14, at Burns
18, Crest
21, at B. Ruth.
25, at Shelby
MAY
2, at Wilkes Central
6, Lenoir
12-18, Bl-Conf. at Shelby
19-20, Assn, at Shelby
BASEBALL
MARCH
8, at R-S Central
11, R-S Central
15, at Bums
18, Shelby
19, Burns
22, Crest
24, at Crest
29, at B. aty
APRIL
1, at N. Gaston
4. CherryvlUe
12, S. Point (N)
16, at E. Outon
19, N. Oaston (N)
22, at'Cherry. (N)
26, E. Gaston (N)
29 at S. Point (N)
BOYSTRACK
MARCH
17, at Burns
14, at R-S Central
81, at Shelby
APRIL
14, at R-S Central
21, at Burns
28, at S. Point
MAY
5, Pre-Conf. at Crest
18, Oonf. at Crest
19-20, Assn, at Crest
GIRLS TRACK
MARCH
17, at Shelby
24, at S. Point
81, at R-S Central
APRIL
14, at Shelby
21, at R-S Central
28, Pre-Conf. at Shelby
MAY
6, Oonf. at Shelby
12. Assn, at Davie Oo.
tV
DRIVINO LANE - Kings Mountain’s
Eric Dixon (43) drives the lane on way to
two of his team-leading 14 points In
Monday’s 54-49 Junior high victory over
Photo By Gary Stewart
Shelby. The Patriots claimed their
second straight FoothUls Conference
title. They end their season today at
West Lincoln.
Mid Atlantic ( hanipionship
WRESTUNG
Kings Mountain Community Center
Kings Mountain, N. C.
Sat. Feb. 26th At 8:15 PM
Advance Tickets On Sale At
_K. M^^omnumit^Centei^^^^^
record.
Should Burns win its
game today and KM lose to
West Lincoln, the two
teams would be declared
co-champions. But if KM
wins today, the Patriots
wUl be the undisputed
champions for the second
year In a row.
The Patriots fell behind
4-0 early in the first
quarter Monday, but then
reeled off 17 straight points
for a 17-4 lead. They went
on to lead by 19-6 after the
first period and Shelby was
never again able to get
within five points.
KM'S leading scorer,
Eric Dixon, got Into foul
trouble early In the second
period, suid the Pats’
leading rebounder, Keimy
Gwinn, began to tire, and
when Coach Napier gave
both a rest the Blue DevUs
began to come back.
Shelby cut the score to
88-28 at halftime but the
Pats padded their lead to
46-86 after three quarters
and held a lO-to-12 point
lead until the final four
minutes when Shelby took
advantage at several KM
turnovers to cut the final
margin to five.
Dixon finished with 14
points, Dennis McGill
added 18 and Jeff
Clonlnger 11. Gwinn
grabbed 10 rebounds and
McGill eight.
The Patriots had one of
Uielr best shooting nights
of the year, hitting 21 of 43
(49 percent) from the floor
and 12 of 16 (75 percent)
from the foul line.
"It was ablg win for us,”
noted Napier,, who coached
the, Pats to a-perfect 14-0
season a year ago. ‘"Ihere
were a lot of festivities at
school before the gamd,
and I was wandering If
we’d be up for the game.
But playing Shelby always
seems to bring out the best
In our players.
"We did a resJ good job
rebounding,” Napier
continued. "We knew we
had to block them off the
boards because they were
a lot bigger than we were.
We also did a good job in
the first half against their
zone defense and our 76-Z
zone press really made the
difference In the first
half.”
Napier singled out
McGill and Gwlim for their
steady plsiy on the boards
and Dixon for his outside
■hooting, which played a
f Double Disney For A Funderful Time
"Todd Friday ran the
offense real well,” he
added, "and Jeff Oonlnger
had one of his better offen
sive games. He did a good
job helping to break the
press.
Wrestling
Scheduled
Saturday
At Center
hfid-Atlantlc wrestling
comes to the Kings
Mountain Community
Center Saturday night at
8:16 p. m.
The feature match of the
evening > Willi be a single
bout-'between the Mighty
Igor and the Super Star.
A big tag team match
features the Hollywood
Blondes, Jerry Brown and
Buddy Roberts, against
Johnny Eagle and Red
Bastlen.
Other matches pit Danny
Miller against Jacques
Goulet, BUI White against
Frankie Lsine and Two Ton
Harris against Francisco
Flores.
Advance tickets are on
sale at the community
center.
MIGHTY IGOR
* ^
V
-vs-
SLPER STAR
''ttollyvpoad^ Bhtnrdes’' -
' * -• t . a ro -i.ii.’uU
Jerry Brown & Buddy Roberts
-VS-
Johnny Eagle and Red Bastien
Danny Miller -VS- Jacques Goiiey
Bl White -VS- Frankie Lane
Two Ton Harris -VS- Francisco Rores
Subscribe To The Mirror-Herald
haying sucha^ Ntnideifiil crime.
"We don’t have all that
much talent,” Napier ssdd,
"but we have a scrappy
bunch of kids. I think
they’ve gotten used to
being called number one.”
Kings Mountain’s
jayvees won their seventh
straight In the opener, 42-
29 to run their record to 6-3
in the conference and 7-8
overaU.
Ricky Proctor scored 19
points and Vince Roseboro
nine to lead the offense and
Chris Wright had 10
rebounds to key the
defense. Carl Smith dlshpd
out seven assists.
"We showed a lot of
desire,” noted Coach
Danny McDoweU, whose
chib stUl has an outside
■hot at the title. Uncolnton
Is 7-2 and KM could
achieve a tie should the
Wolves lose their finale
today.
"Even If we don’t win the
title. I’m reaUy proud of
our players for the way
they’ve come back after
those three early losses,”
McDowell said.
it’s a
shame
^ to call
the
police!
7
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