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SpgrtsWeek
Titans JV falls to RJR, but captures conference title
ilii
Fuller, first-year coach, led
West JV to a 15-5 record
BY SAM DAVIS
THE CHRONIC! I- "
West Forsyth's junior varsity basketball
team lost last Friday night's battle, but it won
the war.
The Titans dropped a 59-57 decision to
Reynolds in the season finale, but the Titans
captured their second consecutive Central Pied
mont 4-A Conference championship.
Coach Tim Fuller, in his first season at the
Chelm of the Titans' junior varsity team, watched
his team take an early 15-point lead, but it ran
out of steam down the stretch.
Fuller said his team's mistakes and missed
free throws helped the Demons to pull off the
victory on their home court.
"I told my kids all year that layups and free
Spe West Forsyth on B4
Tyler Boardman, shown here earlier this season,
averaged 16 points and five assists to lead West
Forsyth in both categories.
Danny Harris, shown here earlier this sea
son, scored iO points in Reynolds' win over
West last Friday night.
Demons JVs w in final six
to finish with 16-6 record
BY SAM DAVIS
I III CHRONICII
Jashawn Carter connected on two free
throws with four seconds to give Reynolds'
junior varsity basketball team a 59-57 victory
over West Forsyth last Friday night at
Reynolds.
The fiC* throws helped the Demons to
avenge an earlier loss to the Titans and gave
RJR a second-place finish in the Central Pied
mont 4-A Conference and the distinction of
being the only team in the conference to defeat
West.
Reynolds fell behind by a 17-8 margin at
the end of the first quarter and was behind 29
23 at the end of the first half. The Demons'
deficit was also 6. 44-38, at the end of the third
0
See Reynolds on B4
Rams finally
get mad in win
over Broncos
i From The Press Box
[ "' ' ' ' !
^ Sam Davis
FAYETTEVILLE? Will last Saturday's 80
74 victory by Winston-Salem State be the defining
game of its 2001-2002 season?
If the Rams go on to fare well in the CIAA
Tournament next week and follow with a strong
performance in the NCAA Division II South
Atlantic Regional, they might point to the victory
at Fayetteville State as the turning point in their
season.
The Rams were struggling along through that
game, when they finally pulled themselves up off
the deck, dusted themselves off and started play
ing like the team that returned eight seniors from
the CIAA's most talented and experienced squad.
Fayetteville State, buoyed by a large home
crowd and a television audience, had taken control
of the game in the first half behind the play of
reserve Willie Thomas and Joe Edwards. With
those two leading the way. the Broncos jumped
out to a 45-31 lead with only 4.5 seconds remain
ing in the first half.
WSSU had a chance to cut the deficit when
Shawn Alexander launched a 3-point attempt from
the corner. The shot bounced high off the rim and
a WSSU player hauled in the rebound as the
buzzer sounded. It appeared that Fayetteville State
would take a 14-point lead to the locker room.
However, the game clock still showed 1.5 seconds
remaining, and coach Philip Stitt of WSSU vehe
mently argued that the half wasn't over.
Stitt finally won the argument and the Rams
were given possession of the ball. It paid divi
dends for WSSU, which worked a perfect play on
the inbounds play from underneath its basket. The
pass came in to Corey Thompson, who had posi
tioned himself inside the lane. Thompson quickly
got off a shot that beat the buzzer and cut the mar
See Press Box on B2
mum iiv r>r ucc i naptlliui
Broderick Hicks of Wake Forest goes to the basket against Virginia. Hicks handed out six
assists and scored five points in the Deacons' win.
Songaila, Dawson lead
Deacons past Virginia |
BY SAM DAVIS
III! CHRONICLE
Coach Skip Prosser and his
Wake Forest basketball team
had a lot of question marks
going into last Sunday night's
battle against the University of
Virginia. The main one cen
tered around the absence of
Josh Howard, the team's sec
ond-leading scorer and
rebounder. After consecutive
losses to Cincinnati and Clem
son, the Deacons wondered
how they would fare against
the Cavaliers, the nation's
I5th-ranked team, without the
6-6 forward from Winston
Salem.
With Darius Songaila lead
ing the way with a career-high
30 points and Craig Dawson
breaking out of a long shoot
ing slump, the Demon Dea
cons surprised everyone,
including the 12,859 fans in
attendance and a regional tele
vision audience, by taking a
92-70 victory.
The Demons didn't appear
See Wake on B2
Hard work, steady
improvement keyed
Reynolds girls JV
BY SAM DAVIS
THE CHRONICLE ? i
Coach James Williat
positive things to say
about his team even
though last Friday's
56-42 loss to West
Forsyth dropped his
team's overall record
to 10-11 and 4-6 in the
Piedmont Triad 4-A
Conference. The game
brought to a close
Reynolds' girls junior
varsity season and it
was a bittersweet time
for Williams.
"The thing that
comes out of this that
sticks out is how much
I enjoyed this because
of the way these girls
handled themselves |
throughout the sea
son." Williams said.
"We were in every
game and no one just
came out and blowed
us out."
That might not
seem like much, but to
Williams it was a tes
tament to the character
of his team.
"This is a very
good group of girls."
he said. "They left
everything out on the
court every game.
They never gave up.
but they battled until
the end of every
game."
The team's youth
and lack of playing .
experience cost it a
is had nothing but
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Cohen
Hunt
McLain
Nielsen
Demons on B2
Carver girls JV learn lesson off the court
BY SAM DAVIS
THE CHRONICLE
When Jamie Lomax took a close
look at the Carver girls JV basketball
team, she noticed that there were
some ingredients missing that the
players could use. Because of the
team's youth. Lomax. who serves as
the assistant to head coach Jim
Wright, knew the team would be
hard-pressed to match the win-loss
record the previous team posted.
However, that took a back seat in her
mind to the process of getting the
players to become not only better
basketball players hut better people
as well.
Lomax decided to look around
for some opportunities for her team
to volunteer in the community.
"I felt that we needed a team
bonding experience." Lomax said. "I
thought it was important for the girls
Coach Jim Wright, assistant Jamie Lomax and members of the Carver Girls' JV baskeball team: Sherika Payton,
Merd Matthews, Merdlyn Matthews, Jamie Hyman, Tereeta Hairston, Shona Rustin, Dominica Lambson and Dcrvi
da Wilkins.
to get out in the community and do
something away from the court."
But what could the players take
part in that would provide life les
sons?
"At first I wanted them to visit
the children's (Brenner's) hospital."
Lomax said. "But after I called, they
said because of the flu season it
wouldn't be a good time for us to
come and spend time with the chil
dren."
Lomax didn't give up on her idea
of volunteerism for her team. She
contacted Arbor Acres, a retirement
facility for senior citizens, and they
liked the idea of having the young
women on the team coming and
spending time with the residents
there.
Sir Yellowjaclcets on B2
Venus Williams will ascend to the number one
ranking in professional women's tennis Monday.
It is the first time an African American has held
this position since Arthur Ashe in 1975.