Rams sweep double header with Lincoln Lions
SPECIAL TO THE PHBONpri y
The Winston-Salem State University
Rams swept a double header from The
Lincoln University Lions 10-0 and 6-3, in
two games played at Mando Field in
Mocksville on Saturday, March 21.
With the two wins, Winston-Salem
State improves to 20-6 overall and 5-1 in
the CIAA, while the Lincoln Lions fall to
1-8 overall and 0-2 in the CIAA.
In game one, the WSSU Rams got
going early and often, scoring four runs in
the first and two in the third, behind a
Colby Keene home run to left field, to
jump out to a 6-0 after three innings.'
Sam Burton was masterful on the
mound, sitting down the first 11 batters he
faced, before allowing a walk.
The Rams would score another run in
the fourth inning, and then would blow it
wide open in the sixth, with another three
runs, to go ahead 10-0 and come away
with the win.
Sam Burton (3-1) continues to pitch
well for the Rams, as he would go four
innings in earning the win, with one walk
and four strikeouts, while holding the
Lions hitless. Tyler Scearce came out of
the bullpen, pitching 2.0 innings, allowing
one hit and three strikeouts, and Hayden
O'Neal pitching an
inning allowing
one hit and striking
out one.
Colby Keene
led the Rams at the
plate going two for
three, including a
double and a home
run, while also
scoring twice and
driving in two runs.
D y . 1 a n
Dombrowskas fin
ished one for two
with two runs bat
ted in a run scored.
Alex Grubb also
went one for two
with two runs bat
ted in. Connor
Andnis went one for two with a run scored
and a run batted in, and Gavin Culler was
one for one with a run scored and three
walks. Phillip Page also went one for one
with a rbi, and Des Roberts scored two
runs. Aaron Hatch also scored twice and
Nathan Steger scored a run.
In game two, The Lincoln Lions got
out quickly
on WSSU
and scored
three runs
on four hits
in the first
inning to
take the
early lead.
Winston
Salem State
would
answer in the
bottom of the
second
inning when
Aaron Hatch
double to left
center field
and Jacob
Barber would score to cut the Lions lead to
3-1,
The Rams would surge ahead in the
fourth inning, as they would plate three
runs, with two of those runs coming on an
Alex Grubb pinch hit double that scored
Aaron Hatch and Des Roberts, as WSSy
took a 4-3 lead.
10-0 & 6-3
WSSU moves to 5-1
in the CIAA
wssu
R-AM-S*
WSSU would slam the door in the bot
tom of the sixth inning, as Alex Grubb
would belt a two-run single to deep left
center field to give the Rams the final scor
ing of the night, and a 6-3 victory.
Austin Cole (1 -0) picked up the win for
WSSU, going 32 innings, striking out six
and walking three out of the bullpen.
Nathan Steger started for the Rams, and
allowed three runs on four hits, with three
walks and tWB strikeouts. Jordan
Cummings picked up his second save of
the year, going 2.1 innings with one hit and
three strikeouts.
Alex Grubb led the Rams at the plate
gong two for two with four big rbi's, while
Aaron Hatch finished one for two with a
run scored and one run batted in. Gavin
Culler went one for four with a run scored,
and Colby Keene went one for four. Des
Roberts was one for two with two runs
scored and Jacob Barber also went one for
two with one run scored. Phillip Page
scored one run.
Winston-Salem State and The Lincoln
University will conclude the weekend
series on Sunday at BB&T Ballpark in
downtown Winston-Salem. The double
header is schedule for a 1:00 pm start.
Germain duties included
frompage BI ' writing press
releases, con
tacting event
contributors and assisting with annual
events. Germain helped to coordinate the
"America's Next Top Model" casting call
in Fayetteville, N.C., UPN 28's*Most
Soulful Gospel Sound hosted by 'Play' of
"Kid and Play," WWE promotions and
other network related events and promo
tions.
In the fall of 2005, Germain began
coaching volleyball with the Jammers
Volleyball Club (JVC) in Durham, N.C.
Over three years with JVC, she was the
head coach of the girl's 15 and under team,
girl's 16 and under team, the assistant to
the girl's 17 and under team, and the set
ting coach.
After her stint with JVC, Germain trav
eled to Greensboro, N.C., to become the
assistant women's volleyball coach for the
Lady Aggies of North Carolina A&T State
University. Aside from her coaching
responsibilities, she implemented addition
al study hall requirements, developed a
volleyball alumni club, and coordinated
various community service projects.
In her spare time, Germain enjoys
playing competitive volleyball, volunteer
ing, tutoring and serving her community
She is a member of the Order of the
Eastern Stars.
Germain is from Detroit, Mich. She is
the daughter of Lio (deceased) and Brenda
Germain and has a younger sister, Alexsys
R. Pullen, who is also a collegiate volley
ball student-athlete at Virginia State
University.
WSP girls. ^
from page Bi
mileage from a nine-player
roster. In spite of losing
center Kristain Saunders
for the season to injury
after 17 games, Winston
Salem Prep relied heavily
on a six-player rotation to
hammer all challengers in
post-season play.
When you stop to con
sider that the relentless
Phoenix won the crown
with limited depth, you
come to appreciate how
special this season turned
out to be.
Prep, which finished
the season at 24-3, dedicat
ed its efforts to sharing the
basketball on offense while
consistently shutting down
"^PQonents at the defensive
encLNThe Phoenix had
seven players who aver
aged between 7 and 11
points per game. As a team',
WSP averaged 13.6 assists,
15.2 steals and four
blocked shots for the sea
son.
Coach Eugene Love
has a squad which is well
stocked with interchange
able parts. The most versa
tile of the group is
Dominique Claytor, a
multi-dimensional type
who was voted MVP of the
state-championship game.
Claytor's stat line (9
points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5
assists and 3.4 steals per
game) is a credible indica
tor of her value. But, it
doesn't tell the entire story.
Depending on floor match
ups, Clay tor can play all
five positions and her on
court presence serves as a
calming influence.
Defensively, she has few
peers who can effectively
defend at several positions
as well as she does.
Swing players
Christina Caesar (8.9
points, 3.2 rebounds,
2.9 steals) and Kay la
Robinson (8.9
points, 4.1 rebounds,
2.6 assists, 1.7
steals) are versatile
in their roles, espe
cially on defense.
In the paint.
Chrisalyn Boston (7.3
points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8
blocks, 2 steals) emerged
as a major factor. With a
healthy Saunders (8.1
points, 5.1 rebounds) com
ing back, Prep's front line
will be more dominant.
The backcourt is formi
dable with Jada Craig (10.7
points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.6
assists, 3.2 steals) and
Mychala
Wolfe (10.3
points, 2.9
rebounds,
2.4 steals).
Both are
exceptional
passers who
shoot well
from the
outside and
can gener
ate their
Love
own offense off the dribble.
The future looks prom
ising for Winston-Salem
Prep to complete another
successful state-champi
onship run. Even so,
untimely injuries and/or
complacency could con
spire to crush those title
dreams. When next season
arrives, nobody knows how
the Phoenix will handle
being the defending state
champs that every team
Prep's Christina Caesar (12) averaged 8.9 points,
32 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game.
wants to beat.
Jt's one thing to cast
oneself ii) the role of being
the hunter. It's quite anoth
er to be the team with the
bulls eye on its back.
Will the urgency and
passion still be there?
Will this team remain
hungry?
Photo oy unug I Ufeehlee
Zaire Williams blossomed as an inside presence as a sophomore.
WSP boys
from page B1
realized that our (champi
onship) run would eventu
ally come to an end. But
now we'll go back to work
and see if we can start
another run.
When our players look
at that runner-up banner,
they'll be more motivated
than ever. We're looking to
continue to play for cham
pionships for years to
come. That's the culture
that we've established.
Sure, we have players with
talent. But it's more about
the hard work they put in
on and off the court."
Winston-Salem Prep
(20-8) loses three seniors
(Kwa'Tre Hollingsworth,
DJ. Harrison and Keeshon
Patrick) who got meaning
ful playing time. Gould's
cupboard, however, is
hardly bare.
At the guard slots,
Daivien Williamson,
Justice Goodloe, Josh
Gould and Daviar Dixon
are skilled and seasoned.
These first-year players
gained a lot of experience
from playing in big games
this season. All four will
continue to elevate their
level of play as they
mature.
Kendrick Edwards, a 6
feet-4 forward, operates
mostly from mid-range and
in the paint on offense.
Edwards is a relentless
offensive rebounder who
gives the Phoenix an added
dimension with his size,
strength and quickness.
Those attributes allows
Edwards to guard every
position on the floor.
The emergence of Zaire
Williams as a premier post
player gives Prep a decided
advantage. Williams, a 6
feet-seven, 250 pound
sophomore with an array of
inside moves, wreaked
havoc at both ends with his
bulk, passing skills and lat
eral quickness. Ne'quan
Carrington provides stabili
ty on the front line as a
dependable inside scorer,
rebounder and defender.
Williams, who finished
with nine points and nine
boards, had a significant
impact on the game's final
outcome. The Mariners
didn't have anyone who
could match-up against
Williams one-on-one. He
made them pay by scoring
Seven points and pulling
down six rebounds in the
first half.
East Carteret adjusted
its defense in the second
half, which made the
Phoenix more dependent
on outside shooting. The
Mariners applied intense
on-ball pressure, which
made it difficult for Prep's
guards to feed Williams
whenever he posted up.
This was especially
problematic of Prep in the
fourth quarter, when
Williams failed to score
because he couldn't get any
quality touches in the paint.
East Carteret used its
quickness to swarm Prep's
passers and deflect or steal
entry passes intended for
Williams. When Williams
did get the ball inside, he
was immediately surround
ed by three defenders and
had little or no room to
maneuver.
"As a coach, I'm
always learning," Gould
said. "East Carteret did an
excellent job of bracketing
Zaire and he got a little
frustrated. There are ways
to counter what they did
defensively. We'll go to
work on that and be better
prepared as a result."
Atkins girls
from pagelfl
learning what it takes to compete against
more experienced players in big-game sit
uations. It's been very satisfying to watch
them grow and mature."
The key piece for the Camels is leading
scorer Armani-Hampton, a 5-feet-dimen
sions forward who's attracting much atten
tion from Division I programs. Hampton
(16-5 points per game) makes an impact at
both ends of the floor with her length,
quickness and athleticism.
While Hampton is the undisputed cen
tral figure, she doesn't have to be a solo
act. Atkins has another Division I prospect
in Saryna Carpenter (12.2 points per
game), who complements Hampton as a
productive low-post player who's equally
effective as a perimeter shooter.
The rest of the supporting cast includes
combo guard Tyler Mercer, point guard
Mikalah Muhammad and all-purpose for
ward Tyler Davenport. The development
of Chandler Robinson is expected to pro
duce handsome dividends. Robinson, an
agile 6-feet-2 center, is a force on defense
and she continues to improve as an offen
sive contributor.
"We have a core group of players who
were able to step up in due time," Lowery
said. "They've learned how to win."
As a whole, it was a highly-satisfying
season for Atkins. But the way things
ended was unexpected. The Camels suf
fered a stunning 44-35 upset loss to Bishop
McGuinness in the opening round of the
state playoffs. In reviewing what tran
spired on that day, it was clear that idle
time had a lot to do with how Atkins per
formed.
Due to the winter storms in late
February, the Camels had not played for
nearly two weeks and were obviously
rusty. They were sluggish on defense and
had what was probably their worst shoot
Armani Hampton (14) is the first
Atkins player to score ljOOO career
points.
ing performance of-the season.
The outcome in the playoffs was vast
ly different from the regular season, when
Atkins topped the Villains in decisive fash
ion in their two meetings. Hampton aver
aeed 24 Doints in*thcw m?trh-nn? hut
scored only six |xiints in that playoff
game. Carpenter, in the meantime, led all
scorers with 18 points, but her teammates
struggled from start to finish
The memory of how the season ended
will undoubtedly give the Camels plenty
of added incentive ' for next season.
They've proven they can more than hold
their own against Prep. Whether or not
they can handle the Phoenix in a playoff
setting is anyone's guess.
In any case, the Camels will be fun to
watch.