SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3,2011
SPORTS
THE COURIER-TIMES IROXBORO, NC A7
JIM MONTOYA
Person’s Kenny Jay makes quick work of his opponent in the 132-pound match Wednesday at
Northern Durham.
Knights surge past Rockets, 46-36
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PHS WRESTLING
I-
BY GREG PHIPPS
COURIER-TIMES SPORTS EDITOR
ctsports@roxboro-coutiet.com
DURHAM — Through six
matches, it looked as if the Per
son Rockets might be well on
their way to knocking off the
defending Piedmont Athletic
Conference champion North
ern Durham Knights in wres
tling action Wednesday evening
at Northern High School’s Poe
Gymtorium.
The Rockets won five of the
first six contests by pin and held
a commanding 30-4 lead before
Northern stormed back by tak
ing five of the final eight bouts
via pin and winning two others
by forfeit to pull out a 46-36 vic
tory in the conference opener
for both squads.
The lone Person triumph over
that last eight-match stretch
was a forfeit win for James Hut
son at 220 pounds.
The Rockets, now 2-1 in duals
competition this season, had to
feel good about their impres
sive showing in the lighter divi
sions against last year’s PAC-6
champs.
“Overall I was impressed with
their performance,” said Rocket
head coach Mark Litchfield Jr.
of his wrestlers “I really liked
their enthusiasm going into the
match with the defending con
ference champs. We were one
match away from pulling off
a victory. I look forward to the
rest of the season and watching
these guys grow. There’s a lot of
GREG PHIPPS I COURIER-TIMES
Person’s Shaquille Oliver (right) grapples with his Northern Dur
ham opponent in the 160-pound match.
talent on this team.”
Outside of Darius Pettiford’s
17-3 loss by major decision in the
113-pound match, the Rockets
completely dominated in light
er-weight events. Chase Gentry
made fast work of his foe in the
106-pound category with a take
down just 33 seconds into round
one. Francisco Jimenez elimi
nated his opponent at 1:20 of
the first round of the 120-pound
bout, and Ty Oakley ended his
126-pound match with a minute
to go in round two.
Kenny Jay (132) and Markus
Bowes (138) also took just over
a minute to win their matches
and give the Rockets their short
lived 26-point lead.
Person’s Nick Montoya bat
tled hard at 145 before being
pinned with 30 seconds left in
that match while Shaquille Oli
ver was defeated in the second
round of the 160-pound contest.
Jeffery Wagner also made it to
the second round at 195 before
suffering a takedown.
Luis Aldaz (170) and Matt
Allen (heavyweight) were also
pinned in their matches. Per
son had to forfeit in the 152 and
182-pound divisions.
Person is taking part in the
annual Jim King Orange High
School Invitational this week
end.
BULIDOGS: Roll to 2T-polnt win Wednesday
FROM PAGE A6
Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
“It was a pretty good per
formance by our boys, we took
about a quarter and a half to
warm up,” said RCS head coach
Justin Bettendorf of Wednes
day’s game.
“When we finally woke up,
our full court press started
working. The baskets came a lit
tle easier and our defensive in
tensity picked up. Every player
made positive contributions and
we couldn’t be happier about
starting off 2-0.”
RCS led by just one basket,
24-22, after the first quarter but
outscored the hosts, 28-14, in pe
riod two to enter halftime with
a 52-36 advantage. A 14-8 edge in
scoring in the third quarter put
the Bulldogs in a comfortable
spot, leading 66-44 and basically
putting the contest on ice.
RCS drained 37 field goals in
the game and shot 6-of-13 from
the charity stripe.
James Hawley had a strong
defensive game with four blocks,
two of which came on East Wake
fast break attempts.
Burton’s 22 points came on 11
field goals while Bass ended up
with nine hoops, including one
from downtown.
Other contributors in the
scoring column were Hawley
and Justin Mosley with 11 points
each, Khari Johnson with seven,
and Jordan Fields and Jonathon
McNeil with six each.
The Bulldogs finished with
26 rebounds, 14 steals, and 10
assists as a team. Bass hauled
down six boards and Hawley
had five.
Johnson and Burton dished
out three assists each, and
Burton and Bass each had four
steals to their credit.
In girls’ action, RCS dropped
a 53-40 decision to East Wake
and fell to 0-2 on the season.
Danielle Holt and Abbey
Barnette both tallied 12 points
to lead the Bulldogs. The girls
resume play next Tuesday at
Granville Central (scheduled 6
p.m. start).
The boys’ junior varsity team
was also defeated 55-40 in a game
at Clover Garden to fall to 1-1 on
the season.
-]|
RCS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
[-
Jalen Bass wins award
Roxboro Community
School boys’ basketball play
er Jalen Bass is the winner
of this week’s RCS Athlete of
the Week award. A transfer to
the Bulldogs this season, Bass
was one of two RCS players
to finish with 23 points in last
week’s season-opening 66-65
win over Burlington Chris
tian.
Pouring in five 3-pointers in
the game, Bass and teammate
Charlie Burton Jr. helped key
a fourth-quarter comeback
from an eight-point hole.
Bass can pick up his award
at R&S Sporting Goods/Sign
Graphics.
Jalen Bass
Community
Service
Sponsored by
2695 Hurdle Mills Road
BOWES
Intersection of Patterson
Drive & Hurdle Mills Road
COLLISION CENTER
597-4431
i
KENNETH MARTIN I SMITHSPHOTO.COM
Person’s Akira Outlaw fires a shot for one of her six field goals against Halifax Thursday night.
Person girls crack win column
-]|
PHS GIRLS' BASKETBALL'
[
BY GREG PHIPPS
COURIER-TIMES SPORTS EDITOR
ctsporfs@roxboro-coutlet.com
Concluding a grueling,
season-opening stretch of five
games in seven days with a 58-
49 win over the Halifax Com
ets Thursday night at Rocket
Gymnasium might be what the
doctor ordered to turn things
around for the struggling Per
son Rocket girls’ basketball
team.
The Rockets, who were
coming off a rough 32-point
loss at Orange the night be
fore, performed with poise
and confidence in the fourth
quarter of Thursday’s con
test by outscoring the Com
ets, 25-16, and sinking 11 of
16 free throws to secure their
first W since early last season.
“I’m just glad to get off this
losing streak and end this busy
stretch of games,” said Person
head coach Ray Reaves, whose
team is now 1-4. “We made some
adjustments at the half and did
a better job of stopping the pen
etration of [Halifax guard] Lexi
Tucker in the second half.”
While neutralizing Tucker
(18 points) was the key on de
fense, running the offense
through both Akira Outlaw
(18 points and nine rebounds)
and Christina Harris (13 points
and 12 boards) in the post area
worked effectively as well.
The Rockets had a notice
able size advantage, out-re-
bounding the visitors by a
significant 32-14 margin, and
they made the best of that ad
vantage by going to their two
top front-liners on a consis
tent basis.
“We definitely want to work
the offense through them,”
said Reaves of Outlaw and
Harris. “They’re smart play
ers and they know when to
kick it out to the open shooter.
It worked well for us tonight
but we still need to improve
our guard play when it comes
to handling pressure and feed
ing the post.”
Outlaw and Harris com
bined for 12 of the team’s
25 fourth-period points, and
they were complemented well
throughout the game by the
efforts of guards Dynasty Pet-
tiford (nine points and 4-for-4
shooting at the line), Morgan
Villines (six points before she
fouled out late in the game),
and Jasmine McCain (six
points).
The Rockets overcame a
22-14 deficit by going on an
11-1 run, capped by a McCain
3-pointer, late in the second
quarter to take their first lead
at 25-23 at halftime.
The contest was dead even,
33-33, after three periods before
Person pulled away to a 50-40
lead with 3:24 remaining.
Person 58, Halifax 49
Thursday, December 1
at Rocket Gymnasium
Halifax (49) — Khadijah Brandon
0 0-0 0; Janiyah Logan 3 0-2 6; Lexi
Tucker 5(1) 7-13 18; Mecca Cole 1
0-0 2; Che’Lese Bowman 2(1) 0-2 5;
Ashley Hill 2 3-6 7; Briyana Jackson 0
0-0 0; Brianna Lindsey 2 0-0 4; Ashley
Snead 3 1-2 7; Alara Edmondson 0
0-1 0. Totals—18(2) 11-26 49.
Person (58) — Jasmine McCain
2(1) 1-5 6; Cassidy Solomon 1 0-2 2;
Hannah Riley 1(1) 1-2 4; Dynasty Petti-
ford 2(1) 4-4 9; Lisa Bass 0 0-0 0; Elsie
Mangum 0 0-0 0; Akira Outlaw 6 6-9
18; Christina Harris 4 5-6 13; Tiana
Hatchett 0 0-2 0; Morgan Villines 2 2-2
6. Totals —18(3) 19-32 58.
Score by quarters:
Halifax 11 12 10 16 49
Person 9 16 8 25 58
3-POINT GOALS: HALIFAX (2):
Tucker, Bowman. PERSON (3): Mc
Cain, Riley, Pettiford. REBOUNDS:
HALIFAX (14): Bowman 4.PERSON
(32): Harris 12, Outlaw 9, Hatchett 4.
by connecting on less than 50
percent (ll-for-26) of its foul
shots and missing several
open perimeter shots down the
stretch.
It was an emotional game
for Coach Reaves, who was
facing his former team for the
first team as an opposing head
coach. He coached the Halifax
girls’ junior varsity and varsity
teams for seven years.
“It was an uneasy feeling. I
was getting worked up all day
knowing that I was getting
ready to face a team I loved
when I was there,” he said after
the game. “I’m glad we got this
win but it’s a little bittersweet
for me.”
Person has a few days off be
fore it hosts Oxford Webb Tues
day night, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m.
In Wednesday’s 69-37 loss at
Orange, Outlaw finished with
13 points, followed by Harris
with nine and Elsie Mangum
with seven.
The Comets, who fell to 1-1
on the season, battled back to
within five before a key basket
by Person’s Hannah Riley from
downtown helped take the wind
out of the visitors’ sails and
preserve the long-awaited vic
tory for the home team.
Halifax didn’t help itself
JVS SUFPER TWO LOSSES
The Person junior varsity
team was defeated 71-11 by Hal
ifax on Thursday. Raquel Dix
on led the Rockets with eight
points.
In Monday’s season opener
at Oxford Webb, Person lost by
a 40-29 margin to the Warriors.
Jacquetta Graves was Person’s
top scorer with 12 points.
KENNETHMARTINISMITHSPHOTO.COM
Person guard Cassidy Solomon advances the ball past Halifax’s
Lexi Tucker in second quarter action.