THOMASVILLE TIMES
Double TVouble
Duke, UNCfall in ACC road
games over weekend.
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Sports
TUESDAY, OaOBER 26,2010
tvillesports@yahoo.com
ncHsaa state volleyball playoffs
Lady Panthers flawless against Bears
Calendar
TODAY
Volleyball
Chapel Hill
@ Ledford
7 p.m.
Soccer
N. Forsyth
@ Ledford
7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Soccer
E. Davidson
©Thomasville
7 p.m.
Soccer
Ledford
@ Asheboro
7 p.m.
FRIDAY
Football
Thomasville
@ Salisbury
7:30 p.m.
Football
E. Davidson
@ W. Davidson
7:30 p.m.
Football
Ledford
@ So. Guilford
7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Cross Country
NCHSAA
Reqionals
TBA
MONDAY
Basketball
Milligan JV
@ DCCC
7 p.m.
Golf
NCHSAA State
Golf Tourney
TBA
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BYZACH KEPLEY
Sports Editor
WALLBURG — It is safe to say
the Ledford Lady Panthers have
quickly forgotten about their
loss in the Mid-Piedmont Con
ference tournament last week.
On Saturday afternoon, Led
ford played one of its best games
of the season from start to finish,
dismantling Gray’s Creek 25-12,
25-9, 25-10 in the first round of
the North Carolina High School
Athletic Association 3-A state
playoffs.
The visiting Bears had little
chance to catch their breath in
the game, as LHS was constant
ly attacking at the net. Chloe
Barnes led the wpy with 10 kfils,
while Stevi Williams and Cady
added seven kfils each and Kai-
tlyn Otey had six. Emily Vernon
set up 18 assists and Ray was one
behind with 17. , ;
“We decided on Wednes
day that we were going to
find a kfiler instinct and
that we were going to push
ourselves to be consis
tent throughout all three
games,” said coach Kara Perri
er. “We have a tendency to start
strong and then stop, so ^e have
a new motto — ‘Start strong, stay
strong, finish strong.’”
Ledford completed phase one
••to
of the motto, getting kfils on
the first three points and racing
out to a 10-1 lead. Gray’s Creek
would close the gap to 16-11 mid
way through the first game, but
the Panthers put the hammer
down to the end, getting
four kfils from four dif
ferent players down the
stretch.
The Bears kept in better
contact during the sec
ond game, trailing only
10-7 and getting offensive them
selves. Ray brought the boom
with a kill on the next point, and
the Panthers were out of sight
to the end. Ahead 16-9, the Pan
thers once again reeled off nine
consecutive points to reach 25,
finished by a Barnes screamer
to the hardwood for the kfil.
WUliams and Ray started the
attack in the third set with a pair
of kfils, as Ledford completed its
fine day with a commanding 15-
point win in the third frame, fin
ished by what else, but a kfil by
Wfiliams.
“In voUeybaU, having three
days of practice in a row is rare,
and that was what we needed ap
parently,” Berrier said. “We had
very few mistakes today. Maybe -
we just got them all out of our'
system Tuesday night.”
Ledford, 21-3, wifi host No. 2
seed Chapel Hill (22-3) today at 7.
SPRINT CUP SERIES
Hamlin owns Martinsville
Narrows
Chase lead by
Johnson to 6
BY REID SPENCER
NASCARMedia.com
Va.
MARTINSVILLE,
— Dead heat.
WeU, almost.
Denny Hamlin won
Sunday’s Turns Fast Re
lief 500 at Martinsvfile
and trimmed fifth-place
finisher Jimmie John
son’s lead in the Chase
for the NASCAR Sprint
Cup to six points with
four races left in the sea
son.
The closest Chase ever
through six races is on a
collision course toward
next Sunday’s AMP En
ergy Juice 500 at Tal
ladega Superspeedway,
the most dangerous and
unpredictable race in the
Chase.
“We’re back, baby,”
Hamlin exulted in the
radio as he approached
the finish line. “Awesome
See HAMLIN, Page 8
TIMES PHOTO/ELlbt-DUKE
Martinsville race winner Denny Hamlin dives to the inside of Kevin Harvick on Sunday to take over the top spot ai)ct
cruise to the victory, closing the points lead down to six points with four races left.
Next Race: /^mp Energy Juice 500 @ Talladega (10/31)
NCAA FOOTBALL
NCAA FOOTBALL
Hurricanes blow by
Tar Heels, 33-10
BY BRIANA GORMAN
Durham Herald Sun
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.
— North Carolina entered Sat
urday’s game against No. 25
Miami riding a four-game win
ning streak and a wave of con
fidence after losing its first two
games of the season.
The Tar Heels had managed
to set aside the distractions of
the ongoing investigations into
agents and academics and had
a chance to stay in the hunt for
the ACC championship game
against a program it had beat
en the past three seasons.
Instead, UNC’s offense played
one of its worst games of the
season with three turnovers
and the depleted defense finally
showed its inexperience, as Mi
ami took advantage fi)r a 33-10
victory at Sun Life Stadium.
The loss dropped the Tar
Heels (4-3,2-2 ACC) to fourth in
the league, with games against
Florida State, Virgipia Tech
and N.C. State still looming. Mi
ami (5-2,3-1) moves into second
place in the Coastal Division.
“It’s disappointing just be
cause it’s a loss,” UNC senior
safety Deunta WUliams said.
For the past three seasons,
turnovers had been the differ
ence in the games between the
schools and this year proved
to be no different - except this
time the Tar Heels were on the
losing end.
UNC got on the scoreboard
first when Casey Barth capped
See BLOW, Page 9
Hokies hammer Blue
Devils in Blacksburg
BY STEVE WISEMAN
Durham Herald Sun
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virgin
ia Tech brought the hammer
dovm on Duke early Satmrday
and left the Blue Devils scram
bling for answers.
The No. 23 Hokies scored on
five of six first-half posses
sions, routing the Blue Devils
44-7 in an ACC football game
before a crowd of 66,233 at Lane
Stadium.
Duke (1-6, 0-4 ACC) lost its
sixth consecutive game on a
day when the Blue Devils of
fered little resistance.
“Virginia 'Tech completely
dominated us,” Duke senior
safety Matt Daniels said.
The Coastal Division-lead
ing Hokies (6-2. 4-01 continued
to trend in the right direction,
notching their sixth consecu
tive win since opening the sea
son with losses to Boise State
and James Madison.
“When you play well and you
have success, it builds con
fidence,” said Virginia Tech
coach Frank Beamer, who col
lected career win No. 235 to
move past Bo Schembechler
and sit alone at No. 10 on the
aU-time Football Bowl Subdivi
sion wins list. “You can’t talk
your way into it. You have to do
it.”
Duke coach David Cutcliffe
and his players said they came
into the game as prepared as
they could be to deal with Vir
ginia Tech’s talents.
See HAMMER, Page 8