8 - Thomasville Times - Thursday, January 6,2011
SPORTS
Smith playing bigger role than expected for Duke
BY STEVE WISEMAN
Durham Herald Sun
DURHAM — Backcourt
upheaval? No problem.
Playing 40 minutes a
game? Bring it on.
When the top-ranked
Blue Devils have needed
him the most, Duke se
nior Nolan Smith has
emerged as the team’s
top player, allowing Duke
to survive adversity un
scathed.
Comfortable teaming
with talented freshman
Kyrie Irving over the
first eight games. Smith
had to adjust his game
when Irving suffered a
toe injury that has kept
him out of action for the
past month.
Smith has responded
with four consecutive
games with at least 20
points, including Sunday
night’s 28-point perfor
mance in a 74-63 win over
Miami in Duke’s ACC
opener.
Smith averages a team-
best 18.6 points while
leading the ACC with 5.6
assists per game.
Smith established him
self as one of the nation’s
top players on the 2009-
10 national champion
ship squad. He scored
a career-best 29 points,
playing aU 40 minutes,
in Duke’s 78-71 win over
Baylor in the South Re
gional final at Houston,
Texas, on March 28.
Against Miami this
week, he played aU 40 min
utes again and impressed
even his teammates who
see him practice and play
every day.
“Nolan is playing
great right now,” Duke
sophomore guard Andre
Dawkins said. “Through
out [the Miami] game, he
reaUy carried us on the
offensive and defensive
end.
“He has to play the
whole game and play ar
guably one of the best
guards in the ACC. He
played with a lot of pas
sion and a lot of heart.
He never gets tired out
there, and he has one of
the toughest assignments
on the team, night in and
night out. He reaUy gives
us a lift.”
Smith’s latest lift to the
team came as the Blue
Devils (13-0) dealt with
Irving’s injury. Smith
initially moved to point
guard, scoring two points
but handing out a career-
best 10 assists in an 83-48
win over Bradley on Dec.
8 in the first game played
without Irving.
After that game,
though, the coaching
staff implored him to not
lose his scoring drive, as
the team really needed it.
Seth Curry entered the
starting lineup because
of his baU-handling
skills. Dawkins, a starter
against Bradley, became
the sixth man with seri
ous scoring punch once
agam.
Smith went back to
scoring in brmches, either
by sinking a 3-pomter or
driving the lane.
“He is being a great
leader,” Duke coach Mike
Krzyzewski said.
Smith has made 53.9 per
cent of his field-goal tries,
mcluding 40.8 percent (20-
of-49) on 3-potnters. He’s
just shy of the coveted 2-
to-1 assist-to-turnover ra
tio, having dished out 73
assists to 40 turnovers.
Fellow senior Kyle Sin-
gler also is getting in on
the production, averaging
21.1 points over the Blue
Devils’ last four games to
push his season average
to 17.5 points a game. He
also played 40 minutes
against the Hurricanes.
But Krzyzewski isn’t con
cerned about his two se
niors getting worn out.
“Guys don’t get worn
out with just games,”
Krzyzewski said. “They
get worn out by playing
the games you play some
times between games.
And you’ve just got to be
careful with what they’re
doing. (Johnny) Dawkins
and (Tommy) Amaker
and all those guys, they
played a lot of minutes.”
With Irving’s return
not imminent, the , min
utes wUl continue to come
Smith’s way on the perim
eter. The senior is show
ing he knows what to do
with them.
EFFORT
from page 7
of the half, scoring the
final eight points to take
its largest lead at 43-23.
“There were maybe
two or three minutes
in the second quarter
where we started play
ing fast instead of play
ing hard and smart, and
that’s where we got down
by 20,” Leonard said.
“I told our kids that we
couldn’t outrun these
guys. They’re going to
press us and we have to
break the press and then
slow it down when we
get to half court. If they
go zone, get in our zone
offense, and if they go
man, let’s run our sets.
If we can do that, we’U
get scoring opportuni
ties. But we had some
shots go in and out.”
The Panthers clawed
back to within 13 scor
ing the first seven points
of the second half, but
Benjamin’s 3-pointer
jump-started a 16-5 run
to quarter’s end, capped
by a dunk from Donavan
Gilmore.
Ledford played un
der control over the fi
nal quarter, though the
buckets were still hard
to come by. The Panthers
kept playing hard as if it
were a close game, walk
ing away with something
positive for the future.
Sports Editor Zach Ke-
pley can be reached at
888-3631, or kepley@tvil-
letimes.com.
AREA SPORTS BRIEFS
A
TIMES PHOTO/DAVID YEMM
Daniel Lawson and the Ledford Panthers put together a strong second half effort after
getting down to Northeast Guilford 43-23 in the first half Tuesday.
LEDFORD
From page 7
the Rams scored again,
Ledford was up 22-4 and
eventually played all of
its players.
Thomas opened the sec
ond half with a 3-pointer,
which was followed up by
the only two consecutive
baskets of the contest for
the Rams. Chelsea Free
man scored six points in
a 10-2 run to end the third
quarter, as Ledford had
pushed its advantage to
44-12.
“We did not shoot the
ball as well as we would
like to,” Ralls said. “That
being said, we worked
through that and did
some other things. We
moved the ball a little bit
more against the zone
and attacked it a little
bit better and a little bit
more intelligently than
we did in the games
we’ve gotten beat. Those
are the things we’ve got
to keep doing.”
Sports Editor Zach Ke-
pley can be reached at
888-3631, or kepley@tvil-
letimes.com.
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BASKETBALL
Lady Eagles drop
Randleman
Amanda Baker and
Chelsea Turner each
collected 11 points to
help lead East David
son by Randleman 59-46
Wednesday evening in
Randleman.
Ariel Grimsley also
added eight to the win
ning effort.
East Davidson im
proves its record to 10-3,
and will open Central
Carolina Conference
play on Friday at home
against Lexington.
Stars coaching
applications
The High Point Stars
basketball program is
now accepting applica
tions for a coach.
Contact Aaron Grier at
991-0597, or agrier_hps@
yahoo.com if interested.
WRESTLING
East stung by Jackets
East Davidson won just
five matches in falling to
Lexington 52-27 Tuesday
evening.
Winners for the Gold
en Eagles were Alex
Paniagua (119, forfeit),
Jamar Harrington (125,
decision), Gabriel Torres
(135, pin). Brad Hutchins
(140, pin) and Josh White
(Hvy, forfeit).
East dips to 2-7
Ledford places
second
Ledford competed in
the R.J. Reynolds Invi
tational last week, fin
ishing second out of 12
teams with a 162. Davie
won the event with a
250.
Placing for the Pan
thers were Tyler Hinch
(112, 3rd), Austin De
berry (119, 3rd) Shabazz
Butt (130, 1st) Michael
Pounts (135, 2nd), Cody
Doyle (140, 1st) and Col
ey Garner (145,3rd).
Panthers pin
McMichael
Ledford participated
in the Southern Scuffle
held in Greensboro last
week, defeating McMi
chael 45-23.
Winners for the Pan
thers were Nick Craven
(103, decision), Austin
Deberry (119, forfeit).
Tommy Taylor (125, pin),
Michael Pounds (130, de
cision), Shabazz Butt
(135, forfeit). Chance
Manus (145, decision),
Cody Essick (160, pin),
De Greene (171, pin) and
Sam Henderson (Hvy.,
decision).
Ledford is now 15-3.
GENERAL
Concealed handgun
class
There will be a, con
cealed handgun class
Jan. 22 at the Fairgrove
Fire Department. The
class is from 8 a.m.-5
p.m. This class is manda
tory for anyone wishing
to get a concealed hand
gun permit.
To sign up for the class
call instructor Jason
Livingston at 687-0290
or go by the fire depart
ment.
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We are enrolling a clinical
research study involving an w
investigational drug that you ^
paint on your toenails to treat
toenail fungus. K
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^ If you are age 18-70, and are not M
^ pregnant or nursing, you may be
eligible to participate.
If you are interested in
participating in this study,
please call:
336-841-1411
Zoe Draelos, MD
2444 North Main Street
High Point, NC 27262
206 NATIONAL HWY., THOIViASVILLE 476-4322