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Wednesday, March 8, 1989
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SPORTS
9-A
Mounties Eliminated From 3-A Playoffs
Both Teams Are Fourth
In Conference Tourney
Everything went "according to
Hoyle" for Kings Mountain's teams
in the annual Southwestern 3-A
Conference basketball tournament
last week at Gardner-Webb
College.
Both Kings Mountain teams
“won their opening games against
lower-seeded teams but then lost
out in the semi-finals to the teams
that won the regular season cham-
pionship. |
‘Kings Mountain's girls won their
opening game over Chase but then
dropped a tough 45-39 decision to
regular season champ East
Rutherford in Thursday's semi-fi-
nals. East went on to defeat North
Gaston Saturday night for the tour-
nament championship.
Kings Mountain's boys won
their first round match over South
Point Thursday, 69-59, but then
lost to regular season champ
Shelby in Friday's semi-finals, 85-
76. Shelby went on to defeat East
Rutherford Saturday for the cham-
pionship.
The Mountaineers used a trian-
gle and two defense in the fourth
quarter to key Thursday's victory
over South Point's Red Raiders.
With their leading scorer Mikgen
Bakalli having a field day over the
first three periods, the Red Raiders
appeared on the verge of upsetting
the Mountaineers after having lost
twice to KM during the regular
season. But KM's fourth quarter
defense completely shut down
Bakalli and the Mountaineers
outscored the Raiders 22-9 to grab
the win.
"We finally had good success
against Bakalli," noted KM Coach
Larry Sipe. "We were down 47-42
when we went into the triangle and
two and we took him out of the
game."
Bakalli scored all 20 of his
points in the first three quarters.
Stephon Cathcart added 14 points
for the Raiders.
Patrick Jones scored 21 points
and Jeff Ross 18 for the Mounties,
and they combined for 18 points in
the fourth quarter.
Patrick Odem, who had been
KM's big rebounder all year and
one of the top scorers, drew three
quick fouls and sat out all but two
minutes of the first half. He
grabbed eight rebounds in the sec-
ond half to lead the Mounties in
that department, and Mark Byers
added five. Jason Norris had eight
rebounds and Demond Alexander
five for South Point.
"Quan Smith and Darren Hager
came off the bench to give us a big
lift when Odem was out in the first
half," Coach Sipe said. "Overall,
we gave a great effort and we han-
dled things well down the stretch."
Kings Mountain fell behind ear-
ly against Shelby in Friday's semi-
finals game and the Lions kept the
heat on all night. In three previous
meetings with Shelby, the
Mounties had led most of the
games only to see Shelby come
from behind in the fourth quarter to
win. But, this time, the Lions were
in command over the final three
quarters.
Kings Mountain held a 22-20
lead after the first period but
Shelby's three-point shooting and
board strength took command in
the middle two quarters. The Lions
held a 43-36 lead at halftime and a
62-50 lead going into the fourth
quarter.
Tyrone Finney led the Shelby at-
tack with 24 points, Shawn
Colquiett added 18 and Chad
4
See Tourney, Page 6
KM Girls Softball Team
Young But Has Talent
Kings Mountain High's girls
softball team will be young but
hopes to be very competitive in the
Southwestern 3-A Conference this
year.
First-year coach Tony Leigh, a
Kings Mountain native who built a
strong softball program at Canton
Pisgah, says the inexperience may
show early, but he hopes to some-
day see the same type program
here as he had in Canton.
"We're young, very young," he
says. "We have only three seniors
and Robyn Watterson (an infielder)
is the only senior with experience.
But the girls have really been hus-
tling and working hard. They un-
derstand the type teams I had up at
Pisgah and they're really trying to
be like that. And I appreciate it."
Leigh's girls haven't had many
opportunities to get outside be-
cause of the weather, but they've
practiced in the gym on bad days.
sis
PATRIOT PITCHERS - Kings Mountain Junior High baseball coach Tommy Wease will be counting on
pitchers Benji Ingle, David Jenkins and Steven Fisher, left to right, as his Patriots try to win the Bi-County
He has a limited roster now but
hopes to add at least five players
after the basketball season is over.
Joining Watterson as the only se-
niors right now are Alice Owens
and Sandra Grant. They both start-
ed at times last year.
Other returning starters are in-
fielders Carmen Smith, Paula
Morris and Tessie Ruff and out-
fielders Ashley Champion and
Velma Degree, but at this point
Champion is the only one working
with the team. Smith and Degree
are on the basketball team and Ruff
is nursing an injury that she suf-
fered early in the basketball sea-
son.
"We've had to shuffle girls
around in the infield because of
Tessie's injury,” Leigh said. "When
she returns she'll be at shortstop
and be the anchor of the infield,
but it may be a couple of weeks in-
See Softball, 6-A
i
Middle School Conference this spring.
is fh sa
RETURNING PLAYERS - New KMHS softball coach Tony Leigh, right, is pictured with three of his re-
© turning players. Left to right, they are Sandra Grant, Alice Owens and Robin Watterson.
Junior High Baseballers
Should Contend For Title
Kings Mountain Junior High's
baseball team hopes to contend for
the Bi-County Middle School
Conference this year.
Veteran Coach Tommy Wease
‘has most of his players back from
last year's team, which lost its first
five games but then won seven in a
row to finish in second place.
The Patriots, a seventh and
eighth grade team, will have a
strong pitching staff and good de-
fense.
The Patriots have won two con-
ference championships and fin-
ished second twice in their first
four years under Coach Wease.
"This is really a talented group,"
says Wease. "I've been real im-
pressed with their work habits.
They have a lot of desire and deter-
mination to improve every time
they go out on the field. This is
probably the hardest working
group I've ever had."
Wease's pitching staff includes
215-pound David Jenkins, who
won six games last year as a sev-
enth grader, and Steven Fisher and
Benji Ingle. Jenkins and Fisher
BASKETBALL ACTION- Quan Smith, left, of Kings Mountain battles South Point's Willie Strain for a
rebound in last week's Southwestern Conference basketball tournament at Gardner-Webb. Mounties won
this game, but were eliminated the next night by Shelby.
were the aces of last year's Dixie
Youth team which won the district
title and competed in the state tour-
nament.
The Patriots will be strong up
the middle. Robbie Ruff and Chris
Rider give them experience behind
the plate, and newcomers Johnny
Stewart and Sheldon Smith have
also looked good in early spring
drills.
Wease has a veteran group at
second base which includes return-
ing starter Doug Bridges, Mike
Smith and seventh grader Dean
Clark. Fisher will start at shortstop
when he's not on the mound, and
when Fisher's pitching Wease will
start either Caje Ormand or move
veteran Todd Ware from third base.
Ware will be the regular at third,
but Brandon Putnam, a seventh
grader, will also see a lot of action
at that position.
At first base, Damon Putnam re-
turns and Chris Blanton has also
been impressive. Ingle will also see
a lot of action at first when he's not
pitching.
Outfielders include returning
starter Tee Gee Goforth in left,
a Tacos A meres
Owen Ousts
Mountaineers
Tuesday Night
Kings Mountain's Mountaineers
fell behind 8-0 and never caught up
and dropped a 74-67 decision to
Owen High School in an opening
round game in the state 3-A bas-
ketball playoffs Tuesday night in
Swannanoa.
The loss ended Kings
Mountain's season at 17-8. Half of
the Mountaineers’ eight losses were
to Southwestern 3-A Conference
champion Shelby.
The Mountaineers played with-
out the services of their leading re-
bounder and one of their top scor-
ers, Patrick Odem, who has an i
injured ankle, and the tough man- d
to-man Owen defense held KM's i
leading scorer, Patrick Jones, to 5
just two points.
The Owen victory kept alive a
streak of playoff victories for
Owen High teams against the
Mountaineers. In three post-season im
appearances against Owen in re-
cent seasons--one in football and
two in basketball--the
Mountaineers have yet to taste vic-
tory.
After grabbing their 8-0 lead
Tuesday, the War Horses went on ;
to lead by 21-11 at the half. Kings |
Mountain finally put things togeth-
er midway of the second period
and cut the halftime difference to
34-31, and Larry Sipe's charges got i
the margin to within one, 53-52, 4
going into the fourth quarter.
Four players scored in double ]
figures for Owen, led by Chad = |
Ledford with 20 points. Kevin
Wagner had 15, Keith Lambert 11,
and Ray Watkins 10.
But the big story of the game
was Owen's defense, which held
the KM guard duo of Jones and
Jeff Ross to a combined total of
See Mounties, 6-A
Buncombe
Team QOusts
KM Ladies A
Kings Mountain High's girls
basketball team took an early exit ;
from the state 3-A playoffs 1
Monday night, losing 41-38 in a ;
first round game at North
Buncombe High School in i
Weaverville. a
The Lady Mountaineers, in their #
first year playing for Coach Ronny
Funderburke, finished with an 11-
14 overall record. They were i
fourth in the Southwestern 3-A th
Conference. ;
Kings Mountain led early and
was in the game all the way, but
North Buncombe's depth was the . i
big difference down the stretch.
Kings Mountain led 21-18 at half-
time but trailed 29-28 going into
the fourth quarter.
Christy Maney scored 20 points-
-including eight of her teams 13
See Girls, 6-A
i
SO am
Ruff, Smith, Ormand and newcom-
er Rick Marr.
"We'll have pretty decent speed
overall," says Wease. "We hope to
be able to run. We have pretty good
hitting. Jenkins is the only long
ball hitter we have but we have
several other guys like Goforth,
Smith, Ruff, and some others who
are good, consistent hitters. Wi
hope we can get them on base an
look to Jenkins to hit some lon
balls.’
Wease hopes the confidence th
team built late in the season last
year will carry over. "If so, we'll
have a good season," he said. "|
THE SCHEDULE : \
MARCH
13 - Burns; 15 - Crest; 20 - East
Lincoln; 23 - at Crest.
APRIL
3 - at Lincolnton; 10 - at West .
Lincoln; 13 - Shelby; 17 - Bums;
20 - at East Lincoln; 26 - Crest; 27
- Lincolnton.
MAY
4 - West Lincoln; 8 - at Shelby;
11 - at Burns.
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