Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Kings Mountain Herald
Page 1B
Sports
Volleyball star Shonda Cole to be
inducted into KM Sports Hall of Fame
GARY STEWART
Sports Editor
(First of a four-part series on the
2011 Kings Mountain Sports Hall of
Fame inductees. The meal and induc-
tion ceremony is Saturday, May 7 at 6
p.m. at Central United Methodist
Church. Tickets are $10 each and can
be purchased by any member of the
Hall of Fame committee).
»
© There is very little that Kings Moun-
tain’s Shonda Cole hasn’t accomplished
on the volleyball court.
During her four-year varsity career
at Kings Mountain High, she was a
four-time All-Conference player, two-
time State Player of the Year, and led
the Lady Mountaineers to the State
Championship.
She accomplished all of that while
also becoming the school’s all-time
leading scorer in girls basketball and
maintaining a 4.25 grade point average.
In four years at the University of
South Carolina, she was a three-time
All-Southeastern Conference choice
and made the All-American team her
senior year.
There, she broke almost every
record in the book including:
-703 kills her senior year, shattering
the previous school record by 150 and
becoming just the 14th player in NCAA
history to top the 700-kill mark.
-5.76 kills per game, beating the pre-
-1,541 attacks, surpassing the old
mark by 203.
-37 kills in a 5-game set, beating the
old record by five.
-35 kills in a 4-game set in which the
Gamecocks defeated nationally 6th-
ranked Florida 3-1. :
-27 kills in a 3-game set against the
University of Georgia.
And that was just her senior season.
For her career, Cole became the all-
time USC leader in attacks with 4,181
and kills per game with 4.26. Her 1,775
kills rank second in school history and
she finished 10th in total blocks with
305. Cole was also the only, player in
USC volleyball history to average at
least 4.00 kills per game for three years.
During her brilliant senior season
Cole was selected SEC Offensive
Player of the Week three times and be-
came the first South Carolina player to
win the AVCA National Player of the
Week accolades.
In addition to making first team All-
SEC her senior year (after making the
second team her sophomore and junior
campaigns) Cole was named to the
AV CA All-South Region team. She also
made All-Tournament in four tourna-
ments and was named MVP in Clem-
son’s Big Orange Bash for leading USC
to a 4-0 record and the championship.
Cole now plays pro club volleyball
for Pinkin de Carozal in Puerto Rico, a
team she helped lead to the world
championship last season. The season
the summer and fall she coaches vol-
leyball at Greenville, SC High School.
Contacted by phone in Puerto Rico,
Cole said she is looking forward to
playing volleyball for a long time, then
going back to school to get a Master’s
Degree and hopefully coach on the col-
lege level.
Cole is in her fourth year in pro vol-
leyball. She played in Spain one year
before going to Puerto Rico.
“It just doesn’t seem possible that
it’s been four years since I graduated
(South Carolina),” she said. “This year
we’re looking to repeat. I never thought
volleyball would take me this far. I'm
still learning every day and getting bet-
ter and continuing to enjoy it.”
One thing that is much different in
Puerto Rico is the weather. “There’s not
very much winter unless I’m home,”
she said. “It is very hot here but the is-
land is beautiful and it has been a real
blessing to do this.”
Cole'said there are ten teams in the
division that her team plays in and they
play close to 30 games during the reg-
ular season. “We usually play two or
three games a week, and then the tour-
nament,” she noted.
Cole said she has enjoyed her three-
year coaching stint at Greenville High.
She served as JV coach and varsity as-
sistant her first two years before being
named head coach last year. Her team
finished third in their Region, but lost
five starters and will be rebuilding.
MER fa TT
vious record by 1.54.
lasts from January until early May. In
See COLE on Page 3B
Shonda Cole
Former KM player
Blair on NIT
championship
team at Wichita St.
: GARY STEWART
Sports Editor
Gabe Blair, who played on two conference championship
teams at Kings Mountain High School in the early 2000s,
was a member of the Wichita State basketball team that de-
feated Alabama 66-57 last week to win the National Invita-
tional Tournament. ;
Blair, a 6-8 senior forward, averaged 6.6 points and 6.6
rebounds per game for the Shockers, who are coached by for-
mer Wingate University coach Gregg Marshall. He played in
' 36 games and started 15.
Blair got into early foul trouble in the chicas game
and scored four points and picked up four fouls.
Blair played for Danny McDowell at KMHS and then one
season at Hope Christian Academy. He played two years at
East Carolina before transferring to Wichita State.
The Shockers finished the season with a 29-8 overall
record... Tes
Kings Mountain ‘sophomore relief pitcher Jeff Howell
picked up his third save of the season Saturday in Gardner-
Webb’s 1-7 win over VMI in Lexington, VA.
Howell entered the game in the eighth inning after the
Keydets cut the score to 10-7 and had the tying run the plate.
Howell got that batter on a fly out and then retired the side in
order in the ninth.
Howell has a 2-1 record with three saves in 17.1 relief ap-
pearances. He carries a 3.63 earned run average and has
struck out 27 batters.
Kings Mountain fans have the opportunity to see two for-
mer Mountaineers in action Friday, Saturday and Sunday
when the Bulldogs host Charleston Southern in a Big South
Conference series. Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday
and 2 p.m, Saturday and Sunday at John Horry Moss Sta-
dium.
Kings Mountain’s Cody Austin is faving a good freshman
season for CSU. He is hitting .297 with 11 hits, 10 runs and
five RBIs in 37 times at bat and is also playing solid defense
at second base. Austin went 2-for-5 with three runs scored in
a 14-4 victory over Furman last Wednesday...
Kings Mountain senior Morgan Childers lost a heart-
breaker Saturday to A-Sun leader Jacksonville. Childers went
10 innings with the Dolphins winning 3-2.
Childers scattered nine hits and struck out 16 batters. She
has a 23-4 record and 1.30 ERA. She has struck out 283 bat-
ters in 161.2 i innings.
The Spartans host the University of South Carolina
Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Cyrill Stadium on the Upstate cam-
pus...
Sophomore relief pitcher Brantley Blalock of Kings
Mountain has yet to figure into a decision with the Lander
Bearcats. He has worked 15.1 innings in 11 appearances. He
has a 5.87 ERA and 10 strikeouts... = :
Former Mountaineer and East Rutherford pitcher Ryan
Leach is 0-2 in seven appearances at UNC Wilmington. He
has worked 27.1 innings with 16 walks, 14 strikeouts and a
.6.26 ERA...
His teammate, former Post 155 Niobe Andrew Harnage,
is 1-1 in 16 appearances and 7.2 innings of work. He carries
a3.68 ERA...
Lenoir-Rhyne outfielder Rai Robinson of Kings Mouh-
tain is hitting .222 with six hits and two RBIs in 27 at-bats.
a
GARY STEWART/HERALD
Kings Mountain’ Ss Cameran Harris competes in the high] jumpin last week's track meet at KIMHS:
Boys 2nd, girls rd in track meet
Kings Mountains boys
finished second and the girls
third in a six-team track meet
last week at John Gamble
Stadium.
South Point won tthe boys
meet with 185 points, fol-
lowed by KM 171,
Forestview 128, North Gas-
ton 28, Hunter Huss 23 and
East Rutherford 0.
Forestview won the girls
meet with 192 points, fol-
lowed by Huss 99, KM 98,
North Gaston 49, East
Rutherford 47 and South J
Point 38.
Cameron Harris was a
double winner for the KM
boys, taking the discus
(145°7¢) and shot put
(45°10). Kaven Swann fin-
ished third and Jake Lan-
caster fifth in the discus, and
Matt Turner was fourth in
the shot.
Shelton Watson won the
400 meter dash (52.97), Trey
Edgerton ran third and Jor-
dan Ford fifth.
Tim Hines won the long
jump (21°17) and the 4 x 200
relay team "also ran first
(1:32.63). KM ran second in
the 4 x 400 (3:45) and 4 x
100 (43.81) and third in the
4 x 800 (10:08).
Larry Smith was second
in the triple jump (39°10)
and Brian Johnson was
fourth.
Harris finished second
(5°47) in the high jump and
Smith was third (5°27).
Hines was third in the
100 meter dash (11.22). An-
thony McDonald was third
in the 200 meters (23.54).
Steven Byrd was fourth
in the 300 hurdles (47.63)
and Chavrick Phillips was
fifth (49.20).
The Lady Mountaineers’
only victory came in the 4 x
400 relay.
Brittany Poeng finished
second in the triple jump
(28°47) and third in the high
GARY STEWART/HERALD
Kacey Cordell, left, and Radhika Patel of Kings Mountain compete in the 100 meter dash in
last week’s track meet at Gamble Stadium.
jump (4’4”). KM’s 4 x 200
and 4 x 800 relay teams ran
third, Kacey Cordell was
third in the 300 hurdles and
Alyssa White was third in
the 1600 meters (6:41).
Aneisy Cardo was third
in the pole vault and 3200
meter run.
Chelsea George, Cordell
and Radhika Patel finished
fourth, fifth and sixth re-
spectively in the 100 meter
hurdles.
Annamarie Fulbright was
fourth 'in the 1600 meters,
Shakiyah Stephens was
fourth in the shot put, Key-
atta Leach was fourth in the
200 meter run and Adrienne
Green was fourth in the high
jump.
Fulbright was fifth in the
300 hurdles. Cardo and Ful-
bright ran fifth and sixth, re-
spectively, in the 800 meter
run.
1980 KMMS Baseball team
to eat at Big E’s
The 1980 Kings Mountain High
baseball team will gather for a meal
Saturday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Big
E’s Barbecue on York Road, Kings
Mountain. ;
All team members and managers are
urged to attend.
For more information call Coach
Barry. Gibson at 704-860-2662 or Lyn
Hayes at 704-739-5993.
The team will be inducted into the p
Kings Mountain Sports Hall of Fame
on Saturday, May 7 at 6 p.m. at Central
United Methodist Church.
Forestview at KM today 8
The Forestview at Kings Mountain
High baseball doubleheader scheduled | -
for Tuesday was rained out and will be ;
played today.
JV action begins at 4:30 and the var-
sity game begins at 7 p.m.