Through the Uprights

LIVE from Game 2 -- 1A state title series

Phillip Gardner — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:52:22 GMT

We're 10 minutes away from first pitch here at UNC Greensboro Baseball Stadium, where Cherryville and Topsail will meet in Game 2 of the 1A state baseball championship series.

Cherryville won the first game 2-0 Friday and can wrap up the series with a win today. If Topsail wins this game, a decisive Game 3 will take place at 5 p.m. today.

I'll be back when the game starts.

Cherryville will be the visitor today.

LINEUPS

CHERRYVILLE
15 Seth Freeman C
2 Tyler Buff SS
18 Bryan DaCanal 3B
17 Cory Parks LF
20 Chandler Benfield RF
3 Thomas Bess P
21 Nate Thornburg 1B
8 Jake Dellinger DH
(13 Cameron Lovelace 2B)
6 Colton Ballard CF

TOPSAIL
5 John Morris 2B
4 Kyle Toukatly SS
12 Dan Redinger C
10 Thomas Jones 1B
7 Brock Jaeger P
8 Josh Bossio CF
15 Casey Justice 3B
6 Tre Hunter RF
13 James Brandt DH
(14 Keith Gray LF)

FIRST INNING

Cherryville has come out swinging. Seth Freeman and Tyler Buff led off with back-to-back singles and Bryan DaCanal knocked them in with a triple to deep center field. Cory Parks has drawn a walk, and the Topsail coach is already visiting the mound without an out. 2-0 Cherryville.

A hit batter and fielder's choice later, Nate Thornburg's sacrifice fly scored Cory Parks to make it 3-0. Topsail got out of the inning when Brock Jaeger struck out Jake Dellinger. Cherryville leads 3-0.

BOTTOM OF FIRST

Freshman Thomas Bess got the start for Cherryville. He comes in with a 3-0 record and 2.28 ERA but has pitched only 15 1/3 innings.

Bess retired the first batter on a flyout, but he yielded a single to the next batter and walked the next two guys, prompting a coach's visit to the mound.

Amazingly, Bess got out of the inning thanks to a 6-4-3 double. play. Still 3-0.

TOP OF SECOND

Cherryville's in business again. After Balalrd flew out for the first out, Freeman singled (his fourth hit of the series), Buff walked and DaCanal singled to load the bases.

Jaeger (4-2) struck out Parks and Benfield to end the threat. The Ironmen lead 3-0.

BOTTOM OF SECOND

Bess allowed one hit but that was all in a fairly efficient inning. Tre Hunter had an infield hit that was fielded nicely by Buff at shortstop. Hunter just barely beat the throw to first. Hunter was then forced out at second on a fielder's choice.

TOP THIRD

Bess struck out for the first out, but Cherryville's been on fire ever since. Thornburg had an infield single, Dellinger doubled deep on the right field line and Ballard knocked in a run with a hit to left field, making it 4-0. Freeman then connected for a hard-hit single right at the third baseman, allowing two runs to score. Cherryville now has a commanding 6-0 lead. Freeman probably wrapped up series MVP honors if he hadn't already. He's 5-for-5 in the series and don't forget he pitched six shutout innings yesterday.

Cherryville has already won three playoff games by the 10-run mercy rule and it looks like the Ironmen might do it again. After Buff struck out, DaCanal connected for his third hit of the game, a run-scoring single to make it 7-0. Cherryville has 10 hits for the game already.

Parks hit into a fielder's choice and the inning is over. Cherryville leads 7-0.

BOTTOM THIRD

Morris led off with a hit and Toukatly was hit by a pitch, but Bess retired the next three batters in order on a two flyouts and a groundout. Cherryville maintains its 7-0 lead.

TOP FOURTH

The Ironmen keep pouring it on. Benfield led off with a walk, Bess singled and Thornburg reached on an error by the shortstop on what looked like a double-play ball. Coach Scott Heavner gave Cameron Lovelace a rare chance to hit and he delivered. with a two-run single to left center. Cherryville now leads 9-0 and has 12 hits. Lovelace's hit chased Hunter. Justice is now pitching.

Ballard struck out and Freeman hit into a double play. Cherryville leads 9-0.

BOTTOM FOURTH

After retiring the first two batters, Bess gave up a single and a walk before closing out another scoreless inning by getting Morris to ground out to second base. The Ironmen keep their 9-0 lead.

TOP FIFTH

Cherryville wasn't able to add to its lead despite back-to-back leadoff no-out hits by Buff and DaCanal. Still 9-0.

BOTTOM FIFTH

Bess, the freshman, allowed one hit in the fifth but that was it in a very clean inning. The Ironmen still lead 9-0.

TOP SIXTH

Tyler Buff's two-run double to left field means this one should end in six innings. It's 11-0 and Topsail's coming to bat. If they get no more than one run, it's over early.

BOTTOM SIXTH

Cory Parks took over pitching duties in the seventh and, after giving up a leadoff hit to Billy Christ, retired the next three batters in order to end it.

Congrats to Cherryville for its first state title since 2001 and eighth overall.

LINESCORE

R H E

Cherryville 304 201 -- 11 15 0

Topsail 000 000 -- 0 6 2

LIVE from the 1A state championship

Phillip Gardner — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:51:41 GMT

I'm here at UNC Greensboro Baseball Stadium for Game 1 of the 1A state championship series between Cherryville and Topsail.

They're announcing starting lineups. Game will be underway soon.

Cherryville's the home team, so Topsail will bat first.

LINEUPS

TOPSAIL
5 John MOrris 2B
4 Kyle Toukatly SS
12 Dan Redinger C
10 Thomas Jones P
7 Brock Jaeger 3B
8 JOsh Bossio CF
15 Casey Justice CF
6 Tre Hunter DH
(14 Ketih Gray RF)
13 James Brandt 1B

CHERRYVILLE
15 Seth Freeman P
2 Tyler Buff SS
18 Bryan DaCanal 3B
17 Cory Parks C
20 Chandler Benfield RF
3 Thomas Bess CF
21 Nate Thornburg 1B
8 Jake Dellinger DH
(13 Cameron Lovelace 2B)
6 Colton Ballard LF

FIRST INNING

It's three up, three down. Cherryville starter Seth Freeman struck out the first batter and although he hit the next batter with a pitch, he picked him off at first with a well-timed throw. The next batter grounded out to the short stop, ending the inning. 0-0 tie.

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST

Seth Freeman led off with a single to right center off right-hander Thomas Jones, then advanced to second on an error by the center fielder on the same play. Jones then struck out Tyler Buff for the first out.

Bryan DaCanal hit a sacrifice fly, moving Freeman to third, and Cory Parks drew a walk to give Cherryville two runners. Chandler Benfield grounded out to the pitcher, however, ending the inning.

TOP OF SECOND

Thomas Jones led off with a double to right field and Cherryville right fielder Chandler Benfield got hurt on the play after pedaling backward and then falling. He appeared to be OK after a brief timeout. Brock Jaeger followed with a single to shallow left-center, so Topsail is in business with no outs and runners on first and third. Josh Bossio flew out to right, and it was too shallow for the runner on third to advance.

Freeman walked Casey Justice, loading the bases with one out, but he picked off Jaeger at second for the second out. Maybe he'll get out of this one after all. ... Yep. He got Tre Hunter to ground out to the second baseman for the final out. Still 0-0.

BOTTOM OF SECOND

Cherryville went 1-2-3. Bess grounded out to the pitcher, Thornburg flew out to center and Dellinger struck out.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND ...

Both teams are pitching their aces. Topsail's Thomas Jones, a UNC-Wilimington signee, comes in with an 8-2 record and 0.63 ERA. Cherryville's Seth Freeman will play at Davidson on a baseball scholarship and enters with an 8-2 record and 1.76 ERA.

TOP OF THIRD

Freeman retired Brandt and Morris on groundouts to short. Toukatly, batting in the No. 2 hole, then connected for a triple to right field. It appeared to be heading foul, but the wind might have kept it in play. Dan Redinger will try to knock him in. ... He didn't but came close. Redinger lined out to Buff at short stop, and the inning is over. Cherryville survived another close call. Still 0-0.

BOTTOM THIRD

After Ballard struck out, Freeman hit a double -- his second hit. Tyler Buff then reached on an erro by the shortstop, allowing Freeman to take third. DaCanal hit a grounder to second that would have scored Freeman but Topsail was able to turn a double play with the aid of a runner's interference call on Buff. Still 0-0.

TOP FOURTH

Three up, three down -- all on groundouts. Stil 0-0.

BOTTOM FOURTH

Cherryville lit up the scoreboard first. With one out, Benfield and Bess drew back-to-back walks. Thornburg then sent them home with a hard-hit double to right center. Matt Campbell, Benfield's runner, scored and Bess -- the speedy freshman -- was right on his tail, scoring easily. The Ironmen lead 2-0.

Dellinger struck out for the second out and Ballard struck out to end the inning. Cherryville leads 2-0.

TOP FIFTH

Freeman retired three batters in a row to preserve the lead. Justice flew out in foul territory to first base, Hunter grounded out to the pitcher and Brandt flew out to left.

BOTTOM FIFTH

Freeman was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning but never got any further. Buff and DaCanal flew out to center field and Parks grounded out to the pitcher as Cherryville wasn't able to extend its lead. Still 2-0.

SOME STATS

Toukatly, Jones and Jaeger have one hit each for Topsail.

Freeman is 2-for-2 to lead Cherryville. Thornburg has the other hit and both RBIs.

Pitching-wise, Cherryville's Freeman has one strikeout and has walked one in his three-hitter. Topsail's Jones has struck out five batters, walked three and hit one batsman.

TOP SIXTH

Three up, three down again. Topsail's No. 1, 2 and 3 batters all grounded out. Freeman has now retired 10 batters in a row and Cherryville leads 2-0.

BOTTOM SIXTH

Cherryville is threatening again. Benfield led off with a double, Bess reached on a fielder's choice when the Topsail defense attempted to throw out Benfield but he slid back to second safely. Thornburg then hit a single to load the bases with no outs.

It didn't work out, though. Dellinger struck out for the first out, then Ballard popped up to the pitcher, who threw out Thornburg, who was on his way to second. The double play ended the inning and Cherryville still leads 2-0.

TOP SEVENTH

Cherryville can close it out by allowing no more than one run, but Jones reached on a leadoff error by the third baseman and Jaeger singled to left. That's enough for Freeman. Head coach Scott Heavner just took his senior off the mound and will replace him with catcher Cory Parks. The junior has a 7-3 record, two saves and a 2.33 ERA. Freeman will move to catcher, and there will be no other lineup changes.

It's over. Parks struck out his first batter, then Justice grounded into a double play. Cherryville wins 2-0 and leads the best-of-three series 1-0. Game 2 will be Saturday at 11 a.m. Come back here for another live blog. And check VarsityNC.com and gastongazette.com for a full recap of this game.

LINESCORE

R H E

Topsail 000 000 0 -- 0 4 3

Cherryville 000 200 x -- 2 5 1

SAT or track meet? hmm ...

Phillip Gardner — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:22:22 GMT

Ashbrook phenom Jheranie Boyd has a decision to make.

He signed up to take the SAT on May 3 not knowing at the time that it was the same day as the regional track meet. He wants to take the SAT as early as possible to make sure he qualifies for college. But he also wants to run in the regional meet because that's the only way he can qualify for the state meet. And he and I both think he has a shot at bringing home some hardware from the state meet.

Boyd's track coach refuses to make the decision for him. Chad McAlister instead will give him all the information he needs to make his own decision.

But Boyd's principal offered a little advice at the conclusion of the two-day Big South 3A/4A Conference track and field championships Wednesday.

Page Carver said that Boyd can take the SAT in June or early next semester, so she encouraged him to reschedule.

"I think that's what you ought to do," she told him twice.

This is the voice of academics talking to Boyd. If she tells you to postpone the SAT, you postpone the SAT.

It sounds like that's what he'll do.

“I might reschedule it because even the college coaches are saying reschedule it," he said.

It's not as if we're worried he may never take the SAT, which is more than I can say about other athletes we've seen come through this county.

Hum while you pitch

Phillip Gardner — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:02:21 GMT

We’ve heard the expression “Whistle while you work.” North Gaston softball pitcher Keely Russell has adapted that phrase to her own needs.

When she gets nervous during a game, she simply thinks of a tune and starts humming.

“Just anything that comes to mind,” she says.

The senior couldn’t remember (or was too embarrassed to say) which song she hummed in a pressure-packed situation Tuesday against Ashbrook. But her coach spilled the beans on one song she’s hummed in the past: the Alphabet Song (yes, the one that goes A, B, C, D, E … ).

Now, if that doesn’t calm you down …

Best baseball scoreboard in the county

Phillip Gardner — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:46:46 GMT

As I walked into the North Gaston High School baseball stadium Tuesday, I thought I had come to the wrong place. I hardly recognized it.

Go ahead and give me a hard time, Wildcats fans. Yes, it had been almost a year since I had entered your baseball park.

A new bathroom building stood near the entrance. A landscaping crew had done a tasteful job with shrubbery and mulch. A neat new scoreboard stood behind right field. Nice fencing surrounded the park.

I tell you what, it really looks nice.

I was told the athletic boosters paid for the bathroom building, which wasn't cheap. Citizens South Bank funded the scoreboard, which is by far the best in the county. Why? The numbers are easy to see in the daylight and the scoreboard tracks score by innings, which I think is the best feature.

By the way, some of you might have been confused by the scoreboard photo that appeared in Wednesday's Gazette. The photo was taken during the JV game, which coincidentally resulted in the same 12-5 score as the ensuing varsity contest. So if the hits, errors and score by innings in my varsity boxscore didn't match the photo (which they didn't), now you know why.

'Thicker than water'

Phillip Gardner — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:22:26 GMT

Mike Mahaffey has coached baseball at Bessemer City for a really long time -- 27 years to be exact. Since the time I first met him in 2000, I don't know that I've ever seen him not wearing Yellow Jacket green and yellow.

When I spotted him at the Gazette Softball Slam on Thursday, he donned the usual green and yellow, but with a twist. This time, he also wore a South Point cap. You see, his daughter pitches for the South Point softball team. In fact, Taylor Mahaffey, a freshman, earned MVP honors as the Red Raiders won the title.

"That's my girl out there," he said. "Blood's thicker than water."

LIVE from Forestview vs. Concord girls

Phillip Gardner — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:50:43 GMT

I'm set up courtside at the Joel Coliseum Annex, where the 30-0 Forestview girls are getting ready to face Concord (29-2) in the 3A Western Regional final.

The winner will advance to next Saturday's 5 p.m. state championship at UNC's Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

We're less than five minutes from tip off. Keep it here for updates throughout the game.

STARTING LINEUPS

Concord (visiting team) -- 3 Jatzmin Johnson, 10 Nyesia Hammonds, 21 Jhemelia Edwards, 22 Jasmine DeBerry, 42 T.T. Belcher

Forestview (home team) -- 5 Shannon Smith, 11 Kelsey Harris, 12 Jasmine Camp, 14 Ashley Pratt, 33 Jessica Capers

FIRST QUARTER

Concord is off to quick start. Jatzmin Johnson scored on two inside shots, T.T. Belcher converted a three-point play and Edwards hit a 3 to put Concord up 10-2.

Forestview has answered Concord's early charge. The Jaguars have scored on five stragiht possessions to close the gap to 14-13. Smith scored on a runner, Camp drilled a 3 and Capers scored on back-to-back post moves during the stretch.

The Jags took their first lead on Harris' jumper to make it 15-14 with 3:20 left in the quarter. After a free throw by Concord, Smith drained a 3 to make it 18-15 in favor of the Jags. Less than three minutes left in the first quarter.

By the way, Forestview scored on eight straight possessions during a 17-5 run for a 19-15 lead.

Forestview closed the first quarter by scoring on four straight possessions (two shots by Capers, one each by Smith and Pratt) for a six-point lead.

End of first quarter: Forestview 27, Concord 21

SECOND QUARTER

Forestview has scored on all but one of four possessions to start the second quarter and has jumped out to a 34-25 lead. It's a well-balanced effort so far. Smith drained a 3 for the latest bucket. She's already in double figures with 10 points. Capers also has 10.

Shannon Smith picked up her second foul with 3:50 left before halftime. It's about the only thing that's gone wrong for Forestview. The Jags are up 34-27.

Capers has now picked up her second foul with 2:21 remaining. Jatzmin Johnson completed the 3-point play and Capers is on the bench. Forestview leads 37-34 with about two minutes remaining.

Jhemelia Edwards' 3-pointer tied the score at 37. Smith hit a runner to put Forestview back on top, 39-37.

Belcher made the first of two free throws before Harris scored inside off a Smith assist to put Forestview ahed 41-38. Seconds later, though, Smith picked up her third foul with 38 seconds left before halftime. That could be bad news for Forestview. She's been unstoppable on offense and already has 15 points.

The teams traded baskets before halftime and we're tied.

Halftime score: Forestview 43, Concord 43

HALFTIME STAT LEADERS

Forestview leaders:

Smith 15 points, four RB, four assists, three fouls

Capers 10 points, 1 assist

Harris 5 points, 4 assists

Pratt 8 points, 5 rebounds

Concord leaders

Jatzmin Johnson 15 points

Jhemelia Edwards 10 points

THIRD QUARTER

The teams are trading buckets in the early going. Capers scored her second bucket of the quarter to give Forestview a 50-47 lead.

Forestview lead by 1 after Smith's putback but Capers picked up her third foul moments ago. Coach Ken Beaty chose to keep her in the game. We've got about a minute and a half left in the third quarter.

End of third quarter: Forestview 52, Concord 51

After a missed 3 by Smith, Edwards made a spinning layup for Concord, putting the Spiders ahead 53-52. Smith then sank two free throws to put Forestview back on top 54-53. Smith now has 21 points to follow up her 19-point effort last night. I think she's trying to earn some tournament MVP votes.

After Hammonds' basket, Harris' put back gave Forestview a 56-55 lead.

Moments later, Smith committed her fourth foul at the 4:52 mark and Edwards converted the 3-point play to put the Spiders ahead 58-56.

Pittman made a wide open layup for Forestview on a great pass from Capers, who had just entered the game (remember, she has three fouls). After a steal on the other end, Harris converted the fastbreak layup to put Forestview ahead 60-58, prompting Concord coach Angela Morton to call timeout. 3:59 remaining.

This thing could really go either way. Belcher drew Capers' fourth foul, made the layup but missed the free throw. Johnson got the offensive rebound and missed but Belcher cleaned it up and Concord leads 62-60.

Forestview turned it over on the other end. Now Smith is checking back in after a brief break. Capers and Smith are both on the floor with four fouls.

Johnson and Hammonds scored inside on back-to-back possessions and Concord leads 66-62 with two minutes remaining.

Smith missed a 3 from the top of the key, Belcher grabbed the rebound and now Concord is playing keep-away with a minute remaining.

Forestview chose not to foul and wound up with the steal. Capers sank a jumper with 20 seconds remaining to make it 68-64 and coach Beaty immediately called timeout.

The Jags fouled immediately but it was only their fifth, so Concord inbounded. Harris then stole the inbound and drove toward the basket but pulled back out because Concord had the lanes filled. Harris then called timeout. Forestview trails 68-64 with 14 seconds remaining.

After both teams set up for the inbound, Concord got a good look of Forestview's alignment and called timeout.

The Jags went directly to Capers in the post and she quickly scored on a hook, closing Forestview's gap to 68-66. Forestview called timeout immediately and has one remaining. Concord is holding on to a 2-point lead and now will inbound the ball with 10 seconds remaining.

Forestview did a great job defending the inbounds pass and forced Concord to call timeout.

Remember, Forestview has committed only five fouls, so they'll have to commit two more to send Concord to the line. There's not much time for that, so they might just try to get the steal rather than foul intentionally.

Concord got the ball to the quick Hammonds and she was able to burn four seconds before Harris fouled her. On the next inbound from the sideline, the Spiders again got the ball to Hammonds, who Harris fouled immediately. The clock stayed at 6 seconds, however, and the Spider fans are angry.

Hammonds hit the front end of the one-and-one for a 3-point Concord lead. Forestview has called timeout to discuss what to do after the next free throw.

Hammonds hit the second free throw, too. Forestview inbounded to Smith, who drove to the top of the key and attempted a 3 with about three seconds remaining. It hit the front of the rim, Concord got the rebound and final horn sounded.

Final score: Concord 70, Forestview 66

Tears are flowing on the Forestview bench as the Jaguars try to cope with their first loss of the season. The entire team went to the table a midcourt to accept the regional runner-up trophy. Capers took the trophy and proudly hoisted it up as the fans cheered.

Shannon Smith and Ashley Pratt are the most visibly upset Forestview players.

Now they're announcing the all-tournament team

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Jessica Capers, Forestview

Jatzmin Johnson, Concord

Jhemelia Edwards, Concord

Nyesia Hammonds, Concord

Shannon Smith, Forestview

MVP: T.T. Belcher, Concord

By the way, these awards are voted upon by media members in attendance. My ballot was much different:

Jena Cabe, Franklin

Keyrra Gillespie, Statesville

Jessica Capers, Forestview

Shannon Smith, Forestview

T.T. Belcher, Concord

MVP: Jatzmin Johnson

Congrats to Forestview on a great season. I know they're disappointed now, but they'll look back on this season with fond memories.

LIVE from Shelby vs. Pisgah boys

Phillip Gardner — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:56:56 GMT

I'm set up here in Winston-Salem's Joel Coliseum, home of Wake Forest basketball, awaiting tip off between the Shelby and Pisgah boys. The winner will play for the 2A state championship next Saturday in Raleigh.

Tip off is set for an hour from now at 4 p.m. Check back here for continuous updates once the game begins.

3:45 update

Shelby was on the court before the NCHSAA would let them warm up. The players had to wait until 20:00 appeared on the clock before they could start shooting. Coach Aubrey Hollifield made sure they started shooting the first second they were allowed.

Pisgah is running a layup drill. Shelby is simply shooting around.

Less than 14 minutes before tip off.

3:59 update

1:23 is showing on the pregame clock. We're getting ready for introductions.

Let's set some background.

Shelby comes in at 26-3 and advanced with a 76-48 win over East Lincoln. Pisgah has a 24-4 record and advanced with a 69-60 come-from-behind victory over Starmount.

Starters

Shelby -- 22 Michael Manning Sr. G, 32 Eric Mayo Jr. F, 40 Nick Stamp Jr. G, 42 Tim Gullatte Sr. F, 44 Quevalas Murray Jr. C

Pisgah -- 10 Austin Moore Sr. G, 13 R.J. McClure So. G, 14 Tyler Jaynes Jr. F, 32 Jarrod Conard F, 40 Zach Hollifield Sr. F/C

FIRST QUARTER

Shelby scored first on a layup by Eric Mayo. Quevalas Murray scored in the post on the next possession for a 4-0 Shelby lead.

Pisgah has scored a couple of layups in the half-court set to tie it at 4. Stamp scored on the other end for Shelby for a 6-4 lead. 4:57 first quarter.

Pisgah now has its first lead at 7-6 on a 3-pointer from the right wing by Tyler Jaynes. The Bears are really executing offensively. They just got another layup for a 9-6 lead and rebounded a Shelby miss on the other end.

The teams have traded baskets but Shelby wants a time out. Pisgah leads 11-8 with 3:36 left in the first quarter.

Zach Hollifield sank a pair of free throws for a 13-8 Pisgah lead. Eric Mayo picked up his first foul on the play.

After some free throws on both end, Stamp made a nice drive to the basket, closing Shelby's gap to 14-11. The Golden Lions then forced a turnover on the other end.

Shelby's Michael Manning drove to the basket for a basket but was called for a charge, his first foul. That call prompted Shelby coach Aubrey Hollifield to strip off his jacket. Pisgah leads 14-13, 1:30 left in the first quarter.

A nice fastbreak layup by Miles Lawrence gave Shelby a brief 15-14 lead. Pisgah quickly answered and now leads 16-15. Murray was then called for an offensive foul on a powering post move. Five Shelby players now have one foul each.

Lawrence made back-to-back buckets to give Shelby the lead. He sank a mid-range jumper and then had a steal and fastbreak layup to put Shelby up 19-18 a few seconds before the first quarter buzzer. Pisgah didn't get a shot off.

End of first quarter: Shelby 19, Pisgah 18

SECOND QUARTER

Shelby was just called for its third offensive foul, this time on Zacc Gullatte, his first foul. Hollifield smiled but he clearly didn't like the call.

"Sir, they're sliding up underneath," Hollifield shouted at the referee. "That ain't no charge."

Pisgah leads 23-21 and just drew Shelby's eighth foul. Pisgah has been whistled for three fouls. Shelby's latest violation went to Nick Stamp, his second foul.

Mayo had an acrobatic putback for Shelby but Pisgah answered and leads 25-23. 5:39 remaining before halftime.

Mayo is showing off his athleticism now. He turned in the first dunk of the game and then sank a nice hook for a 27-25 Shelby lead. It was the sixth lead change of the game. Pisgah now wants timeout. 4:51 before halftime.

Make that seven lead changes. Austin Moore sank a 3-pointer from the right corner after the timeout. Pisgah 28-27.

Moore drilled another 3 for Pisgah. Mayo answered with his second dunk. Pisgah leads 33-31 at the 3:21 mark of the second quarter.

The teams are trading turnovers now. Pisgah was called for its second straight offensive foul. This one went against starter Jarrod Conard. It's his third and he goes to the bench.

Shelby tied it at 35 on a driving layup by Manning. Stamp turned a missed shot into a fastbreak layup. Shelby now leads 37-35, 1:39 before halftime.

Stamp sank a one-handed floater, giving Shelby a 39-38 lead. Stamp blocked a Pisgah shot, Murray snagged the rebound and he's going to the line for 1-and-1. He made the first and second, giving Shelby a 41-38 lead with 45.5 seconds left before halftime.

Shelby nearly scored just before halftime but the Golden Lions ended up with much worse. Mayo picked up his third foul on an over-the-back call as he tried to tap his own miss. It happened with 0.5 seconds before the buzzer.

Halftime: Shelby 41, Pisgah 38

Halftime stats coming soon.

Well, we just learned the printer cartridge is out, so we did not receive a halftime stat box. Hopefully we'll have final stats.

THIRD QUARTER

Pisgah scored the first two baskets for a 42-41 lead. Looks like this one might be back and forth the whole game.

Mayo drew the third foul on Pisgah big man Zach Hollifield. He goes to the bench with less than seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.

There's a lot of flopping going on today. Shelby's Manning was whistled for a charge, which I believe is the fourth offensive foul called on Shelby. It's his second foul.

Timeout on the floor. Shelby leads 44-43 at the 5:16 mark of the third.

Austin Moore is killing Shelby. He just sank another jumper for a 47-45 Pisgah lead. I believe that's 20 points for the senior guard.

Nick Stamp gave Shelby a 50-49 lead, the 16th lead change of the game. Good thing Alan Ford of the Shelby Star is keeping track of lead changes because they've been the most telling stat of the game.

Conard made a four-point play for Pisgah and the Bear fans are making all kinds of noise. Moments later Stamp drilled a 3 from the top of the key, tying the score at 55. Seconds remaining.

Austin Moore drove the lane and converted a finger roll, giving Pisgah a 57-55 lead seconds before the buzzer.

End of third quarter: Pisgah 57, Shelby 55

FOURTH QUARTER

All of a sudden, it appears Pisgah is taking control. Moore went up strong inside and drew Mayo's fourth foul. Mayo goes to the bench, Moore sinks both free throws and Pisgah leads 59-55.

Hold everything. Now Shelby seems to be gaining steam. R.J. McClure picked up his fourth and fifth fouls within seconds of each other, the second an offensive foul as he was driving to the basket. The sophomore guard is out of the game with 7:12 remaining and he can't believe it.

Stamp then scored inside for Shelby, tying the score at 59. Pisgah calls timeout. 6:47 remaining.

Pisgah does a great job of attacking the basket. Tyler Jaynes did so and drew Tim Gullatte's fourth foul. The free throws made it 61-59 but Murray scored for Shelby to tie it back at 61. 6:12 remaining.

Conard's two free throws gave Pisgah a 65-62 lead with 5 1/2 minutes remaining.

Shelby's Stamp picked up his fourth foul with 5:20 remaining. Conard hit two free throws and Pisgah leads 67-62 with 5:20 remaining.

Tyler Jaynes came away with his second consecutive steal for Pisgah. The Bears now have a 69-62 lead after Hollifield's baseline hook. Timeout Shelby, 4:34 remaining.

The Shelby players looked stunned in the huddle. Let's see if they can make a run in the final 4 1/2 minutes. Meanwhile, the Pisgah fans are on their feet and the players look confident.

Shelby ran a great play out of the timeout, freeing up Manning for an easy layup. He also drew a foul and sank the free throw to make it 69-65. Pisgah quickly answered and the lead's back to six at 71-65.

After a scrum for the ball, Pisgah came out with it and Hollifield converted a fastbreak layup for a 73-65 lead. The teams just traded turnovers. Shelby ball, down 73-65 with 3:20 to go.

Shelby's letting this one slip away. Mayo was called for goaltending on a fastbreak floater. Pisgah now leads 75-65 with 3:16 left.

The Golden Lions' defense is simply not getting it done. Their quickness smothered East Lincoln on Wednesday, but Pisgah has handled the pressure well. Shelby is on the verge of giving up its highest point total of the year. The most any team has scored against Shelby this season was 77 by Cherryville -- before Shelby's football players joined the team (and before the current 23-game winning streak).

Mayo has just fouled out when he was in the act of passing at midcourt with 2:21 remaning. Mayo stormed off the court untucking his jersey. This one's all but in the books.

Nothing is going Shelby's way now. Manning missed a pair of free throws and dropped his head in frustration. Pisgah is now playing a bit of a stall game but the Bearcats were called for a moving screen.

Shelby is trying to mount a comeback, but Pisgah holds on to a 77-71 lead and will go to the line for two with 53.1 seconds remaining.

Pisgah leads 78-71 after a Shelby miss and Pisgah rebound. Shelby fouled but fouled the wrong guy: Conard.

Conard made both free throws, giving the Bears an 80-71 lead with 40 seconds remaining.

Murray scored for Shelby and Hollifield called a quick timeout. Shelby quickly fouled on the inbounds but Tim Gullatte was the fouler and he's now disqualified with five fouls.

Again, Conard goes to the line for two. Pisgah leads 80-73 with 22.0 seconds left.

The fouling strategy isn't working. Conard again made both free throws, then he rebounded Shelby's miss and dribbled around until Shelby fouled him. I'm predicting he makes both free throws.

Yep. He made both and went to the bench as Pisgah cleared its bench for the final moments.

Final score: Pisgah 84, Shelby 73

A lot of long faces on Shelby players, but one Shelby fan kept shouting, "Keep your head up" as the Golden Lions shook hands with the Pisgah players.

Shelby is now accepting its regional runner-up trophy. Seniors Michael Manning, Chris Scott and Tim Gullatte stepped forward to receive the trophy.

2A Western Regional all-tournament team

Victor Davila, Starmount

Eric Mayo, Shelby

Quevalas Murray, Shelby

Jarrod Conard, Pisgah

R.J. McClure, Pisgah

MVP: Austin Moore, Pisgah

What's next:

Pisgah (25-4) will play for the state championship 2:30 p.m. March 15 at N.C. State's Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

That's all for this blog. Check shelbystar.com and varsitync.com for a full recap by Alan Ford. Thanks for following the game.

LIVE from Forestview vs. Statesville girls basketball

Phillip Gardner — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:21:02 GMT

I'm courtside here at Atkins High School, where the 29-0 Forestview girls are taking on 28-2 Statesville in the 3A Western Regional semifinals.

Check back here for updates throughout the game, but be forewarned: our Internet coverage has been spotty here in the gym.

Sorry for the Internet problems during the first quarter. So far, Shannon Smith has had a great game for Forestview. She had five points in the first quarter as Forestview took a 15-13 lead.

Second quarter

Smith continues a great game. We have her for 10 points (including 2-for-3 shooting from 3-point range) and four assists. Forestview leads 28-22 with 1:48 left before halftime.

Ashley Pratt just made her second field goal, giving Forestview a 30-22 lead with 1:24 left before halftime.

Statesville made a basket on the other end to make it 30-24. After a Capers miss for Forestview, the Jaguars held the ball for the last shot. Shannon Smith drove the lane and missed, so Forestview takes a 30-24 lead into the locker room.

Halftime stats coming momentarily.

HALFTIME STATS

Forestview: Shannon Smith 10 points, 3 assists; Ashley Pratt 4 points, 4 rebounds; Kelsey Harris 4 points, 3 assists; Jessica Capers 4 points, 1 rebound; Chrissy Buie 3 points; Kitty Pittman 2 points, Jasmine Camp 2 points

Statesville: Keyrra Gillespie 5 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists; Jordan Daywalt 5 points; Janitsha Williams 4 points; Tamesha Bailey 4 points, 4 rebounds.

The halftime clock shows 1:40. I'll be back soon with third-quarter updates.

Forestview has extended its lead to 38-29 after a nice post move by Ashley Pratt, who how has nine points for the game. 5:09 mark of the third quarter.

Capers is now heating up for Forestview. She's hit her last three field goals and has seven points in the third quarter -- 11 for the game. Forestview now leads 49-36 with 2:34 remaining in the third.

Capers scored again in the post, giving Forestview a 51-36 lead. The Jaguars are starting to take charge. The entire team is playing well. Capers hasn't had a great game, but she's starting to take charge.

Gillespie, Statesville's highly touted point guard, hit a 3 to make it 51-39.

Each team scored on its next possession. Forestview now leads 53-41 with 50 seconds remaining in the third.

End of third quarter: Forestview 54, Statesville 41

Kelsey Harris just picked up her fourth foul for Forestview and went to the bench, but the Jaguars lead by 13 with 6 minutes remaining.

Statesville is playing with a lot of fire but Forestview keeps answering. The Jags lead 63-48 with 5 minutes left.

Forestview coach Ken Beaty called timeout to calm his girls down and Forestview is now playing a little stall game here with a 13-point lead.

Statesville has just staged a huge rally. The Greyhounds have forced three straight turnovers and converted them into points to make it 65-59 with 3:16 remaining. This thing's not over yet.

Shaneka Harvey canned Statesville's fourth 3-pointer of the second half and Forestview's lead is down to 67-65 with 1:49 remaining.

Smith one of two free throws. Forestview 68-65, 1:10 to play. Capers going to the line for two.

Capers made both free throws and Statesville's Janitsha Williams missed a free throw. Jasmine Camp snagged the rebound for Forestview and Smith is going to the line with Forestview ahead 70-65 with 43 seconds remaining.

Statesville missed at the other end, Forestview got the rebound and Capers is going to the line for two free throws.

Capers made the second of two and Forestview leads 72-65.

Statesville missed another 3 and Smith got the rebound for Forestview. Forestview 72-65 with 15.5 seconds remaining.

Forestview has survived, 73-65. Congrats to the Jags for staying undefeated and moving on to the regional finals Saturday at 7 at the Joel Coliseum Annex.

“We’ll be lucky to keep it close”

Phillip Gardner — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:13:15 GMT

I always get a chuckle out of the poor mouthing I often hear from coaches.

Man, you should have heard them Monday. The coaches I spoke with at the Western Regional basketball tournament press conference in Winston-Salem were on a roll.

Here’s East Lincoln boys coach Neil Hodges, whose team plays Shelby on Wednesday:
“It’s a tough chore for us, but we’re going to try to come up with something to at least make the game competitive.”
Something tells me the Mustangs will be competitive.

Now hear Shelby boys coach Aubrey Hollifield on the Golden Lions’ next opponent, East Lincoln:
“I think they’re real good. They’re scary.”
Hearing him go on and on about the Mustangs made me think East Lincoln would win by 20, but I know better. Shelby owns a 22-game winning streak.

Here’s Statesville girls coach Todd Jones, whose team plays Forestview on Friday:
“We know our plate’s full.”
You think Forestview’s plate might be full, too? I mean, come on. Statesville is 28-2.

Jones on whether he would consider implementing a zone defense against Forestview post player Jessica Capers:
“I don’t think we’re a very good zone team and that’s what scares me.”

These coaches might have valid concerns to a certain degree, but let's be honest. They’re all here for a reason: they’re good.