| By KEVIN WEAKS
Messenger Sports
Both Obion Central teams tipped off the 2012-13 season with running starts — literally.
Using game-breaking scoring runs in each game, the Rebels started strong by winning at South Fulton in a pair of Hall of Fame games against their county rivals, beating the Red Devils 53-47 in the girls’ opener and then pulling away for a 75-60 win in the boys’ nightcap.
In order to claim the sweep, both OC squads had to overcome South Fulton leads.
The Lady Rebs limited SF to a single free throw in the second quarter while reeling off 13 points to turn a 17-14 deficit after one period into a 27-18 margin at the half.
Central’s boys, meanwhile, trailed 35-28 early in the third quarter but then went on a 15-2 run to take a 43-37 advantage with just over two minutes to play in the period. In fact, OC went on to outscore the Redmen 49-28 in the second half.
OC 53, SF 47 (G)
Senior post players Brandi Goodman and Abby Blackburn combined for 27 points for the Lady Rebels, who hit 20 field goals from inside the 3-point stripe.
A strong first period by those two — Blackburn would finish the first half with 10 of her 11 points — and OC’s lone 3-point basket by Ali McEwen helped the Lady Rebs grab a 12-11 lead at 1:25 of the first.
But, Taylor Rodgers scored from the free throw line, Taleeah Cross took a steal in for a layup and Landry Webster scored in transition to give SF a 17-12 lead with 32 seconds remaining in the opening period. Cross had scored six of SF’s first 11 points for an early 11-5 lead.
“Cross came out for South Fulton on fire,” OC head coach Lyle LaRue said. “We’re going to be smart about (the press) this year. If the press is not working, we’re going to get out of it. We backed out, chased Cross around a little, made some other kids on their team shoot the ball and got back in the game. We were pleased the way the first half turned out, especially considering the way they started.”
SF’s only point of the second period came on a Cross free throw at 4:02, but both Cross and fellow senior guard Laken Haley spent several minutes on the bench getting some rest after picking up early fouls. Meanwhile, Blackburn scored six points for Central, giving her team a 19-18 lead that increased to 27-18 by the break.
“That’s not good for high school ball,” SF head coach Curt Lee said of the one point. “We missed some jumpers and opportunities to score, but (Cross and Haley) being on the bench is, obviously, not a good situation for us.”
SF’s first field goal since the first quarter came at 7:22 of the third on a long jumper by Haley, but then Maddie Kate Coffey fouled out at 6:51. Goodman then began to dominate inside offensively as OC built a 44-29 lead late in the period.
OC’s poor free throw shooting — 10-of-22 for the game — helped contribute to a late run by SF. But, ahead just 51-47 with seven seconds to play, Goodman hit twice at the line to stop the Devilettes’ late rally.
OC 75, SF 60 (B)
Despite some early foul trouble for SF’s Tevaris James and T.J. Ingram, the Redmen trailed just 14-11 after one quarter and then closed the first half with a 9-4 run for a 31-26 lead.
Josh Hollowell knocked down a triple, and Keshawn McManus scored twice inside as SF traded baskets with Central early in the second frame.
Trailing 35-28 early in the third, however, Central fought back as Korben Hagan converted a 3-point play and both Shaw Logan and Mike Klein hit treys. Logan then scored in transition, and Byan Morris turned a baseline drive into another 3-point play as OC scored 15 of the next 17 points for a 43-37 lead.
“The second quarter, we didn’t play defense,” OC skipper Bill Kail said. “Everything they shot was at the rim. I don’t know their percentage, but it seemed like they shot about 90 percent from the field. We made a conscious effort to shut down their driving lanes, get in position to take a charge and get a rebound, and we were able to do that in the third quarter.”
Central spent the rest of the game building its lead, up 51-43 after three quarters twice, reaching the eventual 15-point margin in the final seconds.
“We had a lot of shots that rimmed in and out, some shots we normally don’t miss,” SF coach Wes Miller said. “We missed shots, and they made shots. That was basically the story of the second half, especially the third quarter. Every time we cut into it or made it close, they’d hit a big shot. Or, every time we made a mistake, they made us pay.”
Logan, had 23 points, Morris added 14 and Zack King finished with 10 for the Rebels. Published in The Messenger 11.14.12 |
