PINETOPS — With her team locked in a tie for the all-important fourth seed in the Eastern Plains 2A Conference standings, Greene Central girls coach Meredith Franklin didn’t have to tell her team how crucial Tuesday’s game at winless SouthWest Edgecombe was to the season.
“We talked about finishing the season strong and about not having a letdown,” the first-year coach said. “The girls already knew that this game and the game Friday at Farmville were huge.”
Consider phase one a success.
The Rams scored the game’s first 13 points and coasted to a sloppy but effective 46-24 victory over the Cougars to keep pace with Tarboro, which defeated Farmville Central.
“We didn’t play our best but we played well enough to win,” Franklin said. “There wasn’t a lot of atmosphere in the gym tonight and at times we didn’t do a very good job of creating our own enthusiasm.”
The air was let out of the Senior Night crowd early on as the Rams (9-13, 5-6) raced to a 13-0 lead before SouthWest Edgecombe’s Montana York finally connected on a 3-pointer with 2:21 left in the first quarter.
The margin was 14-3 after one quarter and never dipped below double digits the rest of the way.
“We had the game under control and kind of went through the motions,” Franklin said. “We did some good things offensively and defensively, but we certainly could have executed better.”
With the outcome never in doubt, GC seemed to play down to the level of its competition. The winless Cougars (0-21, 0-12) finished the regular season without a victory, a first for legendary coach Sandra Langley, who has claimed four state championships and three second place finishes in her 36-year career.
“We were definitely the better team, but we knew we had to be careful,” Franklin said. “They have one of the best coaches in the state so they’re always a dangerous team.”
Dasheka Mason led the Rams with 15 points and Monesia Moore added 10. Gabby Campbell collected six points and 11 rebounds as GC controlled the boards by a 48-38 margin.
The Rams also forced 36 Cougars turnovers.
“We know we’ll have to play better Friday at Farmville,” Franklin said. “They may be having a down year, but it’s a huge rivalry game so we better be ready to play.”
SOUTHWEST EDGECOMBE 63, GREENE CENTRAL 60
The wild boys contest featured a technical foul on GC coach Jim Cole with 1:06 to play, an officiating error that allowed SWE to shoot a second free throw 15 seconds after missing the first, a blown layup that could have tied the score with 4.6 seconds remaining, and a questionable no call on a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
When the bedlam finally ended, the Rams (5-15, 2-9) had suffered yet another heartbreaking defeat.
GC has now lost six games this season by five points or less, including three in league play.
The Rams led 57-56 when GC’s Joseph Biggs drove the lane and was hammered as he tried to convert a layup.
No foul was called, and in frustration, Cole slammed his clipboard to the floor, drawing a technical foul.
The Cougars’ Devonte Williams swished both free throws and the Rams never led again.
A conventional 3-point play by SWE’s Javine Hinton made the score 61-57 with 35.4 seconds to play.
After a GC miss, Williams was then fouled again. He missed the first of what should have been a two shot foul, but GC’s Biggs grabbed the rebound and tossed an outlet pass to Brandon Belcher, who buried a long 3-pointer with 10.7 seconds remaining.
The officials stopped play, counted Belcher’s trey, and then corrected their mistake by allowing Williams to shoot the second of his free throws.
This one he converted, giving the Cougars a 62-60 lead and the ball out underneath their own basket.
Belcher then swiped the inbounds pass but missed from point blank range. A.J. Dickens rebounded the ball and was immediately fouled with 4.6 seconds left.
He missed the first and made the second. After a timeout, GC got the ball into Biggs, who launched a trey from the right corner as the buzzer sounded.
SWE’s Anthony Coley got a hand on the shot and in the process landed squarely on Biggs, knocking him to the ground.
There was no call, and just like that the contest was over.
Belcher led four Rams in double digits with 14 points. Jalyn Harper added 13, Biggs 12 and Tevin Bates 10.
After Friday’s regular season finale at Farmville, the Rams will likely finish sixth in the league and be required to win the conference tournament to advance to the state playoffs.
GIRLS
Greene Central 14 9 14 9—46
SW Edgecombe 3 6 5 10—24
RAMS (9-13, 5-6) — Dasheka Mason 15, Monesia Moore 10, Lancaster 7, Campbell 6, Parker 2, Stevens 2, Barrett 2, Payton 2, Robinson, Jones, Sheppard.
COUGARS (0-21, 0-12) — Jacobs 8, York 7, D. Gould 5, Brown 4, S. Gould, Anderson, McDowell, Phillips, Williams.
BOYS
Greene Central 12 18 17 13—60
SW Edgecombe 17 10 17 19—63
RAMS (5-17, 2-9) — Brandon Belcher 14, Jalyn Harper 13, Joseph Biggs 12, Tevin Bates 10, Braswell 6, Lee-Jones 3, Ormond 2, Bynum, Parker, Rozelle
COUGARS (12-9, 4-8) — Devonte Williams 16, Javine Hinton 11, A. J. Dickens 10, Coley 8, Bandy 8, Bynum 5, Wooten 4, Jones 1, Williams.