Monday, Mar. 08, 2010

Southeast falls to unbeaten Green Hope

The Bulldogs' defense shines again but the Falcons find a way to advance.

Southeast Raleigh did something no other girls basketball team in the state has been able to do against Green Hope in the regional girls basketball semifinals. Still, it wasn't enough.

The Bulldogs became the first team to hold the unbeaten Falcons under 50 points in a game, but fell 49-38, ending their season three wins away from a state championship for the second consecutive season.

Green Hope rolled out to a 12-0 lead against Southeast Raleigh after the first five minutes of play, but the resilient Bulldogs fought back.

"We came out prepared but I just didn't expect we'd get off to that kind of start," said Southeast senior Brittany Holloway. "But we came back in the second half and we stepped up."

Still down nine points at the half, Southeast tightened up its defensive man-to-man pressure and found its touch on the offensive end.

"They play really good defense," said Green Hope coach Mike Robinson of the Bulldogs, "they really do."

But it was Southeast's ability to convert on the offensive end in the third quarter that made the difference. Back-to-back driving baskets by Amara Bell and Taja Gardner-Rand pulled the Bulldogs quickly within five points midway through the quarter.

Then, Jasmine Daniels and Demesha Peebles both earned trips to the free throw line, cutting the lead to 33-29 with 1:47 to play in the quarter.

After Aprill McRae blocked a Falcons' shot attempt on the other end, she dropped home a 14-foot jumper from the baseline off of a Gardner-Rand assist to cut the gap to 33-31 with seven ticks to play in the quarter.

But that's when Green Hope started to show why it hasn't lost in its first 30 games of the season. Standout Kristen Gaffney drilled a 3-pointer home at the quarter buzzer, bringing out a big fist pump from Robinson on the sideline.

"It seemed like we couldn't make a 3-pointer until then," Robinson said.

It was, in fact, the first 3-pointer the Falcons had hit on the night and it pushed the lead back to two possessions just when Southeast seemed ready to go ahead.

"That was huge," Myers said. "We were right there, hit a jumper that got us close. I think that was the backbreaker."

Southeast did get back within three points on another Gardner-Rand to McRae combination -- at 38-35 -- with 5:45 to play. However, Gaffney (23 points, 10 rebounds on the night) answered again.

After a pair of Bulldog turnovers, Ashley Williams hit another big 3 for a 43-35 Green Hope lead with 4:46 to play in the game.

"I give full credit to Green Hope," Myers said. "But a lot of our issues happened when we got away from pushing the ball up court and getting it inside."

After a Southeast miss and a couple of misses on the Green Hope end, the Falcons got possession on a loose ball out of bounds. Cammile Forbes got the ball to Caitlyn Ranson in the corner on the inbound pass for another 3-pointer and an 11-point lead with 3:43 to play.

"It was a tough, hard-fought game," Robinson said. "My team took some punches from them and they took some punches from us."

Ranson finished with 13 points, while McRae led Southeast with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Demesha Peebles contributed six for the Bulldogs as well, but no other Southeast player scored more than three points.

"Nobody expected us to get here," Myers said. "We embraced our role as an underdog throughout the week. We just didn't come out in attack mode."

Southeast finished the season with a 23-5 record, having won 22 of their final 25 games.

The loss marked the end for seniors Jessica Peacock, Ashley Foster, Antwanette Giddens-Tyson, Holloway and Gardner-Rand.

"I just told our seniors how important they've been to us," Myers said. "We lost girls like [Wake Forest recruit] Lakevia Boykin and another big player to transfer from last year's team. But the seniors embraced their role and really took our young people under their wings.

"That's what allowed us to get back to the regional round for a second straight year."