TRADER Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Sports
Covering SUN VALLEY and PORTER RIDGE
SV’s Stewart named MVP BY JUSTIN MURDOCK
E-J Sports Writer WINGATE Sun Valley High’s Shaun Stewart and Parkwood High’s Michelle Brown were named Most Valuable Players after leading their respective teams to the CMC-Union Holiday Classic titles at Wingate University last week. Stewart, a sophomore guard, averaged 18.3 points in three tournament games. He scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Spartans to a 60-58 win over top-seed-
ed Monroe in Wednesday’s title game. Brown, a senior guard, averaged 19.7 points in three games in helping the top-seeded Rebels to the championship. She scored a team-high 22 points in Wednesday’s 62-53 victory over Porter Ridge. Also making all-tournament among the boys were: Monroe junior guards Jamison Crowder and Qwadarius Duboise, Monroe senior center Issac Blakeney, Anson senior center Garry
McKnight, Forest Hills senior guard Dre Huntley, Parkwood senior guard Maurice Leak and Weddington sophomore guard Bennett Rutherford. Piedmont High junior guard Cameron Leviner was named MVP of the consolation tournament after leading the Panthers past Cuthbertson in the title game on Wednesday. Joining Brown on the girls all-tournament team were: Parkwood junior guard Morgan Brown, Porter
Ridge junior forward Kelley Godbout, Porter Ridge senior forward Cayleigh Weekley, Marvin Ridge senior guard Chelsey Horan, Piedmont junior guard Jade Montgomery, Weddington senior wing Sam Sebastian and Sun Valley junior center Stephanie Taylor. Dequishea McCain, a senior guard from Monroe, was voted MVP of the consolation tournament. McCain guided the Redhawks past Union Academy in the title game Wednesday.
2009 Holiday Classic all-tournament team Boys team Shawn Stewart, So., Sun Valley (MVP); Jamison Crowder, Jr., Monroe; Qwadarius Duboise, Jr., Monroe; Issac Blakeney, Sr., Monroe; Garry McKnight, Sr., Anson; Dre Huntley, Sr., Forest Hills; Maurice Leak, Sr., Parkwood; Bennett Rutherford, So., Weddington Girls team Michelle Brown, Sr., Parkwood (MVP); Kelley Godbout, Jr., Porter Ridge; Morgan Brown, Jr., Parkwood; Cayleigh Weekley, Sr., Porter Ridge; Stephanie Taylor, Jr., Sun Valley; Chelsey Horan, Sr., Marvin Ridge; Jade Montgomery, Jr., Piedmont; Samantha Sebastian, Sr., Weddington
Spartans win tourney By JERRY SNOW
E-J Sports Editor WINGATE Despite Monroe High’s athleticism and guard play, Sun Valley’s boys remained committed to their fullcourt pressure on Wednesday. The strategy worked, as the Spartans upset the top-seeded and previously undefeated Redhawks 60-58 in the championship game of the CMC-Union Holiday Classic on the campus of Wingate University. The third-seeded Spartans forced 20 turnovers, and perhaps more importantly, turned Monroe center Issac Blakeney into a ball handler against the press. “Issac is a phenomenal talent around the basket,” said Spartans coach Keith Mason of the 6-foot-6 Blakeney, who is bound for Duke on a football scholarship. “We wanted to keep him out of the paint as much as possible and that’s what our press did.” Monroe clung to a 29-27 lead at halftime, and couldn’t hold it in the third. Sun Valley sophomore guard Shaun Stewart heated up after the break, going 5-for-6 from the field in the third quarter. Stewart, who leads Union County in scoring at 19.8 ppg, scored 10 straight for his team during one stretch — including back-to-back 3-pointers. Stewart had 12 of his gamehigh 19 points in the third, outscoring Monroe by himself (1211) to help his team take a 44-40 advantage into the fourth. “I just kept playing hard and I finally got it going,” said Stewart, who was voted the tournament’s most valuable player. Sun Valley, now 8-3, led by as many as eight points on four occasions in the fourth. The Spartans placed four in double digits, including 6-6 sophomore center Kyle Buffkin, who finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. “I have put so much pressure on that kid to get better and he takes it so well,” Mason said of Buffkin. “If you would have seen how far he has come from two years ago, you would be amazed. Kyle played a great game for us.” Junior forward Luke Maynor added 11 points, going 2-for-4 from 3-point range, and Blake Dixon contributed 10 points and a game-high five steals for the Spartans.
See SPARTANS / Page 2B
Pirates place second By Eric Rape
E-J Correspondent Indian Trail The Mount Pleasant High wrestling team dominated the Pirate Wrestling Tournament last Saturday with a team score of 274.5, running away from second place host Porter Ridge, which finished with 184.0 points. The Pirates outlasted Concord for second place with the Spiders scoring 174.0 points. Porter Ridge’s Andrew Baatz and Chris Lingle took home gold medals in their respective weight classes of 119 and 125 pounds. The Tigers built most of their lead in the rounds prior to the championship finals and consolation finals. Twelve Mount Pleasant wrestlers advanced to either the first or third-place matches in 12 of the 14 weight classes. Weddington finished fourth in the tournament with 122.0 points. Joe Centrella dropped down to his previous weight of a year ago (171 pounds) and took home gold in his first tournament. Two of his three wins came by pin in the first period. Monroe High’s Miles Cook won at 189 pounds without having to wrestle in the championship match after Porter Ridge’s Ricky Meyer had to go to the emergency room to receive stitches. Parkwood finished seventh and had one wrestler take home gold. Kevion Mullis took down Mount Pleasant’s Shane Hooks in the final seconds of the third and final period to win 3-1. Team Scores
Staff photo by Ed Cottingham
Sophomore center Kyle Buffkin (40) scored 14 points and helped contain Monroe standout Issac Blakeney.
1. Mt. Pleasant 274.5 2. Porter Ridge 184.0 3. Concord 174.0 4. Weddington 122.0 5. Monroe 114.0 6. North Stanly 107.0 7. Parkwood 79.0 8. Hickory Ridge 59.0 9. Butler 27.0 10. Union Academy 15.0
Parkwood girls finish strong, beat PR for title BY JERRY SNOW
E-J Sports Editor WINGATE Trailing by two points with four minutes left, Parkwood High’s girls outscored Porter Ridge 11-2 the rest of the way to win the CMC-Union Holiday Classic, 62-53, on Wednesday. The 10-0 Rebels remained the only unbeaten girls basketball team in Union County while at the same time breaking Porter Ridge’s nine-game winning streak in the title game of the 12th annual Holiday Classic, held on the campus of Wingate University. Parkwood senior guard Michelle Brown was voted tournament MVP
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after scoring 11 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter, when her team jumped out to an 18-9 lead. “We wanted to extend our pressure a little bit and try to get a lead,” said Parkwood coach Jamal McGee. “It was good for us to get ahead early because we haven’t been in a close game like this all year.” Porter Ridge was down 33-25 at halftime but bounced back to tie the game at 47 heading into the fourth. The Pirates took their first lead of the game on a Haley Secrest jumper that made it 49-47 with 7:26 to play. The Pirates led 51-49 with just over three minutes left when Parkwood went on a decisive 10-0 run.
The Rebels regained the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Tori Tsitouris that gave her team a 52-51 lead with 3;02 remaining. Tsitouris, a junior wing, went 6-for6 at the line on the night and finished with 13 points and 10 boards. Brown went 8-of-10 at the line. As a team, Parkwood was 23-of-31 at the line compared to 9-of-11 for Porter Ridge (9-2). “We made an effort to go to the basket more in the fourth quarter,” McGee said. “We got away from that earlier in the game.” McGee, now in his third year as head coach, said the tournament title is satisfying for the Rebels.
“We had a little tear-fest in the locker room,” McGee said. “It’s sweet. It feels good. It kind of gives you bragging rights in the county for the rest of the year. This is the only time all year the whole county is in one place. It’s important to the girls. We battled for this.” Brown, a 5-2 shooting guard who entered the game averaging 17.2 ppg, also had eight rebounds, three steals and a block. “For the past three years Michelle has given me everything she has,” McGee said. “The MVP award is welldeserved. You look at her as far as her stature.
See REBELS / Page 2B