East Forsyth’s ninth grade basketball team finished the season with a 13-1 record, please see page 3.
One Dollar
March 11, 2015
Forsyth County Edition
Volume 10 No. 3
East Carteret, WS Prep’s opponent in the State 1-A championship game is looking for revenge, see page 5.
Prep earns 4th straight title game
Strong Finish!
By Sam Davis Triad Sports Weekly
Former Mount Tabor standout Millesa Callicott helped lead Wake For est to two victories in the ACC Tournament.
Senior Kwa’Tre Hollingsworth, provided the offensive impetus and leadership as Winston-Salem Prep won its fourth consecutive NCHSAA Western 1-A Regional, defeating game but outmanned Albemarle, 64-43, at the Coliseum Annex. Hollingsworth, one of two seniors in the WSPA starting lineup, scored 15 points as the Phoenix rolled into Saturday’s 1-A state title game at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. With Hollingsworth leading the way, scoring 15 of his points in the second half and was named the regional’s most valuable player. WSPA captured its 23rd straight playoff victory, and earned its fourth straight champi-
onship-game appearance, where the Phoenix will face East Carteret for the second consecutive season. Albemarle, which
Kwa’Tre Hollingsworth brought an undefeated (27-0) record into the game, hung around early before the Phoenix reserves blew the lid off with a
see WSPA on 2
WSPA girls move closer to state title
Wilkins, Lowery left strong legacy Two men who devoted their lives to helping develop the lives of youth in WinstonSalem recently passed away. Melvin “Rip” Wilkins and Louis Lowery were permanent fixtures on the sports landscape for many years. Both also played prominent roles in my development during my formulative years. I encountered both around the same time. I met Lowery when I accompanied Swindell Brown, one of my best friends, to the Gladiators Boxing Club when I was 10 years old. Lowery was one of the trainers there. I fondly remember the lessons he taught me on boxing fundamentals. They helped forge the background for my life and understanding the principles of discipline and work ethic. I From The stayed in the sport off and Press Box on until I was about 15 years old. I learned a lot from
By Sam Davis Triad Sports Weekly Mychala Wolfe helped Winston-Salem Prep’s girls’ basketball team get out to a fast start and the Lady Phoenix dropped the hammer on Cherokee early and never let up in recording a 64-38 victory over the Braves in last Saturday’s NCHSAA 1-A Regional Championship. The victory sent WSPA into Saturday’s 1-A championship game against Williamston Riverside at noon at Chapel Hill’s Carmichael Arena. Wolfe, who was named the Regional’s Most Valuable Player, scored 15 points in the first quarter, including three 3-
Sam Davis
Chrisalyn Boston is a major factor for W-S Prep’s girls team.
Demons’ bid falls short see Press Box on 3
key run. Prep led 24-22 early in the second quarter when Coach Andre Gould inserted his subs into the game. The Phoenix outscored Albemarle 10-0 over the final three minutes of the second quarter to take a 34-22 lead it never relinquished. The rally was led by Keeshon Patrick, a senior guard. Patrick came up with a vital offensive rebound and then hit a basket to get the rally started. Patrick said he and the other Prep reserves were doing their part to contribute. “I just know Coach always tells us to come in with intensity and to play hard, and that’s what we did,” he said. Gould said he didn’t hesitate to go to his bench and bring in subs at a key juncture in the
see Prep on 2
Reynolds girls unbeaten streak snapped in Regional By Sam Davis Triad Sports Weekly
The perfect record of R.J. Reynolds’ girls basketball team came to an end when the Lady Demons dropped a 64-36 loss to Charlotte Myers Park in the Regional semifinals in Winston-Salem last Thursday night. Altogether, the Demons put together 27 consecutive victories. It was the most victories ever recorded by a Demons’ girls basketball team and the furthest the program had ever advanced in the 4-A playoffs. The Demons hit
a cold spell after getting out to a good start. Myers Park, the defending State 4-A champion, stretched an 18-17 margin to 33-18 by the end of the first half. From there, Reynolds could never get close again. Myers Park took a 41-18 lead at the end of the third quarter. Reynolds’ poor shooting contributed to the Mustangs’ big margin. Reynolds connected on a total of only four field goals during the entire second and third quarters. “We didn’t shoot the ball well; we didn’t
rebound well,” Coach Johnathan Gainey of Reynolds said. “After they got that run on us in the second quarter, got a couple of layups off of some turnovers, and from there, I think the bottom fell out.” Gainey said he was still proud of his team, which had little trouble going undefeated in the Central Piedmont 4-A Conference season. The Lady Demons, who never faced a deficit of more than 11 points, also captured the Mary Garber Tournament championship. “That’s what I went in
see Lady Demons on 4
Tierra Wilson helped lead Reynolds to a 27-1 record.
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Home Grown Talent WSPA from Page 1 game. “We feel like 1through-15 can play at any time,” Gould said. Prep’s outside shooting gave the Phoenix a big lift in the second half. Daivien Williamson started off the half with a 3-pointer and followed with a driving basket later. Hollingsworth boosted the Phoenix to an 18point lead at the 2:38 mark with back to back 3-pointers and the rout was on. Gould said he was proud of the way
his players came out and performed. The Phoenix started two freshmen (Williamson and Justice Goodloe) and a sophomore (Zaire Williams) to go along with seniors D.J. Harrison and Hollingsworth. Albemarle didn’t back away from the running style that Prep plays. Gould said he was not surprised to see the Bulldogs try to run with his team. “I think that they understood we were going to run and they tried to run with us for a minute, but I think on the other side that we guarded and made
them work,” Gould who got untracked in said. “They made us the second half after a work, slow Winston-Salem Prep start, but I Boys Basketball Roster said he think the difwanted ference 0 Kwa’Tre Hollingsworth make is our sure the 1 Daviar Dixon bench Bulldogs 2 Josh Gould and couldn’t 4 Kendrick Edwards we’re make a going to 5 Daivien Williamson run. 10 Justice Goodloe keep “You coming, 11 Zaire Williams see a 15 C.J. McClellan keep game coming 20 Robert Neal going - I think 21 Keeshon Patrick one way, we did a 22 NaQuan Carrington\ you’ve good got to 23 D.J. Hairston job of step up,” 33 Kevin Jones doing 34 L.J. Williams that today.” Hollingsworth, Hollingsworth said.
Prep from Page 1
Dominique Claytor (above) and Jada Craig (right) have both figured prominently in WSPA girls’ success this season. Prep will try to win its first State 1-A championship on Saturday.
pointers to boost the Phoenix to a 29-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. The high-powered Phoenix continued to put their foot on the gas in the second quarter and took a com-
“You come to the stage, you’ve got to come ready; you can’t let that get out of hand.” Gould said Hollingsworth has been clutch during its recent run and he has no reservations about him taking key shots. That included a key 3pointer that the 5-11 senior drilled to keep the rally going. “I’m just so confident in him right now,” Gould said. “He and D.J. (Harrison) they’ve just got a pulse on the game.” Prep will face an East Carteret team on Saturday that is no stranger. The Phoenix
had its hands full with East Carteret last year, when Prep won its third consecutive state championship. “They are going to be coming for our heads - they’re going to be ready for us, they’re going to be mad like the rest of them,” Gould said. “But, we’re going to figure it out, we’re going to figure it out, and if we don’t, it ain’t going to because we don’t try." The Phoenix will try to become the first basketball team from Forsyth County to capture four consecutive state basketball championships on Saturday.
manding 52-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Wolfe got ample support from her teammates, who turned Cherokee turnovers into easy fastbreak layups on the other end. WSPA’s defensive pressure created all types of problems for the Braves, who were operating at a
distinct height disadvantage. Unable to get the ball inside, the Braves launched shots from the perimeter that missed their mark. Cherokee outscored Prep in the second half but it was too little too late and the Lady Phoenix rolled to victory, earning a berth in the title game.
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East Forsyth 9th graders conclude succesful season By Sam Davis Triad Sports Weekly At the beginning of the 2014-15 basketball season, Coach Charles Thomas didn’t know what to expect from his ninth grade basketball team at East Forsyth. The Eagles were indeed talented, Thomas realized from the outset. However, he wasn’t sure how the pieces would mesh together. It didn’t take long for him to realize that this group would work hard to accomplish its goals. East Forsyth finished the season with a 13-1 record. It was undefeated for most of the season before dropping its first and only game. Through it all, Thomas said his team worked harder than expected and met all of his demands. “With them being freshmen I knew that I would have to do a lot of teaching because middle school coaches don’t have a lot of time with them,”
Thomas said. “Most of them came in with talent, but getting them to buy into our system was what we were most concerned with.” While many of them showed good offensive flashes, Thomas said they
East Forsyth 9th Grade Roster 10 11 12 14 15 20 21 22 23 24 30 33
Ryan Cooper Tyren Hairston Sayyid Dalton Josh Wiley Kendall Clinard Tanis Samuels Avery Hall Blake Williams Shemar Watkins Trenton West Jordan Barrett Alec Neugent
Coach Charles Thomas lacked defensive skills because they didn’t realize the necessity of working together on the defensive end. “I stressed to them that you play together on both ends of the court,” he said. “A lot of young players
Press Box continued from 1 Lowery and I followed his career as he became a world-renown boxing trainer. He and his brother Angus “Ankie” Lowery brought many of the top fighters in the world, such as
think its all about playing together on offense. But you have to play as a team on defense also. You don’t just play your man on defense, you have to play the entire team defensively.” Shemar Watkins had an exceptional year for the Eagles. He finished the season with a 21.5 scoring average. Although he played the No. 3 position on offense, he has the ability to play all five positions. “He was by far the most talented offensive player,” Thomas said. “I think he was talented enough to play on our varsity. He came in with a certain skill set and we tried to put him in position to maximize his ability and to best help the team. The 6-1 Watkins also averaged eight rebounds per game. Perhaps best suited to play a wing guard slot, Watkins played mostly the 2,3 and 4 positions. “I don’t know if there’s anything on the court that he can’t do,”
Oliver McCall, Bert Cooper and others, to Winston-Salem. My first love in sports is baseball. I learned that sport early as well. I can recall many times when I went to the baseball field in Happy Hill Gardens to watch the WinstonSalem Indians practice and play. Sometimes they let me serve as the “bat boy”. Wilkins was a flamboyant,
East Forsyth’s ninth grade basketball team finished the season 13-1. Thomas said. Point guard Sayyid Dalton also had a big season for the Eagles. His job was to distribute the basketball and the 5-8 point guard led the team with 7.5 assists per game. “What separated him from others was his ability to take the ball drive into the lane and dish. He has the ability to handle pressure. His assist to turnover ration was outstanding.”
Josh Wiley, a power forward might have been the Eagles’ most important player, according to Thomas. Wiley was the team’s top rebounder and averaged four assists, a team-high 3.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. “Josh was the engine that drove us,” Thomas said. “He did everything that needed to be done.” Tanis Samuels, Tyren Hairston and
showman, at second base. He was an inspiration to me and other youngsters who gathered to watch the team play. Wilkins eventually became owner of the semi-professional team. Ironically, I set my sights on the same position of second base throughout my little league career. I played baseball until my junior year in high school and tried to imitate Wilkins.
Avery Hall also played key roles for the Eagles. Samuels was second on the team in scoring with an 11.6 scoring average. Hairston was next with a n 8.6 averageand Hall was the team’s top 3point shooter. “Tanis was very consistent,” Thomas said. “You knew what you were getting from him every night. He was going to finish every game scoring around 10 points.
Later, I became a friend after he decided to devote his life to Christ and becoming an outreach minister. Personally, I owe a lot Rip Wilkins and Whit Lowery. They and others, too numerous to mention, helped to mold my life. But not just mine, but thousands of other youngsters they came across in their lifetimes.
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Lady Demons continued from 1
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Aloni McFarland and KeKe Eaton helped lead Reynolds to its 27-1 record, best in school history during the 2014-15 season.
Lady Demons continued from 1 at halftime telling the girls,” Gainey said. “We’ve been down before, not by 18, but we’ve been down and we can make a run. Unfortunately, the run I was hoping we’d make, they made, and they took (the lead) from 18 to 26. From there, it was like we were trying to be individual players and we were trying to get everything back in one shot. But when we missed, they’d rebound and it was off to the races.” The Mustangs, athletic and tall, limited the Demons chances and their length caused RJR problems in the lanes throughout the game. Gainey said he thought his
team would points. find a way to “I’m claw back so proud of 2014-15 Girls Basketball Roster into the the girls,” game. Gainey 1 Tierra Wilson However, it 3 said. “I love Keyera Eaton never did. this team to 5 Aloni McFarland “I felt like death. We 11 Jayme Byers if we could wrote a 12 Dominique Adams knock down very good Viquashia Wingate some threes, 14 chapter of Chyna Galloway create some 15 Reynolds 21 Ali Mack-Howard turnovers, High Dastachia Sides we could get 22 School hisback into it, 23 tory. I wish Amari Cuthbertson even with the chapter 24 Olivia Wilks about six would have 30 Hannah Semke minutes to ended a lit33 Candice Hodge go in the tle bit betfourth quarter, but it ter,” Gainey said. “It just never was a heck of a chapter. I’m not happened.” going to let one game define our KeKe Eaton led Reynolds, which season. One thing about the postfinished its season 27-1, with 13 season: somebody’s got to win,
R.J. Reynolds High
somebody’s got to lose, somebody’s going to be a champion. And if you’re not the champion, you’ve lost. “We expected to win. We knew it would be a tall task. We just came up short.” Myers Park Eaton was the only player in double figures for the Demons, who normally have a balanced scoring attack. Dominique Adams was next with eight points, followed by Jayme Byers and Candice Hodge with four points each. Tierra Wilson and Amari Cuthbertson both finiwhed with three points. Although the Demons’ season came to a disappointing end, they have much to look forward to next season. RJR is a junior-dominated team and will open the 201516 season with nearly its entire roster returning.
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East Carteret looking for revenge against Prep From the New-Times Special to Triad Sports Weekly After Winston Salem Prep defeated East Carteret in last year’s 1A state championship game to bring an end to the Mariners’ perfect season, the basketball program adopted a new motto: unfinished business. East now has a chance to finish that business. The Mariners survived a late rally from Northside-Pinetown on Saturday at the Fayetteville Crown Arena in the east regional final to hold on for a 75-60 victory and advance to the state title game for the second straight year. Winston-Salem Prep awaits them yet again. The Phoenix won their third straight state championship last season, and fourth in the past seven years, with a 72-71 victory over East after a last-second shot just rimmed out. “If you ask anybody on this side, they would probably tell you that is who they wanted,” East coach Billy Anderson said. “They are really good, but we’re all right with that. If we’re going to win a state championship, we may as well beat them to do it. Maybe this will be a storybook ending for us.” The Mariners (27-2), the east No. 1 seed, will take on the west No. 7 seed Phoenix (20-7), who are vying for their fourth straight state crown, and fifth in the past eight years. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. this upcoming Saturday at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill. The two will put impressive winning streaks on the line in that game. The Mariners have won 20 consecutive games – they had won 31 in a row going into last year’s state title game – while Winston-Salem Prep has won 23 straight playoff games. Should East play in that contest the way it played in the second quarter versus Coastal Plains Conference rival Northside (21-5),
it’s players will soon need to get fitted for rings. The Mariners outscored the Panthers 34-13 in those eight minutes, thanks in part to an active half court pressure defense that led to easy transition buckets, and took a 50-34 lead into halftime. “We just got hot,” Anderson said. “We had a very good second quarter. We were getting after it and hit a ton of threes.” Sam Johnson led the way with a scorching 16 points in the quarter, including three treys. East hit six shots from downtown in the frame and finished the first half 8-for-13 from beyond the arc. Johnson, who finished with 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals, did his remarkable work on a right ankle that resembled a small honeydew melon following the Friday night regional semifinal 78-62 win over Weldon. The senior marksman sprained the ankle two weeks ago and has been dealing with the injury ever since. “It’s restricted him a little bit, it’s more painful than anything,” Anderson said. “The good thing for him is he will have almost a week off to rest it. We probably won’t let him suit up until Thursday. He never surprises me. He’s been a joy to coach, I’ll tell you that.” Johnson was named to the all-regional team for his efforts that included 14 points versus Weldon. When Johnson wasn’t scoring in the second quarter, Jacque Brown was with 11 points and two treys in the period. The senior point guard finished the night with 29 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. He was named the east regional MVP for the second straight season after going for 30 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and a steal against Weldon. “The best player on the floor, as always,” Anderson said. “He’s had a pretty good time here in Fayetteville these last two years. He controls games, without even shooting half the time. Nobody can stay in
front of him.” Trevor Willis, who went for 18 points, four rebounds and two steals, was the other member of the squad to make the all-regional team. He had 14 points versus Weldon. While East shined brilliantly in the second quarter, it languished in the other three periods, particularly in the second half where it put up a goose egg from beyond the arc, going 0-for-5. After shooting 17-for-31 from the floor in the first half, the Mariners shot an ugly 8-for-24 in the second. The squad seemed to downshift, and take its foot off the gas, dialing down its defensive pressure and scoring just seven points in the third, including two points in the final 4:57. It then saw a seemingly comfortable 19point lead shrink to only five in the fourth quarter with 3:07 to go in the game. We’ve been resilient all year,” Northside coach Mike Proctor said. “And we’ve withstood a lot of storms, but we let them get too far ahead of us to finish the comeback. We played hard, but we didn’t come here to play hard, we came here to win. I thought we gave a great effort, they are just really good.” Should the East Carteret boys basketball program win the 1A state championship on Saturday, Jacque Brown will have 99 career wins as a starter. He won’t reach 100. The senior point guard will play his final game in a Mariners uniform at Chapel Hill. “That’s unreal,” Brown said. “I can’t imagine it. I’ve been here so long. I feel like I’ve been here forever playing basketball.” Brown went for 29 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in a 75-60 win over NorthsidePinetown on Saturday in the 1A regional final. He poured in 30 points and ripped down 12 rebounds on Friday in a 78-62 semifinal triumph over Weldon. Brown’s rebounding effort versus Weldon was particularly
impressive considering he measures out at about 5-10, 150 pounds. “I had to hit the boards that game,” he said. “They had those long, lanky guys, so we had to box out and rebound.” “I love it there,” Brown said referring to Fayetteville, the annual site of the regional. “We finally made it back (to states).” Brown led East to a 31-0 record last year before the Mariners fell 72-71 to Winston-Salem Prep in the state title tilt. He heaved a desperation shot from just inside half court as the buzzer sounded that just rimmed out. The Mariners will get a chance at payback at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Carmichael Arena when they again take on WinstonSalem Prep for the state crown. “That is who we wanted to play, at least, that is who I wanted to play,” Brown said. “I was pulling for them. That is exactly who I wanted to play. I want revenge, of course.” Brown reported that hardly a day goes by that he doesn’t think about last year’s game, especially because he had an uncharacteristically bad outing. The almost-always clutch point guard went 3-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-9 from the foul line two days after taking a nasty spill at practice. “I think about it a lot,” he said. “Every time I shoot free throws, I think about it. I missed too many in that daggone game. I was off. I just wasn’t right, I’m not going to lie. But I had to play, there wasn’t anyway I was going sit out. If it had been a regular season game, I probably would have.” Brown sat out the first, and only game, of his illustrious four-year career on Jan. 22 in a 84-28 win over Bear Grass Charter School after taking another bad fall. He wanted to make sure he was ready for the stretch run. Everything since last season ended has been geared toward returning to the state championship.
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