THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 18, 1996 TAG: 9602150201
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER
CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: CAMDEN LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
The Camden County girls basketball team does not like long layoffs. As a matter of fact, the team's only two losses of the season have come after not having played or practiced for long stretches.
The Lady Bruins lost to Edenton in a local Christmas tournament after not being on the court for awhile. The same thing happened again last week when Camden did not step on the court for eight straight days due to the bad weather - they were knocked off.
Williamston outscored Camden 28-10 in the second quarter, including a 15-0 run, as the Lady Tigers dumped the Lady Bruins 73-52 in a key Albemarle Conference girls matchup.
With the win, Williamston gained a share of the Albemarle Conference lead with Camden. Camden was ranked third in the state among 1A schools by the Associated Press.
``Our kids were out of school and we couldn't practice for eight days,'' said Camden head coach Dianne Overton. ``It had a bearing on the game.''
Camden took an 8-7 lead with 3:22 on a free throw by Holly Meads. Williamston then finished the quarter with a 10-point run, almost solely on transition baskets.
The Lady Tigers came out with a full-court press to open the second quarter and Camden fell completely apart on offense. Meads hit on a drive for Camden to cut the Williamston lead to 17-10. Then the Lady Tigers ripped off 15 straight points, including six points by Allison Paul and Sherrie Forrest. Forrest was all over the court, picking off passes on defense and threading the needle on passes on offense. A jumper by Forrest put Williamston up 33-10 with 4:50 to play in the half.
Nothing went right for the Bruins in the second quarter. Meads, the Bruins' leading scorer, and Stacey Thornton knocked heads together on a rebound attempt and had to leave the game temporarily. Camden, which usually plays only six deep to begin with, quickly gave up four more points before the two starters could return.
``We completely lost all composure in the second quarter,'' Overton said. ``We moved like we hadn't been in the gym for a month.''
Camden temporarily regained its composure and outscored Williamston 13-7 in the third quarter. Sherita Bernard scored seven of her 13 points in the third quarter.
``They (Williamston) played a good game in the second quarter, we just lost it,'' Overton said. ``In the second half we outscored them.''
The Lady Tigers held Meads, averaging 17 points per game, to just 10 points. by CNB