THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603070179
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: EDENTON LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
OVERLOOKED for a good portion of the season, the Edenton-Holmes girls basketball team picked the right night to play one of its best games of the season.
The Edenton girls took advantage of tired Manteo starters and coasted to a 59-42 win for the Northeastern Conference tournament championship last Friday.
Edenton entered the game with a 17-5 record and a second place finish during the regular season. Manteo had not lost a conference game.
The Redskins had beaten Edenton twice during the regular season. Both times, the Aces had tried to slow the game down.
During the tournament, Lady Aces head coach Fred White decided to play up-tempo, and it worked. White knew that Edenton had not lost when it scored 50 or more points during the season.
``The first two games we played slow-down, and that was my decision,'' White said.
Neither team held more than a three-point lead throughout the first three quarters. The difference in the two teams, however, was that Manteo played most of the game with six to seven players. Edenton went 10 deep, and the starters were rested for the fourth quarter.
``When it came down to it, it was my 10 players against his six or seven,'' White said. ``I told them to keep pounding them. I played my second group for the last three minutes of the third quarter, so all my starters were rested for the fourth quarter.
``The whole group held their own against the Manteo starters. That was the key,'' White added.
After three quarters, the score was tied at 34. The Aces went on a 9-2 run to start the fourth quarter as Manteo ran out of gas. Felicia Felton hit a jumper to open the quarter. Kim Coston followed with a coast-to-coast layup. Manteo's Heather Daniels knocked in a layup to cut the Edenton lead to 38-36 with 6:11 to play.
Allison Goodwin sank two free throws to put Edenton back up 40-36. At 5:20, Daniels picked up her fourth foul. Felton sank one of two free throws to put Edenton up 41-36.
Goodwin drove for a basket at 4:55, and the Lady Aces led 43-36. Manteo's Amy Lane, who controlled the offensive glass for most of the game, put back a shot to reduce the Edenton lead to 43-38. But Carla Boyce countered with a 3-pointer at 4:22.
The Redskins had to foul to stop the clock and never recovered. The Aces made 10 free throws the rest of the game.
Manteo head coach Bill Bohannon said his team could not get a comfortable lead.
``It seemed like we could never get a three or four point cushion we wanted,'' Bohannon said. ``I feel like it could have been different. Without 3-point shooting ability, we didn't feel confident with some of the things we were doing before.''
Goodwin finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds; Felton added 11 points; and Tracy Armstead chipped in 10 points for Edenton.
For Manteo, Daniels had a game-high 23 points, and Lane scored 16.
Both teams qualified for the 2A state playoffs had first and second round action this past week. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JEFF ZEIGLER
Edenton-Holmes High coasted to a 59-42 win in the Northeastern
Conference tournament.
by CNB