DATE: Tuesday, March 11, 1997               TAG: 9703110310
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   44 lines

EDENTON, CAMDEN COUNTY BOTH ADVANCE IN EASTERN REGIONALS

Two area girls basketball teams have reached the ``elite eight'' in the state playoffs.

Edenton-Holmes and Camden County advanced to the Eastern Regionals with wins Saturday.

Camden County advanced to the 1A Eastern Regional with a 44-35 victory over Albemarle Conference rival Williamston.

Edenton-Holmes (24-1) overcame a 14-point halftime deficit and outscored C.B. Aycock 47-21 in the second half to win, 65-53, in the third round of the 2A playoffs.

Edenton, riding an 11-game winning streak, will face Southwest Guilford (18-10) in the 2A Eastern Regionals at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Greenville Rose High School. The winner will play in the Eastern Region championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday in Greenville.

The Lady Aces outscored Aycock 17-9 in the third quarter after switching to a zone defense in the second half.

``We came out and played man-to-man in the first half and they had a real good guard,'' Edenton coach Fred White said. ``She controlled the tempo and they ran a lot and picked for her. We didn't get into our halfcourt trap and pick up loose balls and get transition baskets.''

Edenton played transition in the second half, a staple of this quick team.

``We played the half-court trap and that took away the pick and roll right out of their hands,'' White said. ``We grabbed some loose balls and started running.''

The Lady Aces had a stretch of come-from-behind wins during the regular season, then settled into an early blowout mode for several games. White said the team may have lapsed into playing as it did earlier in the season.

``I think we won one that we probably should have lost,'' White said. ``I heard a lot of coaches say that to win championships you have to win one you're not supposed to.''

Allison Goodwin led the Edenton offense with 16 points. Michelle Bass and Kim Coston both scored 14 points and Tracy Armstead chipped in 13 points.

Camden County (21-4) will play an Eastern Regional game at 7 p.m. on Wednesday against Southwest Onslow (21-4) also at Greenville Rose High School.

The winner will play in the Eastern Region championship at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Greenville.

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