GRANITEQUARRY— Monday night’s game lasted 32 minutes, but Doug Wilson and Randy Bingham saw all they needed in four minutes.
Wilson’s Wonders drained a pair of shots in the low post, hit a long jumper and added a free throw off an aggressive drive to the basket. Bingham’s Mustangs missed their first nine shots and turned the ball over three times.
Over the course of a game, that translates into a dominating 66-45 victory for A.L. Brown in the first round of the South Piedmont Conference Tournament.
The Wonders (11-12) enjoyed a hearty celebration after the win — Holly Morgan and Michelle Crosby even exchanged a chest bump. It was A.L. Brown’s first victory over East (15-9) after 12 straight losses, two of which came earlier this season.
“I think you saw the real Kannapolis team tonight,”Bingham said. “Everybody thinks Kannapolis may not be too good, but I’ll tell you right now, Kannapolis is as good a team as anybody in this league. I was proud of them tonight. They’ve really come a long way.”
It’s been a long time coming for the juniors who’ve taken their lumps on varsity since their freshmen years. Guards Kesha Johnson and Elise Stanback combined for 26 points and nine steals. Senior Holly Morgan added 12 points and seven rebounds. And sophomore Mahogony Rice, making her first varsity start, scored 12 points in the post on 4-for-5 shooting.
“Two years ago we got beat 65-30 (by East) and I told Kesha and Elise to look at that scoreboard and don’t ever forget it,”Wilson said. “They didn’t. Kesha was fantastic — 100 percent Kesha.”
Stanback spearheaded the Wonder attack on the defensive end. She accounted for six steals as the Mustangs turned the ball over 22 times.
“I don’t know how many steals 32 (Stanback) and 30 (Johnson) had, but they had a bunch,”Bingham said. “You can’t hand it out there in front of them — they’ll take it from you. They’re the two quickest guards in the league, no doubt.”
The Wonders jumped out to a 7-0 lead. After an East timeout, Stephanie Morgan scored in the low post for the Mustangs’ first field goal at the 3:31 mark, but A.L. Brown reeled off the next six points for a 13-2 advantage.
Tomekia Powell hit twice in the post, Rice got her first varsity hoop and Crosby drained two free throws at the end of the quarter for an 18-7 lead.
Maggie Rich, who led East with 12 points and 10 rebounds, kept the Mustangs alive with three jumpers in the second quarter. Every time East narrowed the lead, though, the Wonders responded.
Morgan drained a 3, Powell scored in the post, Stanback popped another 3-pointer and Rice got her sixth point of the half for a 33-24 Wonder lead at the break.
The third quarter started the same way the first did — a 7-0 run, thanks to a pair of fast-break layups from Johnson and Stanback. The lead stayed in double digits the rest of the game.
East’s shooting never improved, with the Mustangs finishing 19-for-68 (28 percent).
“It’s one of those nights we’re really noted for. A lot of games we just can’t throw it in the ocean,”Bingham said. “It wasn’t so much that we couldn’t hit anything — their defense had a lot to do with it.”
The Wonders finished the game just under 50 percent (24-for-49) from the field and, while forcing plenty of turnovers, only committed five in the pivotal first half.
“We cannot play any better than that,”Wilson said. “I can’t tell you how proud Iam of them.”
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NOTES: East, the No. 4 seed in the SPC, now waits for the first round of the state tournament next week. The Wonders, seeded fifth, play top-seeded Central Cabarrus on Wednesday in Kannapolis, site of the SPCtourney. … East freshman Jordan Huffman spent the second half on the bench. She got hit in the face early in the third quarter and suffered a very bloody nose. … Crosby had 10 rebounds for A.L. Brown.
A.L. BROWN (66)— Thomas, Hutchinson 3, Summers, Buster, Powell 7, Johnson 14, Stanback 12, Brown, Crosby 6, Morgan 12, Rice 12.
EASTROWAN(45) — Ingold, E.Rich 12, Shaw, Ivey, MacLamroc 4, Mundy, Cress, Morgan 7, Williams 8, Haynes 2, Brown, Alexander, M.Rich 12, Huffman.
A.L. Brown 18 15 18 15 — 66
East Rowan 7 17 11 10 — 45
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