WINSTON-SALEM – South Rowan’s Brittney Gaddy had a heck of a game Tuesday night against R.J. Reynolds, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and a trio of blocked shots.
Imagine how she’d have fared if she’d played the whole contest.
Gaddy, the Raiders’ 6-foot-1 junior center, was saddled with foul trouble much of the night and as a result only played a little more than half the game. She left with 6:57 remaining in the second quarter after being whistled for her third foul and didn’t return until only 4:32 remained in the third period.
Regardless, Gaddy proved the driving force behind South’s 65-61 Central Piedmont 4A Conference win over the Demons.
“The thing is, I didn’t even touch anybody on two of the fouls they called on me,” Gaddy said, echoing a common basketball lament.
She sure played well while she was in the game, scoring nine of the Raiders’ 11 first-quarter points and needing only seven seconds to complete a 3-point play once she’d returned in the third period.
As it turned out, South needed just about everything Gaddy and her teammates had to offer.
After taking a 45-30 lead as the third quarter wound to a close, the Raiders watched as the Demons staged a furious fourth-quarter comeback to slice South’s lead to 64-61 in the final minute.
A free throw by Gaddy gave the Raiders what little breathing room they enjoyed as the game ended.
“It was a little closer than we’d have liked there at the end, but I still thought we played one of our better games,” said Katie Willett, South’s sophomore point guard who finished with 13 points and dished off to teammates for numerous assists. “This just proved we can play as a team. We love having Brittney in there, but when she’s not, we still manage.”
With the win, the Raiders improved to 2-1 in conference play and 4-13 overall. More importantly, the victory puts South in the driver’s seat as far as the race for the Central Piedmont’s third and final playoff spot is concerned.
South and Reynolds are expected to battle for third place in the conference. The Demons fell to 0-3 in the conference and 4-11 overall.
“We’re still young, we’re learning how to close a game,” said South coach James Greene. “We knew we’d be all right without Brittney in there. We’ve just got to learn how to be patient with the ball.”
For the most part, the Raiders managed pretty well without Gaddy in the lineup. When the team’s star center left early in the second quarter, the game was knotted 11-11. From there, the Raiders went on a 16-7 run, building their advantage to 27-18 just before half , their final score coming on a 3-point basket by Willett.
At the start of the third quarter, South went on top 31-20 off a pair of baskets by Angela Efird, the second of those hoops coming on an assist from Willett. When Gaddy returned to the lineup and the Raiders went ahead by 15, it looked to be clear sailing for South.
But Reynolds fought back, scoring on a 3-point basket by Asia Bristow and pulling to within 61-57 on a basket by Kashemi Henry with 1:04 remaining.
Part of the Raiders’ problem stemmed from the fact that they didn’t perform well at the free throw line down the stretch. After starting the fourth quarter with an 8-for-8 showing from the charity stripe, the Raiders only finished the period 12-for-26.
Still, all things considered, the Raiders seemed pleased.
“I think we’re going to be OK,” Greene said. “We’re still learning.”
Behind Gaddy’s 20 points and Willett’s 13, South was paced by Efird with 11 and Nicole Parker with 10. The Raiders travel to Davie County on Friday.
SOUTH ROWAN (65) — Raper 5, Gaddy 20, Efird 11, Willett 13, Neely 2, Yost 2, Blackwood 2, Parker 10.
R.J. REYNOLDS (61) — Butler 1, Webb 6, Asia Bristow 10, Ashley Bristow 5, Smith 6, Daly 2, Yates 2, Phillips 15, Henry 9, Wolfe 5.
South Rowan 11 16 18 20 — 65
R.J. Reynolds 9 11 14 27 — 61
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