KING — Totally unconscious for one half, Salisbury’s girls basketball team still got knocked out of the 2A Central Carolina Conference Tournament by West Stokes on Monday night.
The sixth-seeded Hornets’ season ended with a numbing 49-46 loss, their 10th setback in their final 11 games. They finished 6-18, including three frustrating losses to third-seeded and state playoff-bound West Stokes (13-12).
“Salisbury’s struggled, but their coach (Jennifer Shoaf) had them motivated,” praised West coach Bob Sullivan. “They played great. They wanted to survive.”
The Hornets might well be playing in Wednesday’s semis had freshman Shayla Fields’ 3-point try for a tie with 10 seconds left not rimmed out.
“I was open, but I rushed it, didn’t take my time,” explained Fields, who scored 24 points. “I was a little nervous.”
The shooting was so torrid early that late-arriving fans swore they’d stumbled into an ACC arena. West sank its first five shots. Salisbury didn’t blink, making five of seven.
“We like to think our gym’s a tough place to play and a tough place to shoot,” said Sullivan. “That wasn’t the case for Salisbury.”
West opened in a 2-3 zone, and Hornet shooters Ashton Hanrahan and Jamie Seay torched it. When the Wildcats tried man-to-man, Fields lit them up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve, scoring 10 points in barely two minutes.
The Hornets, who’d scored 28 in their last game with West, led 33-26 at halftime. At the break, Salisbury’s stat sheet looked like Ledford’s. It had committed three turnovers, buried five 3s and was 8-for-9 from the line.
“That first half was the best we played all year,” said Shoaf.
In the second half, though, the Hornets ceased attacking and Sullivan’s switch to a 3-2 defense turned the tide. Sullivan used three defenders to match up man-to-man with the Hornets’ shooters. His two big girls stood in the paint, ignoring Salisbury’s post players and daring Fields to drive.
Salisbury led 40-34 after Fields’ 3-pointer midway through the third, but its lead evaporated when West’s rugged Jennifer Culler (20 points) got physical.
“Culler did what a senior’s supposed to,”said Shoaf. “She makes them go. We couldn’t stop her from getting the ball and she was crashing the boards.”
The Hornets’ last field goal came on a spinner by Fields with 6:21 remaining. Still, they could have won.
The turning point came with 43 seconds remaining and the Hornets clinging to a 44-43 lead with the ball. That’s when Hanrahan tossed up a heavily contested runner from the left baseline and West claimed the rebound.
“We weren’t supposed to take that shot,” sighed Shoaf. “We wanted them to have to foul us. It was just a bad decision.”
Ashley Bowman, West’s pixie of a point guard who could pass for a sixth-grader, then nailed a lead-changing jumper in transition and followed it up with two ice-water free throws.
After Seay missed a bomb and Fields missed her ill-fated 3, Amber Wingerson’s free throws with 5.6 seconds left trimmed West’s lead to 47-46. The Hornets had been instructed to deny the inbounds pass or foul immediately following Wingerson’s free throws, but Bowman dribbled out of a pack and no one could corral her until only 1.8 seconds remained.
Bowman swished two more free throws for the final score. Then a 70-foot desperation heave by Fields fell short to end the game — and the Hornets’ hard-luck season.
“We’re disappointed, but I feel great about the way we played,” said an upbeat Fields. “I think this game will get us ready for next year.”
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NOTES:Foul shooting was superb. West hit 19-for-23, while the Hornets were 14-for-15. ... Fields finished her magical freshman season with 467 points and scored in double figures in 23 of 24 games. ... Hornet seniors Anita Edwards, Chrystina Hawthorne and Wingerson ended careers. ... Bowman said the Wildcats have “a whole lot of respect” for Fields. ... Both Shoaf and Sullivan coach girls soccer. ... Fields plans to play soccer for Shoaf. ... Fields’ dad said you can disregard any rumors that Shayla might transfer to another school.
SALISBURY (46) — Fields 24, Seay 9, Hanrahan 7, Wingerson 4, Gillespie 2, Teamer, Connor, Edwards, Bauk.
WESTSTOKES (49) — Culler 20, Fowler 12, Bowman 8, Loggins 5, Newsome 2, Mann 2, Adams.
Salisbury 17 16 7 6 — 46
West Stokes 16 10 11 12 — 49
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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com
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