I must admit, I wonder what Nene Phifer is thinking sometimes.
Our sports section pummels the readers with photo after photo and story after story on the exploits of Nene’s sister, Bubbles.
It’s Bubbles this. It’s Bubbles that.
She’s great. She’s super. Her game is Bubble-licious.
Is Nene like the middle sister, Jan, of the Brady Bunch? I can imagine her looking at the paper and muttering, “Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles.”
Well, Nene had her night on Friday when Salisbury defeated Ledford in the 2A sectional final 50-33 to advance to its seventh straight ó that’s right, seventh straight ó Western Regional berth.
“I’m ready to play,” Nene beamed afterward. “I’m really excited.”
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Until Bubbles’ older sister made a few plays in the fourth quarter, it was the Ledford fans who were bubbling with excitment. When a Taylor Ballard 3-pointer ripped the cords with 4:58 left in the game, they actually thought they had a chance to beat the Hornets.
Not many opponents think that late in a game with Salisbury. They’re usually already buried. But the Hornets were up only 46-38. They were struggling with their shooting and they seemed a step slow.
Somebody had to put this game away.
Bubbles tried, driving to the basket for a runner that missed. Nene grabbed the rebound and scored.
Way to go, big sister.
Nene immediately swiped a rebound away from a couple of Panthers, dribbled upcourt and made a perfect bounce pass to Bubbles for a layup.
Nene wasn’t finished. The next time down she swished another layup.
Suddenly, there was only 2:55 remaining on the clock, Salisbury led 42-28, and it was basically over.
Just for the record, Bubbles, a junior, and reigning county player of the year, scored Salisbury’s last five points. She was the leading scorer in the game with 14 points.
But this time, people left the gym talking about both of the Phifers.
“They’re as tight as sisters can be,” Hornets’ first-year coach Andrew Mitchell said. “They really pull for one another. If Bubbles gets a college letter, Nene feels like she’s a part of it. Nene visited a college last week and Bubbles was overjoyed. They appreciate one another.”
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Mitchell appreciated Nene stepping up in the clutch because this wasn’t an ordinary Hornet performance.
The score was 3-2 in Ledford’s favor late in the first quarter and the Panthers led 6-5 going into the second.
Think about that for a minute. This is a Salisbury team that scored 25 in the first quarter of a 93-30 win against East Lincoln in the first round and 26 in a 72-37 win against Ashe County the previous night.
In fact, the Hornets had just 24 at halftime, leading by nine.
Through it all, Mitchell remained calm, exhorting his players on.
They were up just 25-22 with under three minutes left in the third.
Nene to the rescue.
She swished a 15-footer that started a 9-3 run for a 34-25 lead going into the fourth.
Nene had six points total, but they could be called the most important six in the game, because of the timing.
“She has that mean streak that some of our other players don’t have,” Mitchell said. “When she gets angry or upset, she’s capable of doing what you saw tonight.”
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Of course, Mitchell was not surprised with Ledford’s performance.
“We expected that,” he said.
He also expected a bit of a letdown from his team. This is the third game in five days and only 24 hours earlier they were riding up a mountain to Ashe County.
“I let them have an excuse,” Mitchell said of the first half. “Last night, we played in the cold and another altitude and that contributed to the tired legs.”
However, this was not the game to take Ledford lightly.
“Somebody gave us a word of advice: ‘Don’t overlook this team,’ ” Bubbles said. “They already beat a No. 1 seed (North Stanly) and they’re hungry.”
Mitchell told his team at halftime that basically the excuses were over. Give Ledford its respect and start focusing.
“They’ve won 20 games and the only teams they lost to in the conference was us and East Davidson,” he noted.
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Ah yes, East Davidson. The only team to beat Salisbury (26-3) this season. The Golden Eagles will also be in the West Regionals next week. These teams are on another collision course. We all know it.
So, can we start talking about East Davidson now, Coach?
“No,” Mitchell said emphatically. “We need to think about our next opponent. We’ll think about East Davidson whenever they come up.”
For now, it’s time to celebrate a regional berth. And the main reason is because of the sister who came through in the clutch. You know, the least publicized Phifer:
Nene, Nene, Nene.
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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 704-797-4287 or rgallagher@salisburpyost.com.