Published: 12:33 AM, Sat Feb 06, 2010
Westover girls win a thriller
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Correspondent
Westover guard Nia Trawick fought off a case of nerves in the closing seconds of her team's Friday night contest against Overhills.
With 29.5 seconds left to play and her team tied at 59 with the Jaguars, the senior hoped to secure the game as she stepped to the line to shoot two free throws.
"My first thought when I got up there was to make both of them, put the game away," Trawick said. "But I was so nervous on that first one that I couldn't see straight."
Trawick's first attempt bounced off the rim, but her second found its way home, giving the Wolverines a 60-59 win.
Trawick scored seven points on the night. Teammate Shanice Pringle led all scorers with 18 points, earning 12 of them from the foul line in a 12-of-15 free-throw performance.
With the win, the Wolverines (14-4, 8-1) hold on to the top position in the Cape Fear Valley Conference, keeping Overhills (17-4, 7-3) from gaining a share of the conference lead.
"This puts us in a good position to have home-court advantage into the sectional playoffs," coach Gene Arrington said. "I only need to win one of my last two games (against Union Pines and Western Harnett) to have home-court advantage."
Westover faces Gray's Creek (1-8 CFV), Union Pines (6-2 CFV) and Western Harnett (8-2 CFV) in the final week of the season.
Westover led 26-23 at halftime, but Overhills gained momentum from the start of the second half.
The Jaguars overtook the Wolverines with a turn-around jumper in the lane by guard Felicia Bennett after a minute and 15 seconds of play in the third quarter, giving Overhills a 29-28 lead.
Bennett led the Jags with 16 points.
Westover trailed by as many as seven points in the third, ending the quarter at a 46-40 disadvantage.
But the Wolverines opened the decisive quarter with a 9-0 scoring run that including a 3-pointer by Jasmyn Trawick to capture the lead, 47-46.
The younger Trawick finished the night with 15 points.
The teams traded baskets, changing leads seven times for almost 5 minutes before Jaguars guard Miraya Gentry tied the game at 59 apiece with 45 seconds remaining, pulling up on a fast-break to make a wide-open 3-pointer.
Jaguars guard Jasmine Canady fouled Nia Trawick on the ensuing Westover possession when Trawick attempted a shot from the block, sending the senior to the line to secure the win for the Wolverines.
Westover 60, Overhills 59
Overhills
8
15
23
13-59
Westover
9
17
14
20-60
OVERHILLS - Miraya Gentry 11, Felicia Bennett 16, Elliot 4, Ramice Johnson 13, Crumpler 2, Jasmine Canady 10, Jefferson 3
WESTOVER - Jasmyn Trawick 15, N. Trawick 7, Campbell 4, Chante Bell 10, Shanice Pringle 18, Coley 6
3-point goals: O - Gentry 3; W - J. Trawick, N. Trawick
Records: Overhills 17-4, 7-3; Westover 14-4, 8-1