West girls rally, top East, 77-64
by Barb Amrhein, Amarillo Globe-News, April 17, 2010
Sudan's CeCe Williams and Randall's Traca Bradstreet led the West team to 77-64 victory in the first game of the Golden Spread all-star basketball tournament Thursday night at The First United Bank Center.
The East squad opened a 19-16 lead after 10 minutes and forged to 38-30 halftime lead aided by eight points from McLean's Alexis Menefield and a 3-pointer from Jaycee Crawford of Panhandle. Then the West became more cohesive and found its shooting range.
"The girls began to play better together and hit their shots in the second half," West coach Eric Benson said.
The West went on a 9-0 run to open the second half, led by 3-pointers from the Texico, N.M., duo of Catlynn Luscomb and Victoria Richards and a 3-point play by Muleshoe's Sarah Johnson to take its first lead.
A 3-pointer by Wellington's Skylar Warrick five minutes into the second half gave the East the lead again before Williams and Bradstreet combined to regain the lead for the West.
Williams, the point guard, who led all scorers with 15 points, including 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, connected on a traditional 3-point play and began finding success feeding the ball inside, where Bradstreet capitalized.
Bradstreet, who finished with 14 points, scored seven consecutive points midway through the second half as the West expanded its lead to 10 points, 65-55, and the East never got closer than six points thereafter.
"The mindset I had was to have fun," said Williams, who will attend Wayland Baptist. "I thought the key to coming from behind was running the fast break better."
Bradstreet, who won the shot put at the District 3-4A track and field meet earlier Thursday in Pampa, agreed the second-half surge was fueled by learning to play together quickly.
"We were able to push the ball and get it inside better in the second half and we rebounded better," Bradstreet said. "We were more familiar with each other."
Menefield was the East's only double-figure scorer with 13.
WEST 77, EAST 64
EAST (64): Skylar Warrick 3-10 0-2 7, Sheri Haynes 4-8 0-2 10, Alexis Menefield 5-12 0-0 13, Jaycee Crawford 2-5 2-2 7, Ariel Bowie 0-1 0-0 0, Alyssa Heck 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor Thomas 3-7 0-0 6, Ashley Murray 3-4 1-1 7, Michelle Harmon 3-6 0-1 6, Cassandra Ross 4-9 0-0 8. Totals: 27-63 3-8 64.
WEST (77): CeCe Williams 4-12 7-7 15, Victoria Richards 4-6 2-4 11, Sarah Johnson 2-4 4-7 8, Catlynn Luscomb 3-5 0-0 7, Nancy Castillo 3-4 2-2 10, Kenzie Walden 2-7 0-1 4, LeAnna Espinsosa 1-6 0-0 2, Sasha Estrada 2-5 1-4 6, Traca Bradstreet 5-8 4-6 14. Totals: 26-57 20-31 77.
East 19 38 50 64
West 16 30 55 77
3-point field goals: East 7 (Menefield 3, Haynes 2, Crawford 1, Warrick 1), West 5 (Castillo 2, Richards 1, Luscomb 1, Estrada 1).
West boys capitalize on height
by Barb Amrhein, Amarillo Globe-News, April 17, 2010
The West boys team, with two players taller than 6-foot-7, pulled away from the shorter East team, with only one starter taller than 6-foot-1, in the final 10 minutes to win 76-65 in a semifinal Thursday night of the Golden Spread High School Basketball Tournament at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.
Posts BJ Davis (6-7) of Sudan, Seth Bailey (6-3) of Texico, N.M., and Parker Bridwell (6-4) of Hereford took advantage of their height and rebounding advantage over the tallest East player, 6-foot-4 Curtis Nash of Wellington.
The West outrebounded the East 65-44. Bridwell grabbed a team-leading 17 rebounds, Bailey had 11, and Davis had seven.
Davis and Bushland's Michael Matthews led the West scoring with 11 points each and were joined in double figures by Nazareth's Sage Black and Bridwell with 10.
With each coach required to play a different starting five in five-minute segments until the final 10 minutes, West coach Esreal Silva tried to take advantage of his team's height advantage, but the East proved scrappy throughout.
The game was tied 37-37 at the half and again at 55 with just under 10 minutes remaining. But West guard Black hit a 3-pointer to ignite the strong finish.
"Our kids showed a lot of heart," East coach Tim Evins said. "We hit a cold spell shooting in the last 10 minutes, but I'd say we showed more heart than height."
Jacob Cameron of Panhandle led the East scoring with 14 points, while AJ Johnson and Curtis Nash of Wellington added 11 each.
The West moved into the championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday against tonight's North-South winner. The East will play in the consolation game at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Boys Semifinal
WEST 76, EAST 65
EAST (65): A.J. Johnson 4-13 0-0 11, Tanner Lakey 0-4 2-2 2, Braden Woods 0-1 0-0 0, Kersey Kelley 4-11 0-0 8, C.J. Swift 3-10 0-0 9, Curtis Nash 5-15 0-1 11, Terry Menefield 3-9 0-1 6, Tate Batton 1-7 2-2 4, Jacob Cameron 4-8 5-8 14, Jackson Meyer 0-3 0-0 0. Totals: 24-81 9-14 65.
WEST (76): Preston Ogburn 3-5 2-2 8, Michael Matthews 5-16 1-4 11, Parker Bridwell 5-12 0-1 10, Vince Barnes 0-4 3-4, Matthew Stanberry 2-9 2-4 6, Sage Black 4-9 0-0 10, BJ Davis 5-8 1-2 1, Seth Bailey 3-5 3-3 9, Logan Turnbow 2-6 0-0-4, Sid Sheffy 2-5 0-0 4. Totals: 31-79 12-20 76.
East 14 37 50 65
West 22 37 52 76
Three-point field goals: East 8 (Johnson 3, Swift 3, Cameron 1, Nash 1), West 2 (Black 2). Rebounds: West 65, East 44. Total fouls: East 14, West 12. Fouled out: None. Technicals None.
40th Annual Golden Spread All-Star Basketball Tournament
by Barb Amrhein, Amarillo Globe-News, April 18, 2010
The last semifinal of the Golden Spread All Star Basketball Tournament at the First United Bank Center in Canyon on Friday proved to be the most competitive of the four.
The North broke a 63- 63 tie with two minutes remaining and defeated the South, 72-66.
The South opened a 20-9 lead, but the North battled back to trail 24-16 after 10 minutes and tied the game at 35 at halftime.
The South outscored the North 22-14 in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but the North came storming back in the final 10 minutes, outscoring the South 23-9.
All-Star games don't often feature a team concept, but this one did. Both teams worked deep into the shot clock, and the North won with the help of 12 assists, coach Trent Laubhan said.
"I was nervous when we got down by 13 in the first half, but the boys seemed to get stronger in working as a team," he said.
The North, comprised entirely of Class 1A and 2A players excluding Chance Borger of Tascosa, demonstrated it could play well against a team with four Class 4A players.
Kody Frerich of Texline led the North with a double-double. The 6-3 forward had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Frerich was excited to have the chance to play against players from larger schools and have one more chance to play in front of college coaches.
"I wasn't sure I'd play this well against 4A and 5A guys, but we played good team ball and had good passes, and that helped."
Luis Ortega of Stratford, Travis Price of River Road and Rily Urban of Gruver scored in double figures for the North.
Isaac Smith of Valley, playing for the North, led all scorers with 15.
Boys Semifinal
NORTH 72, SOUTH 66
South (66 ): Marquis Jackson 4-14 0-3 9; Bryce Teal 1-4 0-2 2; Bobby Workman 1-5 0-0 3; Isaac Smith 4-15 0-0 8; Braden Kimsey 3-15 0-2 7; Braden Johnson 5-10 0-2 12; Devon Heredia 5-10 3-3 15; Bubba Wiggins 2-8 2-2 7; Brent Johnson 1-10 1-2 3. Totals: 26-91 6-16 66.
North (72 ): Luis Ortega 4-10 3-4 11; Travis Price 5-8 0-0 10; Crager Swarb 2-9 0-0 5; Rily Urban 5-11 0-0 10; Bryan Ponder 0-7 1-2 1; Jared Cunningham 2-9 0-2 0-4; Colten Collen 2-6 0-0 5; Sawyer Cornelius 2-7 0-0 5; Kody Ferich 5-6 3-4 13; Chance Borger 3-6 2-2 8. Totals: 30-79 9-14 72.
South 24 35 57 66
North 16 35 49 72
Three Point Field Goals: South 8 (Heredia 2, Braden Johnson 2, Jackson 1, Kimsey 1, Workman 1, Wiggins 1); North 3 (Swarb 1, Collen 1, Sawyer 1). Rebounds: North 74, South 47. Total Fouls: South: 13, North 13. Fouled Out: None. Technicals: None.
AHS' Betts leads North girls past South
by Barb Amrhein, Amarillo Globe-News, April 18, 2010
After digging an early 14-0 hole, the South couldn't rise again in a Golden Spread All-Star girls basketball semifinal Friday at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.
Despite 18 points from Canyon guard Casey Land and a 17-2 scoring run in the second half, the South lost 59-50 to the North, which was led by 15 points from Amarillo High's Elissa Betts and a game-high 11 rebounds by Gruver's Mattie Yanke.
Golden Spread Girls Basketball
"We passed the ball really well from the beginning," Yanke said. "Playing team ball helped us be successful."
The North's first rotation of Betts, Yanke, Hereford's Diana Bolivar, Panhandle's Rachel Urbanczyk and Dalhart's Mallory Jeffers jelled quickly to take a 14-0 lead in the opening five minutes en route to a 23-3 lead after 10 minutes.
Land ignited the South comeback bid during her third five-minute rotation. She scored seven points and made a pair of 3-pointers as the South outscored the North by 15 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half to pull within 40-38.
But Betts silenced the South rally with six consecutive points as the North rebuilt its lead to 52-42. Wellington's La'Christa Nash hit her second 3-pointer to aid the North.
Betts, who shot 6-of-10 from the floor and had six rebounds, said she was confident her team wouldn't let a large lead slip away.
"I knew we needed to play smart and take better care of the ball down the stretch," Betts said. "We did that, and Taryn (Borchardt of Canyon) gave me great passes."
Land and Betts were the only scorers in double figures. Nash had nine points, and Urbanczyk had eight points.
Kelsie Dutton had seven points and 10 rebounds for the South.
The North moved into the championship game at 6 tonight against the West.
The South will play the East in the consolation game at 1 p.m.
SOUTH (50): Casey Land 5-16 5-7 18, Lacey Pointer 3-13 0-0 6, Britney Shedd 1-3 0-0 2, Jordon Vessels 1-6 0-0 2, Bethany Wilson 2-9 0-0 5, Kelsie Dutton 3-6 1-3 7, Morgan Rickwartz 0-6 1-3 1, Sara Branch 1-3 0-0 3, Megan Aleman 1-4 2-3 4, Ashley Welch 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 18-68 9-16 50.
NORTH (59): Diana Bolivar 1-5 1-2 4, Elissa Betts 6-10 3-5 15, Rachel Urbanczyk 3-6 2-2 8, Mattie Yanke 1-5 4-5 6, Taryn Borchardt 2-6 1-3 5, Mallory Jeffers 0-4 2-6 2, Allison Jones 0-4 1-2 1, Kiley Dixon 2-6 3-4 7, Kinjita Kelley 0-5 2-3 2, La'Christa Nash 2-2 3-5 9. Totals: 17-53 22-37 59.
South 3 21 38 50
North 23 37 42 59
Three-point Field Goals: South 5 (Land 3, Wilson 1, Branch 1), North 3 (Nash 2, Bolivar 1). Rebounds: North 53 (Yanke 11), South 48 (Dutton 10). Total fouls: South 26, North 20. Fouled out: None. Technicals: None. Attendance: 250.
North girls survive late charge
by Barb Amrhein, Amarillo Globe-News, April 18, 2010
A 12-5 run to open the second-half propelled the North to a 65-62 win and the girls championship of the Golden Spread All-Star Basketball Tournament on Saturday night at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.
The North, up 63-57 with just more than a minute to go, survived a rally by the West when all-tournament selection CeCe Williams of Sudan hit a 3-pointer and Victoria Richards of Texico, N.M., scored off Williams' assist to cut the lead to three.
All-tournament pick Traca Bradstreet of Randall cut the lead to 64-62 with less than a minute remaining.
Williams had a chance to put the West ahead with 30 seconds left when she found herself open on the left wing for a 3-point attempt that rimmed out.
"I was shocked at the chance," Williams said. "I think being that open made me nervous."
Diana Bolivar of Texico made 1-of-2 free throws for the final margin. The West's desperation heave as time expired failed.
North coach Jeff Purvines teased Williams after the game for making him nervous.
"You're a great shot," Purvines said as he pointed at Williams.
Purvines also thought the key to winning was the first minutes of the second half.
"They played hard and played together, especially (to open) the second half," he said.
Bradstreet agreed with Purvines.
"We were tired and didn't get our momentum going," Bradstreet said. "And then we were trying to catch up, and it was too little too late.
The North used a balance scoring attack, with only Rachel Urbanczyk of Panhandle scoring in double figures with 10 points. Mattie Yanke of Gruver, who earned most valuable player honors, added nine points, six rebounds and three assists.
Williams led all scorers with 14 points and was joined in double figures by Bradstreet with 12 and Nancy Castillo of McLean with 10.
Girls Championship
North 65, West 62
North (65): Diana Bolivar 0-3 3-6 3, Elissa Betts 2-9 0-0 4, Rachel Urbanczyk 3-9 3-3 10, Mattie Yanke 4-11 1-2 9, Mallory Jeffers 3-5 0-0 8, Taryn Borchardt 1-3 4-10 6, Allison Jones 2-6 0-0 5, Kiley Dixon 2-3 4-5 8, Kinjita Kelley 2-4 1-2 5, La'Christa Nash 1-9 5-6 7. Totals: 20-62 21-34 65.
West (62): Nancy Castillo 3-6 3-4 10, LeAnna Espinosa 2-5 1-2 6, Victoria Richards 1-4 0-0 2, Ce Ce Williams 3-14 6-8 14, Katlin Luscombe 1-5 0-0 2, Sasha Estrada 2-5 0-0 6, Kenzie Walden 1-4 0-0 2, Sarah Johnson 3-11 2-5 10, Traca Bradstreet 4-7 4-6 12.
North 15 28 50 65
West 15 32 44 62
3-point goals: North 4 (Jeffers 2, Urbanczyk 1, Jones 1), West 5 (Williams 2, Castillo 1, Espinosa 1, Johnson 1). Total rebounds: North 43, West 49. Fouls: North 17, West 21. Fouled out: None. Technicals: None.
All-tournament team: Mattie Yanke, Gruver (MVP); Casey Land, Canyon; Skylar Warrick, Wellington; Traca Bradstreet, Randall; CeCe Williams, Sudan.
3-point Champion: Jordon Vessels, Canyon.
Girls Consolation
South 81, East 71
South (81): Casey Land 5-13 6-7 17, Lacie Kay Pointer 2-9 4-6 9, Britney Shedd 3-4 0-0 8, Jordan Vessels 3-5 0-0 6, Bethany Wilson 6-15 1-2 17, Kelsie Dutton 3-9 4-4 10, Morgan Rickwartz 0-3 0-0 0, Sara Branch 1-4 0-0 3, Megan Aleman 2-3 6-8 11, Ashley Welch 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 25-65 21-27 81.
East (71): Cassandra Ross 2-7 0-1 4, Alexis Menefield 3-15 4-8 12, Jaycee Crawford 0-4 0-0 0, Sheri Haynes 1-10 1-2 4, Skyler Warrick 3-5 3-5 11, Alyssa Heck 3-4 2-4 9, Michelle Harmon 0-4 3-3 3, Ashley Murray 7-10 1-4 15, Taylor Thomas 3-7 0-0 6, Ariel Bowie 2-13 2-2 7. Totals: 24-79 16-29 71.
South 23 45 63 81
East 22 37 54 71
3-point goals: South 10 (Land, Pointer, Shedd 2, Wilson 4, Branch, Aleman), East 7 (Menefield 2, Haynes, Warrick 2, Heck, Bowie). Rebounds: South 42 (Dutton 7, Rickwartz 7), East 63 (Menefield 11). Total Fouls: South 21, East 20. Fouled Out: Pointer. Technicals: None. Attendance: NA.
West boys take all-star crown
by Barb Amrhein, Amarillo Globe-News, April 18, 2010
Nazareth's Sage Black scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the first half, leading the West to a 104-74 victory against the North in the Golden Spread All-Star Basketball Tournament boys championship game Saturday night at the First United Center in Canyon.
Black's shooting and the rebounding of Sudan's BJ Davis helped the West build a 17-3 lead after five minutes. Black was named the tournament's most valuable player.
The West, featuring the 6-foot-7 Davis and 6-8 Logan Turnbow of Clovis, N.M., used its height advantage to force the North to shoot jumpers. The North's poor outside shooting allowed the West to start fast breaks and allowed Parker Bridwell of Hereford and Michael Matthews of Bushland to entertain fans with dunks.
The West led 50-36 at halftime and 75-53 after three quarters.
The North didn't get closer than the halftime margin in the second half.
Black, who connected on four 3-pointers, thought his team's unity and athleticism were keys to the win.
"Our team all bonded in practice," Black said. "We had a lot of athletes and height."
Davis, who contributed 16 points, nine rebounds and a blocked shot, agreed with Black.
"This was fun. We had a good, athletic team," Davis said.
Black and Davis were joined in double figures by Preston Ogburn of Amarillo High with 12 and Vince Barnes of Hereford and Matthews with 11 points each. Bridwell scored nine points, including two dunks.
Bryan Ponder led the North with 17 points and was joined in double figures by Crager Swarb of Sudan with 15, Travis Price of River Road with 11 and Sawyer Cornelius of Bushland with 10.
"They (West) were just really athletic; there wasn't much we could do, but we had fun," Price said.
West 104, North 74
North (74): Travis Price 4-6 2-2 11, Crager Swarb 5-15 2-2 15, Rily Urban 3-11 3-7 9, Bryan Ponder 6-15 2-5 17, Colton Collen 0-3 1-2 1, Sawyer Cornelius 3-10 2-4 10, Kody Frerich 1-2 3-8 5, Chance Borger 2-8 2-5 6. Totals: 24-70 17-35 74.
West (104): Vincent Barnes 5-13 0-0 11, Sid Sheffy 4-8 0-0 9, Preston Ogburn 3-10 4-5 12, Parker Bridwell 4-11 0-0 9, Sage Black 7-18 1-2 19, Michael Matthews 5-12 1-4 11, BJ Davis 7-8 2-2 16, Logan Turnbow 3-7 3-5 9, Matthew Stanberry 0-6 0-0 0, Seth Bailey 3-5 2-2 8. Totals: 41-98 13-20 104.
North: 15 36 53 74
West: 28 50 75 104
3-point goals: North 9 (Swarb 3, Ponder 3, Sawyer 2, Price 1); West 7 (Black 4, Ogburn 2, Barnes 1). Rebounds: North 52, West 60. Total fouls: North 15, West 19. Fouled out: None. Technicals: None.
All-tournament team: Sage Black, Nazareth (MVP); Tanner Lakey, Randall; Braden Johnson, Happy; Rily Urban, Gruver; Parker Bridwell, Hereford.
3-point champion: Braden Kinsey, Canyon
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