JANUARY 2012 | M BASKETBALL South Point 61, Forestview 79 — Hours before their rematch with South Point on Tuesday, the Forestview basketball players were shaking their heads.
South Point had won the first meeting by 12 points, and the Jaguars still couldn’t believe they lost that game.
Forestview got revenge for its only league loss, beating the Red Raiders 79-61 on Tuesday to stay in firm control of first place in the Big South 3A Conference.
JANUARY 2012 | M BASKETBALL South Point 48, Ashbrook 57 — As the high school basketball season approaches its final two weeks, the Big South 3A Conference race is tighter than ever.
Ashbrook’s boys and South Point’s girls took huge wins Friday in their doubleheader at the South Point gymnasium to help their positioning in the league standings.
After South Point’s rallied from behind to beat Ashbrook 46-42 in the girls opener, Ashbrook’s boys stayed hot in league play with a 57-48 victory.
The boys defeat continued South Point’s spiral downward – a fourth straight loss that dropped the Red Raiders to 11-5, 4-5.
JANUARY 2012 | M BASKETBALL South Point 75, Hunter Huss 78 — When Hunter Huss digs a double-digit hole, coach Walt Wallace simply calls it “familiar territory.”
This Huskies team plays some of its basketball from way behind, and they did it again Tuesday in a 78-75 win at South Point.
Hunter Huss (9-9, 6-2 Big South 3A Conference) trailed by as many as 11 late in the first quarter and roared all the way back to take the lead in the second quarter only to give it all back. The Huskies again watched South Point storm to an 11-point margin with about three minutes left in the third before making their move.
“(We) believed and we just kept playing hard,” Wallace said. “I kept telling them, ‘Play hard long enough and you’ll get them sooner or later.’”
JANUARY 2012 | M BASKETBALL South Point 52, Kings Mountain 63 — Kings Mountain roared back from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat South Point 63-52 for its first Big South 3A Conference win of the season Friday night at Donald L. Parker Gymnasium.
The Mountaineers scored 42 second-half points as senior guard Caleb Hines tallied 17 of his game-high 27 points in the third quarter.
“When you’re hitting shots, it’s momentum, motivation,” Hines said. “And the crowd starts getting involved. And you feel like you can’t miss anything.”
JANUARY 2012 | M BASKETBALL South Point 76, Crest 81 — Taylor Williams (31 points, 16 rebounds), Lashae Walls (18 points) and Deonte Gaston (11 points) led South Point (11-2, 4-2), which travels to Kings Mountain Friday. Jerick Haynes (22 points) and P.J. Brooks (17 points) led Crest (6-8, 2-4), which is at Ashbrook Friday.
JANUARY 2012 | M BASKETBALL South Point 77, North Gaston 60 — Taylor Williams (19 points, 12 rebounds), Lashae Walls (18 points, eight assists) and Deonte Gaston (15 points) led South Point. South Point (11-1, 4-1) plays host to Crest on Friday. Daquan Mintz (21 points) led North Gaston (5-11, 2-4), which has a conference bye on Friday and doesn’t return to league action until Jan. 20 at Hunter Huss.
JANUARY 2012 | JV M BASKETBALL South Point 38, North Gaston 35 — Jack Gardner (14 points) and Garrett Davila (eight points) led South Point (3-6). Patterson (seven points) led North Gaston.
JANUARY 2012 | M BASKETBALL South Point 71, East Gaston 68 — A capacity crowd in the Belmont gym watched the Red Raiders and Warriors battle to a 61-61 tie after four quarters of regulation and then saw South Point pull out a three-point decision over East Gaston, 71-68.
South Point's Jordan Kagen made a crucial field goal and hit a pair of free throws in the final 16.3 seconds of the game to help the Red Raiders (10-1) hold off the Warriors (7-7).
JANUARY 2012 | M BASKETBALL South Point 78, Forestview 66 — In the nightcap, the Jaguars (8-5, 2-1) led six times in the first quarter and once in the second before South Point took the lead for good on a pair of Taylor Williams’ free throws with 5:10 to play in the opening half.
Williams would finish with game-highs of 28 points, 18 rebounds and three blocked shots. That included 20 second-half points as the Red Raiders improved to 9-1, 3-1.
DECEMBER 2011 | M BASKETBALL - DAVID WRIGHT TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP South Point 65, Cherryville 63 — The MVP trophy went to Taylor Williams for an overall excellent tournament, but Jordan Kagen was the hero of South Point’s buzzer-beating 65-63 win over Cherryville Friday night in the boys championship game of the David Wright Holiday Classic.
Kagen crashed the boards after a desperation shot and banked in the winning basket as time expired to give the Red Raiders (8-1) their first championship in Cherryville’s annual Christmas tournament.
In addition to his winning follow shot, Kagen hit a key 3-pointer from the right wing with a minute remaining to erase a 61-60 Cherryville lead.
The game was tied for a final time at 63 before South Point’s Deonte Gaston put up an off-balanced shot as the clock ticked down. The shot was not close, but Kagen darted along the baseline and hit the putback.
“I wasn’t sure how much time was left on the clock, but I always hustle. That’s what I was taught to do. I was in the right spot at the right time, I guess,” said Kagen, who had 13 for the game.
Williams led the Raiders with 16 to earn MVP honors. For Cherryville (8-5), Brandon Tuft had 20, Rhyer Davis 19 and Trent Friday 11.
Cherryville has lost in the last three finals by a total of five points.
DECEMBER 2011 | M BASKETBALL South Point 46, Ashbrook 68 — One stat best told the story in Tuesday’s battle of red-hot Big South 3A Conference teams: Ashbrook had more steals (20) than South Point had field goals (15).
The Green Wave’s defense pestered South Point all night en route to a convincing 68-46 win at Larry Rhodes Gymnasium.
DECEMBER 2011 | JV M BASKETBALL South Point 30 Ashbrook 54 — Tristen Rodriguez (19 points) led Ashbrook, while Austin Mitchell chipped in 10 points. The Green Wave improved to 5-4 overall and 2-1 in Big South. Hugh Crump (seven points) paced South Point.
DECEMBER 2011 | M BASKETBALL South Point 63, Hunter Huss 55 — Taylor Williams (18 points, 14 rebounds) led South Point with help from Jordan Kagen (15 points, 6 rebounds), Deonte Gaston (13 points) and LaShae Walls (10 points, 5 assists). South Point (5-0) plays at Ashbrook on Tuesday. Kerrion Moore led Huss with 18 points.
DECEMBER 2011 | M BASKETBALL South Point 63, Kings Mountain 47 — Taylor Williams (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Jordan Kagen (11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) led the Red Raiders. Caleb Hines led KM with 17 points with help from Treyvon Adams (13 points) and James Tillman (11 points, 8 rebounds). South Point (4-0) plays Friday at Hunter Huss.
DECEMBER 2011 | M BASKETBALL South Point 54, East Lincoln 48 — As soon as Trevor Bridges noticed the East Lincoln defense backing in, he made up his mind.
He was going to attempt a 3 for the lead.
The South Point senior dribbled up the court, pulled up at the top of the key and nailed the shot to put the Red Raiders on top for good in a 54-48 home win over East Lincoln on Tuesday.
“It just felt right,” Bridges said. “All my teammates kept telling me to shoot and they had faith in me. I was fortunate for it to fall.”
Bridges, son of former East Gaston girls coach Ernie Bridges, finished with a team-high 16 points as South Point (3-0) remained perfect under first-year head coach Kody Kubbs.
DECEMBER 2011 | M BASKETBALL South Point 70, East Lincoln 67 — Lashae Walls (20 points), Jordan Kagen (13 points, seven rebounds) and Taylor Williams (11 points, seven rebounds) led South Point (2-0), which hosts East Lincoln on Tuesday. Antwaine McLean scored 21 points for East Lincoln.
NOVEMBER 2011 | M BASKETBALL South Point 66, Highland Tech 57 — Deonte Gaston (15 points), Taylor Williams (14 points, 13 rebounds), Stephen Little (12 points) and Jordan Kagen (12 points) led South Point (1-0), which visits East Lincoln on Friday. Jevon Patton (21 points) paced Highland Tech.
NOVEMBER 2011 | JV M BASKETBALL South Point 38 Highland Tech 28 — Josh Crawford (19 points) led South Point (1-0), which visits East Lincoln on Friday. Jack Gardner (14 points, nine rebounds) paced Highland Tech.
