Wednesday final scores, Thursday schedule

Wednesday, December 27, 2006:
11:00 a.m.: Game 1- Wake Forest-Rolesville 73, Smoky Mountain 45 (Girls)
12:40 p.m.: Game 2 - Riverside 67, Kinston 64 (8-Team Boys)
2:20 p.m.: Game 3 - St. Raymond 62, Middle Creek 52 (8-Team Boys)
4:00 p.m.: Game 4 - Wakefield 57, Apex 48 (Girls)
5:40 p.m.: Game 5 - Taft 68, Apex 41 (Eight-Team Boys)
7:20 p.m.: Game 6 - St. Benedict 74, Broughton 48 (8-Team Boys)
9:00 p.m.: Game 7 - American Chr. 81, Durham Mtn Zion 70 (Showcase #1)

Thursday, December 28, 2006:
11:00 a.m.: Game 8 - Smoky Mountain vs. Apex (Girls)
12:40 p.m.: Game 9 - Middle Creek vs. Broughton (8-Team Boys)
2:20 p.m.: Game 10 - Kinston vs. Apex (8-Team Boys)
4:00 p.m.: Game 11 - Southern Durham vs. Goldsboro (4-Team Boys)
5:40 p.m.: Game 12 - Knightdale vs. Starmount (4-Team Boys)
7:20 p.m.: Game 13 - Riverside vs. Taft (8-Team Boys)
9:00 p.m.: Game 14 - St. Raymond vs. St. Benedict (8-Team Boys)

American Chr. 81, Durham Mtn Zion 70

The start of the second quarter of this exhibition game has American Christian leading Durham Mount Zion by seven. The score could be much higher but there have been a lot of missed layups. The pace picks up some but it is still a lot of up and down action. Tyreke Evans is in foul trouble and American Christian's offense doesn't run as well without him. Still at the half, the Eagles lead by five and Michael Glover has 10 points. DMZ is lead by Tracy Smith with 13.

Evan's presence back on the court has energized American Christian who open the third on a 13-2 run and lead by 16. A huge dunk by Glover pushes the score up to 52-33 with just three minutes gone in the third quarter. Glover has two more monster dunks (the third one to the right).

With 1:41 to go, the lead is down to nine but Michael Truitt makes a great off balance bucket falling to the ground to push the lead back to double digits. Mount Zion starts fouling to stretch out the game but it isn't enough as American Christian wins by 11.

Durham Mount Zion 10 18 14 28 - 70
American Christian 19 14 23 25 - 81

Durham Mount Zion - T. Smith 26, M. Foster 16, L. Daniels 9, B. Rhodes 5, G. Robinson 5, N. Alleyne 3, L. McCoy 3, A. Talley 3. Leading rebounder - T. Smith 5. Assist leader - L. McCoy 2.

American Christian - M. Glover 28, T. Evans 14, A. Tarver 12, M. Relphorde 10, O. Griffin 5, K. Ellis 4, M. Truitt 4, J. Spivey 2, H. Rahman 2. Leading rebounder - two with three . Assist leader - T. Evans 3.

Thursday schedule set

Since this final game tonight is an exhibition game, all the games in the 'bracketed' tournaments are complete and we know who will play when tomorrow:

11:00 a.m.: Game 8 - Smoky Mountain vs. Apex (Girls 3rd place game)
12:40 p.m.: Game 9 - Middle Creek vs. Broughton (8-Team Boys)
2:20 p.m.: Game 10 - Kinston vs. Apex (8-Team Boys)
4:00 p.m.: Game 11 - Southern Durham vs. Goldsboro (4-Team Boys)
5:40 p.m.: Game 12 - Knightdale vs. Starmount (4-Team Boys)
7:20 p.m.: Game 13 - Riverside vs. Taft (8-Team Boys)
9:00 p.m.: Game 14 - St. Raymond vs. St. Benedict (8-Team Boys)

St. Benedict 74, Broughton 48

St. Benedict opens up on a 17-4 run but Broughton weathers the storm and hangs around. With 2:22 left in the first half, Brock Young is fouled and makes the free throw to complete a three-point play and all of a sudden the score 34-26, just an eight point lead.

That didn't last long as the halftime score was 42-28. The Gray Bees just had too much firepower tonight despite a gritty effort by Broughton.

Brock Young led the Caps with 16. St. Benedict was led by Corey Stokes with 21 points and Samardo Samuels with 20.

Broughton 15 13 12 8 - 48
St Benedict 24 18 23 9 - 74

Broughton - B. Young 16, W. Aldridge 10, S. Mason 8, T. Howard 7, L. Davis 3, D. Ellis 2, D. Randolph 2. Leading rebounder - S. Mason 8. Leading assist - B. Young 5.

St Benedict - C. Stokes 21, S. Samuels 20, T. Jackson 9, G. Echenique 8, D. McMillan 6, J. Wilson 5, Z. Rosen 4, A. Alexis 1. Leading rebounder - C. Stokes 6. Leading assist - D. McMillan 2.

Notes from Michelle II

• More coaches have piled in - UNC, Duke, State, Villanova, Florida, Barton, VCU, UNCG, Fairfield and more have coaches here. We've got recruiting experts like Bob Gibbons and Brick Oettinger here as well. Brick is always one of the first people here - we have a running joke because he beats me here the first morning of the tournament almost every time and is waiting for me to pick up his press release. He's always a pleasure to have here.
  

• The Apex girls basketball team have black tshirts with the pink breast cancer symbol and 'Stay Strong' written on them. A small KY is nestled in the loop of the symbol for Kay Yow. A very nice touch and show of respect by these young ladies.
  

• I'd be surprised to see Smoky Mountain's Cetera DeGraffenreid play tomorrow. Her elbow injury looked painful and I know she was crushed over it. I spoke with her and her family after the game briefly and they were off to get more medical attention. Strained ligaments but not a break is suspected. Let's hope this is something that can heal quickly and doesn't affect the rest of their season too much. UPDATE: DeGraffenreid has a ruptured bursa sac in her elbow and can expect to be out for two weeks. Overall that's good news and we wish her a speedy recovery.
  

• Once things slow down, we'll post about 10-20 photos from each game on the site. So bear with us while the tournament is underway - we are here from 10am until 11pm each of the three days - and we'll get them all up as soon as we can!

• There are two roster errors in the program (so far) on the Broughton roster and we deeply regret that. Davis Ellis should be David Ellis and Sam Mason is 6-10, not 6-1. Mistakes happen but that isn't a good enough excuse and we are definitely sorry.

• Several weeks ago Taft's coach Derrick Taylor told the LA Times that he had resigned effective the end of the season because he was tired of dealing with complaining parents. Seems he reconsidered after discussions and will be back. Through out the planning process for the tournament and the program, he's been nice to deal with so we are happy he is staying put.
  

Taft 68, Apex 41

Taft from Woodland Hills California has the longest trip of the year honors and is facing Apex, who just drove about 10-15 minutes on over to the gym here at State. Larry Drew Jr opens the game with a three-pointer, quickly answered by Apex's Scott Bedoe. Back and forth, Taft hits three more threes and edges out to a 14-8 lead.

A 23-4 run by Taft opens up a twenty-three point lead as Larry Drew Jr is 5-5 from three-point land.

Yorel Hawkins won't let Apex doesn't give up but the Toreadors just have too many weapons and the points start piling up. About the six minute mark in the fourth, most of the starters for Taft head to the bench, up 24.

Apex 12 11 9 9 - 41
Taft 16 25 11 16 - 68

Apex - Y. Hawkins 29, S. Bedoe 5, T. Plummer 5, S. Murphy 2. Leading rebounders: Y. Hawkins 7. Leasing assists: three with one.

Taft - L. Drew 17, B. Smith 14, E. Phelps 8, G. Green 7, D. Brumfield 7, B. Kamwa 4, J. Hawkins 4, T. Carter 4, J. Boykins 3,. Leading rebounders - D. Brumfield 5. Leading assists: five with one.

Wakefield 57, Apex 48

As Wakefield slides under to make an easy layup and open up a seven point lead (23-16), Apex calls a timeout to regroup at the 4:08 mark. A ten point second quarter doesn't help the Lady Cougars and by halftime, it is 31-23 Wakefield. Wakefield is using their post players very effectively, especially Kathleen Slay.

Kaila'shea Menendez leads Wakefield with 11 points, Slay has eight points and four rebounds. Apex got six points from Amy Dodd and five from Kimberlee Durham.

Slay and Menendez pick up where they left off but Apex does find their range, hitting some outside shots. Sheronda McLean has started putting on a show with some ankle breaking moves. Wakefield goes on to win.

Wakefield 14 17 11 15 - 57
Apex 13 10 10 15 - 48

Wakefield - K. Menendez 15, K. Slay 14, K. Hanzer 11, S. McLean 8, K. Evans 7, A. Partin 2. Leading Rebounders - K. Slay 7, K. Evans 4, K. Menendez 4. Leading Assists - three with 1.

Apex - A. Dodd 15, K. Durham 11, D. Higgins 8, S. Elchook 6, A. Miller 4, C. Leto 2, E. Tasler 2. Leading Rebounders - A. Dodd 4. Leading Assists - two with 1.

St. Raymonds 62, Middle Creek 52

It was close early on but St. Raymonds began to pull away in the 3rd as the baskets stopped dropping as easily for Middle Creek. Middle Creek is still battling though.

Middle Creek cuts the lead to eight, then the Ravens pushes it back out. Kip Kelley hits a three-pointer at the two minute mark to get the lead back down to eight, 59-51 but Daryl Bryant immediate takes the ball to the hoop for the bucket and one - three the old fashioned way. And that was pretty much all it.

Middle Creek 12 16 12 12 - 52
St. Raymonds 14 17 18 13 - 62

Middle Creek - G. Adams 16, K. Kelley 12, M. Kitts 11, S. Cook 11, W. Jones 2. Leading rebounder - M. Kitts 4. G. Adams 4. Leading assists - M. Kitts 3.

St. Raymonds -G. Colds 16, D. Benbow 14, L. McNeil 12, D. Bryant 10, J. Rivers 4, O. Lawrence 4. D. Daley 2. Leading rebounder - O. Lawrence 5. Leading assists - O. Lawrence 1.

Notes from Michelle I

• We've got lots of college coaches here... UNC and Elon womens' coaches early on, now Kentucky, Wake Forest, Pfieffer, State and others.
  

• Due to traffic issues, it took Smoky Mountain's girls team nearly six hours to get here.

• Several teams practiced in the Dean Dome yesterday - a thrill for them. Parents who traveled with them got to ogle all the banners and Carolina lore.

• Playing here on the N.C. State women's basketball floor always reminds me to think good thoughts for State coach Kay Yow as she is battling breast cancer.

• St. Raymonds has some seriously bright orange uniforms. Yow.

• The comment feature is on so if you have a question or comments, go ahead and post them!
  

Riverside 67, Kinston 64

Quinton Coples and the Kinston Vikings are in a dog fight with the Riverside Pirates. The fast paced game has a lot of up and down action.

Coples leads Kinston with 10 points and six rebounds. Bo Ingram has seven points as well. Justin Burton has 11 points for the Pirates. Sidney Evans contributed six. Halftime - Riverside 31, Kinston 29.

Riverside holds a slight lead as the clock ticks under one minute and Kinston starts to foul. 15 seconds to go, 65-61 Riverside. Miguel Starkey drains a three-pointer with 3.7 seconds to go and we have a 65-64 game on our hands. Kinston fouls but Riverside makes their free throws and holds on for the win.

Riverside 17 14 16 20 - 67
Kinston 15 14 18 17 - 64

Riverside - J. Burton 17, S. Evans 11, W. Saunders 10, C. Sanford 9, G. Hill 7, H. Collins 4, C. Byrd 2. Leading Rebounders: J. Burton 3, W. Saunders 3. Leading Assists: J. Burton 2.

Kinston: Q. Coples 18, D. Ingram 15, C. Hines 12, M. Starkey 9, R. Bullock 6, A. Sutton 2. J. Miller 2. Leading Rebounders: Q. Coples 7, D. Ingram 4. Leading Assists: M. Starkey 3.

Wake Forest-Roles. 73, Smoky Mountain 45

Smoky Mountain's Cetera DeGraffenreid started hot with five points in three minutes but that was cut short as she landed hard on her elbow and left the game. Ashley Robinson helped pick up the slack with 10 points but Wake Forest-Rolesville turned up the intensity and started scoring in bunches, opening up a 17 point halftime lead.

The second half has been competitive but Smoky Mountain without DeGraffenreid just can't keep up with WFR and the lead extends to 30 in the third quarter. DeGraffenreid isn't even on the bench anymore as she sits with the trainers in the corner, her arm in a sling.

Wake Forest Rolesville: T. Jones 18, K. Jefferys 11, K. Bass 9, V. Tanner 9, B. Leach 7, T. Kirby 5, K. Hartsfield 4, S. Wollett 4, R. Bruce 4, L. Coggin 2. Leading Rebounder: K. Bass 6. V. Tanner 5. Leading Assist: K. Jeffreys 3.

Smoky Mountain: A. Robinson 10, J. Carpenter 7, A. Haggard 6, C. DeGraffenreid 5, N. Junaluska 4, C. Cucumber 4, L. Brown 2, K. Woodard 2. Leading Rebounder: K. Woodard 3. Leading Assist:A. Robinson 2, N. Junaluska 2.

Tournament Schedule

(Home Team Listed First; Away Team Second)

Wednesday, December 27, 2006:
11:00 a.m.: Game 1- Wake Forest-Rolesville vs. Smoky Mountain (Girls)
12:40 p.m.: Game 2 - Riverside vs. Kinston (8-Team Boys)
2:20 p.m.: Game 3 - Middle Creek vs. St. Raymond (8-Team Boys)
4:00 p.m.: Game 4 - Wakefield vs. Apex (Girls)
5:40 p.m.: Game 5 - Apex vs. Taft (Eight-Team Boys)
7:20 p.m.: Game 6 - Broughton vs. St. Benedict (8-Team Boys)
9:00 p.m.: Game 7 - Mount Zion vs. American Christian (Showcase #1)

Thursday, December 28, 2006:
11:00 a.m.: Game 8 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 4 (Girls)
12:40 p.m.: Game 9 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 6 (8-Team Boys)
2:20 p.m.: Game 10 - Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 5 (8-Team Boys)
4:00 p.m.: Game 11 - Southern Durham vs. Goldsboro (4-Team Boys)
5:40 p.m.: Game 12 - Knightdale vs. Starmount (4-Team Boys)
7:20 p.m.: Game 13 - Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 5 (8-Team Boys)
9:00 p.m.: Game 14 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 6 (8-Team Boys)

Friday, December 29, 2006:
9:20 a.m.: Game 15 - Loser Game 9 vs. Loser Game 10 (8-Team Boys)
11:00 a.m.: Game 16 - Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 (8-Team Boys)
12:40 p.m.: Game 17 - Loser Game 11 vs. Loser Game 12 (4-Team Boys)
2:20 p.m.: Game 18 - Loser Game 13 vs. Loser Game 14 (3rd/4th Place 8-Team Boys)
4:00 p.m.: Game 19 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 4 (Girls Championship)
5:40 p.m.: Game 20 - Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 (4-Team Boys Championship)
7:20 p.m.: Game 21 - Hope Christian vs. American Christian (Showcase Game #2)
9:00 p.m.: Game 22 - Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14 (8-Team Boys Championship)