Seventy-First ends South View girls' conference winning streak
By Chris Koonce
Correspondent
South View girls' long conference winning streak came to a resounding end as the Tigers lost to Seventy-First, 87-58.
South View had won 65 consecutive conference games dating back to the final contest of the 2004 season. The Tigers entered the contest having allowed an average of only 38.8 points per game, but Seventy-First raced to a 51-23 halftime lead fueled by several South View turnovers.
Overall, the Tigers are 12-4 and have been led by Rachel Temple and Ciara Morris. Temple leads the team in assists and averages 12.2 points per game. Morris averages 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. South View is 4-1 in conference play and tied for second place, one game behind E.E. Smith.
Jack Britt has won two of three since the holiday break to improve to 10-5 for the season. The Buccaneers are 2-2 in Mid-South Conference play and in fourth place in the league standings.
Senior Caitlin Sandy has been Britt's leading scorer in 11 of 15 games played and averages 13.4 points per contest. Senior Ashlynn Francis averages 7.6 points, while junior Shelby Taylor averages 7.1 rebounds per game.
Gray's Creek (1-16, 1-4 Cape Fear Valley) has lost eight straight games. Sophomore Tayler Collins leads the team in rebounds and averages 9.5 points per game. Junior Brittyana Will adds 8.1 points per contest for the Bears.
Boys' basketball
Jack Britt has won two of three games played in 2010 to move into second place in the conference standings. Overall, the Buccaneers are 8-7 and 3-1 in Mid-South Conference games. Senior Raheem Jolliffe has made 24 3-point shots this season and averages a team-best 14.2 points per game. Senior Devin Thompson leads the Buccaneers in rebounds and averages 9.6 points per game.
South View (6-10, 0-5 Mid-South) has lost four of its last five games as the Tigers have struggled to overcome the loss of their top two scorers. South View averaged 65 points per game in the 11 contests played before the holiday tournament finals. They have averaged just 54 points per game in their last five and have played the majority of that time without senior DeShean Townsend (13.5 points per game) and freshman Rian Holland (11.3 points per game).
T.J. Gill has taken advantage of his increased opportunities on offense and has scored 49 points in the Tigers' last three games. The junior has made 29 3-point shots this season and averages 11 points per game.
Gray's Creek (1-16, 0-5 Cape Fear Valley) cut a 15-point deficit to just five in the fourth quarter, but lost to Overhills, 62-57. Junior Will McLaughlin scored 24 points in the Bears comeback effort and averages a team-high 13.5 points per game. Senior Quintel Burden leads the team in rebounds and averages 9.8 points.
Upcoming schedule
Today
Basketball - Jack Britt at Seventy First
Wrestling - Jack Britt at Seventy-First, South View at E.E. Smith, Gray's Creek at Western Harnett
Friday
Basketball - Terry Sanford at South View, Cape Fear at Jack Britt, Gray's Creek at Douglas Byrd
Saturday
Wrestling - Jack Britt in dual tournament at Cary