The Basketball Beat

Like a policeman responding to numerous calls in support of his community, I was on the scene at several basketball games over the weekend and I’m here now to file this important report.

Hit the street running on Friday night and responded to a call to the Bob Sawyer Gym on the Grimsley HS campus.  The Grimsley boys stole one from Northwest Guilford and GHS evened their record at an 8-8 slate for the regular season.  GHS was down by 15 points in the first half before they got it together and finished off the Vikings.  Both GHS and NWG came out of the game at 3-4 in the Metro 4-A conference and with Page also at 3-4 after their comeback agaisnt Smith, we have a dogfight on our hands for the remainder of the regular season.  

Page was almost dead but they came to life and scored the last 12 points of the game to secure the win over the Golden Eagles who are 4-3 in the Metro and it looks like Smith may still have the best chance of upsetting unbeaten High Point Central.  I had my deputy, Paul T. Lambeth II at the Page-Smith clash and I also spoke to Jeff Carlton of the of the www.news-record about the incidents surrounding the Mac Morris Gymnasium and how it all unfolded and Jeff said it unfolded like one of Paul’s dirty old shirts, wrinkled, battered, and tattered but still useable.

The WhirlieGirls of Grimsley continued their dominance of the Metro 4-A competition as they held off a strong NWG squad that came into the Bob Sawyer Gym looking to slap a white wash up-side the Grimsley “D-fence”.  I keep hearing that High Point Central will be the first team to knock off the GHS ladies in the conference, but it will take a smothering, Becky Smothers-like assault to kill off the WhirlieGirls.

Hit the hardwoods on Friday night and then back on the scene Saturday afternoon to check out the UNCG Lady Spartans in their home matchup with Elon at the Fleming Gym.  UNCG pounded the Phoenix and had the young women from EU wishing they were in Arizona for the winter.  The final was 88-40 with UNCG in total control and one fan said this was the worst beating she had ever witnessed.  The Lady Spartans from UNCG can get up and down the court and coach Lynn Agee has just about as much talent coming off her bench as she does in the starting lineup.

With Kristen Boone and Jasmine Byrd in the backcourt the Spartans are going to get it to the bucket.  Jasmine Dixon coming off the bench makes sure the Spartans don’t miss a beat back there.  Latham and Otamiri at the forwards and Chamberlain in the middle and you have a nice formula for success.  Elon had one local lady on their team in Amber Wall of Eastern Guilford, but she hit a brick wall when she ran into the UNCG “D”.

Saturday night and I ‘aint got no homey, ‘aint got no money and I just got paid, I wish I had a ball game to sneak into, I need to find my way:INTO THE GAME.(I might want to stick around after the game and sleep in the boiler room it’s cold outside baby)   I saw the light at the Dudley Gym and remembered it’s Dudley vs. Burlington Cummings and I have 1 greensborosports.com business card left and it’s my Ticket to Paradise. 

Dudley was headed into this contest having lost on the road to Rockingham County on Friday night at RCHS by two points at the buzzer and the Panthers had beaten the previously perfect BC Cavaliers last year in Burlington.  The Panthers got behind early, but when Cummings’ star player Dwight Jones got into foul trouble Dudley went to work.  Jones was the core of the BC effort and when he was on the bench or when he had to lay off of the Dudley inside men because of foul problems the Panthers took over and they went on to win the contest 77-67.

The regular Panthers, Kenny Belton and Josh Chavis stood out, KB had 25 and JC added 19, but on this night Dudley got a huge lift from fellow-senior Parrish Walker as P-Dub put 16 big points and seven rebounds into the Dudley scorebook.  Dudley’s best lineup in my opinion and I think that Jeff Carlton of the N&R may concur, is Belton, Chavis, Walker, Brandon Pinnix, and Marcus Heath.  It is a smaller group without 6’8 Mike Coger, but I believe that this lineup makes Dudley a quicker team and that Belton and Pinnix can take care of the boards and that the sly-one Parrish Walker will be there to help out with the rebounds.

Also on Saturday night, Greensboro Day School went on the road to defeat Charlotte Christian in a tough one, 56-52, with Johnny Thomas paving the way with 18.  GDS was up big 39-25 at the half and had to withstand a strong second half from Christian to win it.  Charlotte Christian took the second half 27-17, outscoring GDS 22-8 in the 3rd quarter, to tie the game at 47-47.  I am sure the Bengals are glad to get the big road win and they face another tough team, Christ School on Friday at GDS.

My final stop on the Basketball Beat was on Sunday at the Lewis Recreation Center.  It was raining so hard I didn’t feel like getting soaked so I brought my game indoors and got some shots on the wood tile court at Lewis.  I hate playing hoops indoors because the outside is so wide open with the air and the birds and the creek etc., but if you’re hungry you have to head to the table and if you are thirsty you must go to the well and well to be honest after watching all that basketball on the Basketball Beat all weekend I had to do what I had been watching, and take it to the HOLE.  There’s nothing better than shooting some hoops and not a better way to close out a Basketball Beat weekend.  

4 thoughts on “The Basketball Beat

  1. What a game for the Grimsley team of the boys and girls on Friday night at the Bob Sawyer Gym… What a comeback for the boys game,,,,,,,, They started out the gate real sluggish and had to tighten up real quick… They battle back as a team….. Marlan Smith hit the big three and they needed it ……to lock it down and get back in the dog race in the conference… The boys have three very important games this week……
    It is always good to see you Andy and Jim at the game doing a wonderful job of keeping the area aware of things that are going on … Keep up the good work….

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