The Basketball Beat got off to a bit of a slow start this weekend but we picked up steam and drove it home to close out the end of the week.
I made the trip to Dudley High School for the Friday night game with the Panthers taking on the Hornets of Western Guilford. The Dudley boys were only up by eight at the half, 28-20, but the Panthers put it in gear and roared through the second half ripping WG by 50 with the 89-39 final.
The Dudley girls showed no mercy leaving Western Guilford wishing for the days of Micki Tuttle and her outstanding coaching after the Panther girls buried WG 81-17. Seniors Josh Chavis, Kenny Belton, Parrish Walker, and Justin Campbell played very well for the Dudley boys and Sierra Little re-discoverd her game for the Dudley girls. Freshman Brianna Patterson is the star of the future for the Panther young ladies.
The conference tournaments get under way this week and the Page girls have really fallen on hard times. They may have to face Grimsley in the semifinals and that is if they can get that far. Northwest defeated Page to claim the #2 spot in the Metro 4-A and key boys’ semifinals will have Grimsley at Page and Northwest at Smith on Tuesday night. The finals will be at High Point Central on Friday night. The Grimsley girls and High Point Central boys both finished the regular season unbeaten at 12-0 in the conference and earned the #1 seeds.
The Triad 3-A tourney is under way at Northeast Guilford and I know I am pulling for an all Northeast-Dudley final on Friday night for the girls and the boys. Dudley is seeded #1 and NEG #2 in both brackets. The teams split their games in the regular season and this would make for a dream hook-up if the two schools could get together one more time for all the marbles. Â
Some of you might think I’ve lost my marbles but believe me, my marbles are still right where there they need to be. I was at UNCG on Saturday afternoon as the Basketball Beat:Taking it to the street continues. The Lady Spartans just ran Chan Harrison’s Appalachian State Mountaineers right out of Fleming Gym crushing ASU 81-62.  Kristen Boone had 18 points and six assists, Irene Otamiri had 16 points and six steals and Brittany Frazier had 10 points and 11 rebounds. I believe Frazier is the niece of either Walt Frazier or Joe Frazier. She sures plays like both and has been one of my favorites.  UNCG has yet to lose while I have been broadcasting their games this season, in fact they are 9-0 on Saturdays.
If you checked out the box scores for the college baseball over the weekend you may have noticed something that I picked up on. Jeremy Synan out of Northeast Guilford had a home run and 3 RBI’s for N.C. State in their 9-4 win over William and Mary.  Former Wolfpack basketball player and now full-time baseball player Andrew Brackman got the win as the Pack’s starting pitcher. Guilford College squeezed past Piedmont 4-3 on freshman Alex Starbuck’s home run in the bottom of the ninth. Alex Starbuck is a recent Western Guilford grad and last summer played for Johnny Smith’s Guilford Patriots Palomino baesball club. This was Starbuck’s first home run in a college uniform. Starbuck is just a great sports name. Remember Terry Bradshaw’s wife, Jo Jo Starbuck, the ice skater.
Back on The Basketball Beat:Taking it to the street, in college hoops Ben Strong of Guilford had another great weekend. The junior center scored 28 points on Saturday afternoon in the Quakers’ 74-52 win over Bridgewater on 14-15 shooting from the field. The weird thing is Big Ben didn’t attempt any free throws. None at all, and how does a big man at 6’11 score 28 and not get to the foul line? That is beyond me. Big Ben netted 29 points on Sunday and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Quakers’ 84-75 win against Eastern Mennonite. In the Sunday game Big Ben went to the line 15 times and was 13-15, while going 8-20 from the field. Guilford is now 19-3 overall and 13-3 in the ODAC conference. Lynn Bright hit for 22 points as Greensboro College defeated NC Wesleyan 78-62 on Saturday. The Pride are 17-6 overall and 7-3 in the USA South conference.
In the final phase of The Basketball Beat:Taking it to the street, I hit the court at Forrest Valley on Sunday afternoon. The outdoor slab was full when I drove by the first time so I got some warm up shots in over at General Greene. I came back by Forrest Valley and the first game was just breaking up. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the group that was coming off the court. There was Kenny O’Fallon, Bruce, Chase, Steve, Frankie, John, and several others that hadn’t been around in many years. These guys owned the court back when they were kids and during their high school days. They were hooping it up again if only for one Sunday and it was good to see all those fellows. I’m probably 10 years or more older than most of those boys but the word is I still got game and I’m ready to put it out on the street. I’ve been hitting the Forrest Valley since back around 19 and 84 and the court hasn’t changed much although the people surely have.
Kenny’s crew was pulling out and we didn’t have Doug Brown, Doug Land, Doug Cockman, or Chuck, but we did have some comp come to the front line.  Like I was saying, I’ve been doing this Sunday basketball thing somewhere since 1980 and I may be the oldest living fossil still exsisting in outdoor habitation.
Sunday’s choice of hoop activity was a game called knock-out by some and cut-throat by others. It is a three-man game that makes 21 look like a girl scout cookie sale. This week’s competition was our local attorney Mr. Jan Pritchett and the neigborhood star from about 10 years ago Neal. JP is in his mid-30’s and Neal is in his mid-20’s. Me, I’m hitting the late 40’s, but that did not stop me from taking 2 out of 3 games from those two young stars. Neal netted one victory but JP came up empty and he left with his tail between his legs. To beat these guys was very satisfying and I’ll take my wins any way I can get them and hitting those shots from about 30 feet away from the basket will work for me any day of the week.
Time to take my wins and get ready for all those conference tournament games this week and I can’t wait for that Grimsley-Page boys game on Tuesday night at the Mac Morris Gym. Speaking of Grimsley, Neal one of the guys from the FV court on Sunday, said he went to the last Page-Grimsley game with his old buddy Walker Holt. Walker is a former Whirlie star that later played at Clemson. Walker also played a few games with us at the Forrest Valley Court with his little brother Sam Holt who is now in school at Guilford Day School. Good to hear about Walker and Sam.
If you see attorney Jan Pritchett on the street this week, tell him to keep on trying and we hope he has more luck in court than he did at the Forrest Valley Basketball Court on Sunday afternoon and be sure to remind JP that he lost 3 and AD took home the FV Trophy. We also wish Wanda Pritchett, Jan’s wife, the best of luck while she has to keep JP and his 4 year-old daughter in line on a daily basis. Â
Thanks for the comments Andy. it felt great to be young again. However today
it doesnt feel that great!!!!!!!!! see ya soon. ……I GOT NEXT!!!!!!!!!
Andy – you might want to think about that senior citizens league-AARPNBA