RED SPRINGS — Coming into Friday’s Three Rivers Conference rivalry matchup, the St. Pauls girls basketball team had been unsuccessful in its last 12 tries against Red Springs.
Lady Bulldogs senior guard Jivee Nettles-Graham couldn’t contain her excitement after finally witnessing her school come out on the winning side, as they defeated the Lady Red Devils 45-34 on Friday.
“It means so much to us. It makes our school look bigger,” Nettles-Graham said. “Now when I graduate, I can say, ‘Well, I beat Red Springs.’”
St. Pauls coach Mike Moses says he had a pregame discussion with Nettles-Graham about how important her role would be in determining the outcome of the big game.
“She’s my second-best shooter. Certain game situations don’t call for her…but tonight, her number was called and that’s big for a senior because she’s never beat Red Springs,” Moses said.
Nettles-Graham ended with 12 points, including three 3-pointers. She hit back-to-back triples midway through the third quarter that resulted in the first double-digit lead of the contest as the Lady Bulldogs led 26-14.
Sophomore guard T.J. Eichelberger extended the lead even further after the pair of treys when she stole the ball and banked it in to take the biggest lead, 28-14 with 5:41 to go in the third period. Eichelberger finished with a team-high 17 points and 13 rebounds, despite a slow start.
The Lady Red Devils jumped out to a 7-0 lead, led by senior forward Taylynn Atkinson who ended with a game-high 24 points. Atkinson weathered the storm when the visitors went on runs.
After the surge by Nettles-Graham and Eichelberger in the third, Atkinson answered with a scoring spurt of her own and converted a layup just before the end of the period that tighted the gap. She scored all 16 points for the team as they trailed 32-26 heading into the fourth.
Atkinson connected with Jalexis Bratcher who converted a layup with 3:45 left in the game to cut the lead to five, 36-31.
That was as close as the Lady Red Devils would get, however, as the Lady Bulldogs went on a 9-3 run to close out their first victory at Red Springs in six years.
Moses encapsulated the victory with comments about the impact it has for the school and its surrounding residents.
“It’s a big program win and outside of that, it’s big for the community,” he said. “We’re going to celebrate the win today, but get back to what we need to do.”
Up next, both teams take on East Columbus. St. Pauls (10-5, 6-3 TRC) will play host on Tuesday, while Red Springs (6-8, 5-4 TRC) travels to Lake Waccamaw on Wednesday.
St. Pauls stretches win streak to six with rivalry win over Red Springs
St. Pauls took its five-game win streak into the gym of its archrival on Friday night and successfully came out unscathed, defeating Red Springs 57-46 and keeping pace with the Three Rivers Conference elites.
St. Pauls (10-5, 7-2 TRC) coach Corey Thompson didn’t want his group to get too emotional about the victory despite the hype surrounding the matchup.
“It’s a rivalry game and a big game for the community…but it’s just another win for us,” Thompson said calmly.
The previous 31 meetings, the Bulldogs held a slight 16-15 advantage, so Thompson knew his group wouldn’t walk away without a rebuttal from the home team. In a game that saw two technical fouls and a ton of jawing between players and fans, Thompson’s veteran guards proved to be the difference.
Emonta Smith and Caleb Henderson combined for 25 points and hit big-time baskets to quiet the raucous crowd.
“The process with them started last year as sophomores, moving them up to varsity…and putting their foot to the fire,” Thompson said of the backcourt duo. “And now, they’re being able to showcase what I know they can do.”
Henderson produced the first double-digit advantage for either side when he converted a fastbreak layup to put them in front 20-9, just two minutes into the second quarter. He finished with a team-high 13 points.
Smith connected on two 3-pointers in the contest, the first beat the opening-quarter buzzer and put the Bulldogs ahead 15-9. The second came in the final period and blew the game open as it stretched the lead to 52-38 with just under six minutes left. Smith ended with 12 points.
Red Springs (4-9, 4-5 TRC) forward Shyheim Richardson finished with a game-high 16 points and added five rebounds and two steals. He helped the Red Devils stay within distance on multiple occassions. Richardson’s two free throws in the waning seconds of the first half cut a sizable deficit as they trailed 34-23 by halftime.
In the closing seconds of the third quarter, Richardson’s layup cut the deficit below double-digits for the first time in the half, 47-38.
The Bulldogs did enough in the final period and outpaced the Red Devils 10-8.
Both teams have East Columbus as their next opponent. St. Pauls is up first and hosts the Gators on Tuesday, while Red Springs goes on the road to play them on Wednesday.
