Published: 07:17 AM, Wed Jan 27, 2010
E.E. Smith girls make free throws to beat Seventy-First
Terry Sanford boys 68, Pine Forest 40
With every possession a battle and players fouling out one after the other, E.E. Smith's Avae' Hardy called for the ball.
The 51 percent free throw shooter found her rhythm in overtime Tuesday at Seventy-First, finishing what teammate Tia Moore started with a career-high 29 points. Hardy knocked down all six free throws she attempted in overtime, keeping the Golden Bulls undefeated in the Mid-South 4-A Conference with a 74-70 victory.
"I was on a roll with my free throws," said Hardy, who finished with 12 points. "So yeah, I wanted to get (the ball) when I knew they were going in."
Foul trouble and poor free throw shooting cost the Falcons (15-3, 6-2) their first victory against Smith in three tries this season. Three fouled out - two before overtime - and they finished 16 of 32 from the stripe.
Seven of those misses came in the fourth quarter as the two teams battled for first place in the conference. Seventy-First was on the foul line with a 64-62 lead and 23 seconds remaining, and missed two free throws.
This allowed Moore to slash inside and tie the score at 64 with 9 seconds left, capping her 10-point final quarter. E.E. Smith (14-1, 7-0) even got a good look at a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer but missed.
"I was like, 'Not another one,' " said Moore, whose team needed overtime a week ago to dispatch South View. "But I knew we had to push. The coaching staff taught us how to be focused, and we knew we would get this in the end."
Attempting only two shots from the field, the Golden Bulls closed out the game with 8-for-8 shooting from the foul line. Hardy nailed two with 25 seconds left for a 72-68 lead, and this time the Falcons couldn't answer.
Both teams were missing key parts in overtime after the game's physical nature led to many fouls. Smith's Jovanah Graham fouled out with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Seventy-First was without Dasnii Curtis, who finished with 13 points. Simone Ewers, the Falcons' leading scorer averaging 15.8 points, saw her night end early with only eight points.
Things fell apart for Seventy-First after it lost Diona Curtis with 2:13 left in overtime. The county's top rebounder was one of two Falcons who finished with double-doubles, recording 20 points and 16 rebounds. Carolyn Smith was the other with 15 points and 17 rebounds.
Staff writer Paul Shugar can be reached at shugarp@fayobserver.com or 486-3513.