Published: 12:02 AM, Sat Feb 20, 2010
Whitaker powers E.E. Smith girls to victory
By Junious Smith III
Correspondent
In a game with a state playoff feel, resolve was tested heavily. And Amber Whitaker heeded the call.
Whitaker scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the second half to lead E.E. Smith to a 60-51 victory over Seventy-First in the girls' Mid-South Conference championship game. Whitaker, later named the tournament MVP, shot 8 of 12 from the field, including a layup in transition with 1:47 left to seal the game for the Golden Bulls (21-1).
"It feels great (to be tournament MVP and get a win)," Whitaker said. "I don't know what else to say other than that."
Seventy-First (20-4) just couldn't come up with the answers, falling to E.E. Smith for the fourth time this season. After taking a 23-22 lead on a free throw by Caroline Smith with 2:47 left in the second quarter, the Golden Bulls outscored the Falcons 9-4 to take a 32-27 halftime advantage.
Coming out of halftime, E.E. Smith locked down on defense and forced nine Seventy-First turnovers in the third quarter, stretching their margin to 48-38 at the end of three quarters. A 3-pointer by Whitaker with 6:23 left in the fourth pushed the Golden Bull lead to its highest at 13.
The Falcons, however, scored 13 of the next 19 points to close the gap to 56-51 after a jump shot by Simone Ewers energized their fans and quieted the home crowd a bit.
But after a missed shot by Ewers on the Falcons' next possession, Whitaker broke ahead of the pack to score the championship-clinching layup, giving the Golden Bulls faithful a reason to spark a chant of "Ain't Nothin' Like Some Blue And Gold."
"Teamwork made the dream work," Avae Hardy said after the game."
Both teams struggled shooting and handling the ball. E.E. Smith shot 37 percent from the field and had 28 turnovers, while Seventy-First connected on just 27 percent of their attempts, along with 36 turnovers.
"Tonight the key (for the game) was stamina," E.E. Smith coach Dee Hardy said. "It was all about which team could outlast the other and that was the difference."
Simone Ewers scored 16 points to lead Seventy-First, while Dazni Curtis and Carolyn Smith each chipped in 12. For E.E. Smith, Jovanah Graham had 13. After the game, the All-Tournament team was announced. Seventy-First's Carolyn Smith and Diona Curtis made it, as well as E.E. Smith's Hardy. Rounding out the team were Jack Britt's Ashley Francis and South View's Ciara Morris.
E.E. Smith 60, Seventy-First 51
Seventy-First
12
15
11
13-51
E.E. Smith
15
17
16
12-60
SEVENTY-FIRST - Simone Ewers 16, Dazni Curtis 12, Carolyn Smith 12, Curtis 5, Swait 4, Munn 2
E.E. SMITH - Amber Whitaker 19, Jovanah Graham 13, Moore 9, Bazemore 6, Hardy 5, Smith 4, Payne-Green 2, McMillion 2
Fouled out: EES - Graham
Technical fouls: None
3-point goals: Whitaker 2
Records: Seventy-First 20-4, E.E. Smith 21-1