Published: 11:20 PM, Tue Jan 24, 2012
Pine Forest uses long-range shooting, stingy defense to topple E.E. Smith, 69-51
By Earl Vaughan Jr.
Scholastic sports editor
While President Obama was sharing the state of the nation with the rest of the country, Pine Forest coach David May got a one-word assessment on the state of his Trojan basketball team Tuesday night at E.E. Smith.
Three-mendous.
Pine Forest rode its potent 3-point shooting and some tough defense to a second-half comeback for a 69-51 win over the Golden Bulls.
The Trojans remain alone at the top of the Mid-South 4-A Conference standings with an 8-0 league record, 19-1 overall.
Smith finds itself in a pack of teams struggling for places three through six in the standings. The Golden Bulls are 3-10 overall and 3-5 in the league.
Alex Bradley's 29 points, which included four 3-pointers, helped spark the Trojan comeback, along with a second-half emphasis on defense.
"We knew coming in that first half they were going to get after it,'' May said. "We didn't play awful but they played at a real high level.''
The result was a 33-25 lead for Smith at the half. Diante Hodges led Smith for the game with 27 points.
"I told them if we keep applying pressure to them, I didn't think they would be able to withstand it,'' May said. "It started through our defense. We got some stops, Alex hit a three and we got some steals and rebounds and forced them into some tough shots.
"We really just controlled the second half, tempo and everything.''
May gave Bradley some of the credit for that. "The second half he came out more mentally ready and executed the game plan,'' May said.
Bradley felt the Trojans came out overconfident in the first half. "They played tough defense and we didn't run our stuff,'' he said. "They capitalized on that and they scored a lot.
"The second half, we pushed our defense up to try and get some steals and that's what happened.''
Pine Forest reeled off a 14-4 run at the start of the second half that was highlighted by three 3-point baskets, two by Bradley and one by E.J. Williams.
Bradley's last 3-pointer in the run with 4:07 left in the third quarter staked Pine Forest to a 39-37 lead. The Trojans just padded the margin from there en route to the win.
"I've said this when I played and for the last three years I've been coaching here,'' May said. "You win on the road in Fayetteville, it's a good thing. Things aren't always going to go your way.
"You've got to keep playing hard and I think that's what we did tonight.''
Smith coach Darrell Purcell said his team is in a dogfight for the third playoff spot in the Mid-South.
"We've got to win out,'' he said. "It's a race now. After Seventy-First and Pine Forest, the rest of us are fighting for one or two spots.
"One win would put us in third place. One loss would put you back in sixth. That's as close as it is right now.''
Pine Forest 69, E.E. Smith 51
PINE FOREST - Eliott, McEachern 2, Alex Bradley 29, Corbett, Hall 5, Ray 2, E.J. Williams 5, Isaac Lyerly 13, Naquon Smith 13, T. Smith, Jansen.
E.E. SMITH - Rivas 2, Robinson, Bradham 5, Bell, Whitaker 2, Williamson 8, Manning 7, Armstrong, Dionte Hodges 27, Frazier.
Fouled out: None
Technical fouls: PF - bench
3-point goals: PF - Bradley 4, E.J. Williams, Lyerly 3. EES - Manning.
Records: Pine Forest 19-1, 8-0; E.E. Smith 3-10, 3-5.