July 7, 2002

Stealers Finish Tied For 17^th in Nation

Whitney and her Winston-Salem Stealer teammates just returned from Amarillo, where they went 4-2, good enough for a 17^th place finish in the country. The 12-u, 2002, National Champions are Fencor (Pennsylvania).

The Stealers started strong, winning all three of their pool games. Their first win came over the Oakland Suns from Michigan, 58-39. The Stealers then defeated Norco, from California, 52-50. Whitney came off the bench to hit a free throw with: 47 left in the game to give the Stealers a three point lead, which they did not relinquish. The last pool game was a 64-34 victory over the West Tennessee Rockets, last year’s number thirteen team in the country.

After winning their pool, the Stealers opened bracket play with a 49-45 hard fought victory over the Oklahoma Tarheels. This pitted the Stealers against the Texas Express (who would eventually finish second), in their next bracket game. Although the Stealers held a healthy lead midway through the first half, the Texas team fought back to take a three point lead at halftime. Texas then outscored the Stealers 8-2 to start the second half and the Stealers never seemed to recover. Trailing by 14 with about seven minutes to go, Whitney hit the post three times resulting in six points, as the Stealers were able to cut the margin to five, but eventually ended up losing 70-59.

The Texas loss dropped the Stealers into the loser’s bracket where they had to meet the Orlando Comets. The winner of the game would gain a spot in the sweet sixteen while the loser would be eliminated.  Once again the good girls jumped out early and big, but could not hold on, losing 54-50. The Comets were able to penetrate at will throughout the second half getting themselves easy baskets and shot exceptionally from the perimeter. 

The Stealers end their season with a 27-4 record and a second straight top twenty finish. Although disappointed, mainly because of the expectations, this season was still very successful and enjoyable. By the way….fall ball starts in seven weeks.

Thanks to everyone who made Whitney’s trip possible! You know who you are and what you mean to us!

In their last tournament prior to Nationals, the Stealers went 5-1 and finished second in the Great Smokies Shootout held in Asheville. The Stealers pretty much had their way through their first four games, winning convincingly in each. Things got a little tougher in the semis when they played the Charlotte Fire in a rematch of their state tournament meeting. The Stealers won the earlier contest by twenty-eight points, but the Fire were up to the task this time. Early on the Fire led 7-1, but the Stealers went on a 7-0 run to take a lead they would never relinquish and went on to win 49-39.

In the championship game, the Stealers met their longtime rivals, the Lady Royals, in a rematch of this year's state championship game. The Stealers never got on track, despite leading at halftime by one point. However, the second half was all Royals as they constantly beat the Stealers in transition and took advantage of a poor team shooting performance by the Stealers.

The Stealers now head to Amarillo with a 23-2 record. Drawing for the national pools should be out by June 12.

May 6, 2002

Stealers Capture Second Straight State Championship!

Whitney and the Stealers won their second consecutive North Carolina State AAU Championship this past weekend, winning four straight games and qualifying for the National Tournament in the process.

On Friday, the Stealers defeated the Carolina Magic from Durham to open tournament play. On Saturday morning it was the Greensboro Gaters who fell prey to the aggressive Stealers. Neither game was close, as the Stealers jumped out early and never looked back.

Saturday night’s game against the Charlotte fire proved to be a much tougher game, as the Fire were a big and aggressive team. However, the Stealers used a 17-0 run to end the first half and pulled away in the second half to put them in the championship game.

On Sunday afternoon, an old foe, the WNC Lady Royals waited, in a rematch of last year’s title game, and gave the Stealers all they could handle in the first half. Despite playing poorly in the initial half, the Stealers led by two at halftime. The Stealers defensive effort proved too much in the second half though, as they defeated the Royals 50-38 for their second straight title. The royals and the Fire also qualified for the National Tournament.

Whitney played well throughout the weekend, not scoring a lot, but giving a solid defensive effort and once again holding her own on the boards against much bigger girls. The Stealers are now 18-1 overall, with their next tournament dates unknown at this time.

April 24, 2002               

Stealers Sweep Virginia Beach!

The Stealers had a successful weekend, going 4-0 in the Boo Williams Red Tide Invitational in Virginia Beach. Their first win came Saturday afternoon over the Boo Williams Red Tide Smith Team 48-29. Later that evening, they played Virginia’s 2002 12-under state champions, the Red Tide Parker team and soundly defeated them 61-42. The Parker team finished 13^th in the nation last summer.

On Sunday morning it was the Maryland Metro players from the Baltimore area who fell victim to the Stealers 47-26. The final game of the round robin tournament was against the Boo Williams Black Widows. The Black Widows finished 3^rd in the Virginia state tournament and have also qualified for the national tournament in Amarillo this summer.  Despite winning 57-30, this was clearly the Stealers toughest contest.

Whit’s play was consistent throughout the weekend, although nothing spectacular. She went 2-3 from the free throw line, making her 9-13 on the year. The Stealers are now headed to the North Carolina State tournament with a 14-1 record.

April 8, 2002

Stealers Win Regional Championship

The Stealers clicked on all cylinders this weekend, winning four games convincingly and capturing the North Central Regional Championship.  Play began on Friday night with a win over the Greensboro Galaxy White team, followed by another pool win Saturday over the West Forsyth Warriors.  Sunday’s semi-final game saw the Stealers roll past the host Greensboro Gaters, despite several Stealers being in early foul trouble. The championship game was a bit closer, with the Stealers defeating the Greensboro Galaxy Green team 68-39.

Winning the championship guarantees the Stealers of a top-seed at the state tournament in High Point on May 3-5.  The Stealers are the defending state champions but will no doubt have a tougher time as the competition will intensify. Results of the other regions were not immediately available, but will be posted in the near future.

Whitney played well throughout the weekend, shooting 46% from the field but going only 1-4 from the free throw line.  She is now 7-10 from the line overall. Her defense and rebounding were consistent, especially in the final two games, where she was matched up with much bigger players. She also attempted to take two charge fouls in the title game, but neither time was a call made.

The Stealers, 10-1 overall, next play in Virginia Beach, Virginia, April 20-21 in the Boo Williams Invitational.

March 18, 2002

Stealers Finish Second in Roanoke

Whitney and the Stealers finished second this past weekend, playing up in age group in Roanoke, Virginia. The Stealers won two games convincingly on Saturday and were scheduled to play the Central Virginia Elite team twice on Sunday. The first game was a scheduled game, with the second game being the tournament championship.

The two coaches agreed to play only once for the championship and the Elite 13’s prevailed 55-46 in overtime. The Stealers needed a three pointer from Lauren Beeson at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, but the Elite squad completely dominated the extra session.

Turnovers, poor shooting and a lack of rebounding were the primary culprits throughout regulation, while fatigue seemed to play a big part in overtime. The Stealers are now 6-1 overall and aren’t scheduled to play again until the Regional Tournament in Greensboro on April 5-7.

As a side note, Whitney attempted only two free throws the entire weekend, connecting on both, making her 6 of 6 through the first two tournaments.

March 11, 2002

Stealers Win Gaters Tournament

Whitney and her Stealer teammates started the AAU campaign off in fine fashion, winning four games in three days to capture the Greensboro Gaters Invitational Championship.

The Stealers got things kicked off Friday night with an easy win over the Garner Flames. The final margin was in the 20’s, but the game was not that close. A running clock in the second half kept the game from getting totally out of hand.  On Saturday morning, the Stealers used a 23-0 run to break open a 9-9 tie and never looked back in another game similar to their first one.

The toughest competition came in the tourney semi-finals when the Stealers played the defending Georgia State champions, the Georgia Magic. The Magic were big and physical, but no match for the quicker Stealers as they cruised 47-26. The championship game saw the good guys defeat the Garner Flames again, as Garner had upset the Carolina Express to get into the title game. Once again, the game was not close and the Stealers ended up collecting the hardware.

Whit played well throughout the weekend, playing the forward position the majority of the time and battling much bigger girls for rebounds. The team looked fairly good overall, considering they have had only two practices.

A bigger test may come this weekend when the Stealers travel to Roanoke, Virginia and will play up in age group.

March 6, 2002

Lady Eagles Season Comes to End

Whitney and her Lady Eagles had their season ended yesterday, as they were upset in the first round of the county championships by Grier 37-35. It was their first loss at home and ends their season at 9-2. Cramerton had beaten Grier on the road just a week ago.

The Eagles dug themselves a deep hole in the first half allowing the Knights to take a 25-17 lead at halftime. Cramerton was the top defensive team during the regular season allowing just 23 points per game, but allowed Rachel Smith to drive sideline and baseline at will during the first two quarters.

Cramerton fought back in the third outscoring Grier 9-2, to trail 27-26 going into the final six minutes. It looked as though the Eagles would prevail as they took a 30-27 lead with a little over three minutes to go, but costly turnovers down the stretch gave Grier opportunities that they capitalized on.

Grier played a box and one on Whitney the entire game, knowing she had scorched them for 17 points a week ago. She scored 8 points in the loss, with 2 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 turnovers. The Eagles as a team, committed 22 turnovers.

Despite yesterday’s disappointment, the season was a successful one overall. The Eagles were picked to finish sixth in the pre-season and wound up winning the regular season championship and finishing third in the playoffs.

Coach Gurganus is now 13-8 in his two years as coach, including 13-2 over the last 15 games.

Grier will meet York Chester Thursday for the county championship.

February 28, 2002

Eagles Capture First Place On Last Day

As expected, the Lady Eagles easily defeated an undermanned Bessemer City squad 46-10, to extend their winning streak to nine games and finish the regular season with a 9-1 record.  The icing on the cake came when they learned Grier had defeated York Chester, thereby giving the Eagles sole possession of first place and home court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Eagles connected on 18 of 44 field goal attempts and had 12 assists as several players got into the scoring act.  Whitney scored four points and handed out four assists in just seven minutes of action, as Coach Gurganus was once again able to get everyone ample playing time.

York Chester’s loss dropped them to 8-2 and third in the playoff seeding as Stanley defeated Holbrook to finish 8-2 and second by way of beating York Chester earlier in the year. Grier finishes fourth at 7-3 and will be the Lady Eagles first round opposition. The Eagles defeated Grier 35-30 last Thursday, but this time will have the home court advantage.

February 21, 2002

Whitney Shoots Eagles Into First Place

Whitney and the rest of the Eagles are now sitting in first place, after a thrilling 35-30 victory over Grier earlier today.  Whit connected on 4 of 4 from three point range, while also hitting 5 of 6 free throws in the final 1:52 to seal the victory. After connecting on three three’s early in the game, Grier went to a box and one to try and slow Whit down. Whit continued to run the offense and keep the Eagles close, trailing 19-17 at the half. Grier was 8 of 16 from the field in the first half, with Rachel Smith doing most of the damage.

The third quarter is where the Eagles took over, forcing Grier into a 2-11 shooting period and 11 turnovers. Cramerton led 26-23 going into the final quarter and Whit and company would not be denied.  Despite only 1 fourth quarter field goal, the Eagles connected on 7 of 8 free throws to secure the win.  Whit’s 17 points were a season high, while she also had 2 assists and 3 turnovers.

The Eagles are now 8-1 and close out the regular season next Thursday at home against Bessemer City. A win Thursday, coupled with a York Chester loss at Grier would give the Eagles the regular season title and home court advantage in all post season games.

February 18, 2002

Eagles Win Despite Sluggish Effort

Despite a poor all-around effort, especially on the defensive end, the Lady Eagles kept their hopes of a top seed alive with a 33-25 win over winless Mount Holly.

Whitney lead the way with 12 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 rebounds.  Reserve center Caitlyn Clement played her best game of the season to help secure the win.

The Eagles trailed 5-4 after the first quarter, in which they also had six turnovers. The team settled down in the next quarter though, hitting 6-18 from the field and turning it over only once in each of the second and third quarters. Coach Gurganus used his bench to finish out the final four minutes, as the game was pretty much put away.

The Eagles, now 7-1 play at Grier Thursday in a game which could determine what seed they earn in the playoffs. A win Thursday and another win next Thursday over winless Bessemer City, coupled with a pair of York Chester losses on the road, would give the Eagles the number one seed.

February 14, 2002

Eagles Win Sixth Straight, Defeat Stanley 45-37

To have a chance at finishing first in the regular season, Whitney and the Eagles knew they had to win a very tough road game at Stanley today.  Whit was not about to let her team down, as she scored 13 points to go along with 9 assists, 4 steals and 2 rebounds leading the Eagles to the 45-37 victory.

The game started sluggish with both teams shooting the ball poorly in the first quarter and the Eagles down 8-6 after the period.  Although the offensive pace picked up in the second quarter, the Eagles back line repeatedly got beat on the break and Stanley either converted lay-ups or went to the free throw line, en route to a 24-20 lead at intermission.

It was the third quarter where Whit and company started to do damage. The Eagles outscored Stanley 13-5 and seemed to frustrate the Blue Devils on the defensive end. Stanley shot 1-13 from the field during the quarter and could not apply any pressure to Whit in the backcourt as she continuously broke the press and gift-wrapped lay-ups for her fellow Eagles.

The fourth quarter was more of the same, particularly a two minute stretch where Whit dished out three straight assists and hit a jumper off of the break to push the Eagles lead to ten. Stanley fought back with two straight baskets, but Whit found Sara Fender for an open jumper which squelched the Stanley rally.

Cramerton out rebounded Stanley 34-15, due primarily to Stanley’s poor shooting from the field (11-49). It was the worst turnover game of the season for the Eagles as they committed 27. Whitney had 4 turnovers but that is a percentage we’ll accept considering she has the ball in her hands about 85% of the time.

The Eagles now 6-1 play host to Mount Holly on Tuesday and now have sole possession of second place.

February 11, 2002                                       

Eagles Crush Belmont For Fifth Straight Win

The Lady Eagles used a balanced attack has nine players scored in a 46-13 thrashing of Belmont today. The Eagles are now 5-1 with an important road game coming up Thursday against Stanley, who upset Grier on the road today. Stanley is now 4-1.  Whitney had an excellent game, playing just 11 minutes, but scoring 10 points, handing out 5 assists and picking up 3 steals.  More importantly she had no turnovers.

Cramerton shot 35% from the field (21-60), their second best shooting percentage of the year. Belmont, meanwhile, shot a dismal 13% from the floor while turning the ball over 25 times.  The Eagles also had 14 assists on their 21 baskets, many coming on long passes that beat the Belmont defense back down the floor.

February 7, 2002

Whitney Leads Eagles Past Chavis

Whitney played a dominant game in leading the Lady Eagles past Chavis 30-27 on the Wolverines home floor.  It was their first loss at home in over two years and drops the two time defending county champions to 3-2. The Eagles are now 4-1 at the midway point.

Whitney had 12 points, 7 assists and 5 steals to lead her team, but it was her defense that turned things around in the second half.  Trailing 18-17 at halftime, the Lady Eagles gave up a three point field goal to Abby Walls to start the third quarter. Walls had 10 at the half and looked as though she would be a thorn in the Eagles side.

Eagles Coach Kevin Gurganus called timeout and had his squad play a box and one on Walls with Whitney drawing the assignment.  Not only did Walls not score again, but she got up only two shots the rest of the way.

The Eagles scored the final points of the game when Sara Fender hit a long jumper off of a Whitney pass. Chavis had two shots to tie in the last 10 seconds but could not convert. Walls was not involved in the final shots.

Cramerton plays host to Belmont on Monday in an effort to guarantee themselves of a winning season.

February 5, 2002

Lady Eagles Win Third Straight
 

The Cramerton Lady Eagles improved to 3-1 on the season with a convincing 44-18 victory over W.C. Friday yesterday. The game was never in doubt as the Eagles jumped out quick and never looked back.  Ten Eagles scored in the game and Coach Kevin Gurganus was able to empty his bench early and frequent.

Whitney finished with three points and five assists while playing a very solid floor game. W.C. Friday did what they could to take the ball out of Whitney’s hands, but her Eagle teammates were up to the task of converting her passes into scores.

Cramerton plays this Thursday at Chavis(3-1), who had their 27 game winning streak snapped by Grier yesterday.

The Lady Eagles are now in a three-way tie for second place, but need at least one more road win to have a shot at making the playoffs.
 

Thursday February 1, 2002                   

Eagles Soar to Second Straight Win

The Lady Eagles used a stingy defense and some all-around floor play from Whitney to defeat Holbrook 33-22 yesterday.  The win was a crucial one, as the Eagles need to go undefeated at home to have a shot at making the playoffs.  Whitney scored 12 points and handed out 7 assists, while Hayley Anderson added 10 points.  Whitney’s best friend Tiffany Blackmon led Holbrook with 12 points.

The game was relatively close in the first half, although Cramerton seemed in control at all times. It was in the third quarter when the Eagles went on a 8-0 spurt to put the game away. Whitney hit three straight jumpers and hit Anderson with a long pass for a basket during the stretch.

Cramerton now 2-1 plays at Friday this coming Monday, while Holbrook 1-2 plays host to Bessemer City.

Tuesday Jan 29, 2002

Eagles Rebound Big Over Southwest

After a disappointing season opening loss last Thursday, the Lady Eagles responded in a big way, with a convincing 45-21 win over Southwest.  Whitney led the Eagles with 13 points while teammate Hayley Anderson added 11.

The Eagles trailed early in the game, before taking control in the second quarter with a flurry of baskets off of their full court press.  Whitney scored 11 of her points in a four minute span of that quarter.  She finished with four rebounds, six steals and two assists in twenty minutes.

Cramerton plays again Thursday when they host Holbrook in a game which could go a long way in deciding who makes the playoffs. Holbrook is led by Tiffany Blackmon, a six-foot center averaging 17 points a game.

Friday, January 25, 2002

Eagles Lose Season Opener

Whitney’s school ball season opened yesterday on a disappointing note, with the Lady Eagles losing to York Chester 29-25.  The Eagles led the game most of the way, but York Chester outscored them 6-0 in the final two minutes.

Overall, Whitney did some good things, however she had a poor shooting game, finishing 1-8 from the field and 2-4 from the free throw line for a total of four points. Her four assists led the team, but clearly Whit was disappointed in her shooting performance.

The Lady Eagles used a half court trap to lead 11-9 at halftime as both teams’ shot poorly from the field. They extended their lead to 22-17 after three quarters and looked to have a good chance of upsetting the second ranked York Chester squad on their home floor. However, after missing lay-ups throughout the third quarter, the fourth quarter proved to be different as the Eagles press proved ineffective.

Whitney and her teammates have a chance to redeem themselves in their home opener Monday against Southwest.

Copyright © 2001 Big T Animations