Spring Creek’s Kam McDaniels, left, plays defense against Research Triangle guard Ellis Merriweather during second-half action in the 2022 Johnstonian News Holiday Invitational on Thursday afternoon. McDaniels earned all-tournament honors. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Dressed in their white warm-up tops, Spring Creek captains Emily Williams (left) and Heather Alexander (right) listen to the referee before tip-off against Research Triangle High School on Thursday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s DJ Deal, right, stops a Research Triangle High School player from looking for an open teammate underneath the basket on Thursday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Ariyana Willis, left, knocks the ball away from a Research Triangle High School player during first-half action Thursday afternoon. The Gators defeated Research Triangle, 48-41.
KENLY — Daniel Krentz opened the locker room door.
“Yeaaaaaaaaah,” shouted his Spring Creek players, who ceremoniously doused their first-year head coach with water.
“Yeah, a happy locker room…hasn’t been like that all season,” Krentz said. “It’s a great feeling. [Am] really proud of our effort all the way around to all of the guys in there.”
Kam McDaniels pumped in 16 points for the Gators, who rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Research Triangle High School, 52-43, in the Johnstonian News Holiday Invitational on Thursday afternoon.
SC finished third for the second straight year.
Krentz applauded his team’s mettle against the Raptors.
“We really needed this game because we got everything thrown at us from trap to full-court press in man-to-man [and] zone,” Krentz said. “They fought through, took the lead, kept the lead and never gave up the lead.”
The Raptors (3-8 overall) led 14-0 halfway through the opening quarter. The Gators squandered their first 14 possessions, which resulted in seven turnovers and seven missed field goals.
Spring Creek logged its first basket, an offensive putback, with 1:19 remaining in the first quarter.
Krentz continued to stress defense and ball movement.
The Gators used that strategy to near perfection in the second quarter. They knotted the game at 18-18 on DJ Deal’s baseball pass to McDaniels, who converted an uncontested layup.
McDaniels drained a running one-hander to force a 20-20 tie at halftime.
Spring Creek grabbed its first lead, 30-28, with 1:24 to go in the third period. Roger Goodspeed knocked down his second 3-pointer to extend the Gators’ advantage, 33-28.
All-tournament pick Brennan Chambers, Nathan Jackson and Ashton Singleton each got into the scoring act. Deal’s steal and layup gave Spring Creek its biggest lead, 42-29, around the four-minute mark.
Research Triangle closed to within 49-43 on consecutive field goals from Tourie Napier Powell. McDaniels’ two free throws sealed the outcome with 17.1 seconds to go.
“It’s the only way to get back into the game if you do those two things,” Krentz said of defense and offensive execution. “We’re an incredibly young team, but it’s a strength in some ways because they don’t know any better. All they know how to do is go play basketball.”
Chambers finished with 11 points, while Jackson chipped in seven. Goodspeed supplied six points. Emerson Cabrera and Deal registered five points apiece.
Girls
Invitational runner-up a year ago, Spring Creek secured third place with a 48-41 conquest of Research Triangle HS.
“I thought we had better urgency, were more focused, came out in man defense and I think the girls did a good job for the most part,” said first-year head coach Paul Hayes, who had just two substitutes on the bench.
“We rebounded better today. We might not have finished as much as we wanted to, but the effort was there.”
Emily Williams’ offensive putback gave the Gators a 29-19 lead at the break.
They didn’t relinquish their double-digit advantage and stretched it to 42-28 with six-plus minutes left in regulation.
An all-tournament selection, Williams finished with seven points. Ariyana Willis led three SC players in double figures with 12 points. Neveah Wright and Kiarah Pearson turned in scoring efforts of 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Gators (7-4) welcome Rosewood to “The Swamp” on Jan. 4, 2023.
2022 Johnstonian News Invitational
(at North Johnston HS, Kenly)
All-Tournament Teams
Boys
MVP: Marcel Freeman (North Johnston).
Sire Holmes (Neuse Charter), Jaylen Sumler (North Johnston), Cadyn Lucas (North Johnston), Tourie Napier Powell (Research Triangle), Brennan Chambers (Spring Creek).
Girls
MVP: Emma Sheetz (North Johnston).
Lyndsy Parrish (Neuse Charter), Samantha Boswell (North Johnston), Camden Ford (North Johnston), Ava Maaska (Research Triangle), Emily Williams (Spring Creek).
Wednesday’s games
Girls
Neuse Charter 45, Spring Creek 35
North Johnston 49, Research Triangle HS 21
Boys
Neuse Charter 76, Spring Creek 43
North Johnston 73, Research Triangle HS 32
Thursday’s games
Girls’ consolation
Spring Creek 48, Research Triangle HS 41
Boys’ consolation
Spring Creek 52, Research Triangle HS 43
Girls’ championship
North Johnston 45, Neuse Charter 30
Boys’ championship
North Johnston 56, Neuse Charter 45
