Ravenscroft boys basketball falls in semifinals, girls advance to state title
By Jonas Pope IV
RALEIGH
Ravenscroft had duel showdowns with a pair of schools from the Queen City in the NCISAA 3A basketball semifinals.
The boys hosted No. 1 Providence Day, while girls took on Charlotte Christian. With a trip to the NCISAA finals on the line, the Ravens split the varsity games.
The Ravenscroft girls move on to Saturday’s title game. The boys, meanwhile, watched their season come to an end, falling to the top ranked Chargers.
GIRLS
Ravenscroft girls just needed to see a couple go through the net. Once they did, it was bombs away. The Lady Ravens had their shots going and once they started falling, Ravenscroft cruised to a 54-46 win over Charlotte Christian in the NCISAA 3A girls’ semifinals
The Ravens trailed 14-7 early in the first quarter, but girls’ basketball coach Thomas Bunch credited his team for not panicking and staying within the game plan. That game plan was to look inside and kick the ball back out to the shooters, who had the green light to let it rip.
When it was all said and done, Ravenscroft knocked down eight three-pointers and had a balanced attack to keep the Knights at bay.
“If we get a good kick out and they girls are open, then we shoot the ball,” Ravens girls’ basketball coach Shon Hardy said.
One of the threes to break the game open came from junior Lynn Johnson, who tied Erin Hughes for a game-high 17 points.
Nursing a four-point lead, Johnson found herself on the left wing. Without any hesitation, Johnson knocked down the triple, her fifth of the night. Not that the Ravens had cooled down, but their post players (Nandi Traywick and Hughes) started to make their presence felt as well.
“The girls were fired up from there,” Hardy said. “We had an inside pass from Erin who finished at the rack and then we were good.”
Once the Ravens hit some open shots, the Knights came out of their zone defense. Exactly what Hardy wanted.
“Once we got them in man we felt like that’s our strongsuit,” he said. “Once we got them out we were OK.”
Charlotte Christian got a big game from senior Kerstie Phills, who finished with a game-high 30 points. But only four players scored for the Knights, while Hardy had more balance, with six players getting on the board.
Ravenscroft will play No. 1 seed Providence Day School at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Chargers are the six-time NCISAA state champs.
By Jonas Pope IV
RALEIGH
Ravenscroft had duel showdowns with a pair of schools from the Queen City in the NCISAA 3A basketball semifinals.
The boys hosted No. 1 Providence Day, while girls took on Charlotte Christian. With a trip to the NCISAA finals on the line, the Ravens split the varsity games.
The Ravenscroft girls move on to Saturday’s title game. The boys, meanwhile, watched their season come to an end, falling to the top ranked Chargers.
GIRLS
Ravenscroft girls just needed to see a couple go through the net. Once they did, it was bombs away. The Lady Ravens had their shots going and once they started falling, Ravenscroft cruised to a 54-46 win over Charlotte Christian in the NCISAA 3A girls’ semifinals
The Ravens trailed 14-7 early in the first quarter, but girls’ basketball coach Thomas Bunch credited his team for not panicking and staying within the game plan. That game plan was to look inside and kick the ball back out to the shooters, who had the green light to let it rip.
When it was all said and done, Ravenscroft knocked down eight three-pointers and had a balanced attack to keep the Knights at bay.
“If we get a good kick out and they girls are open, then we shoot the ball,” Ravens girls’ basketball coach Shon Hardy said.
One of the threes to break the game open came from junior Lynn Johnson, who tied Erin Hughes for a game-high 17 points.
Nursing a four-point lead, Johnson found herself on the left wing. Without any hesitation, Johnson knocked down the triple, her fifth of the night. Not that the Ravens had cooled down, but their post players (Nandi Traywick and Hughes) started to make their presence felt as well.
“The girls were fired up from there,” Hardy said. “We had an inside pass from Erin who finished at the rack and then we were good.”
Once the Ravens hit some open shots, the Knights came out of their zone defense. Exactly what Hardy wanted.
“Once we got them in man we felt like that’s our strongsuit,” he said. “Once we got them out we were OK.”
Charlotte Christian got a big game from senior Kerstie Phills, who finished with a game-high 30 points. But only four players scored for the Knights, while Hardy had more balance, with six players getting on the board.
Ravenscroft will play No. 1 seed Providence Day School at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Chargers are the six-time NCISAA state champs.
