Gators move to 2-0 in TRC

The Lady Gators returned to conference play Friday night with a home game against Red Springs. After struggling in their last several games, the girls hit the floor looking like the Gators we are used to seeing. After a quick start that put 35 points on the board at halftime, the girls only managed five points in the 3rd quarter but finished strong to come away with a 53-21 victory. B played what may have been her best game of the year finishing with 10 points, 5 steals and several nice passes for assists. A few quick clips of B (#14) can be found here . A local news clip from WECT TV can be seen by clicking on the title of this article and scrolling to the bottom. The win put the Gators at 6-3 on the year and 2-0 in the Three Rivers Conference. The girls will have to wait a bit to hit the hardwood again as the next game in not until Friday, at St. Paul’s.

Gators Bounce Back

After suffering their first loss of the season to start the week, the Lady Gators finished the week with a solid conference win on Friday at West Columbus to move their record to 3-1. In a game that saw considerable playing time for the reserves, the Gators cruised to a 59-33 win. B was a bit off on her jump shot and finished with 8 points and 4 assists. She did have a very good night on defense with 6 steals and 1 blocked shot to go along with 3 rebounds. A couple of clips of her (#14) play is included below. The Gators do not play again until next Friday when they host in-county rival Whiteville in a non-conference game.

Lady Gators Fall to Eagles

Monday night the Lady Gators faced off against the defending East Regional Champion and State Runner-Up, East Bladen. The Eagles and their all-star center led from start to finish and pulled away to an impressive 70-48 win. B played a solid game despite having an off shooting night. B finished the night with 10 points, going 5 of 13 from the floor. She also had 4 steals, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 turnover. A few clips of her play (#14) can be found below. The Gators will be back in action on Friday night at West Columbus in their first conference game of the young season.

Gators Move to 2-0

Friday night The East Columbus Lady Gators moved their record to 2-0 with a non-conference win over South Columbus. The Gators played stifling defense from start to finish and held their turnover count to a minimum in route to a 44-18 victory. B had a very good game going 5 of 10 from the floor including 4 of 5 from the 3 point line. Along with her 14 points, she had 3 steals, 2 assists and 2 rebounds. The best stat she had on the night was ZERO turnovers. A couple of clips of her (#14) play can be found below. What looks to be the toughest task of the season will come Monday night when the Lady Gators travel to last years state runner-up, East Bladen.

Off to a Quick Start

The East Columbus Lady Gators got the new season off to a quick start Tuesday night with an impressive win at North Brunswick. After losing a starting guard and their spotlight post player to graduation, the Lady Gators came into the game as a concensus underdog with a young starting lineup that included two freshmen and a sophomore. Early on, the Gators looked to be filling that role as the Lady Scorpions jumped to a quick 7-0 lead. After shaking the early game jitters however, the Gators steadily fought back and pushed to a 25-23 lead at the half. The second half belonged to the Gators as they quickly pulled away to rack up a 55-38 win and put a solid "W" on the board to kick the season off. B played a solid floor game and despite a slow shooting start finished with 8 points as well as numerous assists and rebounds. A couple of quick clips of B's play (#14) can be found by clicking here . A TV news clip of the game is below. The next game is Friday night at home against in-county rival South Columbus. We can't wait to see these young ladies hit the floor again.

It's Hardwood Time Again

It's basketball season again and the East Columbus Lady Gators kicked it off by going 3-0 in the East Bladen High School Preseason Jamboree with wins over Clinton, Lakewood and West Bladen. As was to be expected, play was overall ragged and all teams envolved have much fine tuning to do before their season openers. My early assessment is that the Gators will have the edge on most anyone they play this year when it comes to raw speed. The general rule that speed kills is a basic staple of basketball, but it is only lethal when it is coordinated and controlled. Therein lies the biggest improvement opportunity for these ladies this year. B played well at times and showed the early season rust as others. Here is a couple of quick clips of some of her play (#21).With about two weeks till the opener, it will be interesting to see how much these girls can jell.

Lady Gators Week 1

After having their first four games of the year rained out, the ECHS JV Lady Gators finally got the 2010 season rolling with four games in three days. In the season opener on Tuesday, B started and pitched a complete game 10-1 win over East Bladen. B struck out 10 and walked none while also getting three put-outs on come-backers. A double header at South Columbus on Wednesday concluded in a split with the Lady Stallions. The Gators dropped a close 5-3 decision in game one, leaving the bases loaded in the final inning. ECHS came back strong in the nitecap, hammering out a 9-2 win. B started the first game and went four innings allowing only one run. The Gators wrapped up a successful week on Thursday with a 15-1 pasting of East Bladen in an away rematch of the season opener. B started and picked up the win, going four innings and striking out 5 while allowing only one walk. The Lady Gators look to have a well balanced squad with good hitting and solid defense. Going 3-1 in the opening week is a great start and should make for a fun spring.

Varsity Debut

B had her first varsity bball game tonight. As a freshman playing on the varsity team, I think she understands well that she is in a rare position and that playing time will be minimal as she develops and adjusts to the many challenges of a step this big. ECHS opened the season tonight at home against North Brunswick. One thing that surprised B (and us) was the size of the crowd. By the second half of the game, the gym was around 3/4 full, and getting hot. The ECHS Gators took a strong run at the Scorpions late in the game, after falling well behind early. In the end, the Gators came up on the short end of a 62-54 decision.