Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon Girls Win Three

Gurdon's Lady Devils thrashed Lewisville, but at the cost of the team's leading scorer.

The 54-32 victory saw Alicia Clayborn go down in the first period with a sprained ankle. Coach Sandra Hatley said she would miss at least two weeks.

The game began with Gurdon in a 2-3 zone, pressing the ball. Lewisville worked the ball around the perimeter, but had a bad habit of turning it over.

Early on, Gurdon didn't shoot well. At the 4:40 point of the first, the Lady Devils led 6-4.

The Lady Devils began converting Lewisville miscues into points later on, though their shots caught a lot of iron. With 1:57 showing, Gurdon led 14-5.

Following a Lewisville turnover, the ball was inbounded to Clayborn, who drove downcourt for a layup.

As she prepared to make the leap for the basket, two Lady Red Devils converged, hammering her into the court. Clayborn went down screaming in pain, clutching her ankle, as two members of the Baptist Ambulance Service rushed on court to examine her injury. Play was halted until she could be treated and taken for X- rays.

This was all the incentive Gurdon needed for the rest of the game. Lewisville's players had been hacking when fouling, apparently trying to cause harm. They didn't know who they were fooling with.

Gurdon typically plays a physical game, and this one was no different.

The first frame ended with Gurdon up 19-5 and fully fired up.

Period two began with the Lady Red Devils unsure what sport they were playing, as they continued to hammer Gurdon players when fouling. It seemed they needed pads as they hit harder than their football counterparts.

The game in the paint was vicious on both side. Had this type of contact been initiated off the court, police officers would have been called in to prevent a riot.

With 4:10 left in the half, Gurdon led 27-6. At this point, LaVonda Young took control of the game, driving the lanes for layups, out-muscling Lewisville's players.

This sparked the rest of the team, as the Lady Devils stepped up their game. Gurdon shooters found their stroke and began firing away.

Defensively, the Lady Devils worked to deny anything to Lewisville and fought bitterly on the boards. The half ended with Gurdon holding a 33-14 lead.

The Lady Devils came out of the locker room loose and relaxed for their warm up shots. They were ready to punish the Lady Red Devils in the second half.

Gurdon's pressure ensured sloppy ball handling by Lewisville, as they forced turnover after turnover, turning the errant passes into points.

The Lady Red Devils tried to press Gurdon, but found they didn't have the depth or speed to do this. Hatley made use of her bench, subbing often to keep fresh legs on the court.

The Lady Devils settled down and played smart in the third period, working the ball for the best shots and not taking just any shot available. For a while, the game was a defensive struggle, with neither squad able to establish control.

Period three ended with Gurdon up 44-20.

While fouls had not been an issue in the third quarter, they piled up fast at the start of the fourth. With 7:14 showing, Lewisville was in the bonus situation.

Dawana Stuckey fouled out early in the fourth, while Young left the game with a twisted ankle. It looked as if the contest would be a game of attrition, with the team able to put five on the court at the end the winner.

Fouls quickly slowed the pace of the game. When Gurdon would drive to the basket, the players would be fouled, thereby stopping the clock for free throws.

The game went from a smooth pace to the speed of a glacier from the 4:33 mark on, when both teams were in the bonus. Still, Gurdon had more than enough horses to post the 54-32 win.

Clayborn returned to the gymnasium on crutches at the 6:34 point in the fourth period of the boys game.

Hatley said she would be back in time for the district tournament, but her loss for the remainder of the regular season could be crucial.

Young led Gurdon's scoring attack with 16 as the only player in double-figures. Clayborn left the game with eight in the first.

Natasha Collins led Lewisville with 11.

At the charity stripe, Gurdon converted six of 19, with the Lady Red Devils hitting 14 of 30.

GURDON 64

STAMPS 57

The Lady Devils did a number of the Lady Yellow Jackets Friday, Jan. 16, as they downed Stamps 64-57.

Gurdon opened with a 20-14 lead at the end of one, and held a 39-27 advantage at the half.

The third quarter saw the Lady Devils up 50-42 as Stamps fought back somewhat, but were unable to overcome Gurdon' s lead in the end.

Young and Tiffany Ware had the hot hand for Gurdon as they netted 14 each. Clayborn rocked the rim for 13.

Dockey led Stamps with 16, while Davis scored 12.

The Lady Devils were nine of 15 from the line. Stamps was 19 of 26 in free throw attempts.

GURDON 47

STEPHENS 43

Traveling to Stephens, the Lady Devils handed the Lady Roadrunners a 47-43 home loss to get even with an earlier loss in Gurdon at the start of January.

Gurdon opened the game with a 15-11 lead and held onto a 28-22 score when the buzzer sounded ending the first half of play.

The Lady Devils were able to keep their eight-point lead at the end of the third, when the score was 36-28, but had to hold on and hold off a Stephens surge late.

Clayborn was Gurdon's leading scorer with 18, while Jessica Rainey netted 11.

Porchia DeSheak topped Stephens scorers with 17, with Amber Jackson contributing 14 in the loss.

The game wouldn't have been quite as close if Gurdon had been better at the free throw line. The Lady Devils were only able to net two of 12 from the stripe. Stephens, however, nailed 15 of 19 at the line.