Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

GHS Squads Split Games

It was inevitable and finally happened.

Gurdon's senior girls lost their first game at the new Gurdon High School gym Tuesday, Dec. 2.

But what made losing the first game so bad was who they lost to - the Prescott Wolverettes. And what made this even harder is the Lady Devils had the chance to tie the game late and send it to overtime.

Still, when the smoke cleared, fans in the packed house knew they had gotten their money's worth with the 62-58 loss.

When these two teams met to open their seasons on the hardwood in Prescott on Nov. 11, the Wolverettes hammered the Lady Devils 73-49.

Gurdon's girls were looking for revenge Tuesday when Prescott had to come and play in their back yard.

However, the game opened with the Wolverettes taking a 12-0 lead as they connected on their first six shots from the field, including a couple of three-pointers by Andrea Cossey.

But, Gurdon's girls settled down somewhat and cut into Prescott's lead, ending the first period trailing 14-5.

Interestingly, the two defenses played so hard neither offense was able to do much with about four minutes left in the opening frame .

The officials earned their money as 45 free throws were taken by the two teams in the game.

As the game progressed in the second quarter, the Lady Devils did what they do game in and game out - they fired up three point shots from all over the court. Unfortunately, this was one of those nights when the Gurdon basket was capped and the ball wouldn't go down.

By and large, though, it was a typical Gurdon-Prescott game as neither team would give any quarter or ask for any. In short, it was more a war on the hardwood instead of a basketball game.

Both crews put 15 points onto their totals in the second period, which left the Lady Devils still down by nine at 29-20.

They began making up the difference somewhat in the third quarter, fighting back to cut Prescott's advantage to 39-34 with 3:18 left in the period. However, the Lady Devils were outscored from that point 7-4 as the Wolverettes headed into the final eight minutes leading 46-38.

The fourth quarter alone was worth the price of admission as these two basketball powerhouses battled each other bloody.

Prescott built an 11 point lead, 51-40, with 4:06 left in the contest. This meant nothing to the Lady Devils, as they kicked their game into another gear, stroking two quick baskets to cut the lead to 51-44, then 51-48 after forcing the Wolverettes to make some bad passes because of the pressure defense.

The Lady Devils also got a break when Stacy Stockton fouled out with 3:30 to go and cut Prescott's offensive firepower down somewhat.

Still, the baskets were unkind to the home team as several shots rimmed out.

The rafters were shaking with noise made by the fans as the Lady Devils cut the gap to 57-55 with 1:31 remaining and were down 59-58 with 16.4 seconds showing.

At this point, though, Traci Graham was fouled and canned her two free throws, putting the score 61-58.

The Lady Devils drove down court, found Tameka Hatley in the open and watched as she fired a shot from beyond the perimeter.

The shot, though, fell short and was rebounded by Prescott. Wolverette Kamori Scott was fouled with 8.2 remaining and managed to ice the game by hitting one of her two charity shots.

Alicia Clayborn led the Lady Devils with 24 points, while Jessica Rainey added a baker's dozen. Hatley netted 12, including two three-pointers.

Graham paced Prescott with a game-high 25, while Cossey stroked the nylons for 21, including a trio of threes.

Free throws could have been the difference had either team shot particularly well. The Lady Devils converted 12 of 24, while Prescott hit 13 of 21 from the line.

GURDON 58

PRESCOTT 44

Gurdon's senior boys kept the Curley Wolves winless on the court with their 58-44 thrashing in the evening's final action.

At no time did the Devils ever let the Wolves think they had a chance. From the opening tip, Gurdon was all over the Wolves.

By the end of the first eight minute period, the Devils were comfortably in front by a 22-10 score. This lead was increased during the second period, with Gurdon in command and control at the half 38-22.

Coach John Ware substituted liberally during the second half, making sure his starters were well rested for their next outing, and giving the bench players some valuable minutes.

For the remainder of the game, Prescott outscored the Devils 22-20, but it was a case of too little, too late and not enough to begin with.

Eric Hatley traded in his cleats for sneakers to lead the Devils with 10 points, while his grid teammate Antonio Gatlin stroked two treys during the contest.

Brian Woodley led Prescott with 10 points.

While both teams shot 24 free throws in the game, neither was able to convert 50 percent. The Devils made 11 from the stripe, while the Wolves were a woeful seven.

GURDON 22

PRESCOTT 16

Prescott's junior boys also found Gurdon to be an unfriendly place to visit as they were whipped 22-16.

The first quarter was defense oriented as both squads battled for the pumpkin, and neither offense had much in the way of a clear shot. However, the Devils found themselves on the short end of a 5-4 score when the period ended.

Apparently they didn't like that situation and worked to correct it in the second six minute stanza, as they outscored their guests 12-2 to take a 16-7 lead to the locker room at halftime.

The junior Devils were all over the floor defensively, making sure when a Cub had the ball a Devil was in their face.

The Devil defense kept the passing lanes filled, while making it difficult for Prescott to even get a shot off.

Because of Gurdon's in-your-face defense, the Cubs were forced into several turnovers and made a number of bad decisions.

In the third period, though, neither offense bothered to show up. In fact, only three points were scored in the quarter. The Cubs made one field goal, while the Devils connected on a free throw. The frame ended with the score 17-9.

This changed somewhat in the fourth quarter as Prescott found a few openings and battled back into the game. With 3:03 left, Gurdon held a slim 19-16 lead.

However, the Cubs had fired their final offensive salvo, while the Devils had a couple of shots left in their ammo dump for the final score and to remain perfect in their new home.