Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

GHS Teams End Season With Wins Over Dierks

It was another St. Valentine's Day massacre when the Outlaws came to Gurdon Friday, Feb. 14.

The Gurdon Go-Devils routed the visiting Dierks team 88-66 to remain undefeated in their new gym at Gurdon High School.

The Lady Devils opened the evening's play with a 66-45 victory over the Lady Outlaws.

As it has been all season long, Gurdon's offensive pace was frenetic. The Devils raced up and down the court, making life miserable for the visiting Outlaws.

Unfortunately, Gurdon's field goal shooting was off somewhat, or the score would have been even more lopsided.

While both teams were about equal in size, there was no parity in team speed. The Devils left the Dierks players in their wake throughout the contest.

Defensively, Dierks players were harassed and harangued by the Devils, who always had a hand in the ball handler's face.

By the end of the first period, the Devils held a slim 18-14 lead, but this was primarily due to the missed shots.

Offensively, the Devils were patient and worked the ball around to an open man. But it was one of those nights the pumpkin just wouldn't fit in the basket.

However, there were some exceptions to this scoring problem. With 5:58 left in the second quarter, the Devils exploded, taking a 26-14 lead, stretching this to a 34-19 advantage with 4 minutes remaining.

By halftime, though, the Gurdon squad had cooled off somewhat and the Outlaws had battled back. The score at the break was 47-32, and Dierks still believed it had a chance to win.

This belief was quickly squelched as play resumed in the third frame. Gurdon's offense again went on a run, with the pace of the game going from frenetic to chaotic.

The Outlaws began making bad passes, which were converted into Devil points.

With 4:16 to go in the third, the Devils were comfortably in the lead at 60-35.

At this point, Coach John Ware began clearing his bench. Still, the Devils were reading the lanes and picking off passes. By the end of three, Gurdon was up 73-45, but the period ended on a dramatic note.

The Outlaws turned the ball over with about six seconds remaining. Gurdon got the ball down court and in the hands of Keon Brewer. The score, at this time, was 70-43.

Brewer found himself double-teamed outside the arc, off balance, listing heavily starboard, he heaved the ball toward the goal.

There was no way the ball should have gone in -- but it did, and the crowd went wild.

For the remainder of the game, Ware made sure everyone saw action in the contest, though Dierks did cut into Gurdon's lead.

Eric Hatley led the Devils with 15 points. Marcus Wright and Terry Cornish stroked the nets for 10 each.

Chris Bruce paced Dierks with 13.

The Devils didn't see the charity stripe much, but took advantage of the few free throws they did get, netting four of five.

The Outlaws, on the other hand, stayed as close as they did because of free throws. Dierks converted 22 of 32 from the line.

GURDON 66

DIERKS 45

While the senior boys played an up and down game, the girls were more control oriented in posting their 66-45 win over Dierks.

The two squads played evenly for the first eight minutes, with Gurdon taking a 14-12 lead at the end of one.

The Lady Devils showed their superiority in the second frame by pulling ahead even further. At the break, Gurdon was up 34-25, and steadily widened the lead.

During the third period, the Lady Devils ignored most shots inside the arc, preferring to launch three-pointers. This worked as often as not, with Gurdon's girls going up 49-38 at the end of three.

The Lady Outlaws ran a triangle and two defense against the Lady Devils, working to keep the inside packed. This left the shooters open outside, while the two floaters were unable to keep up with the passing game.

The Lady Devils, on the other hand, ran their patented man-to-man defense, switching to a 2-3 zone and pressed heavily.

Gurdon's press disrupted the Lady Outlaw offense, resulting in turnovers and Lady Devil points.

Both coaches substituted freely in the final eight minutes, with Gurdon's subs being more dominant, and outscoring Dierks 17-7.

Tomeka Hatley had the hot hand for Gurdon, as she scored 17 points to lead all scorers. Lavonda Young ripped the cords for 17, while Wanda Cornish contributed 10.

Marci Story paced Dierks with 16, with Lori Whisenhunt adding 11.

The charity stripe was hardly visited in this contest, but both teams did make five free throws each. Gurdon got its extra five points on six shots, while Dierks wound up missing seven to go five of 12.

Both Devil squads will take to the hardwood in the district tournament, held this year at Nevada High School in Rosston. The Devils, as district co-champs, will hit the floor Thursday night at 8, playing the winner of Wednesday night's game.

The Lady Devils, on the other hand, won't see action until the finals Friday night, when they have a 6:45 start time.