WASHBURN – North Greene led from start to finish, dominated Cosby 63-47, and earned a spot in Wednesday’s Region 1-1A Championship with a statement win over the Lady Eagles on Monday night.
Lady Huskies Head Coach James Buchanan kept his initial thoughts short and simple in the efforts to make his post-game interview reach YouTube shorts. He explained his feelings after the win by saying, “I feel good. We feel great. We’re blessed.”
The Lady Huskies meant business on Monday. After splitting their home-and-away series with Cosby during the regular season both team’s seasons hung in the balance in the region semis. It was simple. Win and you earn a spot in Wednesday’s championship and a spot in Saturday’s sectionals. Lose and your season is over.
The intensity was felt early as North Greene jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The run helped create a sizable lead they’d sit on and never relinquish.
“The good start is really what carried us all the way to the finish line and helped us to win,” Buchanan expressed.
The Lady Huskies will meet with Unaka for the fourth time this season in Wednesday’s Region 1-1A Championship. The game has been moved from Washburn to Happy Valley and will still begin at 7:00 PM.
North Greene had a trio of players in double figures. Tralyn Southerland was dominant again and led all scorers with a game-high 24 points and went 11-for-14 from the free-throw line. Senior Ella Head had no plans of ending her North Greene career yet and scored 13 points and went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Josie Graham was the third of the trio with 11 points.
Azariah Spurgeon led Cosby with 15 points and Piper Whaley had 14 points.
North Greene improved to 27-6 after the win.
Southerland started her 24-point night early by knocking down a pair of free throws to strike first. Graham made a layup and forced Cosby into an early timeout with a 6-0 lead at the 6:02 mark. North Greene’s press defense created problems for Cosby who couldn’t take care of the ball. The lead reached a 10-0 margin before Cosby ever scored. “I think that’s a testament to their preparation and their attention to detail. There were certain things that we asked them to do and they started it from the get go. From the tip. They were doing those things,” Buchanan explained.
Graham scored four-straight later on in the frame and helped build a strong 16-3 lead with 1:37 left and forced another Cosby timeout.
North Greene led 18-5 after the first quarter.
Natalie Foshie started the second with a layup and ended a 10-2 run. Josie Graham was big on the offensive glass and cleaned up with a put back for a 22-7 lead. Eva Leonard scored with a layup after Cosby’s Azariah Spurgeon sank a three-pointer.
Cosby managed to finish strong in the second half and went on a 14-7 run to cut North Greene’s lead to seven. The Lady Huskies led 27-19 at the half.
North Greene doubled up Cosby in the third and extended their lead to 18 going into the fourth. Cosby trailed 31-24 before North Greene finished the quarter with a 14-4 run. The crushing blows were a pair of three-pointers from Cadie McDevitt and Tralyn Southerland. Eva Leonard’s floater ended a 12-0 run that created a 19-point advantage which resulted in the biggest lead of the night.
The Lady Huskies led 45-28 headed into the fourth.
Cosby never quit and stayed very much alive in the fourth. They even cut it to 10 points, 53-43, with three minutes remaining after going on a 9-2 run. Ella Head drained a big-time bucket from three-point range and extended the lead to 13 with 2:58 left. Cosby scored four-straight and cut it to nine. Just as before, Ella Head delivered a huge blow with a layup with under two to go and basically sealed it.
North Greene took care of business in the end and left Washburn with a 63-47 win over Cosby.
The Lady Huskies play Unaka for the Region 1-1A Championship on Wednesday night at Happy Valley High School at 7:00.
