Story by Hal Goodtree | March 18, 2010 | Tags: basketball, cary, GHHS, nc, Sports
Cary, NC – Green Hope’s Lady Falcons Basketball Team had an epic season. Undefeated until the NCHSAA Final against the Butler High School Bulldogs of Matthews, NC at Reynold’s Coliseum last Saturday.
Here’s a story in pictures of the final game with photos by Suzie Wolf and Hal Goodtree. You can also see the slideshow on Flickr.
BTW – Suzie posted over 250 shots of the game on SmugMug. Check them out for a more detailed look at the game.
GAME SUMMARY
You could tell Green Hope had an uphill battle from the moment the teams gathered for the opening tip off. The Bulldogs had a serious height advantage over the Lady Falcons.
Butler ran off 11 unanswered points to start the game.
Green Hope played with heart for all 32 minutes, but they never seemed to get into the offense. While the Bulldogs scored inside and dominated the boards, GHHS took jumpers and seemed to rush their offense. Missed shots led to fast breaks and easy scores.
The first half ended with Butler on top 42-19.
Green Hope made a push in the second half, slashing to the hole and getting more physical. But Butler never really lost control of the game.
Bulldog standout Cierra Burdik showed why she was the Gatorade NC Player of the Year. Tall enough to play center, she handles the ball like a guard. Burdik’s a terrific passer, especially down low and in traffic, drawing the defense and threading the needle with a wrap-around. She has good footwork around the basket bringing to mind a certain Wake Forest Player dubbed The Big Fundamental. Burdik was named tournament MVP.
As the fourth quarter passed the midway point, the faces in the Green Hope bench began to reflect the reality of the situation. But the girls on the floor played with composure and heart until the very last tick. It was inspiring to watch the girls gut it out and spoke of their maturity and the quality of the coaching staff.
Junior Caitlyn Ranson had 21 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point land. Kristen Gaffney finished with 25 points to set a new state record for most points in a sophomore season with 831. Camille Forbes scored seven points and Senior Alyssa Paul added six. Gaffney was honored as the team’s Most Outstanding Player.
Final Score: Butler 87, Green Hope 61.
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