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03-04-2014, 10:15 PM
East Carter beats Rowan Co to move to 30-2 on the season. East will now play Russell on Thur. night. Congrats to Coach Easterling on his 400th career coaching win!
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03-05-2014, 09:12 AM
Girls 16th Region: East rocks Rowan
Easterling earns 400th career win
Zack Klemme
The Independent
MOREHEAD — Sure, it was unpleasant at the time, but Kristen Mayo can grin and look back on East Carter’s quarterfinal losses in the last three 16th Region Tournaments as past memories.
East Carter dropped Rowan County 55-33 Tuesday night in the opening round of the region tournament, and the Lady Raiders’ freshman point guard couldn’t stop smiling afterward — because her team’s region quarterfinal struggles had ended.
“(This win) proves our point,” she said. “We ain’t goin’ home early this year.”
Mayo splashed in three treys in the first nine minutes of the game and totaled a game-high 15 points to help make that happen for East Carter (30-2), ranked eighth in the state in the final Associated Press poll of the season.
Senior Bryana Greenhill and freshman Haley Hall joined Mayo in double figures with 10 and 11 points, respectively.
“Kristen and Bry played when Fleming County beat us in the first round (in 2011),” Lady Raiders coach Hager Easterling said. “Some of these girls played a little bit (then) but the last two years they’ve been through that heartbreak … and they were tired of it, and they were ticked off.
“When you get a female that’s ticked off and you tell ‘em they can’t do something, most of ‘em, they’re gonna get determined to show you that they can, and I think that’s what they got in their head.”
Those three setbacks are in the past, and the Lady Raiders are eager to leave them there.
“Don’t look back, keep moving forward,” Mayo said. “We’re getting through it.”
The victory was East Carter’s 400th under Easterling.
Senior Faith Conn had 11 points in her final game for Rowan County (13-15). Sarah Purdy posted a double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
East Carter advances to Thursday’s region tournament semifinals to face Russell, a 65-56 victor over Boyd County in Tuesday’s first game.
Purdy scored the first points of the night on a jumper eight seconds in, but the Lady Raiders racked up the next 11 points, capped by back-to-back Mayo treys, and led from then on.
The Lady Vikings did lift themselves within 15-11 on Conn’s bucket on the first possession of the second quarter, but Rowan County didn’t score again for the next 3:45. East Carter scored 10 straight points, meanwhile, to lead 25-11 on Greenhill’s 3.
The Lady Vikings didn’t get much done during that stretch offensively.
“Our pressure is not really to steal the basketball, it’s more to wear the other team down and just wear on them,” Easterling said. “And I thought that started showing up the second quarter.”
Rowan County coach Jen Williams noticed that too, but she said East Carter’s 3-point prowess — 7-for-10 from long range in the first half — and her team’s corresponding inability to do anything about it hurt them more.
“Give (East Carter) credit for hitting shots, but our defense was terrible, I thought,” Williams said. “They were allowed to get their feet set and get in rhythm.”
As for Easterling’s milestone, he put it in historical context, but he focused on what East Carter is trying to do now.
“When you do it in 18 years, it means you’ve been God-blessed in that you’ve coached a lot of good players,” Easterling said. “But the number that means the most to me right now is six. That’s how far these kids are from away from a state championship. Obviously, they’re focused on winning the region. But they want a state title. They won’t be satisfied by winning the region.”
But for now, the Lady Devils have the Lady Raiders’ full attention, Easterling said. East Carter has beaten Russell twice this season – 63-22 on Dec. 18 in Raceland’s holiday tournament and 55-39 on Jan. 24 in Grayson. The Lady Devils actually led in the third quarter in that one.
“Can‘t overlook them like we did the second time we played them,” Mayo said.
Added Easterling: “We are gonna have to be focused and ready to go. They got a lot of nice athletes and a lot of good shooters ...
“... But you know what, I like the look in our kids’ eyes and I like the way that they’re carrying themselves.”
Williams said her senior class is “gonna be very hard to replace,” but is excited about the future.
“We’ve been young all year. We’ve been young for two years,” she said. “This sophomore class has won a lot of basketball games. I think they were undefeated as eighth-graders. They came in and got a lot of playing time, skipped the JV level, a lot of them, and went straight to varsity.”
Easterling earns 400th career win
Zack Klemme
The Independent
MOREHEAD — Sure, it was unpleasant at the time, but Kristen Mayo can grin and look back on East Carter’s quarterfinal losses in the last three 16th Region Tournaments as past memories.
East Carter dropped Rowan County 55-33 Tuesday night in the opening round of the region tournament, and the Lady Raiders’ freshman point guard couldn’t stop smiling afterward — because her team’s region quarterfinal struggles had ended.
“(This win) proves our point,” she said. “We ain’t goin’ home early this year.”
Mayo splashed in three treys in the first nine minutes of the game and totaled a game-high 15 points to help make that happen for East Carter (30-2), ranked eighth in the state in the final Associated Press poll of the season.
Senior Bryana Greenhill and freshman Haley Hall joined Mayo in double figures with 10 and 11 points, respectively.
“Kristen and Bry played when Fleming County beat us in the first round (in 2011),” Lady Raiders coach Hager Easterling said. “Some of these girls played a little bit (then) but the last two years they’ve been through that heartbreak … and they were tired of it, and they were ticked off.
“When you get a female that’s ticked off and you tell ‘em they can’t do something, most of ‘em, they’re gonna get determined to show you that they can, and I think that’s what they got in their head.”
Those three setbacks are in the past, and the Lady Raiders are eager to leave them there.
“Don’t look back, keep moving forward,” Mayo said. “We’re getting through it.”
The victory was East Carter’s 400th under Easterling.
Senior Faith Conn had 11 points in her final game for Rowan County (13-15). Sarah Purdy posted a double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
East Carter advances to Thursday’s region tournament semifinals to face Russell, a 65-56 victor over Boyd County in Tuesday’s first game.
Purdy scored the first points of the night on a jumper eight seconds in, but the Lady Raiders racked up the next 11 points, capped by back-to-back Mayo treys, and led from then on.
The Lady Vikings did lift themselves within 15-11 on Conn’s bucket on the first possession of the second quarter, but Rowan County didn’t score again for the next 3:45. East Carter scored 10 straight points, meanwhile, to lead 25-11 on Greenhill’s 3.
The Lady Vikings didn’t get much done during that stretch offensively.
“Our pressure is not really to steal the basketball, it’s more to wear the other team down and just wear on them,” Easterling said. “And I thought that started showing up the second quarter.”
Rowan County coach Jen Williams noticed that too, but she said East Carter’s 3-point prowess — 7-for-10 from long range in the first half — and her team’s corresponding inability to do anything about it hurt them more.
“Give (East Carter) credit for hitting shots, but our defense was terrible, I thought,” Williams said. “They were allowed to get their feet set and get in rhythm.”
As for Easterling’s milestone, he put it in historical context, but he focused on what East Carter is trying to do now.
“When you do it in 18 years, it means you’ve been God-blessed in that you’ve coached a lot of good players,” Easterling said. “But the number that means the most to me right now is six. That’s how far these kids are from away from a state championship. Obviously, they’re focused on winning the region. But they want a state title. They won’t be satisfied by winning the region.”
But for now, the Lady Devils have the Lady Raiders’ full attention, Easterling said. East Carter has beaten Russell twice this season – 63-22 on Dec. 18 in Raceland’s holiday tournament and 55-39 on Jan. 24 in Grayson. The Lady Devils actually led in the third quarter in that one.
“Can‘t overlook them like we did the second time we played them,” Mayo said.
Added Easterling: “We are gonna have to be focused and ready to go. They got a lot of nice athletes and a lot of good shooters ...
“... But you know what, I like the look in our kids’ eyes and I like the way that they’re carrying themselves.”
Williams said her senior class is “gonna be very hard to replace,” but is excited about the future.
“We’ve been young all year. We’ve been young for two years,” she said. “This sophomore class has won a lot of basketball games. I think they were undefeated as eighth-graders. They came in and got a lot of playing time, skipped the JV level, a lot of them, and went straight to varsity.”
03-05-2014, 04:21 PM
East Carter over Russell by 10
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