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East Bladen better prepared for McGuinness this season
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Published: March 12, 2009
East Bladen made its first appearance in the NCHSAA 1-A championship game memorable -- for all the wrong reasons. It lost 79-42 to Bishop McGuinness in 2007.
The Eagles did what they did, which is run and press, but just didn't have the firepower to stop the Villains from winning the second of three straight titles.
"We tried everything," Coach Patty Evers of East said. "We depended on our speed and athleticism. This year we have a post game, so we will take a different approach."
It will be a very different East Bladen team that plays McGuinness at noon Saturday at N.C. State. This time the Eagles (26-2) are more well-rounded, and of course, there is some familiarity with McGuinness, which is trying to win its fourth straight title.
"I think we were happy to be in the game (in 2007)," Evers said. "My approach is to be humble. We know what we are up against. We remember getting beat by 37 points."
Erinn Thompson, McGuinness' 6-3 senior center and the MVP of the past two championship games, will have someone close to her size when she goes against Courtney Melvin.
Melvin, a 6-1, big-bodied sophomore, and Jazmine Kemp, a 5-10 sophomore guard, are future Division I players, Evers said. They are also the reason East now favors a half-court game.
Melvin has been a dominant force, averaging 19.9 points and 11.4 rebounds, and Evers said she hopes that Melvin can slow down Thompson, who dominated the 2007 final.
"She has really good hands, and that's something you can't really teach," Evers said of Melvin. "She has a great work ethic. She works with her dad after practice every day. She runs a mile after practice and does a ton of workouts. She is out there jumping cinder blocks to increase her leaping ability.
"She is a whole lot bigger than Erinn. Not height wise, but she is over 250 pounds, and she doesn't finish last in sprints, I will tell you that. She is very impressive."
Kemp is the younger sister of Jatoya Kemp, who was East's best player in the 2006-07 season. The younger Kemp was the MVP of the Eastern Regional and averages 11.4 points.
"She is pushing 5-11, and I think she has grown during the season," Evers said. "We are playing her at the point whereas last year she played (power forward). She had more opportunities to score last year in the post, and this year, she is still trying to figure out the right time for her to take over a game."
Seniors Raven Locklear, Jelisa Horne and Potessa Perkins fill out the starting lineup. Horne, who is 5-11, had to match up with Thompson in 2007 as East's tallest player. Not, East will start four players 5-9 or taller.
"My three seniors that play with Jaz and Courtney are really good role players," Evers said. "We have had exceptional games out all of them. Locklear has had a 20-point night with five 3-pointers, Jelisa was in double digits in both regional games."
Evers said that McGuinness' inside and outside games make teams pick a poison on defense.
"We try to keep teams in the 40s, and we try to score 60," Evers said. "We have got to play smart basketball. We have to be very smart on both ends. When you are up against a team like Bishop, you have to make smart decisions on the offensive end and play great defense.
"(Coach Brian Robinson of McGuinness) could throw any defense at us, but we will be prepared for the traps and that kind of thing. It helps being familiar. As far as a rematch, I wouldn't call it that. We don't have the same team. We have lost 12 in the last two years."
Evers said she was shaking up her practices this week.
"I have heard Whitney (Knight, McGuinness' standout sophomore) is 6-2, and I have heard she is 6-1 and I have heard she is 6-0," Evers said. "She is tall, and that's all I need to know. We will bring in boys this week to try and help give us an idea of what we are looking at height-wise. They may not be the shooters Bishop has, but at least we can work against something like that.
"I have not seen them this year. The year we played them, I was able to get a tape and if I pursue it, I am sure I could get one now. I would rather not do that this year."
■ Coming Friday: A look at the Mount Tabor boys and the 4-A championship game.
■ Mason Linker can be reached at 727-7324 or at mlinker@wsjournal.com.
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