Overhills' loss is Triton's gain

By Patrick Love
Dunn Daily Record

Overhills has vacated the school's first-ever team conference championship and forfeited away much of its best season in the girls basketball program's history, after it was learned an ineligible player was used for much of the season.

According to Athletic Director Bobby Matthews, the ineligible player repeated the 10th grade when she transferred to Overhills as a sophomore and ultimately violated the eight-semester rule as a senior.

"We found out going into track and field season and reported it," Matthews said. "It was just the right thing to do. You hate to hear something like that, especially with the progress we made in girls basketball this year. It's no one person's fault. It was recorded inaccurately."

Under first-year coach Adelina Gentry, the Lady Jaguars posted a 23-6 overall record, a vast improvement over their 6-17 mark of 2007-08, then came from the third seed to win the Cape Fear Valley 3-A Conference tournament 54-31 over fourth-seed Triton.

They were helped when undefeated top-seed Western Harnett voluntarily forfeited three games, including its win in the first round of the conference tournament, for using an ineligible player.

"It's kind of funny that one of the reasons we won it was because of Western Harnett's misfortunes, and then we go and have to forfeit it away," Matthews said.

He added that the ineligible player was a reserve who rarely made a major impact in games.

Triton is now in possession of the conference tournament championship trophy.