JV Bucks Beat Patriots to Win SEC Crown

SOUTHERN PINES, NC - Friday night would be the last game of the 2010-2011 season for the Hoke County JV basketball team.  The Southeastern Conference Championship would be on the line in Southern Pines.  A win for the Patriots would give them a share of the title with Hoke and Richmond.  A Hoke win would give the Bucks sole ownership of the SEC Championship.  After only scoring five points in the first quarter against Purnell Swett on Tuesday, the Bucks knew they would have to get off to a better start against Pinecrest.  The young Bucks would not disappoint, using a suffocating defense to jump out to an early double-digit lead.   Hoke would mix up defensive looks in the first half to continue to keep Pinecrest out of an offensive rhythm.  A three-point prayer at the buzzer by Pinecrest would leave the score at 40-27 at the end of the first half. 

Pinecrest would close the gap to five points early in the third quarter.  The Bucks would use a full-court press to get the lead back to double figures heading into the decisive fourth period.  Although the Patriots would get the lead down to single digits, solid free-throw shooting from the Bucks would secure the 73-66 victory down the stretch.  With the win, the JV Bucks and the traveling fans celebrated their SEC championship.  Leading all scorers was Jawane Harris with 21 points for the Bucks.  Also reaching double figures for Hoke was Rashad Parker with 15 and Jared Cole with 10 points.  Simon Love would play solid defense and collect all of his 8 points in the first half.  Completing the scoring for Hoke was Keshawn Shaw-Willis with 6, Detrez Newsome and Willie Bradshaw with 4 each, Anthony McLaughlin with 3, and Dakwan Wade with 2 points.  The Hoke JV basketball team finished the year as Southeastern Conference Champions with a 9-1 conference record, and a 13-5 overall record. 

Coach Butler:  We knew the start of the game would be important.  We played solid defense and were able to convert on the offensive end to get off to a good start.  I am very proud of how these guys played in a big game with a title on the line.  My job as a JV coach is to make sure these guys are improving everyday, and we were able to accomplish that this season.  These guys worked hard to reach their championship goal and their development throughout the year was great to see.  Hopefully, these guys will continue to work hard in the classroom and on the court in the off-season. 

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME:  Simon Love - 6 steals, 3 rebounds

Rashad Parker - 13 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals

Thank you to Alicia Arrington and Michelle Shorter for keeping the statistics for the boys.