SPRING GARDEN – Spring Garden’s trademark shot is the 3-pointer.
On Friday night against area rival Gaston, the second-ranked Lady Panthers were on the cusp of making history hitting them.
Spring Garden fell one 3-pointer shy of tying a girls state record. They sank 21 treys, including 14 in the first half, of an 89-13 blowout.
The state record of 22 treys was set by G.W. Long against Dale County on Dec. 21, 2020. Freshman guard Avery Steward connected nine of the Lady Panthers’ 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 27 points.
“We know she can shoot it,” Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin said of Steward. “Games like that are good for stuff like that. I was proud of her and proud of several of the other girls. I was proud of Libby Brown and how she played off the bench. I thought our starters were sharp and crisp. I didn’t think they had one bad possession. We had two bad defensive segments early, but other than that I thought they were really sharp.
“It was a great team effort. We were aware we hit a lot of threes. It’s too early in the season to say stop shooting it. You’ve just got to let it go. It was just one of those nights we were able to make a lot.”
Eight Lady Panthers (7-1) connected on at least one trey. Eleven of the Lady Panthers’ 13 players scored at least one basket in the game.
Brown managed 10 points, including two 3-pointers. Bri Boles delivered nine points (3 3-pointers). Kayley Kirk connected on a pair of treys and had eight points. Neely Welsh also had eight points. Ace Austin netted seven points (1 3-pointer). Abbey Steward came away with six points (2 3-pointers), and Maggie Reedy finished with five points (1 3-pointer).
Spring Garden put the game away early with eight treys in the first quarter, which helped put the Lady Panthers in front 34-4. Six more 3-pointers in the second quarter gave Spring Garden a 58-9 advantage at halftime.
“The way we were shooting the ball in the first quarter, that goal looked so big,” Coach Austin said. “Coming in I thought it was going to be that kind of game, as far as it might be a big score. I was thinking ‘How can I get some momentum going forward?’ Once I saw how well we were shooting the ball in the first quarter, I just said ‘Let it go. Shoot it.’”
Tracianna Jones led Gaston with eight points. Ivy Dupree finished with five points.
Boys
Spring Garden 60, Gaston 25
SPRING GARDEN – Spring Garden 6-foot-4 freshman post player Jacob Welsh netted a game-high 26 points in leading the Panther boys to a 60-25 victory over Gaston on Friday night. Sixteen of his points came in the second half.
“I really think he’s understanding how to use his big body,” Coach Austin said. “He gives us a dimension we haven’t had since I’ve been coaching boys. We can play higher, play closer to the goal. You can’t coach height, but you can sharpen it up. He’s a true big guy inside. He’s going to give people problems and make people guard it.”
Andrew Floyd added 13 points for the Panthers (2-0). Cooper Austin came away with six points. John Welsh and Chapel Pope both finished with five points.
“I’m so proud of this team because they’re so unselfish, so much fun to coach. They’re so proud for each other,” Coach Austin said. “I thought we used Jake a little in the first half, but I thought he earned some stuff in the second half. I told them I’m all about shooting threes, but if they’re coming at us, let’s make sure we give Jake a true look. We’ve got to let him grow here. I was so proud of our team, how they really looked for him.”
Spring Garden jumped out on a 14-0 run and led 17-2 at the end of the first quarter. The Panthers held a 29-12 advantage at halftime and led 42-15 at the end of three quarters.
Adonis Jones led the Bulldogs with seven points. Kodie Bogle added six points and Julian Jones finished with five points.
Both Spring Garden teams host Sand Rock on Tuesday.
