Sports
E.E. Smith basketball beats Northern Nash in NCHSAA playoffs – The Fayetteville Observer
James Scott left the court early in the fourth quarter of E.E. Smith basketball’s playoff game against Northern Nash on Tuesday.
Scott somehow got blood on his No. 12 jersey, which led to a brief exit so the senior could find a replacement.
Northern Nash coaches and fans were incensed during the short delay, demanding the refs restart the game before Scott quickly emerged from the locker room.
If you had to play against E.E. Smith’s double-double machine on Tuesday, you might have done the same.
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Whether he was No. 12 or No. 33 – the jersey he selected for the stretch run – Scott couldn’t be stopped in a 54-41 win against the Knights, who simply had no answer for the dominant big man.
Scott scored 27 points – 14 in the fourth quarter to outscore Northern Nash (11) – grabbed double-digit rebounds and swatted several shots.
“Coach really told me he wanted me to play at a high level and be dominant,” Scott said. “I just tried to do the best I could.”
Scott’s best, along with relentless defense and rebounding of his teammates, helped the second-seeded Golden Bulls (26-3) earn a spot in Saturday’s NCHSAA 3A East Regional final against top-seeded Northwood (27-2).
The game is set for 4 p.m. at Southern Lee High School.
It’s E.E. Smith’s first regional championship appearance since 2000, the year after head coach Bryan Tillman helped the Golden Bulls get to the regional final as a senior in 1999.
“Being a former player here and former captain, a lot of times I hear about how great my team was – we went to the regionals – so I pick at them a lot and say, ‘Can y’all be as good as we were?’ Tillman said with a smile.
“They take that personally and they brought that fight (against Northern Nash).”
Travis Stroud scored 11 points, including two dunks, to join Scott in double figures. But it was Smith’s defense and rebounding that stifled Northern Nash, which scored a season-low 41 points against the Golden Bulls.
“One word that I use a lot is being relentless,” Tillman said. “I kept telling my guys that we gotta have at least two or three guys in double digits in rebounding, every game. They did the best that they could.”
That relentless effort, powered by Scott, has the Golden Bulls one win away from a state championship berth.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
