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One day, in the bus parking lot over R-S Central's High School, I watched football practice. Darius Fuller looked on as well. It was at the start of the football season when I had a talk with R-S Central Women's Basketball Coach Darius Fuller. His cancer in remission and he was excited about the upcoming season for Lady Hilltopper basketball team.
A dedicated coach of the Lady Hilltoppers since August of 1997, Fuller and his team are now three victories away from winning it all. A senior-laden Wilkes Central, who put Central out a year ago went on to win the state championship. Is it Central's time??? The Hilltoppers haven't won a state title since 1999, when soccer did it in the 3A ranks.
Last week, R-S Central Women's Basketball team (27-3) beat South Stokes, Owen and Parkwood and advanced to the fourth round of the playoffs and faced Smoky Mountain on 3/1/16. If they won, they would play at either Greensboro or Winston Salem for the 2A Western Finals on Saturday (3/5/16). If they beat either East Davidson or East Burke in that round, then they play for the state title in Chapel Hill on Saturday, 3/12/16. For the record, on the way to East Rutherford's 2011 Men's 2A title they had to beat Smoky Mountain at Smoky. East ended up winning the state title on March 12 2011.
On Tuesday, Central's press got the best of South Stokes in a blowout. Jada Logan was the key in Central's win over Owen with 12 points. Kyra Davis put up her 1,000 point for a career in the game as well.
Saturday, Aliyah Whiteside drained five of Central's ten 3's and their second half defense was phenomenal in a 45-41 win over Parkwood.
"The fact that we won over Parkwood in a way I didn't expect us to do so, shows me that we may go further than ever before in the playoffs," Fuller said. "I was proud of how our guards played and how we defended in the second half."
Also winning in the 2A playoffs were R-S Central's Men (17-11). They eventually fell in the Sweet 16 on Saturday night in Marshville to Forest Hills 46-42. The Hilltoppers beat 7-seed Trinity by 15 and then 11 seed North Wilkes by four on the road as a 23 seed. On Saturday, the Hilltoppers led the entire way until the late in the fourth and lost 66-62. It's the first time since 2001 that the Hilltoppers Men's basketball team have made the third round of the state playoffs. Both R-S Central's team are still young as they both lose just one starter for the upcoming season.
East Rutherford Ladies (18-9) stayed in the playoffs for two rounds, but were taken out by North Surry 52-44 on the road. The Lady Cavaliers showed a lot of poise in the second half of the season and did upend Forbush as the 23 seed in round one. They too are a young club.
As for East Rutherford's Men (11-14), they fought hard but lost in first round to Lake Norman Charter, 63-56. LNC outscore the Cavs by six in the first quarter and it stayed that way for most of the contest. If there is any consolation, Lake Norman Charter is still among the Elite Eight in the Men's 2A. East had just two seniors on the team this year.
Thomas Jefferson's Men (10-15) lost in first round to Queen Grant in the 1A playoffs. The Gryphons were outmatched from the start and lost 83-49. Ten seniors played their final basketball game as a Gryphon in the loss.
On the NASCAR scene, Jimmie Johnson gets the 76th win of his career in Atlanta on Sunday. That mark ties Dale Earnhardt Sr. for career wins in NASCAR. While he isn't Dale by any stretch of the imagination, to have the combination of Jimmie Johnson-Chad Knaus and to be with the likes of Earnhardt-Richard Childress is remarkable. Johnson and Knaus have been partners in crime since the start of Johnson's Cup career and the two already have claimed six championships together. It could be number seven this season.
