Triton girls top South Johnston with strong finish for first win of season

by John Lucas | Dec 1, 2018 | Articles, Triton

Anastasia McDonald (3) sinks a jumper for Triton.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)

Triton picked up its first varsity girls basketball win of the season Friday by using a strong finish to top visiting rival South Johnston 51-39.

“We’ve seen progress ever since our first game,” said Triton coach Wendy Simmons. “We’re making baby steps, but at least I see that they’re trying to work on the things that we try to work on in practice. I think we were like 1-for-10 at the three-point line in the first half. We told them that they weren’t taking bad shots in the first half, but we told them that the could move the ball and try to get a higher-percentage shot and I felt like we were doing that. I felt like we had a little bit more composure (in the second half).”

South coach Whitney Williams declined to comment, but assistant Aaron Smith offered insight into the loss in her stead.

“It’s just one of those things,” coach Smith said. “Learning how to get back, get set, get in the right position, hustle. We did some good things on defense. They did a good job spreading the ball around. We just didn’t do a good job getting the points we needed. We’ve just got to work on our fundamentals. That’s what’s really hurting us right now. But we’ve got a long season ahead of us and I think we’re heading the right way.”

Hawks sophomore Anastasia McDonald led all scorers with 20 points, also contributing five rebounds.

“We’ve been working on (rebounding) in practice,” Simmons said. “It’s good when you work on something in practice and it comes through in a game.”

“She’s stepping up and becoming a good point guard for us,” Simmons said.

Senior Anaya Lockamy powered Triton (1-2) on the boards with 20 rebounds. She also scored eight points and grabbed eight steals.

Kaila Cooney had nine points, five rebounds and three assists. Hannah Jackson had five points and five rebounds. Mary Kate Lucas had four points. Zoie Starling had three points and five rebounds. Alexis Howard had two points.

Senior Emma Jernigan had eight points and sophomore Janay McDonald had seven points to pace the Trojans (0-3).

Nikki Lee had six points. Kennedy Byrd and Savannah Parker had five points apiece. Katon Blackmon and Jenna Brown had four points apiece. Mattie Wheeless had two points. Shae Ward had one point.

With a combined 46 fouls called, neither team shot well at the free throw line, but Triton made more of its attempts, shooting 19-for-41 (46.3 percent) to South’s 10-for-23 (43.5 percent).

The game was close through three quarters.

With Triton leading 27-23 in midway through the third, Parker and Byrd hit back-to-back threes, the Trojans’ first hits from behind the arc on the night, for a 29-27 lead.

“In basketball you get these little runs here and there,” said coach Smith. “I think it’s just the confidence. We’re building a program here. We’re rebuilding. And it’s a confidence thing. We get going and get fired up, but I think it’s one of those things where you need to take that confidence and turn it into belief.”

But Triton ended the third with seven unanswered points, including one from a free throw after a technical foul on Williams for arguing against a held ball on a block she believed to be a foul, and led 34-27 heading into the final frame.

Holding a 40-33 lead midway through the fourth, Triton went on an 11-6 lead to close out the game.

Triton is at home against Fuquay-Varina (0-2) and South Johnston travels to Harnett Central (3-1) on Tuesday. Both teams also face unbeaten Midway (5-0) next week, with the Trojans visiting the Raiders on Thursday and the Hawks hosting the Raiders on Friday.

“Just keep feeding off of it (a win),” Simmons said. “Remember what it felt like and just keep working on the things we need to improve on.”

“I think for us, it’s a mindset,” coach Smith said. “It’s a mindset of saying, ‘Here’s what we did great on. What do we need to improve? At practice, how can we outwork yesterday? How can we be better?’ It’s a constant improvement. Sometimes you take a step back so you can take a giant leap forward. That’s just part of sports.”