Smith, Forestview win regional, headed back to state title game

GREENSBORO — Forestview couldn’t help but show a little emotion this time.

Shannon Smith scored 38 points and Forestview held off North Iredell 63-45 for the 3A Western Regional championship Saturday at UNC Greensboro’s Fleming Gymnasium, sending the normally reserved Jaguars into a postgame celebration.

“At first I didn’t want to celebrate,” Smith said. “But then I was thinking it’s hard to get the state championship two times in a row, so we should celebrate.”

You can be sure the Jaguars will return to business soon. Forestview (26-2) will play in its second straight title game next Saturday at 5 p.m. at UNC Chapel Hill’s Smith Center. The Jaguars will face the winner of Sunday’s 3A Eastern Regional title game between South Central and Westover.

Kelsey Harris added 15 points and Bre Armstrong pulled down 12 rebounds for Forestview, which extended its win streak to 19.

North Iredell (23-3) had no answer for Smith, who hit her first shot 15 seconds into the game in a sign of things to come. The 5-foot-7 senior point guard shot 12-for-26, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range. She also made 11 of 13 free throws, and had five steals, three assists and two blocks.

“I go into every game (thinking) you’ve got to play hard, you’ve got to step it up,” Smith said.

Smith fell four points shy of tying her career high and came three points from tying the regional record set by Smoky Mountain’s Cetera DeGraffenreid in 2007. Smith will join DeGraffenreid on Sylvia Hatchell’s North Carolina roster next season.

North Iredell coach Tami Ramsey said she tried three defensive strategies on Smith. Ramsey called Smith “by far” the best player she had faced this season. “She’s a competitor,” she said.

By the third quarter, Smith had the North Iredell students chanting things like “Smitty,” “Shoot it” and “Hey Shannon, I want your autograph.”

Smith scored seven of the game’s first 11 points as Forestview jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first 2:01. The Jaguars didn’t score for another five minutes, though, and North Iredell stormed back for a 12-11 lead. The Raiders put three Forestview starters in foul trouble along the way as Harris, Khadijah Joyner and Brianna Taylor picked up two fouls each in the opening period.

But Phierica Gardin came off the bench to break the scoring drought and put the Jaguars back on top. Smith then ended the first quarter with a layup for a 15-12 lead and Forestview remained in control the rest of the way.

Forestview scored the first eight points of the second quarter for a 23-12 lead. North Iredell got no closer than seven after that.

The Jaguars forced 21 turnovers and held North Iredell to 36.4 percent shooting from the field. Most notably, they held Raiders leading scorer Deesa Singletery to six points — 10.5 below her average.

“I think our defense was definitely the key to it,” said Harris, the Elon signee who blocked two shots and had four steals.

Bri Johnson had 15 points and four assists, Brooke Redmond added 13 points and four rebounds and Lea James had 14 rebounds and three blocks for North Iredell, which started three juniors, a sophomore and a freshman. Emory Haynes, who nailed seven 3-pointers in the regional semifinals, went 0-for-4 from long-range against Forestview and finished with only two points.

Smith and Harris were the only seniors starting for Forestview, joining two sophomores and a freshman.

Smith was voted the 3A Western Regional most valuable player and Harris joined her on the all-regional team. Singletery, Haynes and Redmond made it for North Iredell.

After the final buzzer, the Forestview players swarmed senior guard Quaya Currence, who sat near the bench in a wheelchair. Currence has missed all but the first game after injuring her back in a car wreck.

Forestview coach Ken Beaty planned to attend Sunday's Eastern Regional final in Greenville to scout his next opponent in person.

“It gives us an advantage if they didn’t see us play today,” Beaty said.

South Central won the first Eastern Regional semifinal Friday. Westover beat Havelock in the other semifinal Saturday.

Forestview was playing in its third straight regional final. The Jaguars beat T.C. Roberson for last year’s regional title before losing 60-58 to Greensboro Dudley in the 3A championship game.

Saturday marked Forestview’s closest game of the 2010 playoffs. The Jaguars won their first four games by an average of 36 points, with the closest a 24-point over Charlotte Catholic in Wednesday’s sectional semifinals.

You can reach Phillip Gardner at 704-869-1843.

All-regional team

Sarah Maloy, Asheville Erwin

Deesa Singletery, North Iredell

Emory Haynes, North Iredell

Brooke Redmond, North Iredell

Kelsey Harris, Forestview

Most valuable player: Shannon Smith, Forestview