Gap Wins On Emotion-Filled Night At Dell Curry Court

FORT DEFIANCE – Buffalo Gap poured in 43 first-half points Thursday night, and the Bison were never challenged in a 61-26 romp over the Fort Defiance Indians in a Shenandoah District girls basketball makeup game.

The game was secondary to the class act that Fort displayed prior to the start. The school, most notably jayvee coach Brittany Campbell, turned the game into a special night for one of its own. Gap jayvee coach Laura Ludholtz Killingsworth, who had a stellar career for the Indians when she scored 1,048 career points, which ranks No. 5 all-time, and had her No. 14 jersey retired, had it announced to the crowd a Venmo fund had been set up to help her 8-year-old daughter Ivy's future education. The fund is in memory of Killingsworth's husband and Ivy's father who died in a vehicle accident in November.

“I am honored and blessed,” said Killingsworth, who graduated in 2002 and scored all her points in just three years at the varsity level. “I have been gone a long time, but it still feels like coming home every time I am here. It goes to show the basketball community takes care of each other.

“Brittany is fantastic,” Killingsworth said. “We go back a long way, and I know she was the ringleader of tonight. I can't thank her and everyone enough for their support.”

During the second half, Campbell took the PA microphone and announced nearly $2,700 had already been raised for Ivy.

As far as the game itself, both teams played with depleted rosters. Gap dressed only eight and Fort had seven. The three missing players for the Indians were all starters.

Neither of Gap's two missing were starters and it showed. After a slow first few minutes, the Bison outscored the Indians 42-10 over the remainder of the opening half for a 43-14 advantage.

Fort took a quick 4-1 lead on a pair of Caroline Hanger baskets before the barrage overwhelmed the Indians. Gap scored the final 16 points of the first quarter, including nine by Hannah Coffman. The Bison used 10 turnovers to net eight points.

“We had a slow start, but we picked it up when we created turnovers for scoring opportunities,” Gap head coach Phillip Morgan said. “That got us into the game.”

Gap (14-3, 6-2) beat the Indians for the second time in 48 hours, winning at home Tuesday. The Bison held Fort without a field goal in the second half of that game.

The Bison, who have four games remaining in the regular season, are zeroing in on wrapping up the No. 1 seed for the Region 1B tournament, which starts Feb. 24. The top spot would give Gap home-court advantage throughout regional play.

Fort (2-15, 1-8) is having one of those seasons that is laying the foundation to focus on the future with a youth-laden roster that features three sophomores and three freshmen.

Coffman continued her climb up the Gap scoring ranks after reaching the 1,000-point milestone in Tuesday's win. The senior added 26 more to her total, which included 19 in the first half. She also rang up seven rebounds, four assists and eight steals.

Kayleigh Hemp, Rachel Showalter and Bailey Tribble all scored eight for the Bison. Showalter was also disruptive on defense with six steals.

“All eight girls played hard and well,” Morgan said. “We are going to need contributions from everyone in the postseason.”

Hanger, one of Fort's three freshmen, had a big night for her undermanned squad. She scored the first 11 points for the Indians, which had 14 at halftime. She finished with 18.

The Bison have a quick turnaround with a big showdown Friday at Stuarts Draft. The winner stays in contention to catch Wilson Memorial for the district's regular-season title, while the loser is eliminated. Regardless of the outcome, both teams have far loftier ambitions when the postseason starts in their respective regions.

Fort is idle Friday before hosting Stuarts Draft on Monday in a game moved up from Tuesday in hopes of beating the pending weather forecast. The Indians have only three games left. They will not qualify for the Region 2B tournament.

Killingsworth's jayvees escaped with a 39-33 victory. Brailyn Green paced the Bison with 10 points and Lindsay Lyle had nine. Addison Cobb had a game-high 13 for the Indians and Peyton Simmons tallied nine.

BUFFALO GAP (61) – Richie 1 0-0 3, Showalter 4 0-0 8, Tribble 4 0-0 8, K.Hemp 3 2-3 8, Carter 1 0-0 2, Coffman 11 3-5 26, Caricofe 2 1-2 6, Pierce, TOTALS 26 6-10 61.

FORT DEFIANCE (26) – Halterman 2 1-2 6, Birt 0 1-1 1, Hanger 6 5-8 17, Grogg 1 0-0 2, Brown, Cobb, McKnight, TOTALS 9 7-11 27.