Enka defeats Smoky Mountain in final game of regular season

The Mustangs (9-14, 2-10) finished the regular season last in the Western Athletic Conference.

Jordan Banks led Enka with 24 points. He was 13 of 14 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Also in double figures were Wes McCurry with 13 points, Kory Ball with 12 and Troy Young with 10.

SM was paced by Michael Ritchie with 14 points, Luke Bell with 11 and Jason Bennett with 10.

"I was proud of our seniors," Coach Scott Hartbarger said. "They got to start and did a good job the first five minutes Once again, our effort was good. In the second half three or four times we came down and didn't score, and they got a couple of three-point plays to keep extending the lead."

Young and Patrick Davis opened the game for the Jets with three-pointers, but Ritchie and Sam Neff countered with treys for a 6-6 tie with 4:27 left in the first quarter.

Ritchie and Jared Day both had three-pointers helping the Mustangs take a 16-10 lead with 2:16 on the clock.

Banks' shot at the buzzer put Enka on top 19-16 at the quarter break.

The Jets went up 31-23 with 3:05 remaining in the half after two free throws by Ball.

SM cut the gap to 31-29 on Ritchie's trey with 1:15 on the clock, but Enka maintained a 36-29 halftime advantage.

The Jets used an 8-2 spurt to open the second half for a 44-31 lead when Banks scored with 5:45 left in the third stanza.

The Mustangs pulled within 49-42 on two free throws by Jeff Davis with 1:34 on the clock.

Enka took a 52-42 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Mustangs were as close as 61-54 when Neff hit a three-pointer with 4:11 left in the contest.

Young responded with a three-point play, and Banks made three of four free throws as the Jets regained control and took a 67-54 advantage with 2:21 to play.

The game's biggest lead was 75-58 after two foul shots by Tim Colgrove with 50.6 seconds on the clock.

All four of Ritchie's field goals were three-pointers, and he made two foul shots. Bell hit four field goals and three free throws. Bennett's points came on four field goals and two foul shots.

Neff and Day both finished with six points, Davis scored four, and Justin Roper, Lance Gabbard and Jonas Glaser all had three.

The Mustang JVs finished the year 14-4 after a 43-41 victory. Brody Crawford scored the winning basket with 30 seconds left in overtime.

Ollin Dunford scored 16 points, and Michael Ayers had 12.

"I was real proud of them," Coach Jimmy Roper said. "They really stepped up and stepped up big in overtime."

He singled out Stephen Brown and Eric Neff for their play.

"We overcame a lot of adversity this year with sickness and losing two players to the varsity," Roper said. "They kept playing hard."

Back to Sports: 02/15/01.