Photos and story by Karl Fisher

Cary, NC- The Falcons (14-1) beat #1 ranked Apex in Tuesday night’s ladies lacrosse game. Currently Green Hope is ranked #2 in the Tri-9 conference.

GHHS defeated their rivals in a close game 14-13.  This is the first win over Apex (13-1) since March of 2007, so it was especially sweet for the seniors on the team. Wednesday night was senior night vs. Cary, and Friday the team traveled to play the #3 ranked Charlotte Catholic.  The Falcons were also victorious in those games.

We may likely see Apex or Green Hope playing in the state championship game that will be played right here in Cary at WakeMed Stadium on Saturday, May 15.  The women’s championship game is at 1 pm, men’s game is at 4 pm.

Editor’s Note: CaryCitizen regular Chris Adamczyk sent along these pictures of Panther Creek vs. Green Hope lacrosse. You can also see this slideshow on Flickr.

Here’s a story in pictures of the final game with photos by Suzie Wolf and Hal Goodtree. You can also see the slideshow on Flickr.

BTW – Suzie posted over 250 shots of the game on SmugMug. Check them out for a more detailed look at the game.

GAME SUMMARY

You could tell Green Hope had an uphill battle from the moment the teams gathered for the opening tip off. The Bulldogs had a serious height advantage over the Lady Falcons.

Butler ran off 11 unanswered points to start the game.

Green Hope played with heart for all 32 minutes, but they never seemed to get into the offense. While the Bulldogs scored inside and dominated the boards, GHHS took jumpers and seemed to rush their offense. Missed shots led to fast breaks and easy scores.

The first half ended with Butler on top 42-19.

Green Hope made a push in the second half, slashing to the hole and getting more physical. But Butler never really lost control of the game.

Bulldog standout Cierra Burdik showed why she was the Gatorade NC Player of the Year. Tall enough to play center, she handles the ball like a guard. Burdik’s a terrific passer, especially down low and in traffic, drawing the defense and threading the needle with a wrap-around. She has good footwork around the basket bringing to mind a certain Wake Forest Player dubbed The Big Fundamental. Burdik was named tournament MVP.

As the fourth quarter passed the midway point, the faces in the Green Hope bench began to reflect the reality of the situation. But the girls on the floor played with composure and heart until the very last tick. It was inspiring to watch the girls gut it out and spoke of their maturity and the quality of the coaching staff.

Junior Caitlyn Ranson had 21 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point land. Kristen Gaffney finished with 25 points to set a new state record for most points in a sophomore season with 831. Camille Forbes scored seven points and Senior Alyssa Paul added six. Gaffney was honored as the team’s Most Outstanding Player.

Final Score: Butler 87, Green Hope 61.

————————————————————–

This week’s CaryCitizen is sponsored by FrantzForHouse.org.

Green Hope 5K organizer, Susan Youd with Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht.

Cary, NC- Saturday, while most everyone in Cary was snug in their warm beds, Green Hope High School hosted The Mardi Gras 5 K race.

The course was  sanctioned by USA Track & Field, the national governing body for track & field, long distance runnning, and race walking in the United States.

Racers started in the Green Hope parking lot and traveled up Carpenter Upchurch Road and the surrounding area, finishing with a final lap around the athletic track at the back of the school.

Cary Mayor, Harold Weinbrecht, came out to support the school’s event, which was attended by about 200 runners. Many folks who attended used this race as a warm up to the American Tobacco Marathon which is coming to Cary in March 21 (see our story).

The start

See lots more pictures from the game.

Apex prevailed, 71-60.

Here are a few pictures from last weeks game against Apex (GHHS won 79-43).

Here are a few pictures from the game.

You got high school sports? Let us know!

Cary, NC- It’s almost the end of the regular NCHSAA Division basketball season and the Green Hope Women remain undefeated, with a remarkable 20-0 record.

Tuesday night vs Cary High, marked the third straight game where the team beat their opponent by more than 20 points. At the final buzzer the score topped out at 91-40. Coach Mike Robinson is  very proud of his team who posted some great stats. Sophomore star Kristin Gaffney scored 31 points, Freshman Caitlyn Ranson had 21, and both Ashley Williams and Camille Forbes had double digits.

The previous week’s game vs Lee County  Kristen, Caitlyn and Camille again were in double digits  with a final score of 97-32.

In the previous home game Green Hope beat opponent Middle Creek 89-60. The team had gone into this match-up a bit nervous as they had played Middle Creek previously to a narrow one point win. But the Mustangs never got any traction as the Falcon offence rolled over them. Kristen Gaffney had 28 points and 3 others were in double digits with Ashley Wiliam scoring 14, Caitlyn Ranson 12, and Alyssa Paul grabbing 11.

Before Christmas break the wins were much narrower. But in January, no school has come close to actually giving this team a run for their money. And the college scouts are taking notice of the Lady Falcons.

Friday’s games were all pushed up to Thursday night, and again the Lady Falcons swept past their opponents, beating Panther Creek 80- 48. With this young team, Green Hope High School women can be an exciting program for years to come.

Photo via CoachingMark.

Joey Baird Senior Captain, 36-3 weight class 140.

Photo by Carrie Baird

Cary, N.C. – That’s right, a rumble right here in Cary. For the second year, Crescent State Bank is the sponsor of Green Hope High School’s wrestling Team “Scramble” meet to be held this year on Saturday, January 30th. The Crescent State Scramble’s format is a 16 man double elimination individual tournament.

AWARDS

Teams are awarded  gold, silver and bronze medals to the top three placers.

Trophies are given to the 1st and 2nd overall team scores by combining the individual performance points of the team members.  In addition, coaches vote and a trophy is awarded to the ” Most Outstanding Wrestler” of the day. A trophy is also awarded to the wrestler who has the most pins in the least amount of time.

THEY COME FROM FAR AND WIDE

As many as 15 high schools from across the state come participate in this all day wrestling match which begins at 9am.

This year’s line up includes the following high schools: Apex, East Chapel Hill, East Wake, Eastern Alamance, Garner, Green Hope, Holly Springs, Jordan, Knightdale, Lee County, Leesville, Marion, Va., Millbrook, Northern Durham, and South West Randolph.

HISTORY OF THE SCRAMBLE

Green Hope’s Coach Chip Bunn created the first Scramble in 1997.  It was originally named the Jackson Griffin Memorial Tournament as a memorial for one of his wrestlers who died in Hurricane Fran.  At that time Bunn was a coach at  Broughton High School.

When Coach Bunn came to Green Hope in 1999, the tournament moved with him and was named The Capital City Classic.  Green Hope has been the tournament champions for the past 5 years. This tournament is the major fund raiser used to purchase necessary wrestling equipment.

CRESCENT STATE BANK GOES TO THE MAT FOR CARY

Crescent State Bank was founded and is headquartered in Cary, NC.  Last year, when Crescent State Bank was asked to sponsor the event, the school decided to rename the tournament for their sponsor.

The bank’s branches sponsor events and programs in the community and take active rolls in many of them.  There are two branches here in Cary.