jjohnson@heraldsun.com; 419-6667
CHAPEL HILL -- East Chapel Hill had a plan for Riverside, and the Wildcats executed it almost to perfection on their way to a 55-45 victory in the PAC-6 Tournament championship game Friday night.
The Wildcats wanted to keep the scoring total down and prevent Riverside from getting into a high-paced game, and they succeeded.
"We got physical with them, and we executed our game plan," ECH coach Ray Hartsfield said of the tempo. "They want to score 75 or 80 points. We average 58, so that means we can't let them get going. Our pace paid off."
Riverside had won the two regular-season games, but the third matchup of the year belonged to the Wildcats.
"East got the tempo they wanted," Riverside coach Tim Ross said. "The only spurt we got was in the second quarter."
But that scoring outburst didn't last, as East Chapel Hill had built enough of a lead in the first quarter that Riverside's 17-11 scoring advantage in the second quarter resulted only in a 24-22 halftime lead.
The game proved to be a physical and hard-fought contest that allowed the Wildcats to exert their will on the Pirates. Riverside appeared to seize a little momentum down the stretch in the third quarter, but East Chapel Hill's Gabe Strathern hit a 3-pointer from the left wing that put the Wildcats up 37-36 with six seconds left in the period.
East Chapel Hill extended the lead with another 3-pointer by Randall Davis to open the fourth quarter. Aaron Law, who led East Chapel Hill with 21 points, followed that with a backdoor cut and layup for a 42-36 Wildcats lead.
"Aaron played a tremendous game and so did Greg Alston," Hartsfield said. "Early on, [Law] knocked down some shots for us and Greg didn't turn the ball over. We have two point guards on the floor with them, and when your point guards take care of the ball, it helps a whole lot.
T.J. Warren scored the next five points for Riverside, as the Pirates got back to within a point at 42-41 with 4:25 left in the game, but that was as close as they got.
After Strathern scored on a fastbreak and Davis, who finished with 13, converted a three-point play for the Wildcats' final field goal, East Chapel Hill salted away the win by hitting 8 of 12 free throws.
"I don't know how to describe the feeling," said Alston, who finished with five assists and no turnovers. "We kept the tempo we wanted, and we worked hard for the win."
Law said winning the conference tournament title was a nice accomplishment after the season the Wildcats have had.
"It means a lot to win it," Law said. "Last year, we came up short. When it got to a minute to go, that's when I knew we had it."
Neither team left empty-handed, though. Riverside, by going through the PAC-6 undefeated, earned the regular-season championship trophy.
Both teams return to action on their home courts on Monday night in the opening round of the state 4-A tournament.
East Chapel Hill 55, Riverside 45
EAST CHAPEL HILL -- Aaron Law 21, Gabe Strathern 9, Ross Whisenant 4, Greg Alston 3, Bryson Gibson 2, Randall Davis 13, Thomas Meyer 3.
RIVERSIDE -- Sean Deniton 12, Jarod Belvin 4, Tim Raven 9, Tevin Richardson 6, T.J. Warren 12, David Meyer 2.
East Chapel Hill 11 11 15 18--55
Riverside 7 17 12 9--45
3-Point goals--East Chapel Hill 6 (Law 3, Strathern, Davis, Meyer). Riverside 3 (Deniton 2, Raven). Rebounds--East Chapel Hill 16 (Meyer 4). Assists--East Chapel Hill 16 (Alston 5).
Records--East Chapel Hill 21-5, Riverside 21-3.
