Wakefield girls basketball
Wakefield senior Kayla Harris scored 18 points in Wednesday's tough loss at Green Hope.
Unbeaten Green Hope hands Lady Wolverines first loss
Three minutes into the second half of Wednesday's 56-46 loss, the Wakefield girls basketball team appeared to have Green Hope reeling — quite an accomplishment given the Falcons' blustering first half.
On the strength of Kristen Gaffney's 22-point first half — the sophomore finished with 28 — Green Hope (5-0) took a commanding 35-22 lead into halftime.
But the Lady Wolverines rallied, scoring the second half's first seven points, including a Brittany Christian trey, which brought an explosion from the Wakefield bench and forced a Green Hope timeout.
As Christian leapt in excitement, teammate Kayla Harris slapped her on the back as the Lady Wolverines went into their huddle, having positioned themselves right back in the game.
Unfortunately for the Lady Wolverines, two minutes later, Harris was forced to the bench for an extended stay, having collected her fourth foul.
It was a turning point in the early-season battle of unbeatens.
Click here for highlights from the Wakefield/Green Hope game.
Green Hope scored seven of the quarter's final nine points, taking a commanding 42-33 advantage into the final eight minutes of play.
"It hurt," Wakefield head coach Danielle Blackburn said of Harris' fourth foul. "Kayla is such a big part of the team, and to have to have her sit down with a fourth foul really hurt."
But the coach pointed out it was one ingredient in the loss, citing the Lady Wolverines' early turnovers, poor shooting and, most importantly, the fact they were defeated by a quality Green Hope team.
The Lady Wolverines saw first hand what Green Hope is capable of as the Cary squad pulled away in the second quarter.
After an even first quarter — the contest was tied 13-13 — Gaffney got the Falcons in gear, dropping 13 points in the second period.
The forward is a great blend of size and skill, equally adapt at elbowing her way underneath as well as hitting from the outside. Gaffney's final bucket of the half was especially pretty, with the clock running down, she cut across the lane, shielding her defender with one hand and hitting a one-handed floater.
"She's tough, and we didn't have an answer for her," Blackburn said of Gaffney. "We tried a number of people on her. Four different people. But she's good. Her size is what makes her really tough."
Wakefield appeared shellshocked as Green Hope outscored the Lady Wolverines 22-9 in the second period.
Brittany Christian (10) celebrates after hitting a second-half three-pointer Wednesday.
During intermission, Blackburn didn't mince words with her squad in the locker room, and the coach recalled "I got on them pretty hard. But it wasn't just because we were down but because of the way we were playing."
The Lady Wolverines came out fired up after the break, but their run eventually fizzled when Harris was forced to the sidelines.
The senior returned in the fourth, notching a three-point play with 5:36 remaining and cutting Green Hope's lead to six points. But Harris fouled out 80 seconds later. The Falcons stretched their lead back to double digits soonthereafter, and took home a huge early-season win.
"We came out starting the third quarter like we wanted to. We were right where we wanted to be — just like that," Blackburn said. "But our shots weren't falling most of the night, and we didn't play well early. But that's a credit to them because they forced us to play like that."
In the loss, Harris finished with 18 points, Nicole Weaver added 10, Hudson had six and Christian scored five.
The Lady Wolverines (4-1) hit the road for their next two contests, visiting Knightdale Friday and Clayton Monday.
