Gators' Buchan hits 1,000 points

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on January 16, 2016 11:13 PM

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SEVEN SPRINGS -- Amber Buchan took the inbounds pass from Ashley Marriner, got a screen from another teammate on the baseline and stepped inside the 3-point line.

Buchan fired a jump shot.

Buckets.

And a grand -- as in 1,000 points. Buchan's field goal, on her first attempt of the game, put her in elite company Friday evening. The senior guard became just the second player in Spring Creek girls' basketball history to score 1,000 points in her career.

SC head coach Charlie Cotten called timeout. He presented Buchan with the game ball and a plaque to recognize her achievement. Buchan's mother, Jean; brother, Ceb, and grandmother, Peggy Barnes, attended the game.

"I was really excited," Buchan said. "I just couldn't stop smiling. It means a lot to me because I've put a lot of time and effort into basketball. For those (younger) girls who were at the game, I hope I can be a good example for them and hope that they will strive to be better, too."

Melanique DeVeaux surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in her final prep game -- an opening-round playoff loss against N.C. School of Science and Math in 2010. DeVeaux is believed to have finished her career with 1,010 points, but official records are not available.

Once play resumed, Buchan and her teammates pulled out a 61-58 victory over Carolina 1-A Conference foe James Kenan. Fittingly, Buchan finished off the Tigers with three free throws in the closing seconds and ended the night with 13 points -- officially now 1,011 for her career.

Tysha Teachey posted a double-double -- 21 points, 14 rebounds. Marriner dropped in 15 points. Destiney Sutton contributed five assists and plucked the Tigers for four steals. It was the Creek's first-ever win over James Kenan during Charlie Cotten's three-plus seasons on the bench as head coach.

"I think it was awesome, a beautiful thing," Cotten said of Buchan's feat. "She didn't try to go out and force it, just took it in stride. She deserves it, practices a lot all of the time. She has been a tremendous asset over the four years that she's been here.

"(Scoring 1,000 points) is something she'll carry with her and remember the rest of her life."

Spring Creek (5-10 overall, 3-3 CC) built another big lead, only to see James Kenan (4-9, 3-3) claw its way back into the game at the free throw line. The Gators' entire starting lineup, including Buchan, played with four fouls most of the second half.

Ironically, no one fouled out.

And the Gators, for the second straight game, showed some maturity in yet another tense situation.

Kenan seized a one-point lead before Marriner hit the back end of a two-shot foul to force a 58-58 tie. Cotten burned a timeout and called for pressure defense, which created turnovers and -- this time -- put the Gators on the free throw line.

"We kept control of it," Buchan said. "We settled down and didn't let our nerves get the best of us."

Cotten praised his team's late-game poise, but also pointed out Buchan's play down the stretch.

"Some of the other things she did in terms of ball handling and defense don't show up in the stats," Cotten said. "You can see on the floor what she's doing and the impact she has on the game even when she is not scoring. That's what I liked about the game."

Spring Creek concludes first-half conference play at home Tuesday against North Duplin. Tip-off is approximately 6 p.m. at "The Swamp."