Ewing’s Dearden gets 500th career victory
EWING» As the buzzer sounded on the Ewing High boys’ basketball team’s 60-39 win over Hamilton West Thursday night, the Blue Devils girls team charged toward an unknowing Shelly Dearden. Suddenly, an announcement blared throughout the gym that revealed the night’s best kept secret.
The veteran coach had just won her 500th game.
“I don’t ever know how many wins I have,” said Dearden as she clutched a bouquet of flowers and a commemorative ball. “I didn’t know about this until after the game. Keith, my son, tells me ‘You’re close, you’re close, it’s the next game,’ but I really didn’t know. When the girls ran over with all the balloons that’s when I realized it.”
Kameron Clark, who had 10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, was happy to be a part of it.
“It feels good,” Clark said. “We really worked hard in practice every day just to get to that landmark. She just kept pushing us in this game to get this victory.”
Like most coaches who hit milestones, Dearden chalked it up to the aging process.
“It means I’m old and I’ve been around for a long time,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of good players and coaches to help me get here along the way. Ewing has been great to me and the players are the ones who win the game.”
Dearden, who was the first Ewing girls’ player to score 1,000 points, has indeed had great players. But as Hamilton coach Jay Malloy pointed out, she knows what to do with them.
“It’s a great accomplishment, I’m very happy for her,” Malloy said. “She’s had some tremendous teams over the years. Obviously, she’s a great coach and knows how to win with the talent she has. Even with a team like this, after losing seven regulars, they play hard, they’re aggressive and they found a way to win the game.”
They did indeed find a way, as Hamilton (1-2) played equally hard and aggressive and were right in it until Ewing went on a 16-2 run over the game’s final 6:11.
“We just tried to react to their intensity,” Clark said. “When they came in with the intensity we started to back down but then at halftime she told us to pick it up and we did exactly that. We had to start pressing them, start wanting to press. That’s how we got the steals and turnovers and fast breaks.”
The Blue Devils (2-1) took control by scoring 13 straight for a 13-2 lead, and then kept the margin comfortable. Every time the Hornets got close, Ewing would spurt back to a double-figure lead.
Hamilton got within 17-13 early in the second quarter and trailed 28-21 at halftime. West survived 17 turnovers by hitting the boards hard, holding a 21-17 rebounding advantage. With the score 34-27, Ewing scored eight straight for a 15-point lead, only to have the Hornets rally within 44-37 with 6:25 remaining. By then it was a foul shooting contest as each team was in the double bonus, and the Devils gradually pulled away.
Clark loomed large, scoring all 10 of his points in the second half and coming up with his second straight double-figure rebound game.
“I wasn’t always a big scorer but my dad always told me to hit the boards because it would be helpful for the team,” the 6-5 senior said. “I just took it to heart and took it personal and always relied on my rebounds.”
Keyshawn Preston led Ewing with 14 points and Shemar Robinson added 12, while Hamilton’s Javon Porter paced all scorers with 16. Dane Riley had six points and 11 boards off the bench.
“Very sloppy for us tonight,” Dearden said. “We decided to make some changes and do some different things tonight. Those changes helped us stop their run and get a little run for ourselves.”
Sloppy, but memorable. “Yes it is,” Dearden said with a smile. “It’s going to be (in my mind) forever, definitely.”
Davis 2-0-4, Porter 6-4-16, Shasha 2-1-5, Charles 2-0-4, Then 1-0-2, Beebee 0-2-2, Elefant 0-0-0, Riley 3-0-6.
— 16-7-39.
Totals
Sparks 3-1-7, Robinson 5-2-12, Stokes 2-0-4, Reed 2-1-5, Preston 4-6-14, Ezeigbo 1-0-2, Clark 5-0-10, Hadden 2-0-4, Doggett 1-0-2.
25-10-60.
Totals — Hamilton (1-2) Ewing (2-1) 6 17 15 11 12 16 6 — 16 — 39 60
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