CARY -- Green Hope's girls' basketball team met an unfamiliar foe to make the second-round N.C. 4A game feel more like a state tournament affair, but the one-sided victory was pretty much the same as the Falcons' first-round win over a familiar league rival.
This time Green Hope routed Southern Alamance 82-47 Wednesday night just two days after defeating Tri-Nine rival Apex 71-40.
Green Hope's 1-2 punch of Kristen Gaffney and Ashley Williams treated Southern Alamance pretty much the same as Apex, too.
Gaffney went for a season-high 43 points after scoring 35 against Apex. Williams followed up with 22 points in the second round after a 25-point first-round performance.
That's 85 points in two games from Gaffney and Williams.
In both games, Green Hope coach Mike Robinson was able to empty his bench in the fourth quarter.
"I don't like playing a league team in the state tournament," Gaffney said. "I liked playing someone new. They didn't know us and we didn't know them, and that felt good to just go out and play."
Green Hope advances to the district final on Friday with a 27-2 record, while Southern Alamance finished with a 20-8 record.
"I feel good about the way we're playing," said the Vanderbilt-bound Gaffney, whose career high is 47 last year against Panther Creek.
But Gaffney, who also had nine rebounds, was hardly a solo act. Williams was the one with a double-double as she also dished out 11 assists.
"It makes it easier for me when the players (the defense) come to me and that leaves other girls open," Williams said. "I don't think Kristen missed any of her shots when I passed her the ball."
There was one stretch in the second quarter when Gaffney scored four times - including converting two 3-point plays - when Southern Alamance couldn't seem to find Gaffney but Williams did for assists on all four baskets.
The lead went from 26-14 after the first quarter to 41-21 and then 48-25 by halftime.
The box score might not look like it, but Green Hope's supporting players were again involved in the ball movement. In all, six Falcons scored.
"We were working the ball for good shots instead of just shooting," Gaffney said. "We had good shot selection."
But Gaffney, Williams and Robinson said the Falcons will have to play better defense to keep advancing in the state tournament.
"We've got to work on boxing out and playing better defense," Robinson said. "We scored enough, but we let No. 24 (Shaylen Burnett) penetrate too much and we have to rebound better. They were bigger than us, but we still have to do a better job of boxing out."
Hollie Boggs led Southern Alamance with 18 points and Burnett added 13.
