Northern loses duo to studies

Northern Durham junior basketball standout Roy Bright left the basketball team last week and will not play in the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational this week.

Northern coach Blair Pruette said he had not spoken to Bright or Montez Smith, who also quit.

Bright lives with Smith's family.

"They both missed practice [on Dec. 16], and I got a call that night from a reporter who wanted comments about them leaving the team," Pruette said.

"That was the first that I had heard of it. I still haven't heard from either of the players."

David Smith, Montez's father, said academics was the reason Montez left the team and a big factor in Bright's decision.

"I had an agreement with Montez that his grades had to be at a certain level or he couldn't play," Smith said.

"And Roy wasn't doing nearly as well as he needed to do either. I'm not fooling myself. Montez and Roy aren't going to make 1,100 on the SAT, so they really need to concentrate on their academics and keep their grades up."

Smith said the boys still would practice every day, but with academic tutors instead of a basketball.

"Coach Pruette is a great guy, one of the best people I've ever met," Smith said. "I know it looks like I jerked the rug from under him, but the boys knew from the first day they had to keep their grades up and they did not."

Bright was a second-team selection on The Associated Press all-state team last year after averaging 29.5 points per game. He has been ranked among the top junior players in the country.

He was averaging 22.8 points this season.

Northern is 2-4, including a 64-57 win over Athens Drive on Saturday without Bright.

Smith expects Bright to attend Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill next year and Montez Smith to attend Fork Union (Va.) Military.

HE'S GOTTEN HIS GIFT: Richlands defensive end Mario Williams says he already has received his Christmas present, a football scholarship to N.C. State.

"Nobody needs to get me anything," said the 6-foot-6, 260-pound Richlands High defensive end.

"I'm as happy as I can be. I can't wait to get to State and start practicing."

Williams helped give a present to North Carolina high school football coaches when he led a 28-0 victory over South Carolina in Saturday's Shrine Bowl Game of the Carolinas.

Williams had a slow start during Shrine Bowl week, battling flu-like symptoms early last week and not practicing until Wednesday.

"But when I finally did get to practice, it was a lot of fun," he said.

Williams said his teammates, all-stars from throughout the state, told him he needed to dominate the game and that was his goal.

"We went into the game with the idea of our defense, especially our defensive front, dominating," Williams said. "It was my last high school game and I wanted to give 110 percent on every play."

South Carolina rushed for minus-35 yards, and its quarterbacks were sacked eight times, including three in which Williams had a hand.

The front of Williams; East Wake's Terry Hunter, a North Carolina recruit; Fayetteville Smith's Demarcus Tyler; and South Columbus' Brandon Smith controlled the line of scrimmage.

Wilson Beddingfield's Pierre Parker, an East Carolina recruit and the N.C. defensive MVP, picked off a pass to end South Carolina's only serious scoring threat.

South Carolina had won the past three Shrine Bowl games by a combined score of 107-17.

Williams will be joining the N.C. State football team on Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla., where he will practice for the Gator Bowl, but will not play.

WILKINS HONORED: Millbrook boys soccer coach Danny Wilkins is among the finalists for the National Soccer Coaches Association coach of the year award.

Wilkins is the N.C. Coaches Association 4-A coach of the year and the NSCA 4-A regional coach of the year for the Southeastern United States.

The national coach of the year will be selected from among the regional coaches.

Wilkins' 22-2 Wildcats reached the state 4-A finals, where they lost to Winston-Salem Mount Tabor 2-1 in a sudden-death overtime.

SOUTHEAST WINS JEWEL: Latonya Montague won most valuable player honors while leading Southeast Raleigh to the championship of the Tournament of Jewels in Wilmington last weekend.

Montague had 16 points and 13 rebounds in a 57-28 championship win over Wilmington Laney.

Millbrook was third with a 36-25 win over Fayetteville Britt. Leesville Road lost in the fifth-place game to Wilmington Hoggard 41-32.

MOUNT ZION FALLS IN VEGAS: Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill beat Durham Mount Zion 66-60 to win the Holiday Prep Classic in Las Vegas on Saturday.

BENGAL PICKS BARTON: Fuquay-Varina 6-4 basketball guard Bobby McNeil is Barton College's first basketball recruit of the season.

McNeil averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals last year for the Bengals.

ROSEWOOD WINS WILDCAT: Rosewood won the Wildcat Christmas Clash wrestling tournament. Rosewood beat Roanoke Rapids, Northern Nash, Wilson Fike, Bunn and Warren County to sweep the round-robin tournament.

Bunn's Todd Baker, a 125-pounder, was the most outstanding wrestler.