Prep basketball roundup

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on February 13, 2005 2:01 AM

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DEEP RUN -- Paul Novicki is one heck of a hero.

The senior guard -- who already has a handful of game-winning shots to his credit in his heralded South Lenoir playing career -- did it again for the Blue Devils on Friday.

Novicki hit a heavily defended, off-balance 15-foot jumper from the left of the lane to propel the Blue Devils past Greene Central, 53-52 on OT.

The win clinched the Class 2-A Eastern Plains regular-season championship for the Jimmy Smith-coached Blue Devils (15-7 overall, 8-2 EP2A), the first title for South Lenoir since 1980. The team won the title despite being picked to finish fifth in the six-team EPC.

Greene Central coach Kevin Hart said he was proud of his team's defense on the final play.

"I don't think we could have defended that shot any better," Hart said. "It was an off-balance, kind of an underhanded push shot and it just went in the basket. It must have just been in the stars for South Lenoir to win the game."

In a game the 1,300 fans in attendance will talk about for the rest of their lives, Greene Central (17-7, 7-3) led for all but 12 seconds of regulation play.

Charles Gamble led Greene Central with 16 points, while Teddie Waters and Willis added 13 each. The second-seeded Rams are off until Thursday, when they host either third-seeded North Lenoir or sixth-seeded Southwest Edgecombe in the EPC semifinals.

-- Kinston Free Press

North Lenoir wins one

for Dunn's mother

LAGRANGE -- This wasn't for bragging rights, it wasn't for personal glory and it wasn't for a hard-earned place in school history.

No, this one was for Mom.

With his mother at home with the flu missing her first game of her son's career, North Lenoir senior Justin Dunn eclipsed a short-lived school record with a 43-point performance to lead the Hawks to 91-87 win over Tarboro on Friday on the Hawks' senior night.

North Lenoir (16-5, 6-4 Class 2-A Eastern Plains) will face Southwest Edgecombe Tuesday at home in the first round of the EPC tournament.

Dunn broke a record set just three nights earlier, when teammate Adrian Brewer scored 42 points in the Hawks' 91-67 win at Southwest Edgecombe on Tuesday.

"I did it for my Moms," Dunn said. "I just wanted to go out and play for her tonight, and thatâs what I did."

Dunn, who broke the record with the second of two free throws with 2:18 left in the game, connected on 7-of-9 3-point attempts in his record performance.

North Lenoir held a seemingly comfortable 18-point lead with 5:44 left in the game and led by 10 with 2:31 remaining. The Vikings (7-16, 2-8) scrambled to pull to within four at 89-85 with 15 seconds left but could not finish the comeback.

-- Kinston Free Press

Varsity women

North Johnston drains

Spring Creek

SEVEN SPRINGS -- The North Johnston women's basketball team closed out regular-season play in the Class 1-A Carolina Conference on Friday night with a 62-32 win over Spring Creek.

The Panthers (16-6 overall, 11-1 Carolina Conference) finish with a share of the league championship -- along with Farmville Central -- and a No. 2 seed in next week's conference touranament.

North Johnston hosts the Gators (2-18, 1-11) on Monday night in a rematch that will also serve as a first-round tourney game.

Helen Moore led four Panthers in double-figure scoring with 15 points. Carolina Hines added 13.

Brittanni Billups led Spring Creek with 13 points.

South Lenoir upsets

Greene Central

DEEP RUN -- The South Lenoir women's basketball team overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to upset Greene Central 58-54 on friday night.

Nicole Corn scored all but two of her 20 points in the second half to help the Blue Devils win their first conference game of the year.

Briana Stanton's 26 points and Teketia Mays' 10 led Greene Central (10-14, 3-7), which finished fourth in the Class 2-A Eastern Plains Conference. The Rams face fifth-seeded North Pitt at 6:30 p.m. on Monday at North Pitt in the EP2A tournament.

-- Kinston Free Press

JV Boys

WCDS claims

CPIC title

Wayne Country Day's Tyler Pate scored 14 points as the Chargers clinched the Coastal Plains Independent 1-A Conference title with an 82-56 win at home over Rocky Mount Academy on Friday.

The Chargers will take a 21-3 overall record into the CPIC tourney, beginning Friday.

Lamar Carpenter, Travis Davis and David Wilson chipped in 12 points each for WCDS.