Saints edge Vikings 73-71 in boys' action

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on November 30, 2005 2:03 PM

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DUDLEY -- If the Southern Wayne boys' basketball team is to win their second straight Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference title, non-conference games like Tuesday's battle with 4-A foe New Hanover will have the Saints prepared for the rigors of the ECC.

Southern Wayne built a 15-point lead early in the fourth quarter, only to see the taller Wildcats erase that margin with a 15-0 run during a span of four minutes. The Saints, a team with seven seniors, regrouped in the final two minutes with Delawn Armwood, Antonio Davis and Akeem Royal knocking down clutch shots and free throws as Southern Wayne held on for a 73-71 win at home.

Armwood, coming off of a 39-point effort in the Saints' opener at Smithfield-Selma, finished with a game-best 27 points against the Wildcats. Armwood knocked down four of his teams' 10, 3-pointers, while Royal (13 points), Davis (11 points) and Justin Bellamy (11 points) all contributed in a balanced scoring effort. Meanwhile, Davis grabbed 10 rebounds and Austin Hood added six boards -- both pulling down clutch rebounds down the stretch.

"I knew we were ready for this game. They (New Hanover) are a great team, and everyone had to play to their potential for us to have a chance," Southern Wayne coach Mike Connelley said. "They were huge, but I thought we did a great job inside."

In the girls game, New Hanover never trailed -- turning in an impressive start and finish in a 74-38 win over the Lady Saints.

Southern Wayne's Shakoria Clark had a team-high 19 points as teammate Ebony Darden chipped in 11, but it wasn't enough to keep up with a Wildcat squad that had five scorers with at least six points. Both forwards, Shantar Waddell led the visitors from Wilmington with 19 points, while her front-court mate Alicia Soules added 12.

The Saints committed 29 total turnovers on the game against a mixture of defenses by the deep Wildcats.

"It's all about execution. We know what to do, because we go over it in practice everyday," Combs said. "They know what to do, but it's a matter of gaining that confidence in game situations."

Through the first three quarters, Connelley's squad played scrappy defensively and kept New Hanover's big men under wraps. Southern Wayne picked up 15 turnovers through the first three quarters, while committing only nine of its own with just four miscues in the first half. The defensive momentum seemed to carry over to the offensive end in the third quarter as Armwood drilled three from behind the arc as Davis got loose down low for four baskets to help boost the Saints to a 56-45 lead after three.

Royal added a put-back at the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter as the margin stretched to 62-47. Southern Wayne had outscored the visitors 30-14 in the second half at that point.

Then, New Hanover stepped up its defensive pressure and forced a handful of Saints' turnovers with Drew Jackson, who finished with 25 points, leading the charge with a couple of steals and 11 points in the final period. The Wildcats stormed all the way back to take their final lead at 68-66 on 2-of-2 at the line by Jackson with 1:20 left.

"We got unaggressive. I don't think a team as small as we are can play that way. Last year, we never would have got back in a game like this," Connelley said.

Armwood quickly answered with a 3-pointer on Southern Wayne's next possession. Armwood, Davis and Royal posted clutch free throws down the stretch, but Royal missed the back-end of a two-shot penalty in the waning seconds. After a long rebound, New Hanover's Lloyd Brooks got off a potential, game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer that hit the front iron and bounced to the floor as the Saints held on for the tough win.

Combs is hoping her team -- that is mostly freshmen and sophomores with only two juniors -- will consistently grow as the season continues.

"They are gaining some confidence. They are eager to learn, but they aren't where they need to be yet," Combs said. "Give us some time, and I think we'll be decent."

Southern Wayne returns to action at home on Friday against county rival Goldsboro.

Girls

New Hanover 18 19 16 21 -- 74

Southern Wayne 5 11 13 9 -- 38

NEW HANOVER (3-0)

Ayreal Welch 3 0 0-0 6, Shantar Waddell 8 0 3-4 19, Katy Link 1 0 0-0 2, Maggie Sullivan 2 0 0-0 4, Keenan Whitesides 4 0 0-0 8, Quajii Harrison 2 0 1-1 5, Sarah Everhart 2 0 1-3 5, Shanice Blanks 2 2 1-2 11, Alicia Soules 6 0 0-0 12, Terishsa Foot 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 31 2 6-10 74.

SOUTHERN WAYNE (0-2)

Ebony Darden 5 0 1-2 11, Christy Dixon 1 0 0-1 2, Janissa Faison 2 0 0-0 4, Shakoria Clark 6 1 4-8 19, Charice Sherard 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 15 1 5-11 38.

Three-point baskets -- New Hanover 2 (Blanks 2), Southern Wayne 1 (Clark). Turnovers -- New Hanover 14, Southern Wayne 29. Total fouls -- New Hanover 14, Southern Wayne 14. Fouled out -- Faison. Technical fouls -- none.

Boys

New Hanover 14 19 12 26 -- 71

Southern Wayne 15 17 24 17 -- 73

NEW HANOVER (2-1)

Rakeem Wilson 4 0 3-5 11, Drew Jackson 9 1 4-6 25, Lloyd Brooks 6 1 0-0 15, Jimmal Simmons 1 0 2-4 4, Ty Walker 2 0 1-2 5, George Bryan 4 0 0-0 8, Nick Becton 1 0 1-2 3. TOTALS -- 27 2 11-19 71.

SOUTHERN WAYNE (2-0)

Derrick Garris 1 1 0-0 5, Antonio Davis 5 0 1-3 11, Akeem Royal 3 2 1-2 13, Delawn Armwood 3 4 9-12 27, Justin Bellamy 1 3 0-0 11, Austin Hood 1 0 0-0 2, John Hart 2 0 0-0 4. TOTALS -- 16 10 11-17 73.

Three-point baskets -- New Hanover 2 (Jackson, Brooks), Southern Wayne 10 (Armwood 4, Bellamy 3, Royal 2, Garris). Turnovers -- New Hanover 18, Southern Wayne 17. Total fouls -- New Hanover 17, Southern Wayne 12. Fouled out -- Jackson. Technical fouls -- none.