Saints win Home Team Athletics Holiday Classic championship

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on January 1, 2006 2:12 AM

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JACKSONVILLE -- Delawn Armwood blistered White Oak's defense for 30 points and earned Most Valuable Player honors as Southern Wayne defeated the Vikings 75-64 to claim the Home Team Athletics Holiday Classic championship on Friday evening.

Armwood also shined defensively, limiting White Oak's Deonte Williams to 12 points. Williams was named the defensive MVP in the Shrine Bowl and has signed with North Carolina.

Derrick Garris and Akeem Royal, a pair of all-tournament selections, added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Austin Hood picked the Vikings' pockets for seven steals and provided six points.

"It's a shame that Austin didn't make all-tournament because he ran everything and defensively he disrupted them so much," said second-year Saints coach Mike Connelley. "We asked a lot of Delawn yesterday and he really came through, too."

White Oak led 17-10 until Garris made a 3-pointer.

"I thought we were timid (early), but then we did really well the last three quarters," said Connelley.

Southern Wayne led 34-32 at halftime and 54-45 after three quarters.

Bryan Streeter led the Vikings with 30 points.

"It was a lot of fun to go down there to play them in their gym," said Connelley. "It was a great crowd and we had a lot of people from Southern Wayne there. (It) was a terrific atmosphere."

The Saints (9-1) return to action Wednesday at Wallace-Rose Hill, the eastern regional 1-A runner-up in 2004. Connelley's squad opens its Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference schedule at home Friday against archrival Eastern Wayne.

Home Team Athletics

Holiday Classic Championship

(at White Oak HS, Jacksonville)

Southern Wayne 13 21 20 21 -- 75

White Oak 17 15 13 19 -- 64

SOUTHERN WAYNE (9-1)

Derrick Garris 14, Langston 2, Davis 9, Akeem Royal 12, Delawn Armwood 30, Bellamy 2, Hood 6.

WHITE OAK

Scott 4, Wheat 8, Walker 6, Stanley 4, Bryan Streeter 30, Deonte Williams 12.