Armwood leads Saints past Spring Creek

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on January 18, 2006 2:15 PM

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SEVEN SPRINGS -- Southern Wayne coach Mike Connelley has seen leading scorers Delawn Armwood and Akeem Royal turn in some impressive performances this season.

After Tuesday's effort at Spring Creek, the second-year coach can add two more stellar efforts to that list after a 105-71 win at the Gators' gymnasium in non-conference action.

Armwood poured in 39 points, scoring 28 in a near-flawless shooting barrage before intermission. The senior guard nailed four, 3-pointers -- three of those makes from long range coming during a second quarter that saw Armwood tally a whopping 21 points.

His effort, along with solid overall team defense, helped the Saints, ranked No. 7 in the latest Class 3-A ncpreps.com poll, take a 58-27 advantage into intermission.

"Delawn did some things tonight I've never seen," Connelley said. "In that second quarter, I'm not sure you can play much better than that.

"Both he and Akeem need to keep being more aggressive."

Near the end of the third quarter, Royal, who added 22 points, got loose for an emphatic, one-handed dunk, then followed with back-to-back 3-pointers to cap an 8-0 scoring spurt by himself as Southern Wayne (13-2) led 84-51 after three quarters.

Both coaches got plenty of minutes out of their respective benches, especially in the fourth quarter, as 19 total players scored for both teams.

Trailing by double-digits most of the game, the Gators turned in their most inspired play early in the third quarter. Spring Creek's Cliff Wilson drained three, 3-pointers -- sparking an 11-0 Gator run with both teams starters still on the floor. The spurt trimmed the 31-point halftime margin down to 20, but that would be as close as the Gators would get.

Dalreese Bell led Spring Creek (6-11) with 25 points and came on strong after halftime with 18 points, making four from behind the arc after intermission. Wilson added 18 points, also making four from long range.

Austin Hood added nine points and another solid effort at point guard, consistently finding teammates for open looks in transition and in half-court offensive sets.

"We played much better in the second half than the first half. We played tentative in the first half," Spring Creek boys coach Sonny Kilpatrick said. "It's not an embarrassment to lose to this team, but you never want a team to hit that 100 mark."

Spring Creek forward Daniel Chewning, a starter and key contributor, injured his tailbone late in the first half after falling hard to the floor on a defensive play in the paint. His status was unknown after the game, but it appeared serious as he was taken by EMS to Wayne Memorial Hospital at halftime.

Southern Wayne completed a season sweep of Spring Creek and improved to 5-0 against Wayne County opposition. Tuesday's game was a rescheduled contest from earlier this season when the Saints were still in the football playoffs.

In the girls game, Southern Wayne erased a 14-11 halftime deficit, outscoring the Lady Gators by 17 after intermission in a 52-38 victory. The Saints (6-6) also completed a season sweep of Spring Creek and are 4-1 against county teams.

Late in the third quarter and through the fourth, Southern Wayne methodically put the game away with more intensity on the defensive end and the ability to capitalize on 21 Spring Creek miscues in the second half.

"I was upset at halftime," Southern Wayne girls coach Sally Combs said. "They weren't playing the kind of basketball we've been working on all season long. I challenged them to step it up, and I was pleased with how we executed down the stretch.

Leading 33-26 after three quarters, the Saints went on a 13-4 run in the first five minutes of the final quarter and led 46-30 after an old-fashioned, 3-point play by freshman Lynnesha Leonard, who led all scorers with 16 points.

The Gators had just one field goal during the stretch.

"We got a little tired, and they came out with a lot more pressure," Spring Creek girls coach Mandy Ramjford said. "When teams pressure us, we sometimes get into trouble. But, we stayed with this team tonight."

Spring Creek (2-15) extended the game in the late stages by sending Southern Wayne to the free-throw line. The Saints didn't shoot a high percentage overall, making just 13-of-32 (28 percent), but they hit nine in the fourth and their lead was never in doubt down the stretch.

Ebony Darden added 12 points for the Saints.

Tasha Whitfield and Anna Potter contributed nine points each for the Gators. Potter scored all of her points in the first half, while Whitfield had all nine of her's after intermission.

Both teams return to conference action on Friday. Southern Wayne travels to county and Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference rival Charles B. Aycock, while Spring Creek hosts Carolina 1-A foe, North Duplin.

Girls game

So. Wayne 4 7 22 19 -- 52

Spring Creek 5 9 12 12 -- 38

SOUTHERN WAYNE (6-6)

Lynnesha Leonard 7 0 2-3 16, Ebony Darden 4 0 4-8 12, Christy Dixon 2 0 1-4 5, Kierra Ingram 1 0 3-6 5, Shakoria Clark 1 1 2-7 7, Lynn Grantham 1 0 0-0 2, Clarice Sherrod 1 0 1-4 3. TOTALS -- 17 1 13-32 52.

SPRING CREEK (2-15)

Tomeka Pride 2 0 4-6 6, Tasha Whitfield 3 0 3-5 9, Anna Potter 3 1 0-2 9, Brittani Billups 2 0 1-4 5, Vanity Brooks 0 0 1-2 1, Barbara Witherington 0 0 1-2 1, Shaquita Brooks 0 0 0-2 0, Maura Phipps 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 12 1 11-23 38.

3-point goals -- Southern Wayne 1 (Clark), Spring Creek 1 (Potter). Fouled out -- Leonard (SW), Potter (SC), Billups (SC), V. Brooks (SC). Technical fouls -- none.

Boys game

So. Wayne 26 32 26 21 -- 105

Spring Creek 7 20 24 20 -- 71

SOUTHERN WAYNE (13-2)

Delawn Armwood 10 5 4-5 39, Akeem Royal 3 5 1-2 22, Austin Hood 4 0 1-2 9, Derek Garris 1 1 0-0 5, Antonio Davis 2 0 1-3 5, Jaffari Ward 1 0 3-4 5, Justin Bellamy 2 0 0-0 4, Ashton Langston 1 0 2-4 4, Kendrick Thompson 2 0 0-0 4, Jon Hart 2 0 3-4 7, Kadeem Brunson 0 0 1-2 1. TOTALS -- 28 11 16-26 105.

SPRING CREEK (6-11)

Dalreese Bell 4 4 5-9 25, Cliff Wilson 2 4 2-3 18, Josh Wright 4 0 0-1 8, Daniel Correll 2 1 0-0 7, Phillip Williams 1 1 0-0 5, Carsheme Ruffin 2 0 0-2 4, David Harris 1 0 0-2 2, Cody Rose 1 0 0-0 2, Orlando Grantham 0 0 0-2 0. TOTALS -- 17 10 7-19 71.

3-point goals -- Southern Wayne 11 (Royal 5, Armwood 5, Garris), Spring Creek 10 (Bell 4, Wilson 4, Correll, Williams). Turnovers -- Southern Wayne 17, Spring Creek 23. Total fouls -- Southern Wayne 14, Spring Creek 17. Fouled out -- Wright (SC). Technical fouls -- Royal (SW).