Goldsboro secures EPC championship

Published in Sports on February 8, 2006 2:26 PM

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By DAVIS FISHER

Courtesy Kinston Free Press

LaGRANGE -- Tim Kornegay hit a layup with 6.3 seconds remaining, lifting Goldsboro High to a dramatic 68-66 win over North Lenoir at Wheat Swamp on Tuesday night.

The win split the regular-season series between the Cougars and Hawks and secured the Class 2-A Eastern Plains Conference regular-season title for the Cougars. North Lenoir had handed Goldsboro its lone league loss of the season, 67-62, on Jan. 20.

Kornegay's winning basket was set up when Raheem Lofton stole the ball, and found Kornegay for the open layup.

North Lenoir had the ball at midcourt with 3.2 seconds remaining. Rosber took the inbounds pass from Omar Jones, dribbled to the right side and fired his shot. It bounced off the rim as time expired.

"I told coach (Paul) Dunn after the game that Goldsboro-North Lenoir is kind of like the Yankees and Red Sox in Fenway Park, no lead is safe," Goldsboro head coach Randy Jordan said. "It's always going to be like that."

Goldsboro (15-8 overall, 8-1 EPC) looked to have the game in hand early in the fourth quarter, leading by 16 (57-41) with 7:20 remaining on a basket by Daquan Joyner.

"Once again, we didn't execute," Dunn said.

"We laid down and played possum for three periods. Once the fourth quarter came, we decided we wanted to play and it was too late. We just have to continue to play hard and see where the chips fall."

North Lenoir (15-8, 5-4) came to life with a 21-6 run to cut the Cougars' lead to one at 63-62 with four minutes remaining on a basket by Eddie Cox.

The Hawks took their first lead of the night on their next possession on a shot in the paint by Samuel Edwards. The final four minutes was back and forth as the lead changed hands three times, and the largest advantage by either team was the final margin.

"I thought our kids responded well and answered the bell in the last 3 1/2 minutes of the game, and did the things we needed to do to win," Jordan said.

Goldsboro took advantage of North Lenoir's defensive weakness by pounding the ball inside time after time.

"We are an inside-dominated team," said Jordan, whose team had 20 assists and 10 steals. "That's our bread and butter."

The Cougars scored 34 points in the paint.

"That's something that every loss we have had has come from," Dunn said. "We just aren't getting it done on the inside. We are not stopping anyone in the paint. Every game we have lost, we have lost in the paint.

"No one can outshoot us, no one has outshot us. We aren't defending anyone in the paint. That is our weakness. We try to work on it, but the kids just aren't responding."

North Lenoir was led by Adrian Brewer with a game-high 24 points, followed by Jones with 23.

Goldsboro closes out its regular season Friday night with a home game against North Pitt. North Lenoir faces Greene Central the same night.

In the girls' game, North Lenoir's Helena Davis hit a layup at the horn, securing a 53-51 win for the Hawks.

North Lenoir (19-4, 6-3) appeared to be in good shape, leading by 11 at the end of the third quarter, but Goldsboro fought its way back into the game and tied the game at 51-51 when Chevoya Jackson scored.

North Lenoir had three players in double figures, led by Carla Miller with a game-high 19 points followed by Katie Maloney and Davis with 17 and 10 points, respectively.

Boys game

Goldsboro 17 13 23 15 -- 68

North Lenoir 5 17 19 25 -- 66

GOLDSBORO (15-8, 8-1)

Brandon Herring 7, Tim Kornegay 4, Raheem Lofton 19, Tim Hobbs 2, Treme Boone 1, Joe Houpe 14, Daquan Joyner 19, Antonio Green 2.

NORTH LENOIR (16-7, 5-4)

Adrian Brewer 24, Eddie Cox 2, Dusty Davis 4, Samuel Edwards 9, Omar Jones 23, Jackie Sutton Jr. 4.