Goldsboro's Joyner, Kornegay surpass 1,000-point plateau

By Rob Craig
Published in Sports on December 3, 2006 2:01 AM

• Print
• Email

Teammates can bring out the best in great players and likewise, great players can bring out the best in their teammates.

For seniors Daquan Joyner and Tim Kornegay, their teammates played an important role in helping them to two major accomplishments and a big victory Friday night at Goldsboro High School. Both Joyner and Kornegay recorded their 1,000th career point in the Cougars' 79-67 win over Southern Wayne.

Joyner reached the milestone with an old-fashioned three-point play early in the first quarter.

"I feel like I accomplished something," said Joyner. "One of the things I wanted to accomplish was to score 1,000 points during my career."

Kornegay reached 1,000 points early in the second period.

"To go out every night and play hard, to then come away with (1,000 points) is good," said Kornegay.

Play stopped so each player could be recognized for his achievement. Goldsboro head coach Randy Jordan presented Joyner and Kornegay with a game ball, and the Cougar faithful awarded them with a standing ovation.

"We've been blessed to have two outstanding young men like Daquan and Tim in our program," said Jordan. "They do a lot of things to help us win."

Once all of the celebratory matters were completed, there was still a basketball game to be played. Goldsboro trailed 36-35 at halftime and fell behind 43-37 when the Saints' Antonio Howard got hot.

Kornegay injured his ankle during that stretch and played limited minutes the remainder of the non-conference game.

"It's hurting but I'll be alright," said Kornegay after the game.

Kornegay's teammates then stepped up and played outstanding defense over the next two minutes and forced the Saints into a few turnovers. A full-court press and match-up zone created five consecutive Southern Wayne turnovers, which led to a 7-0 Goldsboro run. The Cougars forged ahead 44-43 and eventually led 52-49 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter belonged to Joyner. The 6-foot-7 East Carolina signee swatted away numerous Saints shots, dominated the boards and even collected a couple of steals. On offense, he scored at will.

Joyner tallied six straight points as the Cougars boosted their advantage to 60-51. Later in the period, Joyner notched eight consecutive points as Goldsboro owned a double-digit lead -- 75-64 -- with just over one minute left in regulation.

"I had to turn it up a notch and be a leader," said Joyner.

Joyner scored 16 of his team-high 23 points in the final quarter.

"(Daquan) really stepped up in that period, but let's give credit to his teammates," said Jordan. "They got him the basketball. They recognized he had a mismatch inside."

Kornegay added 13 and Kevonta McDuffie contributed 11.

Jon Hart paced Southern Wayne with a game-high 26 points and Orlando Davis pumped in 20. The Saints suffered their second straight loss.

"Southern Wayne plays hard, they're very competitive," said Jordan. "That was a big win for us."

In girls' action, Southern Wayne thwarted a late Goldsboro rally and prevailed 63-61.

The Saints (2-2) led 51-35 with 6:37 left in the final period, but the Cougars nearly erased the double-digit advantage with an 18-4 run. Tiffany Burden's two free throws trimmed Southern Wayne's lead to 55-53.

"I told them at the end of the third quarter to take it one possession at a time, and it would come to us," said first-year Goldsboro coach Brandy Smith. "By the six-minute mark, we had gotten it down to 10 points. From there, we continued to play defense ... our man defense created turnovers and got us easy buckets."

Southern Wayne regained its composure. Ebony Darden completed an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Saints a 62-54 lead.

Goldsboro and Kianna Williams refused to go away. Williams' aggressive defense forced back-to-back Saints' turnovers and led to seven straight Cougar points -- five of which she scored. The Cougars (0-3) trailed 62-61 with 29 seconds left to play.

Zakiya Jones' free throw gave the Saints a 63-61 lead. Goldsboro misfired on its next two possessions and Southern Wayne escaped. Lynneshia Leonard and Darden each collected 15 points for the Saints, while Shakoria Clark provided 14.

"We got a little tired at the end," said Southern Wayne coach Chuck Crumpler. "We've got to get in better shape. I think the girls have a better understanding now that if they don't work then they're not going to win games.

"My girls have a lot of guts."

Williams poured in a career-high 21 points to go with seven assists for Goldsboro, while Danielle Irby contributed 16. Burden chipped in 10.

Boys game

So. Wayne 16 20 13 18 -- 67

Goldsboro 18 17 17 27 -- 79

SOUTHERN WAYNE (2-2)

Jon Hart 8 3 1-1 26, Orlando Davis 9 0 2-2 20, Antonio Howard 2 0 1-2 5, Kevin Flow 1 0 3-4 5, Anthony Vick 1 1 0-0 5, Silonte Thompson 2 0 0-0 4, Adam Harrell 1 0 0-0 2, Jabari Dos Santos 0 0 0-2 0. TOTALS -- 24 4 7-11 67.

GOLDSBORO (3-1)

Daquan Joyner 11 0 1-3 23, Tim Kornegay 5 1 0-1 13, Kevonta McDuffie 4 0 3-4 11, Burnie Best 3 0 2-4 8, Antonio Green 3 0 0-1 6, Eric McLean 2 0 2-2 6, Treme' Boone 2 0 1-4 5, Tim Hobbs 2 0 0-1 4, Jameson Wellington 0 1 0-0 3. TOTALS -- 32 2 9-19 79.

Girls game

So. Wayne 13 17 18 15 -- 63

Goldsboro 14 8 12 27 -- 61

SOUTHERN WAYNE (2-2)

Ebony Darden 5 0 5-7 15, Lynneshia Leonard 5 0 5-6 15, Shakoria Clark 4 0 6-8 14, Brianna Lofton 3 0 1-4 7, Jameka Allen 2 0 0-0 4, Kiera Ingarm 2 0 0-0 4, Kayla Powell 2 0 1-2 3, Zakiya Jones 0 0 1-3 1. TOTALS -- 22 0 19-32 63.

GOLDSBORO (0-3)

Kianna Williams 8 0 5-7 21, Danielle Irby 6 0 4-6 16, Tiffany Burden 3 0 4-6 10, Zeara McDuffie 1 0 2-3 4, Millicent Kornegay 2 0 0-3 4, Carmille Early 1 0 1-2 3, Victoria Williams 1 0 1-2 3. TOTALS -- 22 0 17-29 61.