C.B. Aycock can't hold 19 point lead

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on January 8, 2008 3:34 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Charles B. Aycock's varsity boys' and girls' basketball teams appeared poised to halt long, frustrating losing streaks Monday evening against SouthWest Edgecombe.

But the Golden Falcons couldn't answer key runs.

The Cougars, of the Class 3-A NEW 6 Conference, turned a 19-point halftime deficit into a 65-57, come-from-behind victory on the boys' side. Detrail Jenkins led three players in double figures with a game-high 18 points as SouthWest extended the Golden Falcons' losing streak to eight games.

The Cougar girls seized control with an 11-0, second-quarter spurt and eventually prevailed 59-43. SouthWest junior Monique Williams sizzled the nets for a game-high 32 points and Aycock (1-12 overall) endured its ninth consecutive setback.

"A tale of two halves," said Aycock boys head coach David West. "(The first) was completely opposite the second half."

Despite seeing several shot attempts rim in and out, the Golden Falcons (2-11) built a double-digit lead in the second quarter. Leonard Compton's 3-pointer deep in the right corner and his subsequent layup off a turnover gave Aycock its biggest advantage, 24-11, at that point.

Jonathan Williams' offensive putback and a David Gurganus free throw extended the lead to 29-13. SouthWest (8-3) pulled within 31-17, but the Golden Falcons led 36-17 at halftime after Gurganus drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

West expected the Cougars to make a second-half run.

"We talked about at halftime how they were going to come back and knew they were going to come back," said West. "

Aycock employed a box-and-one defense on SouthWest senior Eugene Jenkins in the second half to prevent him from having an explosive second half. The 6-foot-2 forward, instead, controlled the tempo and let the game flow through him as he got his teammates involved offensively.

The Cougars went on a 10-2 run and climbed within 41-31 on Jenkins' one-handed, open-court layup. West burned a 30-second timeout to break momentum, but the Golden Falcons couldn't deliver any defensive stops.

Sophomore guard William Young swished a 3-pointer and converted a conventional 3-point play as the Cougars shaved Aycock's lead to 41-39. Greg Horne's offensive putback forced a 41-41 deadlock after three quarters.

Young (12 points) provided a layup off a turnover and a 3-pointer, all within a 20-second span, as SouthWest moved in front 46-42. The Golden Falcons got within 60-53 on Compton's 3-pointer and 15-footer with less than a minute remaining.

Jenkins (11 points) and Detrail Jenkins hit key free throws in the final 30 seconds as the Cougars claimed the regular-season sweep. Gurganus paced the Golden Falcons with 13 points, while Compton and Khendra Reid supplied 12 points apiece.

"I don't think this helped our confidence, any," said West. "I think it showed us another side that we've got to work on ... pressing as hard as we can go both offensively and defensively."

Aycock's girls trailed 9-8 after one quarter, but moved ahead 13-11 early in the second period. SouthWest (8-4) went on an 11-0 run, getting eight points from Williams during that stretch.

The Golden Falcons' Chantel Gaines (17 points) canned back-to-back field goals off Yolanda Pitt assists to trim the deficit to 24-19. The teams traded buckets and the Cougars, the 2007 state 3-A runners-up, owned a 28-24 lead at intermission.

SouthWest opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run, only to see Aycock close the gap to 36-30. Ny'neka Euwell's offensive putback and consecutive baskets from Williams boosted the margin to 42-30 after three quarters.

"She was definitely on and when that happens, the basket seems to get bigger and everything seems to find its way down," Aycock coach Carrie Reynell said of Williams. "We're still working on that pride issue when somebody beats you, take it as a lesson learned. But I was very proud of the team tonight."

Reynell said the final score didn't reflect the Golden Falcons' effort. She praised her team's defensive aggressiveness, which led to a season-best 15 steals.

Pitt finished with 10 points for Aycock.

Boys game

SW Edgecombe 8 9 24 24 -- 65

C.B. Aycock 13 23 5 16 -- 57

SW EDGECOMBE (8-3)

Delano Jackson 1 0 0-0 2, Scott Tharrington 1 0 0-0 2, Kashwan Parker 0 0 0-4 0, William Young 2 2 2-3 12, Greg Horne 3 0 0-2 6, Bruce Ellison 1 0 4-7 6, Eugene Jenkins 5 0 1-4 11, Myquell Dickens 3 0 2-2 8, Detrail Jenkins 4 0 10-12 18. TOTALS -- 20 2 19-32 65.

C.B. AYCOCK (2-11)

David Gurganus 1 3 2-4 13, Isaac Ryals 0 0 0-0 0, Tyheim Pitt 1 0 0-1 2, Leonard Compton 2 2 2-3 12, Devon Newsome 2 0 0-1 4, Jordan Riley 0 0 2-3 2, Jonathan Williams 2 0 3-4 7, Khendra Reid 3 0 6-10 12, Jordan Yawn 2 0 0-0 4, Michael King 0 0 1-2 1. TOTALS -- 13 5 16-28 57.

Girls game

SW Edgecombe 9 19 14 17 -- 59

C.B. Aycock 8 16 6 13 -- 43

SW EDGECOMBE (7-4)

Kayla Hinton 1 0 0-0 2, Denise Harrison 1 0 1-1 3, Sara Norwood 1 0-0 2, Jessica Barnes 1 0 1-4 3, Monique Williams 14 0 4-7 32, Jewelry Redmond 2 0 1-1 5, Ny'neka Euwell 3 0 0-1 6, Iesha Reid 0 0 0-2 0, Nashaun Hines 3 0 0-3 6. TOTALS -- 26 0 7-19 59.

C.B. AYCOCK (1-12)

Yolanda Pitt 2 1 3-8 10, Kendra Speight 2 0 2-2 6, Chantel Gaines 7 0 3-15 17, Stephanie Orosco 0 0 0-0 0, Tori Benton 3 0 0-0 6, Courtney Sheeks 0 0 0-2 0, Briana Reid 0 0 4-11 4. TOTALS -- 14 1 12-28 43.