Forte shoulders Cougars' offense in extra session

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on December 10, 2008 1:47 PM

• Print
• Email

Carlton Forte saved his best for last as Goldsboro bested county rival Eastern Wayne 75-74 in overtime on Tuesday night.

Forte scored all seven of the Cougars' points in the extra session, primarily off of dribble penetration by guards Michael Langston and Donald Lewis. He also capitalized on second-chance opportunities.

"We are going to take tonight as a positive," said Goldsboro head coach Chris Cherry. "You never know what young guys learn from a game like this, but it's certainly better than battling back and coming up short."

The teams traded baskets down the stretch.

Tyrelle Jackson evened the contest at 64-64 with a steal and a layup with two minutes and 30 seconds to play. On the following possession, Demetrio Irby gave the Cougars the lead with a long 3-pointer from the left wing.

The Warriors refused to go down.

Colton Butler scored on a putback and Will White finished a drive with a short jumper to give Eastern Wayne a 68-67 lead with 57 seconds left in regulation.

On the ensuing Cougar possession Rasean Brewington gathered a pass in the lane and drew a foul. He made the front end of the two-shot foul, but the second attempt clanged off the rim and into the hands of Butler.

But the Warriors turned the ball over with 2 seconds to play and forced overtime.

"I thought my guys played really hard, they never gave up," said Eastern Wayne head coach Marvin Bowman. "We have a lot of young guys, and it would have been easy for them to not play well in the late-game pressure."

Eastern Wayne seized a 70-68 advantage in overtime, but Forte went to work.

The diminutive forward finished back-to-back drives with layups and capped a third Cougar possession with an offensive putback.

White kept Eastern Wayne within striking distance with a power move under the hoop. After a Forte free throw, Butler collected a loose ball and pulled Eastern Wayne within one at 75-74. A failed Cougar possession gave the Warriors a final chance to win the game, but a turnover at midcourt sealed the team's fate.

"I thought we had a good stretch in the second quarter, but we really turned up the intensity in the second half," said Cherry. "Our guys battled all night."

The Cougars (5-4 overall) were led offensively by Jackson's 21 points and 11 rebounds. A late arrival to the basketball team, due to the school's run in the football playoffs, Jackson also tallied five steals.

"He has been a big addition to this team on and off the court," said Cherry. "Tyrelle plays with tremendous energy and will."

Irby added 19 points, while Forte and Brewington scored nine points respectively.

The Warriors (0-5) were paced by 16 points from Jeniri Cyrus. Butler added 15 points, and White finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Cody Kirkland provided 11 points.