Golden Falcon boys drop to 0-2 in ECC play

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on January 18, 2009 2:00 AM

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PIKEVILLE -- Perhaps no team in the Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference is more prepared to handle adversity than Charles B. Aycock.

Only time will tell how the Golden Falcons respond to their latest bout with difficulty.

Aycock trimmed a 12-point halftime deficit to just one but could never close the gap in a 55-49 loss to Wilson Hunt on Friday evening. The setback dropped the Golden Falcons to 0-2 in ECC play.

Hunt led 32-20 at the half, but Aycock needed just 3 1/2 minutes to reel off 11 unanswered points. Khendra Reid's three-point-play cut the margin to 32-31.

"We talked at halftime about there wasn't a whole lot we were doing wrong," said Golden Falcons head coach David West. "We talked about the two things we weren't doing which was making free throws and having intensity. We came out in the second half and took over basically.

"We made a good defensive stand and had good offensive execution. We just couldn't finish."

The Warriors (7-6 overall, 1-1 ECC) responded by scoring eight of the quarter's final 10 points and led 39-33 entering the fourth.

Jonathan Williams' three-point-play pulled Aycock to within 39-36 early in the fourth quarter, but Hunt seemed to have an answer for every Golden Falcons surge.

Ahmad Young's free throws and Jordan White's layup extended the advantage to 43-36. Chris Woodard's three-point-play with under five minutes remaining pushed the Warriors' lead to 47-39.

A 10-for-18 performance from the free throw line by his squad caught the attention of West.

"Hunt stepped up a lot in the fourth quarter," said West. "I know in the first quarter we missed five or six free throws and then we kept missing them all during the game and you lose a game by six.

"We didn't play that bad of a basketball game. Free throws and finishing around the basket really got us."

Reid sank two free throws and added a layup with just under a minute to play that cut the margin to 53-47. Hunt hung on despite making just two of six free throws in the final moments.

Reid led all scorers with 22 points and Winford provided 11.

Tyrell Vinson paced the Warriors with 14 points, Creech added 12 and Young had 10.

The Golden Falcons (11-5) will look to pick up their first ECC win of the season on Tuesday when they visit Kinston.

"We've dug a little 0-2 hole and we know that," said West. "These guys aren't going to quit and they're not going to give up. These guys have bounced back from more than 0-2.

"I know how they're going to handle it ... in a positive way. I'm just looking forward to sitting back and watching them do it."