Lewis' three-pointer waived off in Cougar loss

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 26, 2009 1:46 PM

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Donald Lewis dropped to his knees.

Rasean Brewington shouted "no!" in disbelief.

Chris Cherry couldn't contain his tears.

And Goldsboro, for the third consecutive season, endured a semifinal-round loss in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 2-A men's basketball sectionals.

Lewis' game-winning, 3-point attempt slipped through the net as the buzzer sounded, but the officials waved it off and Pittsboro Northwood claimed a come-from-behind, 59-57 victory at Cougar Gymnasium.

"You have to go with the call," said a misty-eyed Cherry.

Senior forward Tyrelle Jackson logged a double-double -- 18 points, 10 rebounds -- in his final prep contest. Demetrio Irby provided 13 of his 16 points in the second half and dished out four assists.

Lewis and Rasean Brewington tallied nine points apiece.

Goldsboro (19-9 overall) trailed by eight points on three occasions in the third period. Brewington's 3-pointer off Michael Langston's assist gave the Cougars their first lead, 49-48, early in the fourth quarter.

The teams traded leads until Jackson and Brewington converted back-to-back possessions to put Goldsboro ahead 54-50. Irby connected on a 3-pointer to make it 57-52.

The Cougars wouldn't score again in the final two-plus minutes.

Six-foot-4 center Terrance Hackney drained two free throws and power forward Antonio Farmer scored off his own miss to pull the Chargers within 57-56.

Goldsboro turned the ball over on its next two possessions and Northwood took the lead for good on Jake Houck's steal and layup.

"Unforced turnovers," said Cherry. "When you've got a five-point lead with two minutes to go, you've got to protect the lead. We just played bad the last two minutes of the game."

Irby drew a blocking foul with 10.4 seconds to go, but missed both free throws. Houck hit one of two free throws, but missed the second and Jackson scurried down court.

Hackney blocked his shot, Jackson recovered the ball and threw it behind his back to Lewis, who had set up in the left corner. Lewis took the 3-pointer and the Goldsboro bench watched as its season ended in agonizing fashion when the officials ruled the shot no good.

"Tyrelle has been making big plays all year and I can't complaint about that (last shot)," said Cherry. "He did a great job following his miss and the ref said the shot was after the buzzer."

Northwood hung around throughout the game.

Houck and backcourt mate Ridge Smith paced the Chargers' offense with 17 and 21 points, respectively. Smith buried three 3-pointers in the third period, which drew Cherry's ire from the sideline.

"Their two guards shoot the ball really well and we talked about that in practice," said Cherry. "We just didn't get out and defend. That's the bottom line."

Goldsboro played its final contest on the 2-A level. The Cougars will join the Carolina 1-A Conference next fall when the new NCHSAA realignment becomes effective June 1.