Southern Wayne loses to Greenfield
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 28, 2009 11:48 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- Less than 24 hours after scorching the nets for a season-high 83 points, Southern Wayne couldn't generate any consistent offense Saturday afternoon.
Turnovers proved crucial, too.
The Saints succumbed to 31 miscues and endured a 76-42 loss to Greenfield in the championship game of the 2009 Mount Olive College Invitational inside Kornegay Arena.
"We turned the ball over too much early and Greenfield is definitely a team that can score a lot of points," said third-year Southern Wayne head coach Russell Stephens. "When we got the ball inside-out, we could score baskets."
But field goals were a premium.
Southern Wayne (1-2 overall) converted 17 field goals compared to 25 for Greenfield, which had two Division I recruits among its starting five. South Carolina signee Brian Richardson earned MVP honors with a 17-point effort, while Drake (Iowa) signee and all-tournament pick Jeremy Jeffers contributed 13.
Darian Cahill, who started his prep career at Eastern Wayne, garnered all-tournament recognition with an 11-point performance. Teammate Jarred Hinton supplied 11 points, also, as the Knights departed 3-2 in all games this season.
"They are some outstanding players and you can see why they signed Division I," said Stephens.
All-tournament selection Khari Faison ended up a rebound shy of a double-double -- 15 points, nine boards -- for the Saints. Delfawn Worrells knocked down 11 points, while Rashadd Hill adding four points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
The Saints' troubles started from the opening tip.
They dropped in just one field goal and committed six turnovers on their first nine possessions of the first quarter. The Knights' lead steadily swelled and grew to double digits after eight minutes of action.
Greenfield continued to flourish in the transition game as 18 first-half turnovers took its toll on Southern Wayne. Logan Sneed drained three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt off a Saints turnover. Less than 30 seconds later, another SW miscue led to Cahill's 3-point bank shot off Hinton's assist as time expired.
The Knights led 40-18 at halftime.
"The tempo was led by the way we turned the ball over and they were able to get in transition," said Stephens. "I think if we had gotten some shots at the basket ... maybe went inside a little earlier and got fouled, it might have been a better outcome for us other than watching them fast break and get off 3-point shots."
Southern Wayne advanced to the title game with an 83-56 rout of West Craven on Friday. Hill led four Saints in double figures with 13 points. Ramsey Turner provided 12 points off the bench, while Justin Artis and Faison pumped in 10 points apiece.
West Craven (2-1) finished third in the four-team Invitational with a come-from-behind, 58-54 victory over Durham Hillside earlier Saturday afternoon. Aaron Tate's offensive putback off his own miss with 4.6 seconds left and all-tournament pick Justin Hardy's two free throws capped the comeback.