Teacher gets win over pupil
By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on December 13, 2009 1:50 AM
The pupil received another lesson from the teacher.
Patrick Reynell, a former assistant at Charles B. Aycock and now head boys' basketball coach at Goldsboro, watched his team squander an 11-point lead Friday evening.
The Golden Falcons, directed by head coach David West, executed down the stretch for a 62-57, non-conference victory inside Norvell T. Lee Gymnasium.
Trailing 43-42 after three quarters, C.B. Aycock (5-1 overall) used a 9-2 run with less than three minutes to play to break open a two-point ballgame. Seniors Isaac Ryals and Dontay Gills each scored eight fourth-quarter points.
"We get stronger as the game gets on," said West. "Our problem is digging that hole at the beginning that we have to expend so much energy that I'm afraid that sometime there at the end we're going to get ourselves out of where we need to be.
"We have to play with the same intensity in the first, second and third quarters that we do in the fourth quarter."
The Cougars were plagued by six turnovers and empty possessions down the stretch. Reynell's team got to the free throw line just three times in the fourth quarter.
"I thought the difference was Aycock as a team," said Reynell. "Aycock is the most unselfish team I've seen. They just wait for you to make a mistake and then they capitalize. The empty possessions killed us in the second half."
Gills scored a team-high 18 points to go with six rebounds and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line during the final two minutes.
"Dontay has gotten better at every practice and in every game that we've had," said West. "He's improved every aspect of his game. The thing about Dontay is he's patient in everything he does. He knows his abilities and he does everything he's capable of doing."
Auntre Thigpen's 3-pointer gave Goldsboro a 19-8 lead less than a minute in to the second quarter. The Golden Falcons finished the half on a 16-4 run and led 24-23 at intermission.
"I told the kids before we came out here that to play in this gym in this atmosphere that's what high school basketball is all about," said West. "I thought tonight both teams showed what it really is all about. We went man-to-man and got some turnovers and disrupted their flow that they had gotten into.
"When we did that we started to see a change on the scoreboard."
Brandon Winford contributed 17 points and eight rebounds for Aycock and Ryals had 16 points and six rebounds. Rasean Brewington scored 18 points for the Cougars and Robert Kornegay had 14 points.
Both coaches offered words of praise toward one another following the ballgame. West walked away impressed with the direction his former pupil has taken the Goldsboro program in just five games.
"Patrick Reynell is not an up-and-coming coach, Patrick Reynell is there," said West. "Goldsboro is extremely fortunate to have him as their coach. He's going to take them places. They're on their way."
Reynell admitted the night was an emotional one and that the memories he forged during his five seasons as an assistant under West.
"I worked a lot with those guys. I love those guys," said Reynell. "I worked with those guys in the spring and the summer. I told coach West it was a win-win tonight. I was going to enjoy Goldsboro if we executed and I was going to enjoy Aycock.
"Coach West is a great mentor and he taught me a lot about the game."
The Cougars (3-2) travel to Eastern Wayne on Tuesday, while the Golden Falcons entertain Northern Nash.