Goldsboro boys start strong against North Duplin

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on January 9, 2010 11:12 PM

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CALYPSO -- It was not the prettiest debut.

But ... a win is a win.

Goldsboro overcame a poor shooting effort by playing stifling defense in a 59-37 victory over North Duplin in the Carolina 1-A Conference boys' basketball opener for both squads on Friday night.

The Cougars jumped out to an early 21-6 advantage behind some strong play from shooting guard Demetrio Irby. The multi-talented senior scored seven first-quarter points as the Cougars tried to push the tempo.

"Russell Stephens said something earlier this week about his team at Southern Wayne that really fits our team, too," said Goldsboro head coach Patrick Reynell. "Russell said that their defense is the key to the offense. Early tonight we did a good job of creating opportunities with our defense."

After the hot start cooled down, the Rebels began to break the Cougars' press and set up their half-court offense. In the final seconds of the first half, the Rebels stole the momentum.

Shayne Deaver was fouled approximately 60 feet from the basket on a desperation heave as the clock ran out. Deaver buried all three foul shots as the team headed for the locker room.

"I was very happy with our effort tonight and I was glad to see our guys execute better on offense as the game went on," said North Duplin head coach Ricky Edwards. "We knew that Goldsboro was a good team coming in, and I thought our guys gave it their best shot tonight."

After trailing 42-22 early in the third quarter, the Rebels cut the lead to 14 points on a basket by Devin Oliver. On the following possession, an open 3-pointer hit the front of the rim and led to a Cougar layup.

North Duplin never got any closer and Goldsboro (7-5 overall, 1-0 CC) pulled away throughout the final period.

"I thought we were a little tentative when North Duplin came out in their zone defense," said Reynell. "We settled for a lot of jump shots in the third quarter, and didn't attack it like we needed to."

Irby led the Cougars with 15 points. Devonte White tallied 13 points and James Williams finished with nine points.

North Duplin (0-11, 0-1) was led by Deaver and Marcus Kornegay, who knocked down nine points apiece.

Each team returns to league action Jan. 15. Goldsboro visits Princeton, while North Duplin ventures to Ayden-Grifton.