Goldsboro advances past Spring Creek

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 18, 2010 1:46 PM

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SEVEN SPRINGS -- Goldsboro's march into the Carolina 1-A Conference tournament championship didn't come from its starters Wednesday evening.

The reserves played the major role.

Jarran Reed and Matt Woodard combined for 20 points off the bench, and the top-seeded Cougars eliminated Spring Creek 58-46 in semifinal-round action at North Duplin High School. Goldsboro faces either Princeton or Ayden-Grifton for the title Friday evening.

Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.

The Cougars played without Demetrio Irby (disciplinary reasons) and lost valuable minutes from forward James Williams, who was incorrectly assessed an extra foul in the home scorebook. Williams played sparingly and finished with just five points.

Reed more than compensated for Williams' absence inside. The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder blanketed the Gators' frontcourt tandem of Kevin Haggerty and Kenneth Freeman. Neither Haggerty nor Freeman reached double figures, but the duo combined for 13 rebounds.

"Jarran was huge tonight with James in foul trouble," said Goldsboro coach Patrick Reynell. "He played fundamental for us. The way he played the post and how we wanted to front Kenny and Adam, he did it perfectly. We disrupted passing lanes in the post and they didn't have easy entry passes from their guards all night."

But the upset-minded Gators hung around.

The teams traded leads throughout the opening quarter and concluded the first eight minutes tied at 14-14. Goldsboro grabbed a two-possession lead as the second period wound down, but owned just a 29-28 edge at intermission.

The Cougars (17-7 overall) seized control in the third quarter.

Playing-making guard Corteiz Sprangle, who came off the bench, and Devonte White sparked a 10-0 run. White buried consecutive 3-pointers off Sprangle assists, and Woodard added a floating one-hander in the lane.

Sprangle's short jumper underneath pushed Goldsboro's advantage to 46-34.

"They made some really good plays in the third quarter," said Spring Creek coach Taylor Jones, whose team finished the season 8-14. "It's not that we didn't make any bad plays, they just made some clutch shots from the outside. Some of their secondary guys stepped up tonight."

Reed's intense work ethic inside helped turn Spring Creek into a perimeter team. The Gators converted just five field goals in an 11-minute stretch and never recovered from the double-digit deficit.

Senior Rasean Brewington led Goldsboro with a double-double -- 15 points, 10 rebounds. White collected 10 points and a game-high seven assists.

Anthony Green paced the Gators with 13 points.