CB Aycock tops Eastern Wayne
By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on January 15, 2011 11:29 PM
Steve Moats promised 2011 was going to be different for Charles B. Aycock.
So far, the first-year head coach has been right.
Brandon Winford drained a 3-pointer to force overtime and the Golden Falcons hung on for a 58-52 win at Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference foe Eastern Wayne on Friday night.
The Warriors used an 8-0 run capped by Lee Atkinson's 3-pointer to take a 47-46 lead with 44 seconds remaining in regulation. Lamar Best sank two free throws with nine seconds to play to extend the lead to 49-46.
Moats called a timeout and Winford's 3-pointer with one second left forced overtime.
"It's nice to be able to overcome some adversity in a hostile environment," said Moats. "That shot that Brandon hit was huge. We had two options on that play. Cameron (Rowe) was actually open, but we didn't get him the ball.
"Brandon did get the ball in traffic and he was just able to hit it."
Winford's jump shot in overtime gave Aycock the lead for good at 53-51. Atkinson's potential game-tying 3-pointer was off the mark. Winford and A.J. Mundle both knocked down a pair of free throws in the final 14 seconds to seal the Golden Falcons' second victory of 2011. It was just Aycock's third win of the season overall.
Foul trouble plagued Eastern Wayne in the second half as Best and forward Josiah Davis both fouled out. Best finished with a team-high 19 points and Davis provided 13 points. Atkinson added 10.
"I had a couple of guys in foul trouble and I had to work around personnel issues," said Warriors' head coach Marvin Bowman. "I knew it was going to be difficult to contain (Winford) down the stretch. Aycock moved the ball well and we had some guys on the floor that weren't used to playing in a big situation."
Aycock closed the second quarter on an 11-0 run and held a 21-18 lead at halftime. Eastern Wayne went scoreless over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the first half.
Randall Fulghum led the Golden Falcons with 22 points, including 15 in the second half. Winford had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Cameron Rowe supplied 10 points.
After starting the season 1-11, Moats wiped the slate clean when the calendar changed. A renewed focus and a positive attitude has brought with it a pair of ECC wins.
"It's a new year and a new philisophy," said Moats. "Since we started back to school in January our guys have had a good intensity and a good focus on what we're trying to do. Honestly, we're just trying to play intense and play smart basketball. It's worked out for us so far."
Aycock (3-11 overall, 2-3 ECC) visits Southern Wayne on Thursday, while Eastern Wayne plays host to North Lenoir.