Princeton boys upset Goldsboro
By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on January 15, 2011 11:29 PM
PRINCETON -- It is hard to call any game where an undefeated team wins an upset.
Friday night's contest between Princeton and Goldsboro sure felt like one.
The Dawgs played a stellar third quarter and handed the Cougars a 67-61 defeat in front of a standing-room-only crowd. Princeton improved to 13-0 overall, and grabbed a league win in the Carolina 1-A Conference opener for both schools.
Goldsboro had not lost a conference game since joining the league in 2009.
"Any time you beat a team from Goldsboro you have to be happy with it," said Princeton head coach Jeff Davis. "They are always tough, but tonight our guys hung in their and battled for four quarters."
Senior sensation Ben Jacobs provided the spark for the Dawgs with 30 points and 15 rebounds. Jacobs' outstanding play in the paint, coupled with some timely shooting by C.J. Jeffreys and Wes Wood propelled the Dawgs to victory.
"I have to give Princeton a ton of credit for their game tonight," said Goldsboro head coach Patrick Reynell. "Jacobs gets a lot of credit, and deservedly so, but they have five guys that each add something to what they do as a team."
The game did not start well.
Goldsboro jumped out to a 7-0 advantage in the first two minutes. Davis called a timeout and the Dawgs responded with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game. Both teams settled in and traded baskets throughout the first half.
A three-point basket by Octavius Alston gave the Cougars a 26-23 lead at the intermission.
"I think we needed some time to get our feet underneath us," said Davis. "We had a big crowd and a lot of emotion coming out, and it looked like we were pressing a little bit early on."
Princeton played much better in the second half.
A 3-pointer from Wood and another from Aaron Simpkins gave the Dawgs the lead midway through the third quarter. As Jacobs began to heat up from the field, foul trouble plagued Goldsboro and forced Reynell to go deeper into his rotation.
With three minutes to play in regulation, Princeton held a 14-point lead and all the momentum, but the Cougars would not go away. A driving layup by Devonte White and a putback by James Williams cut the Dawgs' lead to single digits.
A pair of late turnovers allowed the Cougars to pull within six points, but they would never get any closer.
Williams paced the Goldsboro offense with 12 points. Robert Kornegay and White each added nine points.
Wood added 11 points for Princeton and Jeffreys chipped-in 10 points.
Princeton will enjoy six days off before hosting Spring Creek on Thursday night. Goldsboro (7-5 overall, 0-1 CC) plays Clinton in the Martin Luther King Day showcase, which will be contested at Union High School.