Aycock stuns North Lenoir
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 16, 2011 1:47 PM
LaGRANGE -- Think Charles B. Aycock is ready to give up that Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference boys' basketball tournament crown?
Think again.
The fifth-seeded Golden Falcons played their most-complete game of the season in a convincing, 71-50 dismantling of fourth-seeded North Lenoir at Wooten Gymnasium on Tuesday evening. Aycock (7-15 overall) continues tournament play Thursday at regular-season, co-champion Southern Wayne.
Senior swingman Brandon Winford posted a double-double -- 30 points, 12 rebounds -- for the Golden Falcons, who are 6-4 since Jan. 1. Hunter Dentzer chipped in a career-high 13 points -- all in the opening half.
Guard Randall Fulghum scored eight.
"That was nice," said Aycock head coach Steve Moats. "That was the most complete game we've played all year ... offense, defense. It was nice to be able to get an early lead, sustain it and play with intensity."
Aycock seized a 10-point lead 4 1/2 minutes into the game. Dentzer buried eight points during that stretch, including a 3-pointer off Fulghum's assist. Winford controlled the boards and tallied four second-chance points off offensive rebounds.
Dentzer surpassed his previous career-best, a nine-point outing earlier this season against Rosewood.
"I don't know what got into Hunter," grinned Moats. "He just went off in the first half. It's nice when you have confidence, and you could tell he had confidence after the first shot or two fell. It was boom, boom, boom, boom."
Fourth-seeded North Lenoir (11-14) struggled in its halfcourt offense and failed to recover once Aycock successfully solved its pressure defense. The Hawks provided no help-side defense on rebounds, which allowed Winford to feast on the offensive glass and draw fouls.
The Golden Falcons held the Hawks to one field goal and three free throws during a six-minute stretch in the second quarter. By then, Aycock had built an insurmountable and eye-popping 37-15 advantage.
North Lenoir pulled to within 17 points on a couple of occasions in the second half, but could get no closer. The Golden Falcons avenged two regular-season losses to the Hawks.
"I can't think of another game where we have played completely well as a team other than tonight, and it was a great time for it, too," said Moats, whose squad recorded 18 team assists on 27 field goals.
"It was an overall team effort, it really was."