Goldsboro girls rout North Duplin

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on February 17, 2011 1:47 PM

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PRINCETON -- Goldsboro was determined to put upstart North Duplin away early.

The Cougars accomplished their goal in a 59-32 victory over the Rebels in the semifinal round of the Carolina 1-A Conference girls' basketball tournament on Wednesday night.

The top-seeded Cougars built a double-digit lead in the opening seconds of the second quarter and never looked back.

"I was pleased with the way we started because we came out focused and with a lot of energy," said first-year Goldsboro head coach LaTina Bullock-Davis. "It's hard to beat a team three times in a season and we knew not to overlook anyone this time of year."

The Cougars put the game on ice in the third quarter when Kasheika Wallace sank back-to-back baskets and Brandy Johnson followed with a driving layup that increased the Cougars' lead to 20 points.

Wallace led the balanced Goldsboro attack with 15 points and eight rebounds. Brandy Johnson added 14 points. Alexus Myles and Talaya Lassiter each finished with 10 points in the win.

Jessica Jones paced North Duplin with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Goldsboro's victory sets up a rematch of last season's tournament championship game with Ayden-Grifton. The Chargers won that contest despite being beaten soundly twice during the regular season. Tip-off is 6:30 p.m. at Princeton High School.

"We are focused on not having a repeat of what happened to us a year ago," said Bullock-Davis. "We have to bring the same intensity we had tonight, plus some, if we want to win a championship and keep our momentum going forward."