Rocky Mount Prep boys eliminate Goldsboro
By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on February 22, 2011 1:47 PM
Goldsboro's seven seniors have accomplished a lot and created plenty of memories during their time in a Cougars' uniform.
The lasting images of Monday night could sting for a while.
Goldsboro saw a 10-point third-quarter lead disappear in a 52-46 home loss to Rocky Mount Prep in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A state playoffs.
The Cougars led 32-22 early in the second half before Jacob Barrett's 3-pointer ignited the Jaguars' 18-4 run to close the quarter. Rocky Mount Prep led 40-38 entering the fourth quarter and Goldsboro never regained the lead.
The Jaguars (20-11 overall) knocked down five of their seven 3-pointers in the second half. Donte Samuels scored all of his team-high 13 points after halftime. Myles Sharpe contributed 11 points and Barrett added 10 points.
"They hit a lot of 3-point shots," said Cougars' head coach Patrick Reynell. "That's been my fear all season as a coach is playing a team that can shoot because we're so aggressive defensively. I don't think we handled that as mentally tough as I expected.
Jarran Reed sank one of two free throws with 80 seconds left to trim the deficit to 48-46. After a Rocky Mount Prep turnover, Robert Kornegay missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer and Goldsboro (17-8) committed a turnover with 41 seconds remaining.
Myles Sharpe knocked down a pair of free throws with 24 seconds to play. Devonte White's shot in the lane was blocked on the Cougars' ensuing possession. Keneen Deberry's free throws iced the win.
"One of the last possessions I should have called a timeout," said Reynell. "That's completely on me. That's one reason I don't call a lot of timeouts during the game is to save them for the end. I hesitated and we turned it over and they come down and hit free throws.
"That was pretty much the nail in the coffin. That's on me."
Goldsboro defeated the Jaguars 58-50 in late November and split a pair of meetings last season, including a 61-52 Cougars' victory in the first round of the state playoffs.
Senior Jarran Reed led Goldsboro with 13 points and fellow senior Corteiz Sprangle had nine. Devonte White had seven points in his final game as a Cougar.
"This one is obviously going to hurt for those seniors because of last year," said Reynell. "It shouldn't discredit them in any way. If you count their sophomore season, most of those seniors have 59 wins over three seasons. They made a state championship run and I hope when they look back on it they're proud of their accomplishments."