Goldsboro defeats C.B. Aycock boys

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on December 1, 2012 11:56 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- In a game that featured a pair of high-flying dunks, a much simpler play took center stage.

The fundamental foul shot was all either coach could talk about after the final buzzer sounded. Goldsboro made 26-of-30 free throw attempts en route to a 56-46 win over archrival Charles B. Aycock on Friday night.

"If you would have told me that we would shoot it that good from the line, I probably would not have believed it," first-year Goldsboro head coach Russell Stephens said. "We work on taking advantage from the line late in games and tonight it worked out for us."

The game started slowly for both sides as turnovers and poor shooting marked the first quarter. C.B. Aycock held an 8-4 lead after the opening period but missed several chances to open up a larger advantage.

"We were playing really well defensively, but we just could not get a shot to drop," C.B. Aycock head coach Steve Moats said. "If we could have put a little distance between us and them on the scoreboard early it may have been a different game."

Goldsboro (2-1 overall) turned the tide in the second quarter and closed the first half with a 19-18 lead.

Both teams heated up after the intermission.

However, the Cougars maintained the advantage when Damarian Henderson scored on a putback to close the quarter and pushed his team back in front 36-35.

A four-minute scoring drought to open the fourth quarter doomed the Golden Falcons as the Cougars' lead surged to 10 points at 46-36. Shakel Powell hit a 3-point shot and ignited an 8-0 run that closed the gap to 46-44 with two minutes to play, but Aycock would get no closer.

Forced to foul, the Golden Falcons sent a parade of Cougars to the charity stripe and each time they delivered. Henderson and Rasheen Artis each converted 4-of-4 free throws, while Jalen Spruiel hit 4-of-5.

"You have to give Goldsboro a lot of credit," Moats said. "In a close game, late in the game, they made the shots that they had to make."

Henderson led Goldsboro with 17 points and seven rebounds. Artis added 12 points and Jamal George chipped in six points and a team-high nine rebounds.

"It's still early in the season and there are certainly some things we still need to improve," Stephens said. "But to get a road win against a rival will hopefully give us a lot of confidence going forward."

Michael Williams paced C.B. Aycock with 17 points and eight rebounds. Powell added nine points and five boards.

C.B. Aycock (3-2 overall) visits Wilson Hunt on Tuesday, while Goldsboro plays host to Eastern Wayne.