Hunt boys capitalize on Goldsboro mistakes

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on December 19, 2012 1:47 PM

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Goldsboro's quest for offensive efficiency continues to be a work in progress eight games into the Russell Stephens era.

Turnovers and empty possessions, and a five-point deficit turned into a 63-45 loss to Wilson Hunt inside Norvell T. Lee Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.

The Cougars' Damarian Henderson led all scorers with 13 points and Lonzia Tyson added 10. Justin Jefferson and Quan Kent both finished with 11 points for the Warriors.

The opening quarter was fast-paced as both teams settled into the flow of the game. The Cougars extended their lead to 17-11 on Aaquan Butler's 3-pointer.

Hunt began to heat up offensively in the second quarter and forced stops on the defensive end. Jaylen Gilliam's layup capped an 11-2 run that put the Warriors in front 30-25 with fewer than two minutes to play in the first half.

Goldsboro trailed 32-27 at halftime and Henderson's free throws pulled the Cougars to within 39-37 midway through the third quarter.

Hunt turned up its ball pressure which led to Goldsboro turnovers and easy baskets in transition. The Warriors quickly reeled off six points and Kent's layup off a steal increased Hunt's lead to 45-37.

"They are a real good, solid team," Stephens said. "We had a couple of crucial turnovers and good teams capitalize on that. I think their ball pressure was good all night. When we turned the ball over, they got in transition and capitalized on it."

The fourth quarter belonged to Hunt as the Warriors continued to frustrate the Cougars offensively. Goldsboro struggled to knock down shots from the perimeter and Hunt closed the game on a 12-2 run.

The Cougars were outscored 31-18 in the second half as Hunt found its rhythm in its half-court offense.

"They attacked the basket and they got their shooters wide-open shots," Stephens said. "They didn't turn the ball over. They got the shots they wanted. I thought we played solid defense, but good teams are going to be able to put the ball in the hole and we've got to be able to do the same thing."

Goldsboro (4-4 overall) visits Southern Wayne on Friday. The Saints defeated the Cougars 70-62 on Dec. 7.