James Kenan girls upend Goldsboro

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on February 28, 2013 1:47 PM

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Goldsboro had visions of another deep playoff run.

James Kenan had other ideas.

The Tigers held off a furious fourth-quarter rally and survived for a 61-55 win in the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A girls' basketball playoffs Wednesday evening.

The Cougars had their 12-game winning streak snapped. Freshman Tyona Moses led Goldsboro with a game-high 29 points and Brandy Johnson scored 10.

James Kenan (21-4 overall) led the entire game outside of a few moments early in the first quarter. Jasmine Huffin paced the Tigers with 14 points and Candice Vann contributed 12. Tamia Rhodes had 10 points.

The Cougars trailed 55-48 with three minutes to play before making one final push. Destini Covington buried a 3-pointer and Moses' layup cut the deficit to 56-55.

Goldsboro (18-6) faltered on two critical possessions in the final 50 seconds as Covington missed a 3-pointer with the Cougars trailing 57-55. Moses was also off the mark with a shot from beyond the arc.

"We had opportunities throughout the game" Goldsboro head coach LaTina Bullock said. "Sometimes we converted on our offensive sets and sometimes we didn't. We lacked a lot of intensity from what we've had in previous games. If we would have played up to our potential I feel like things would have turned out differently."

James Kenan sank five of six free throws in the final 52 seconds to seal the win.

It was the final game for Goldsboro seniors Johnson, Talaya Lassiter, Jolan Williams and Nickie Tyler.