Goldsboro turns back Eastern Wayne boys

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on December 14, 2013 11:15 PM

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astevens@newsargus.com

Goldsboro showed composure when it mattered most.

Eastern Wayne needed to make one last play.

The Cougars watched an 11-point lead dwindle in the second half but made key free throws late in a 78-71 victory on Friday night.

Sophomore point guard Myron Carmon led the Cougars with 21 points. Rasheen Artis supplied 15 points and Jaylin Moore added 13.

The Warriors' Malik Richard scored a game-high 22 points and Micah Smith contributed 19. Zongio Troy had 13 points.

Goldsboro (5-2) heated up from the perimeter in the first half and knocked down six of its eight 3-pointers during the first two quarters. Carmon and Artis routinely beat defenders off the dribble on their way to the rim for layups.

"I thought we had the advantage guard wise shooting the basketball," Cougars' head coach Russell Stephens said. "I thought we also had to have guard penetration if we wanted to be successful tonight and Myron and Rasheen drove the ball to the basket and got to the free throw line. That's the way we have to play."

Goldsboro's lead grew to 32-22 late in the second quarter on Jyrek Robinson's 3-point-play.

Eastern Wayne (1-1) did its best to hang behind 10 first-half points from Richard. Darrian Applewhite's 3-pointer pulled the Warriors to within 37-29 at halftime.

The Cougars' lead reached its largest margin at 52-41 on Andre Castille's 3-pointer midway through the third quarter.

Eastern Wayne battled back as Richard and Smith began using their athleticism and length to score in the paint. The forward tandem combined for 19 of the Warriors' 25 third-quarter points.

Smith's jump shot trimmed the deficit to 58-54 entering the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer early in the final period cut the Goldsboro lead to 63-61.

Smith fouled out with fewer than 2 1/2 minutes to play and his absence on the floor proved to be critical.

"We talked to our kids at halftime about fighting back to win," Eastern Wayne assistant coach Chris Roberts said. "These kids are tough. We're very excited. These kids played their hearts out tonight."

Zongio Troy hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 55 seconds as the Warriors stayed within reach at 72-69.

Eastern Wayne's Demetrius Hall missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer. Hall was later whistled for a costly technical foul.

Goldsboro sank nine of 12 free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

"I tell my guys all the time you can never let up," Stephens said. "We made our free throws down the stretch. We had a nice little lead but in rivalry games teams are not just going to lay down. We were able to go to the free throw line and seal it."

The Cougars entertain Wilson Hunt on Tuesday while the Warriors visit South Central.