Rampants blow lead, hang on against Warriors

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on January 7, 2015 1:48 PM

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cellis@newsargus.com

No conference game is ever easy.

Even if you start the game on a 10-0 run.

Even if you have a 20-point halftime lead.

Even if you have four scorers in double figures.

Just ask J.H. Rose, which pulled out a tough 81-72 victory over Eastern Wayne in Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference play Tuesday night.

It was a tale of two halves for the Rampants (9-6 overall, 4-0 ECC), who blew a double-digit halftime lead in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors (2-9, 0-3) came out strong in the second half -- in part due to some emphatic tough love from the coaching staff -- but couldn't quite climb out of the whole they dug themselves during the first.

Marquise Braxton led the way for Rose, scoring 18 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter. Cornell Powell (11), Jair Phillips (10) and Omisha Stewart (10) also contributed to the Rampants' balanced scoring attack.

"We love sharing the ball," Rose coach James Rankins said. "We don't want a superstar. We just want five hungry guys on the court and we love when they do that."

The Rampants were especially effective in transition. Starting guards Trey Stafford and Geoffrey Williams pushed the ball well upcourt and attacked the basket. Their dribble penetration, a key component to their first-half attack, was something that Rankins would have liked to see more of during the game.

"We had it, but then we couldn't do it in the second half," he said. "We told the guys to be aggressive. We told them to try and turn their shoulders and get inside, and they did a good job."

Eastern Wayne's second-half push was just too little too late. Blake Poland had a team-high 19 points for the Warriors, who used a 30-point fourth quarter to cut the lead to nine with just over four minutes to play.

Rose was already in the bonus, however, which allowed the it to continually get to the free throw line and secure a win.

The loss was especially frustrating for EW coach Chris Roberts, who sees his team play, at times, much better than its record reflects.

"We have the athletes," he said. "But what it boils down to is them getting on the floor with a high intensity. Then that makes the athleticism look a lot better."

Malik Richards added 16 points for the Warriors, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. EW found success running the high pick-and-roll, exploiting the height advantage their front court had to convert easy baskets at the rim.

"That's been something we've liked to run all year long," Roberts said. "We know with the point guards we have that we do well with the pick and roll. Ezekiel Martin, Malik Richards and Micah Smith run it well going to the basket. They were able to make the defense commit to either one or two of them."

Eastern Wayne travels to North Lenoir today.