Bench leader: Smith uses reserve role in positive fashion

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on February 11, 2015 1:48 PM

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aetlzer@newsargus.com

Over the past three games, Micah Smith has sat on the bench and averaged 20-plus points in a reserve role.

"I think he just started seeing the game open up from the bench and then when he came on the court he was ready," Eastern Wayne coach Chris Roberts said.

Smith started on senior night, immediately saw the game open up and took advantage. He scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked four shots in the Warriors' 61-59 win over Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference rival Charles B. Aycock.

Smith knocked down two free throws with 11.5 seconds left in the game to seal the win.

"I just realized it's my senior year and I want to go out on top," Smith said. "So, I've got to leave it all on the floor. I didn't get a state championship in football so I'm going to try to get one in basketball."

The Warriors (6-16 overall, 2-9 ECC) must defeat Southern Wayne in their regular-season finale to earn a postseason berth. Aycock (5-19, 3-9) has locked up a postseason berth based on its head-to-head success against the league's 4-A teams.

Smith added theatrics to go along with the energy, throwing down two alley-oops from teammates Jeremiah Miller and Blake Poland.

Toward the end of the second quarter, the Warriors played some of their best defense all season. They also got additional help when the Golden Falcons received a technical foul and drew two flagrant fouls within 11/2 minutes.

Eastern Wayne led 32-25 at halftime.

Another technical foul helped the Warriors build their lead to 41-29 midway through the third period.

After CBA head coach Dave Elmore called a timeout, the Golden Falcons came storming back and moved in front, 47-46, after three quarters.

"After all that adversity we faced, all the stuff we went through for those guys to keep fighting like they did shows me a lot about this team," Elmore said.

Most of the Golden Falcons' rally came without two senior starters. Bryce Jordan fouled out with 7:02 left in the third quarter and Jarde Spruill missed the majority of the comeback on the bench with an ankle injury.

Spruill returned later in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 16 points and nine rebounds.

"He's a bulldog," Elmore said. "He's probably our toughest player. I told him to be completely honest with me and let me know what the pain was like because I didn't want to risk him hurting it further. He said he was good and he went out there and gutted it out."

In the fourth, spurned on by leader Malik Richard, the Warriors kept the Golden Falcons from extending their lead. Richard finished with a double-double -- 14 points and 13 rebounds.

On the final possession of the game, Aycock had the ball with 8.5 seconds left. Richard huddled the four other players on the court and stressed the importance of defense and not allowing a shot to tie the game.

Despite a good defensive effort, Elmore drew up a play for the Golden Falcons to win the game and got the look he wanted with Ian Best coming off a double screen at the top of the 3-point arc. Best's shot was just long.

"That was the shot we wanted," Elmore said. "That's the play we drew up. I wanted to go for the win, because after all that fighting our guys were dead. I thought our chances of hitting that shot were better than if we went to overtime."

Ian Best and Cam Kornegay each chipped in 12 points for Aycock.