Farmville Central denies Goldsboro's regional bid

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on March 4, 2015 1:49 PM

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cellis@newsargus.com

FARMVILLE -- Rasheen Artis had nothing left.

No one looked more worn down by the physical and emotional toll of two nail-biting playoff games in 24 hours than the senior, whose last shot as a Goldsboro Cougar fell a few inches short in a symbolic manner that was hard to ignore.

The shot, the game, the season. Just a few inches too short.

The students of Farmville Central then rushed the floor, eager to celebrate the Jaguars' 66-60 win and trip to the N.C. High School Athletic Association eastern regionals in Fayetteville.

Put simply, the Cougars had no answer for Farmville's Ikesta Johnson. Johnson scored 19 points, eight of which came during the fourth quarter. He was unmatched in the post, grabbing rebound after rebound as the smaller Goldsboro defenders hopelessly tried to move him off the block.

"Ikesta is a beast," Farmville coach Larry Williford said. "He gutted it out. He twisted his ankle last night and it was a game-time decision as to whether or not he was going to play tonight. He wrapped it up and he battled. He drew a lot of attention with his size and his ability."

But the hero of the game was guard Keyshaun Pitt.

With the Jaguars down 56-55 with two minutes left, it was Pitt's 3-pointer that gave Farmville the lead for good. To that point, Pitt had only scored three points all game -- none in the first half.

He finished with 10 points, seven of which came in the fourth.

For Goldsboro, it was a game full of 'what ifs'.

What if the Cougars hadn't gone cold in the fourth quarter? What if they could have gotten the dribble penetration that they're used to from Artis and Myron Carmon? What if they hadn't turned the ball over on consecutive possessions with under 90 seconds to play?

"In playoff basketball, it only takes you one play to get you in it, and one play to get you out of it," head coach Russell Stephens said. "We had a one-point lead and the ball, but we committed a crucial turnover."

Artis led the scoring effort for the Cougars with 16 points -- one of four Goldsboro players to reach double figures. Carmon (15), Jaylin Thomas (12), and Nakia Atkins (10) were the other three.

Both teams seemed sluggish down the stretch, however, after playing two games in less than 24 hours.

"It was tough, but it was across the board," Stephens added. "I know we had to travel, but our kids were game for this game. The physical play kind of hurt us a little bit, but I think we had energy."

Six Cougars played their final game.

Stephens spent his last post-game speech of the season emphasizing what a fun year it had been.

"I told them, 'Thanks for the ride'," he said, eyes still glossy from the conversation. "This team has been very, very great for a coach to coach because they give it every night. We've been undersized all season, but you couldn't tell by the way we play on the court.

"They went out there and played hard on every play."