SB/MOPWC: Eastern Wayne gets tempo in favor in 2nd half

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 29, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- The moods were different at halftime.

Wayne Country Day held a 19-18 lead and showed signs of disappointment in the locker room. Meanwhile, Eastern Wayne felt frustrated with the slow-paced tempo.

Something had to change in the third quarter.

Ethan Molloy and Matthew Ray-Sutton crashed the boards. KK Best got the Warriors' sputtering offensive engine to run a little smoother and Eastern Wayne prevailed 54-48 on day one of the Southern Bank/Mount Olive Pickle Winter Classic on Monday evening.

The Warriors snapped a six-game skid and oppose Parrott Academy in semifinal-round play at 6 p.m. at Kornegay Arena on the University of Mount Olive campus.

"We had a good halftime talk and I told the guys you've got to come out with more intensity," EW head coach Chris Roberts said. "We started off slow in the first quarter and that's how they wanted to play. We wanted to speed the game up.

"We did that a little."

Jamal Forde's 3-pointer broke a 4-4 first-quarter tie and sparked an 11-3 run for the Chargers. Molloy's conventional three-point play, and his steal at midcourt led to Best's uncontested layup that closed the gap to 18-15.

Sutton followed with an offensive putback to make 18-17.

Despite the late surge, WCDS head coach David Flowers was pleased with his team's first-half effort.

"The first half, we did what we were supposed to do. We did our gameplan ... slow it down, keep it (the score) low," said Flowers, who continues to put together a "patchwork" scheme until his key players return from injuries.

"The third quarter, we decided to not do our gameplan and it got away from us. They got a little run, get up 13, then we have to start playing full-court pressure. We had to get into a game we didn't want to because we don't have the depth."

Molloy's assist to Marcus Rouse put Eastern Wayne ahead for good at 19-18. Best turned an open-court steal into a layup and the Warriors eventually claimed a double-digit advantage as the third quarter wound down.

Sutton and Molloy combined for 11 third-quarter rebounds and six points. Molloy just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Sutton snared a team-best 11 boards.

"(Molloy) is out of position, we play him down (on the post), he's so strong and he doesn't mind doing the dirty work and that's why we depend on him down there," Roberts said.

Wayne Country Day trimmed the deficit to 45-43 late in the fourth quarter. DJ Waters missed a layup underneath the basket, Eastern Wayne grabbed the rebound, drew a foul and sank both free throws.

The Chargers kept it a two-possession game until the Warriors sealed the outcome at the free throw line. EW shot 20 of 38 from the stripe, while WCDS finished 10 of 22.

Forde scored 16 points for the Chargers.