Eastern Wayne boys rally past SW

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on February 10, 2016 1:48 PM

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DUDLEY -- Chris Roberts had seen enough.

With 3:30 remaining in the first quarter Tuesday night, the Eastern Wayne boys' varsity coach ordered a platoon of substitutes to the scorer's table.

Risky? Sure.

Worth the risk? Ultimately, yes.

His bold move -- designed to get the attention of his starting unit -- did just that. His decision prompted the Warriors to redeem a suspect first-half performance and complete a stellar comeback victory on the road -- 65-59 at Southern Wayne.

The contest developed quickly for the Saints, due in large part to the shooting of senior guard Terry Artis. He pulled up early and often in the game's first quarter, twice connecting from distance en route to a team-leading 14 points.

It was a performance the Eastern Wayne staff expected.

"This was their (Southern Wayne) senior night, and I knew they were going to come out wide open... the house was packed. We just weathered the storm," Roberts said.

The Saints, who also received a gallant effort from forward Josh Graham -- 11 points, seven rebounds -- held a 32-27 advantage at the break.

That's when Roberts, who was theatrical from the game's outset, redefined his directive.

"I challenged them," he said, "to play the game like men, like we have all year long. And we came out and finished."

Led, as usual, by the steady hand of KK Best.

The senior guard directed an energized defensive attack in the second half, which featured a mixture of two-three zone and three-quarter court pressure, and produced steals and opportunities galore in transition. Best finished the game with a team-high 13 points.

The Warriors also received key defensive contributions from Eric Agee and Malyk Williams, as well as freshman Alex Sharpless, who finished the contest with 10 points.

The evening, which started flawlessly for Southern Wayne, ended with disappointment for Saints' head coach Dwight Smith.

"We knew it was win or go home tonight," he said, regarding his team's playoff hopes, "and unfortunately, we have to go home."

Eastern Wayne, however, moves forward. They play host to rival Charles B. Aycock on Thursday night -- a game for which Roberts hopes his team will be ready.

"Our goal is... we need to have our gym rocking," he noted, "and send our seniors out on the right note. Finish what we started in the 3-A portion (of their schedule)."