Goldsboro boys break away from pesky Ayden-Grifton

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 10, 2016 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Goldsboro avoided the "trap game."

But not without some resistance from nemesis Ayden-Grifton on Tuesday evening.

The Cougars owned double-digit advantages twice during the first two-plus quarters of the game, only to see the Chargers whittle the deficit to seven points each time.

A 90-second offensive surge gave Goldsboro the cushion it needed and eventually led to an 88-58 victory in Eastern Carolina 2-A Conference play. The Cougars (20-2 overall, 8-1 ECC) remained in position to earn share of the regular-season conference title.

"They won't go away quietly into the night," Goldsboro head coach Russell Stephens said. "I thought we came in the third quarter and played really well, made some subs and they'd get on a roll and hit some shots.

"It seems like when they meet us, some other guys find some ways to hit some shots."

That guy?

Dontravis Barfield.

The speedy guard torched the net for 27 points, including 13 in the third quarter. His two free throws, off a technical foul, kept Ayden-Grifton within striking distance.

Jaryan Hargis, who provided 10 points off the bench, buried a 3-pointer off Myron Carmon's assist after Barfield drained the two charity stripes. Ronnie Tookes and Tyzhaun Claude sparked the Cougars' transition game in the third quarter. The duo combined for 12 points.

"We had a little bit more ball movement, we starting going inside and Ronnie was big for us, so was Jyrek (Robinson) and Jaylin (Thomas). The two helped us get going with solid defense," Stephens said.

Kisheem Faison emerged as one of five Cougars in double figures with 22 points. He grabbed four rebounds, dished out five assists, blocked a shot and picked the Chargers for five steals.

Stephens considers Faison as the team's "X" factor as the postseason approaches.

"(Faison) just played hard and he dropped four threes on the them the last time," Stephens said. "I just told him to start using his ball penetration and that got him started in the second half, going to the basket and they started closing out on him.

"Then, we were able to find him in transition for some open threes."

Carmon netted 14 points, handed out three assists and logged two steals. Nakia Atkins turned in a double-double -- 13 points, 10 rebounds. Tookes finished with 10 points.

Thomas posted just six points, but wiped the glass for eight rebounds and blocked a team- and game-high four shots. Goldsboro snared 47 rebounds and recorded 18 team assists on 34 made field goals.

The Cougars conclude regular-season play at home Friday against Greene Central.