Aycock plays its "Best" against Eastern Wayne

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on February 12, 2016 1:48 PM

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Spoiler alert.

Perhaps that is what Charles B. Aycock's Ian Best, in trying to right the sting of his own senior night setback on Tuesday, was intent on providing a celebratory Eastern Wayne crowd Thursday night at New Hope.

His play, coupled with that of fellow seniors Keyshawn Cobb and Tyrique Ford, stifled the home enthusiasts and propelled the Golden Falcons past a road-weary Warriors' squad on senior night, 79-68.

It was third contest for Eastern Wayne (5-19 overall) in the last four days.

From the outset, Best pushed the basketball and found shooters, most notably Ford. The two guards were in rhythm early and often, making back-to-back triples and sparking the Golden Falcons to an early 9-0 advantage -- something which did not surprise Aycock head coach Dave Elmore.

"We knew they (Eastern) would extend pressure and play in passing lanes," Elmore said, "as long as we took care of the basketball, we would have opportunities."

Best, who led all scorers with 25 points, made sure of it.

At times, the senior guard appeared to have the ball on a string, toying with a rotating swarm of Warrior defenders and making it available only to those dressed in road grey and azure blue.

Throughout the second period, he continually broke Eastern Wayne's three-quarter court pressure by himself, finding pedestrian scoring opportunities for himself and his team around the rim.

The Golden Falcons carried a comfortable 35-17 lead into the half.

Eastern Wayne, however, refused to go quietly.

Led by the familiar speed and tenacity of senior KK Best, the Warriors dented the Aycock advantage with 9-1 run to open the third quarter. But as the period developed, so too did Eastern's foul trouble.

That led to a parade to the free throw line for the Golden Falcons.

Aycock (8-15) seemingly had a rent-to-own option at the charity stripe, shooting 30 of 43 for the contest -- and a remarkable 19 of 22 over the final six minutes.

In total, it was a redemptive effort for Elmore's squad.

"There was a sense in our last three or four games that we've left something on the table," he said of his team, "they wanted to get this one bad. It was 100 percent effort from the tip."

And with it, a playoff berth.

Aycock, courtesy of their conquest, will be a part of the upcoming Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference playoff picture following next week's conference tournament -- something which might have seemed an impossibility just 10 days ago.

As for Eastern Wayne, all is not lost -- a point made emphatic by head coach Chris Roberts.

"It's not our last game," he said, "we've got a lot to play for. I'm just proud of my seniors... they fought back. But kudos to Coach Elmore -- it seemed like they hit everything tonight."

Which, as February begins its annual hoops trek toward March, is what tournament basketball demands.

Just ask Ian Best -- if you can catch him.