BOYS' BB -- N. Lenoir @ E. Wayne

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on December 1, 2016 10:01 AM

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bencoley@newsargus.com

Eastern Wayne's Wesley Case has the physical attributes of a freshman.

His frame is so slender that he had to cut off part of his oversized jersey during Tuesday night's game against North Lenoir.

Yet there he was, standing on the court in a tightly contested fourth quarter -- and there he remained, making play after play.

Case, who played beyond his years -- provided two crucial buckets and a key assist late in the game to help lift the Warriors to a 66-61 victory over the Hawks.

EW head coach Bill Manning said he had no intention of placing Case on the varsity level at the beginning of the year. Instead, he'd start on junior varsity with the idea of moving him up.

However, the freshman took the decision out of his hands with stellar performances during practice.

"He was consistently good (in practice)," Manning said. "So any minutes that Wesley gets on the varsity floor as a freshman -- he's only there because he's earned it."

Case's impact on the court wouldn't begin until the fourth quarter. Before that point, the Warriors seemed in control of the game.

EW led by only two at halftime, but opened the second half on a 17-5 run, giving them a 50-36 edge midway through the third quarter.

The Hawks, led by Lshawn Davis, would not go quietly. The senior created havoc by using ball screens and outran Warrior defenders on fast breaks. Eighteen of his game-high 33 points were scored in the second half.

As a result, North Lenoir clapped back with a huge 20-4 run to take a 56-54 lead in the fourth quarter. It was the Hawks' first lead of the game.

"They were setting high pick and rolls, and we weren't stepping up to help out," Manning said. "We need to work on getting some help and hedging that. Communication is usually a bigger issue on the defensive end of the court, and we never communicated that it was coming."

Enter Mr. Case.

The freshman jumped in front of a lazy pass by North Lenoir, zoomed to the basket for a lay-up. 56-56.

Just a minute later, Case followed up the steal with a smooth step-back jumper. 58-56.

The freshman capped off his run with a pinpoint assist to Yeonte Royal who finished with a slam. 63-58.

Those two baskets were the only points scored, but proved significant in the end.

"(Case) is an incredibly hardworking kid," Manning said. "It would not surprise me if he goes home tonight and finds some rim to practice jumpshots on."

Royal led EW with 21 points and eight rebounds. Eric Agee added 12 points and six rebounds.

Manning said his players won on sheer heart and determination.

As the season progresses, the first-year head coach hopes his team will keep the effort, and also add proficiency on the offensive end.

"We still have a lot to work on with our execution," Manning said. "A lot of areas that we need to work hard to improve. But we'll get there. It's early in the season -- long, long way to go."