STORY -- EW boys @ Goldsboro

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 11, 2016 1:45 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Despite entering halftime with a three-point lead, Russell Stephens finally got a chance to voice his emotions in the locker room.

He wouldn't repeat the conversation.

His eyebrow-raising tirade undoubtedly woke up his team.

Goldsboro opened the third quarter with an 11-0 run and cruised past Eastern Wayne 87-70 before a standing-room-only crowd packed into historic Norvell T. Lee Gym on Friday evening.

Eastern Wayne worked its offense with the precision of a surgeon during a 12-minute stretch in the opening half.

Crisp passes around the perimeter forced Goldsboro's defense to move and leave gaps in the passing lane. The Warriors capitalized on the opportunities and kept at least a two-possession advantage on the scoreboard.

Y'eonte Royal, Eric Agee and Alex Sharpless combined for 25 points in the opening half. The trio slashed their way to the basket and crashed the boards.

The pace irritated Stephens.

"I saw us moving in that direction and told them 'let's pick up the pace,'" Stephens. "We made a good little run there in the second quarter and then we let them off the hook. We started walking the ball up the court and we can't play that way.

"We've got to move the ball quick, try to get stuff in transition."

Goldsboro took its first lead, 28-27, on Isaiah Cogdell's 3-pointer off Daryl Gaddis' assist. Gaddis got a kind bounce on a floating shot in the lane as time expired.

Cougars 38, Warriors 35.

After Stephens' paint-peeling "talk," Goldsboro's Cogdell and Jaryan Hargis took over from the perimeter. The duo combined to sink six 3-pointers during an eight-possession stretch that lasted barely 1 1/2 minutes before EW head coach Bill Manning burned a timeout.

"We had a lapse of about 4 1/2 minutes defensively where we were hustling back to play defense, but we did not defend," he said, referring to late in the second quarter and start of the third period.

"We weren't looking to pick up and close out on their shooters. They knocked down every open shot that we gave them. On the other end, we couldn't knock down a shot. And that was probably the only time in the game where offensively we didn't have patience."

The Cougars extended their lead to 20 points early in the fourth quarter. Royal and Zeke Best each displayed a drive-to-the-basket mentality and closed the deficit to 84-70 with 2:18 to play.

EW didn't score again.

"The second half Gaddis did a tremendous job of getting into the lane and kicking out to our shooters," Stephens said. "Cogdell and Jaryan hit some big threes and a couple of threes went down, and we were able to roll."

Hargis led four GHS players in double figures with 29 points. Gaddis delivered 16 points. Ronnie Tookes and Cogdell finished with 15 points apiece.

Royal notched 22 points for the Warriors. Agee knocked down 17 points and Sharpless pulled down 12 rebounds.