BOYS' BASKETBALL: Saints slip past Golden Falcons

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on December 17, 2016 11:25 PM

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DUDLEY -- Poise.

The Southern Wayne varsity boys' basketball team exuded its air en masse Friday night, starting quickly and holding on late to defeat Charles B. Aycock, 54-51, in front of a boisterous homecoming crowd at "The Halo."

From the outset, the matchup of Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference and county rivals was a breathless, free-form show.

Senior guard Bless Thomas led Southern Wayne through a tidy first quarter, one that saw five different Saints notch field goals and more importantly, establish the basis for a variety of defensive looks against a capable, interchangeable Aycock lineup.

After made baskets, the Saints offered pressure up the floor. In the halfcourt, it was man-to-man.

There was also a fleeting moment of red-and-blue matchup zone.

"We wanted to give them different looks," Southern head coach Dwight Sutton said. "And not let them get comfortable... not stay in (one scheme) too long."

And for stretches, the concept worked.

Nonetheless, Aycock battled through the swarm to trail 31-28 at the break after guard Eli Batts nailed an off-balance, falling-to-his-left triple to beat the first-half buzzer.

The two teams battled through a drawn-out third period, with Batts once more offering counter punch to another balanced showing by Southern Wayne. The junior drove the basketball relentlessly, creating opportunities for his mates and marching to the charity stripe, where he made five of six to keep CBA within striking distance.

The final stanza, however, would be decided by composure -- specifically that of the hosts.

Southern forced back-to-back-to-back turnovers by the powder blues to begin the period and set in motion a wide-ranging, helter-skelter finish -- one that seemingly changed moods with each possession.

Tayquan Hampton's three-ball with 26 seconds remaining resurrected hope for an Aycock rally, but those designs were dashed in short order when Southern Wayne freshman David Brewer stepped to the foul line and made one of two freebies to ice matters with just over two ticks remaining.

Southern Wayne 54, Aycock 51. Final.

For CBA's Dave Elmore, the setback was a matter of execution, not exertion.

"Turnovers," lamented the fourth-year head coach. "There's never a question of effort. It was there, the want-to was there... but the mental mistakes, we can't have."

Southern Wayne (3-8 overall, 2-0 ECC) was led by Bless Thomas, who registered 11 points. Jakevious McCullen and Daari Walton also figured prominently, notching eight points apiece.

Aycock, which received 14 points from versatile forward Semaj Yelverton and 12 from Batts, fell to 3-6 overall and 0-2 in league matters.