SBMOP WINTER CLASSIC: Goldsboro's speed outlasts Wayne Christian

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on December 29, 2016 9:57 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- Goldsboro basketball has jaws made of steel.

Wayne Christian threw punch after punch at the Cougars in their battle Wednesday night.

Goldsboro took each swing like a champ, danced around and asked for more. The Eagles, however, began to whiff.

The Cougars used a 29-point fourth quarter to complete an 81-70 victory over Wayne Christian and seal a spot in the finals of the Southern Bank/Mount Olive Pickle Winter Classic.

Goldsboro will face Wayne Country Day today for the Winter Classic title. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.

"I really loved the pace of our team tonight," said Cougars' head coach Russell Stephens. "We did a good job of getting the ball up and down the court. We knew they had some kids -- (Darrian) Oates and DJ (Waters) -- who could score the basketball. So we knew were going to give up some for them.

"But I felt like overall, we probably could put up more points than them."

Neither team had a firm grasp of momentum in the first half.

The Eagles held an early 13-7 lead, but that advantage quickly fizzled as the Cougars went on a 10-4 run to end the first quarter.

But WCS fought off Goldsboro throughout the second half, and went into halftime with a slim 39-38 advantage.

"We were playing our style," said WCS head coach Victor Young. "We were getting out in transition and getting easy shots. It was slowing them down. And in the second half, they just played their style of basketball."

Through the first three quarters, there were nine ties and 11 lead changes. In the fourth quarter, none of those occurred -- just Cougar basketball.

Goldsboro took a one-point lead into the final quarter, and eventually stretched its lead to as much as 12 points.

The Eagles had to rest their wings, while the Cougars' claws kept scratching.

"I saw that we needed to get the ball inside a little bit more, and we did that," Stephens said. "We went to a 2-3 zone to stop the penetration, and we did a good job of marking the shooters. And when they didn't get the shot they wanted, we were able to get the rebound and get in transition."

Ronnie Tookies -- the primary beneficiary of the Cougars' inside game -- scored eight points in the fourth quarter. He finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Jaryan Hargis added 19.

Darrian Oates paced the Eagles with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while DJ Waters recorded 17 points.

Stephens said his team came into the tournament with the goal of getting better every night.

And after two victories, the Cougars will have a chance to defend their Winter Classic title and prove their trajectory is pointing upward.

"I think we've done that," Stephens said. "(Tuesday night) we came out a little sluggish, but (Wednesday) we came out with a little bit of spark and definitely played better in the fourth quarter. It's there for us to get better every night."