GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Warriors dismantle Bears

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on January 20, 2017 9:59 AM

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Eastern Wayne 61, New Bern 28

* Three consecutive losses were enough for Eastern Wayne head coach Michael Gurganus.

He needed to see fire and he needed to see urgency -- any proof that his team was capable of bouncing back. Gurganus received his wish against New Bern on Thursday evening.

The Warriors suffocated the Bears' offense and forced 40 turnovers en route to a decisive 61-28 Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference victory.

"I'm proud of them," Gurganus said. "I'm proud of them for bouncing back and having a big win like this. It always makes you feel good. But I'm not satisfied. We have to move on because we have a game (today) against South Central."

From the opening tip off, New Bern was never allowed to establish an offensive rhythm. EW caused seven turnovers and jumped to a 12-4 lead. Nyesha and Myesha Best combined for 10 points.

As the game wore on, the Warriors' defense improved while the Bears' half-court offense remained stagnant. New Bern added 12 more mistakes in the second quarter, which allowed EW to boost its lead to 32-14 by halftime.

Five different Warriors scored in the second stanza.

"We were reading our angles better off the press," said Gurganus, regarding his team's defensive effort. "We're still not there yet, but we were a lot better communicating. And our press looked the best it has all year long. Defensively, I feel like we're getting there slowly, but surely."

Myesha Best led EW with 17 points and also grabbed three rebounds. Nyesha was close behind with 16 points and five rebounds.

Gurganus told his team to enjoy the win, but reminded them that South Central (6-0 ECC) comes calling tonight.

"I said you need to get ready mentally and prepare ourselves for what's coming (today)," Gurganus said. "Because we know they're at the top of the conference. We know they're a really good team. We've seen what they have, and we know what they do."