BOYS' BASKETBALL: Terry Sanford eliminates Eastern Wayne

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on February 24, 2017 9:57 AM

• Print
• Email

bcoley@newsargus.com

Eastern Wayne had Terry Sanford right where it wanted it Thursday night.

The Warriors had the early first-quarter lead. Shots were falling, and driving lanes were open.

However, the Bulldogs weren't the 2016 state 3-A runners-up by just lying down. They showed no fear and they don't go down easily. The Warriors quickly learned that lesson.

Sanford slashed through the lane for easy lay-ups, forced 23 turnovers and dealt Eastern Wayne a 64-53 loss in the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A boy's basketball state playoffs.

EW head coach Bill Manning-- who finished with a 12-15 record in his first season -- said the rise in turnovers were due to forced shots.

"Instead of running through the set and letting things clear out a little bit, we just had this mindset of, 'Okay, we're attacking the front of the rim,' without the mindset of attacking within the framework of the offense," Manning said.

The Warriors finished the first quarter with a 15-11 lead, including eight points and two 3-pointers from Wesley Case. But underneath that success was eight turnovers in the first eight minutes.

EW continued to play loose with the ball in the second quarter. The Bulldogs used active hands to reach into passing lanes and forced awkward passes. Those mistakes turned into offensive opportunities for Sanford.

The Bulldogs outscored the Warriors 17-10 in the second stanza, and entered the locker room with a 28-25 lead.

Sanford continued to build its momentum right out of the locker room. Brothers Malik and Telligence Johnson combined for 12 of the Bulldogs 13 points in the third quarter.

"We knew what kind of players (Malik and Telligence Johnson) were," Manning said. "Very, very athletic. Malik has quick hands and moves his feet really well."

By the fourth quarter, EW switched its defense to a 3-2 zone to put pressure on Sanford's guards. The strategy left the middle wide open for the Bulldogs, who got to the basket at will, and used a 17-7 run to push their lead to 59-42 and seal the game.

"Watching the game, it was pretty obvious that they've been here before," Manning said. "And at times, I felt like we were looking around and saying, 'What, we're here, too?'"

Yeonte Royal led the Warriors with 14 points and also grabbed five rebounds. Eric Agee added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Case finished with 12 points.

Sanford's Malik Johnson finished with 20 points, while older brother Telligence recorded 19.

The Warriors will lose five seniors, particularly captains Royal and Agee who both averaged double figures this season.

But Manning said he likes the pieces he has next year and will be glad to have a full offseason to build players' strengths and improve their weaknesses.

"We're going to have to figure out who's going to step in and fill those shoes," Manning said. "But I'm optimistic. I like some of the groundwork we laid this year."