By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Senior Night turned into heartbreak hour for the Washington basketball teams.
Drew Mason’s put-back with a second left gave New Bern a 39-37 win in the boys game, while the Bears used an 18-8 fourth quarter to rally past the Pam Pack girls in Friday night’s Coastal Conference action.
Washington’s boys have now dropped six straight. The Pack (8-11, 2-10) nearly put an end to that skid with a valiant comeback, erasing an 11-point deficit in the second half.
Lindsey Harris gave Washington a 35-34 lead with three minutes to play on a tip-in, but New Bern’s Kendrick Henderson converted a three-point play a minute later to give the Bears a 37-35 advantage.
Jarees Griffin, who was honored with fellow seniors Mike Moore, Mike Godley and Anthony Ward before the game, tied it up with a pair of free throws.
Brandon Tripp had a chance to give Washington the lead, but missed a free throw with 40 seconds left.
After a New Bern (12-4, 9-3) miss, Harris raced down the floor but was called for a charge with 15 seconds to play.
Mason’s rebound-bucket a short time later gave the Bears a 39-37 lead.
Washington wasn’t able to get a shot off in the final moments.
New Bern took a 10-5 lead after a sloppy first quarter and went up 21-11 at the half.
Demarcus Harper’s jumper with four minutes left in the third extended the lead to 26-15. Washington countered with an 8-0 run as a Harris triple pulled the Pack within 26-23.
The Pack kept chipping away and finally took a 31-30 lead with 6:40 remaining on a layup by Taraja Langley. The Bears scored the next four points to take a three-point lead, before Griffin’s bucket made it 34-33. Harris got the tip-in to give Washington the 35-34 lead, but the Pack wouldn’t be able to hang onto it.
Harris paced the Pack with 12 points, while Griffin added nine.
Kendrick Henderson had 14 points, while Harper and Mason added nine apiece for the Bears.
Win streak snapped
The Washington Pam Pack girls saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Seniors Davey Ann Burbage, Sharita Grice and Jordan Cantrell were hoping to go out in style, but New Bern (11-8, 6-6) rallied in the fourth.
Harmony Simpkins paced Washington (9-10, 4-8) with 16 points and Cantrell added 14. Grice chipped in with eight points.
New Bern (11-8, 6-6) got 18 points from Tracie Collins, 13 from Kimaya Fulcher and 12 from Tameka Lewis.
Layups by Simpkins and Hayley Stowe gave the Pack a 14-10 lead in the first quarter.
A short jumper by TeAmber Burke pushed the lead to 22-14 early in the second, but the Bears used a 9-1 run to tie the game at 23-23. However, Grice’s layup and a three-point play by Simpkins handed Washington a 30-25 halftime advantage.
New Bern used an 11-6 spurt in the third to tie the game at 36-all, but Cantrell’s driving layup gave the lead back to Washington. Simpkins hit a layup of her own late in the third, giving Washington a 43-39 edge.
Washington couldn’t find any offense in the fourth as the Bears opened the quarter with a 9-0 blitz, going up 48-43 on a layup by Lewis. New Bern went up 53-44, before the Pack made it a five-point game, 56-51, on a late trifecta by Cantrell.
However, that’s as close as Washington would get.
Washington plays its final two regular season games on the road. The Pack visits Havelock on Tuesday and West Carteret on Thursday.
New Bern 10 11 9 9 — 39
Washington 5 6 14 12 — 37
NEW BERN (39)
Kendrick Henderson 14, Mason 9, Harper 9, Beyer 7, Williams, Henry, Taylor, Benjamin, Bowe, McLawhorn
WASHINGTON (37)
Lindsey Harris 12, Griffin 9, Langley 6, Tripp 4, Moore 2, Albritton 2, Chance 2, Godley, Horton.
GIRLS
New Bern 13 12 14 18 — 57
Washington 16 14 13 8 — 51
NEW BERN (57)
Tracie Collins 18, Kimaya Fulcher 13, Tameka Lewis 12, Adams 6, Canady 2, Kachur 2, Wallace 2, Warren 2.
WASHINGTON (51)
Harmony Simpkins 16, Jordan Cantrell 14, Grice 8, Burke 7, Stowe 4, Burbage 2.