By By BRIAN HAINES, Brian@wdnweb.com, Sports Writer
The long layoff during the holiday break didn’t seem to bother Washington on Monday as the Pam Pack ran away with a 69-43 victory over Coastal Conference rival Havelock on Monday.
Washington, which won the holiday tournament held at Southside High School its last time out, used a balanced attack to dispose of Havelock as 11 players scored during the win.
Guard Josh O’Neal and center Brandon Tripp led the way for Washington as O’Neal tallied a game-high 14 points while Tripp added 13 to pull the Pam Pack’s record up to 5-5 (2-1).
Washington coach Steve Flowers said he was happy to see his team pick up where it left off and that he hopes the Pack will continue to build on its wins.
“I think the team is starting to believe,” Flowers said. “The team builds confidence with each win and I hope we can continue to win and their belief in one another continues to grow.”
The Pam Pack jumped out to a 12-6 lead after the first quarter and took a 36-22 advantage into halftime. Guard Ridge Hodges got the team going early as he scored all nine of his points in the first half.
O’Neal also had a big first half and after his two three pointers late in the second quarter helped Washington coast into halftime.
Flowers said he has been anticipating a breakout game from O’Neal.
“Josh had a good game and hit some big shots,” Flowers said. “We have been waiting for him to come out and play like he can.”
In the second half Washington continued to pull away from the Rams and took a 45-35 lead in the third quarter when Joseph Conner scored in the paint with 1:45 on the clock.
The Rams never threatened in the fourth.
Havelock 47, Washington 34
While winter break didn’t affect the Washington boys, the girls team had some trouble shaking off the rust as the Pam Pack fell 47-34 to Havelock on Monday.
Washington (4-8, 0-4) struggled shooting the ball early on is it fell behind 17-4 after the first quarter and trailed 23-11 at halftime.
Neither team looked overly impressive but Havelock (8-3, 3-0) was able to ride out its fast start and hold on to take the win.
The Rams were led by senior Kelly McCaffity who scored a team-high 12 points, while sophomore Shakina Dyer added 11.
Washington was led by center Shaquoya May who scored a game-high 14 points despite battling foul trouble early, while teammate Beth Batchelor tallied seven points.
Washington showed signs of life in the third quarter as it outscored the Rams 14-10 to cut their lead to 33-25 heading into the fourth quarter. However, Havelock was able to pull away in the final eight minutes to take a 47-34 victory.
“I think we have had a hard time coming back off of the vacation,” Pam Pack coach Allison Jones said. “I think it took us a little while to get our legs back. … But I was proud of the way the girls played in the third quarter.”
The Pam Pack is scheduled to play two more games this week as it heads to White Oak on Wednesday before coming home to play D.H. Conley on Friday.
Boys game
Havelock 6 16 7 14 — 43
Washington 12 24 16 17 — 69
Rams (43)
Nolan 9, Cooper 8, Malone 8, Bazemore 4, Bruns 7, Keel 1, Gumbel 2, Weaver 2, Simmons 2.
Pam Pack (69)
Hodges 9, Bell 3, Tripp 13, Moore 6, Joseph Conner 10, Josh O’Neal 14, Slade 2, Dunlop 5, Graham 2, Windley 4.
Girls game
Havelock 17 6 10 14 — 47
Washington 4 7 14 9 — 34
Rams (47)
Kelly McCaffity 12, Prichard 9, Nix 5, Shakina Dyer 11, Flemming 8, Morgan 3.
Pam Pack (47)
Shaquoya May 14, Griffin 5, Heggie2, Batchelor 7, Ward 5.