Hot start leads Washington past Jones Senior

By Junious Smith III

Kinston Free Press

 

TRENTON — A young Jones Senior team is still looking to find its way, and Washington didn’t make it any easier Wednesday.

The Pam Pack started the contest on a 17-2 run on the way to a 55-15 victory over the Lady Trojans. Washington defeated Jones Senior 37-22 on Nov. 21, but left no doubt while preserving a perfect record on the road as the Pam Pack won its sixth straight away from their friendly confines.

Jones Senior fell 21-6 after one and could only pick up a Nyeshia Battle free throw in the second quarter as Washington went into the break up 31-7. A Tanayja Green drive to start the third quarter ended a nearly 10-minute field goal drought, but Washington went up 46-11 after three and forced a running clock early in the fourth, stretching the advantage to as many as 44.

For Washington, Tierra Wiggins scored 19 points and Daria Jones added 14. For Jones Senior, Battle paced the team with five points and Raquel Guadarrama added four.

 

Jones Senior scores first 22 points, rolls over Washington

By Junious Smith III

Kinston Free Press

 

TRENTON — Jones Senior and Washington were evenly matched throughout Wednesday’s game — with the exception of the first 4:24.

The Trojans started the contest on a 22-0 run en route to a 77-59 victory. Jones Senior defeated Washington by the same margin on Nov. 21 in a 67-49 win, but picked up 22 points from Janari Hill and 21 from Zach Brooks to take the rematch.

“I think we were about as focused as we could get in the first quarter,” Jones Senior coach Tod Morgan said. “We had a few great practices leading into the game and our focus was still there in the walkthrough. We had an edge about ourselves and I’m proud of the guys for their efforts.”

Jones Senior hit its first four shots, with Josh Ward hitting a pair of shots inside, Zach Brooks hitting a 3-pointer, and Malik Brooks converting on a 3-point play. The Trojans continued the run, converting on nine of their first 11 shots. While Washington ended the run with a Suae Poe free throw, Zach Brooks continued to roll with 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers and a vicious one-handed dunk on a fast break to lead Jones Senior to a 33-6 advantage after one.

From there, Jones Senior rolled, never allowing Washington to get within 18 for the remainder of the game while stretching the advantage to as much as 30.

For Jones Senior, Raekwon Hatchell had 13 points and Ward added 10. For Washington, Sharwan Staton had a team-high 21 points with Malik Bell adding 12.

 

Hurricanes breeze past Southside

By SAM AVOLIS

New Bern Sun Journal

 

GRANTSBORO — Barely two minutes into the game, Tavares Mcgirth hit a 3-pointer, forcing a Southside timeout. The Pamlico County Hurricanes had forced two turnovers and jumped out to an early 7-0 lead against the Seahawks on Wednesday night.

Pamlico would take full advantage of its early lead, and continue to roll over the Seahawks in a 63-33 victory.

After leading 20-5 after the first quarter, Pamlico’s offense only continued to find its flow, while Southside struggled to get any clean looks against an energetic Hurricanes defense. Southside managed two long-range baskets, but was not able to get much going outside of that in the second quarter.

Led by a balance scoring attack, which featured six Pamlico players scoring at least seven points in the game, the Hurricanes took a commanding 39-13 lead into the halftime break.

Pamlico continued to show off its unselfish play in the second half, and refused to let up on defense in the second half. Consecutive Seahawk turnovers led to two breakaway buckets by George Jones. Jones finished with eight points on a night in which all 10 active Pamlico players scored.

Demetrius Ebron was the lone bright spot for Southside. Ebron put up 8 points for his team in the third quarter, on his way to a game-high 17 points.

The Hurricanes forced Southside into 18 turnovers, while coughing up the ball 11 times themselves. However, Pamlico’s dominance was most notable on the glass. It outrebounded the Seahawks 26-12. These second chance points put Pamlico in position to wind the clock down in the fourth quarter, sealing the victory.

 

Lady Seahawks smothered at Pamlico County

By SAM AVOLIS

New Bern Sun Journal

 

GRANTSBORO — The Pamlico County Lady Canes basketball team dominated its game against the Southside Seahawks Wednesday night, winning by a final score of 59-14.

The Lady Canes’ defense immediately came out with full pressure, forcing 10 turnovers in the first quarter by trapping the Seahawks the moment they brought the ball across the half-court line. Through a conscious effort to push the tempo, and work the ball inside, Pamlico was able to get consistent looks in the low post. The Lady Canes finished the first quarter of play with a 19-6 lead, and would continue to dominate from there.

Sophomore center Zion Davis played a featured role in Pamlico’s offense, tallying eight points in the first half, and adding another six rebounds for her team. Southside’s offense continued to struggle with the pressure of Pamlico, giving up the ball time and time again en route to 22 first half turnovers.

Zyaja Mattocks came to life in the second half for Pamlico, with six early points to get her team going. Mattocks finished the game with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Pamlico’s defense suffocated the Southside offense in the second half, only allowing three points. The dominant display of defense by the Lady Canes forced 36 turnovers.

The year-opening loss leveled Southside’s record at 3-3.