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All three remaining county teams lost their second round state tournament games Friday night.

Washington: Sophomore point guard Chaise Smith put the Pack on his back in the fourth quarter, but #2 Goldsboro ended Washington’s season with an 80-76 home victory. The 15th-seeded Pack Pam were down by 12 in the second quarter, but senior Jerai Davenport’s bucket early in the third tied the score at 41-41. Goldsboro went on a 9-0 run for a 50-41 advantage.

Washington trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter, but Smith hit a pair of free throws, a three-pointer and two more foul shots to close the gap to 76-73 in the final minutes. Smith hit another free throw to make it 78-76, but the Cougars responded with two to ice the win.

“I’m proud of the way we came back from being down double-digits twice and we put ourselves in position to win,” coach David Allewalt said. “It’s been quite a while since Washington has won 20 games in a season, so I’m proud of that. Chaise was battling a stomach bug and to have such a big game under those circumstances is really impressive.”
Smith led Washington (20-9) with 38 points after a 36 point effort against Wilson Beddingfield in Tuesday’s first round. Junior Javon Williams added 13 points.

Starters Gary Payne and Jerai Davenport will graduate, but Allewalt is bullish on the future.

“Jacob Daniels, Jeremiah Wiggins and Jarryn Payne will be ready to take on bigger roles next year, so we should be good again,” Allewalt said. “Javon (Williams) and Chaise will be back as well, so we’ll see if we can go farther in next year’s tournament.”

Northside: The #17-seeded boys lost 91-35 at top-seeded Wilson Prep. The home team jumped out to a 34-11 first quarter lead and upped it to 64-26 at halftime. Senior Griffin Johnson led the Panthers with 16 points.
“It was a tough way to end the season, but we still had a great year,” coach Jared Adams said. “it was the first time since 2018 we’ve made it to the second round and it’s a product of our off-season work. The guys put it the time over the summer and it paid off for them.”

Wilson Prep is 23-5, while Northside ended 18-10.

The 13th seeded Panthers girls gave #4 Vance Charter all they wanted, but fell, 76-70, in double overtime in Henderson. Senior Mariah Jones hit a three-pointer to put Northside ahead at halftime before several lead changes in the second half. The Knights hit a three-pointer to force the second overtime and made several free throws to clinch the victory.

“We had our chances, but couldn’t overcome foul trouble and some missed shots,” coach Michele Leathers said. “I’m proud of our team and it was great coaching Mariah for four years. Her role changed every year because she is a natural guard, but played out of position to help our team. She did whatever it took to win and I know she will flourish at Louisburg (JC).

Jones led the scoring with 30 points while junior Madison Scheffler added 16. The Knight advance with a 21-2 record, while Northside ends 19-5.