Pam Pack boys basketball looking good early in season

Published 4:31 am Wednesday, December 4, 2024

By Jason O. Boyd

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One thing is certain … the Washington High School boys basketball team will be fun to watch this season. Another thing is possible … we may see a lot more of them than last season.

The Pam Pack improved to 2-0 with a 70-51 win over Class 4-A South Central in a game played Tuesday at Washington High School. The Pack made it look easy at times, was solid on offense and defense and even responded well to adversity after South Central turned a 50-25 deficit into 53-45 nailbiter with 6:22 left.

The ebbs and flows of Tuesday’s game will serve as another learning tool for head coach David Allewalt’s club, which has five seniors and a bevy of talented underclassmen that make up a squad looking to build upon last season’s success.

“We’re very athletic,” Allewalt said. “So a lot of the guys, like the seniors that we have on the basketball team, have been varsity players probably since freshman year, Jacob (Daniels) since sophomore year.

“And then the other ones that are youngsters, like the juniors and such, Chaise (Smith) has been varsity since a freshman, Jaryn (Payne) and Josiah Gibbs since they were sophomores.

“So we’re youthful still, but we have a lot of basketball experience. And the guys actually really enjoy playing with each other.”

Washington plays in the Eastern Plains Conference — one of the toughest in the state for basketball with Farmville Central, Ayden-Grifton, North Pitt, SouthWest Edgecombe, West Craven and Greene Central. Last season, the Pack finished 20-9 and lost just three games in the EPC, both times to Farmville Central in the regular season and again in the conference tournament final. The Pack fell to Goldsboro in the second round of the Class 2-A state playoffs.

This year’s Pack have already avenged two of last season’s losses with a win against Goldsboro in the season opener along with Tuesday’s contest with the Falcons.

“I thought tonight we had a really good intensity level on the defensive end,” Allewalt said. “And I thought we attacked the glass a lot better and allowed us to get out in transition.

“And we’re a better team when we can get in open space. But, you know, if we can play in the half court like we did tonight in spots and continue to get up and down the floor, we’re going to be dangerous.”

A 13-0 run that stretched into the early part of the second quarter was sparked by 3-point baskets by Gibbs to end the first quarter and Jacob Daniels to start the second quarter. Anderson Thomas’ trey at the first-half buzzer gave the Pack a 40-24 halftime lead.

Washington continued to look smooth on fast breaks and defense, doubling up the Falcons before South Central made its second-half run. Still, after hitting some free throws and a two-handed dunk by Gibbs, Washington was up by the final margin with about two minutes left.

Smith finished with 20 points to lead Washington. Daniels hit four 3-pointers for 12 points. Payne had 11.

Allewait touted his team’s tough schedule last season and how it has another to navigate before EPC play. The Pam Pack square off with Northern Nash and national recruit CJ Rosser, a sophomore, on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Kill Devil Hills in the Good Guys vs. Cancer Showcase at First Flight High School. Their game is just one of many played which featured teams from all over North Carolina and Virginia, including Farmville Central.

It’s just another step to make the Pack better with a quest for bigger and better things in the 2024-25 season.

“They played on the AAU team with (Rosser), a lot of these guys,” Allewalt said. “So, there’s going to be some familiarity there.

“So, we’re going to have to rely on our athleticism and speed. And we’re going to have to shoot the ball well. And we’re going to have to defend like we did tonight.

“I think I got the best guards around. It’s going to always come down to how we play on the interior, how we rebound and how that leads to transition for us.”

South Central girls 86, Washington 5

South Central used an aggressive defense that forced turnovers and led to easy baskets while frustrating the Pam Pack (0-5) on both sides of the ball. The Falcons never let up on its defense and led 61-5 at the half.

A running clock was used in the second half.

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