BAYBORO — Freshman Jaylen Fornes came up with some clutch shots for the Hurricanes, but it was his play at the defensive end that sealed Pamlico’s third straight win.
Trailing by a point, the Northside Panthers had a chance to pull out a victory in Tuesday’s nonconference basketball action. The Panthers inbounded the ball under their own basket, but Fornes stole the ball and dribbled the length of the floor to burn out the final 4.6 seconds.
The play helped Pamlico steal a 48-47 win.
“Two weeks ago we had a 10-point lead at West Carteret in the fourth quarter,” Pamlico coach Earl Sadler said. “In the last two or three minutes, what we call ‘winning it,’ we failed miserably. We played like a bunch of freshmen and sophomores. Tonight, for 28 minutes, we played like freshmen and sophomores but when winning time came, they bowed their necks and made some big shots.”
The win was the third straight for Pamlico (3-1), while the loss was Northside’s (2-1) first of the season.
Isaiah Smoak (8 points) hit a short jumper to give Pamlico a 45-42 lead. After two Northside free throws, Jaquan Sessoms (4 points) got inside to give the Panthers a 46-45 advantage with 30 seconds to play.
Smoak answered at the other end with an 8-footer from the wing.
Tony Peele, who led all scorers with 21 points, tied it for Northside by splitting a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left.
“I think Tony Peele is playing well,” Northside coach Mike Proctor said. “That’s what I expect out of him.”
D.J. Lewis (11 points) was then intentionally fouled. The Pamlico sophomore hit one free throw to give Pamlico a 48-47 edge. The Hurricanes also had possession of the ball because of the intentional foul.
Inbounding underneath the Northside basket, the Hurricanes threw the ball in twice and were fouled immediately both times as the Panthers tried to get into a one-and-one situation at the foul line. On Pamlico’s third inbound pass, it sailed out of bounds, giving Northside the ball. However, the Panthers didn’t have a chance to get off a potential winning shot as Fornes stole the ball.
“Isaiah hit two humongous shots,” Sadler said. “Jaylen got the steal there. It was all about that last three minutes. You can’t win the game in the first, second or third quarter. You can only win the game in the fourth quarter. Tonight was a big step for these kids.”
Northside, which got 9 points apiece from Xavier Stanley and Antonio Woods, missed some 15 free throws in the loss.
“When you lose by one, there are numerous things that could have changed the game,” Northside coach Mike Proctor said. “We missed foul shots, we didn’t block out and we didn’t make good decisions with the ball at times.
“But they fought and they played hard and they came back. They never gave up and I’m happy for them.”
Bradley Bennett added 7 points, Terrance Heath 4, Jamicus Brown 3 and Stedmon Whitley 2 for the Hurricanes.
Tyler Waters and Bradley Radcliffe had 2 apiece for Northside.
Northside jumped out to a 10-2 lead and held a 12-7 lead after the first quarter. A Lewis trey at the buzzer pulled Pamlico within 24-22 at halftime. A Fornes floater helped the Hurricanes grab a 37-34 lead after three.
Pamlico plays at West Craven on Thursday and plays host to Hoggard on Friday.
Northside faces Mattamuskeet on Friday.

NORTHSIDE GIRLS ROLL
Jordan Woolard recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds to lead Northside to a 46-17 win over Pamlico.
“Jordan is going to be out go-to person on the inside,” Northside coach Michelle Leathers said. “We want to be a threat from the outside as well.
The Panthers (3-0) jumped out to a 12-5 lead after the first quarter and led 16-5 halftime.
Northside extended the lead to 30-10 after three.
Mallory Paul had 8 points and Britney Alligood 7 for Northside. Rachel Hollowell added 4 points and seven rebounds, while freshman point guard Alex Adams added 4 points.
“Our goal for the season is to get further than we did last year,” Leathers said. “We have 13 girls and we all want to have a good season.”
Freshman Alazia Whitfield paced Pamlico (0-4) with 7 points. Allison Hollowell had 2 points and pulled down 14 boards.