By Staff
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
To say Washington looked a bit rusty may be an understatement. The Pam Pack, playing its first game in two weeks, came out flat and No. 7 D.H. Conley took advantage.
The Vikings, using runs of 15-0 in the first half and 20-0 in the second, cruised to a 70-46 victory in Friday’s Coastal Conference boys basketball game.
Jarees Griffin, who led the Pack (8-5, 2-4) with 18 points, got inside for a layup to give Washington an early 2-0 lead. It proved to be the lone bucket of the quarter for Washington.
The Vikings (15-1, 7-1) rattled off the next 15 points to take control. It was evident early on which team had played recently and which had not. A week of exams and a couple postponements because of weather didn’t do Washington any favors.
The Vikings, which suffered their first loss of the season Thursday night, got a game-high 26 points from Jaron Lane and 12 from Sam Best. Ten different players hit the scoring column for Conley.
Washington was able to weather the first storm as Mike Moore’s 3-pointer pulled the Pack within 26-17. A slam dunk by Griffin just before the halftime buzzer kept the margin within single digits (31-22).
Chris Albritton’s bucket early in the third quarter made it 31-24, but the Pack then went ice cold. Meanwhile, Conley hit from all over the floor, including 3-pointers by Lane and Best that slowly extended the lead.
Lane’s layup capped a 20-0 run, giving the Vikings a comfortable 51-24 advantage.
The Pack didn’t threaten again.
Despite the lopsided loss, Lawrence remains optimistic.
The Pack faces another tough task when it play host to No. 13 South Central on Tuesday. The Falcons handed Conley its first loss on Thursday.
The Pack’s junior varsity boys picked up a 40-35 win.
Simpkins heroics not enough
Harmony Simpkins looked like she hadn’t missed a beat even though her team hadn’t played for two weeks. She poured in 28 points, but it wasn’t enough as Conley (10-5, 4-4) took a 65-54 win over the Pam Pack (6-8, 1-6).
Davey Ann Burbage had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Washington while Jordan Cantrell chipped in 11 points.
Tyler Knight paced the Vikings with 17 points.
Cantrell’s 3-pointer late in the first quarter helped Washington take an 11-7 lead. Conley took the lead early in the second quarter before a Simpkins triple gave the Pack a 20-19 advantage.
However, Conley coach Brianna Williams saw her team respond with a 7-0 spurt. Shaquanza Manning’s three-point play capped the run, giving Conley a 26-20 advantage.
Conley pushed its lead to double digits (45-35) by the end of the third quarter and went up by as many as 14 points (49-35) early in the fourth.
Rachel Cantrell hit a bucket and Burbage canned a pair of free throws to make it a 10-point game, 64-54. The Vikings were able to hit free throws down the stretch to keep the Pack at bay.
Coach Allison Jones and her Pam Pack return to the floor Tuesday to take on No. 1 ranked South Central.
D.H. Conley 11 20 22 17 — 70
Washington 2 20 5 19 — 46
D.H. CONLEY (70)
Jaron Lane 26, Sam Best 12, Anderson 8, Paye 7, Weaver 6, McLawhorn 3, Evans 3, Loney 2, Ahlers 2, Phillips 1, Tyson, White.
WASHINGTON (46)
Jarees Griffin 18, Langley 8, Moore 7, Ward 5, Harris 4, Albritton 2, Tripp 2, Godley, Chance, Ross, Horton.
GIRLS
D.H. Conley 11 17 17 20 — 65
Washington 13 9 13 19 — 54
D.H. CONLEY (65)
Tyler Knight 17, Shaquanza Manning 13, Spruill 8, Bria Wilkins 8, Brittany Wilkins 7, Burt 5, Gonzalez 3, Church 2, Adams 2, Nagler, Quinn.
WASHINGTON (54)
Harmony Simpkins 28, Davey Ann Burbage 11, Jordan Cantrell 11, Batchelor 2, Rachel Cantrell 2, Burke, Langley, Grice, McIver.