Goldsboro sweeps West Craven

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on January 21, 2004 2:00 PM

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It was all smiles for the Goldsboro basketball coaches after wins over visiting West Craven last night.

"A big, big win for us," said boys coach Randy Jordan after his Cougars held off a late rally for the 48-41 victory. "Who would ever have thought that two of the favored teams to win the Eastern Carolina 3-A conference championship would instead be fighting to get out of last place?"

Lady Cougars coach Gladys McClary was equally happy. Still undefeated in conference play at 9-0 and 17-1 overall, the Lady Cougars beat West Craven 54-27.

Clintoria Bryant was the game's high scorer with 18 points. Thanks to a fierce, pressing defense that caused 36 turnovers, West Craven was unable to match the two 3-pointers Bryant hit to open the game until the third quarter.

"Bryant has become a great leader for us over the years," said McClary. "Although she's now being recruited by several colleges, she recognizes that she has a job to do on the court and in the classroom first.

"Her willingness to work and share her knowledge with our underclass guards will have us ready for the seasons ahead after she's gone."

Chevoya Jackson joined Bryant on the offensive attack in the second quarter as she scored half of her 16 points on the night. She also was a defensive and assist dynamo, causing numerous steals and setting up baskets via crisp passes to her teammates.

"She's our penetrator and did an awesome job," added McClary. "Best of all, she's only a sophomore."

The Lady Cougars will entertain Washington Friday night.

The West Craven boys also came out flat, while Goldsboro was ready to play. Senior guard Joe Daniels hit a three and a two before retiring for the evening with a twisted right ankle at 3:24 of the opening quarter.

The Cougar quartet of Ray Brinson, Adrian Collins, Daquan Joyner, and Brandon Grantham outrebounded their Eagle counterparts nine to three in the opening quarter.

Goldsboro came out flying in the second quarter, eager to build upon their 14-6 first quarter advantage. Baskets by Adam Wright and Chris Jones, along with two free throws by Joyner extended the lead to 20-6 by 5:51 of the period.

West Craven, paced by Michael Reich, made a run, cutting the Cougar lead to six. But, Goldsboro canned seven-for-eight in the third quarter at the line, then 11-for-18 in the fourth. Broadie was a perfect six-for-six, while Jones, after missing two technical fouls called on Eagle coach Joe Holt, went nine-for-12.

The duo, along with Wright, did an outstanding job on ball control. They used lots of clock, while minimizing turnovers.

West Craven will play South Central Friday night.

"We played great down the stretch," said Jordan. "This was huge. Our backs were against the wall, and I hope this is the start of some good things for us. Depending on what some other teams did tonight, we could move up to as high as fifth place.

"Six of our last eight games are at home. We have to take advantage of that," he added.

Girls

West Craven 4 0 15 8 -- 27

Goldsboro 11 18 12 13 -- 54

WEST CRAVEN (2-13, 2-7)

Joyce Freeman 3 2 2-2 14; Jessica Barnes 2 0 4-6 8; Keshea Hardy 0 1 0-0 3; Jalessa Jones 0 0 1-2 1; Leslie Jones 0 0 1-2 1 Jaguina Jones 0 0 0-3 0. TOTALS -- 5 3 8-15 27.

GOLDSBORO (17-1, 9-0)

Clintoria Bryant 5 2 2-4 18; Chevoya Jackson 4 1 5-6 16; Jessica Faison 2 0 5-6 9; Shemika Hardy 1 0 1-2 3; April Reid 1 0 0-0 2; Dominique Cherry 1 0 0-0 2; Nickie Garner 1 0 0-0 2; Ashlyn James 1 0 0-2 2. TOTALS -- 16 3 13-20 54.

Three-point baskets -- West Craven 3 (Freeman 2, Hardy), Goldsboro 3 (Bryant 2, Jackson). Total fouls -- West Craven 15, Goldsboro 15. Turnovers -- West Craven 36, Goldsboro 17. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.

Boys

West Craven 6 6 11 18 -- 41

Goldsboro 14 10 11 13 -- 48

WEST CRAVEN (5-11, 3-6)

Tony Jones 4 1 2-3 13; Willie Perry 5 0 2-5 12 Kevin Berryman 2 0 3-6 7; Bryan Hardy 0 0 4-4 4; Craig Carter 0 1 0-0 3; Anthony Cuthbertson 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 12 2 11-18 41.

GOLDSBORO (8-9, 3-7)

Adam Wright 3 2 6-6 18; Chris Jones 1 0 9-12 11; Joe Daniels 1 1 0-0 5; Josh Broadie 0 1 1-5 4; Daquan Joyner 0 0 3-4 3; Adrian Collins 1 0 0-0 2; Ray Brinson 0 0 2-2 2; De'Onta Anderson 0 0 2-2 2; Brandon Grantham 0 0 1-4 1. TOTALS -- 6 4 24-35 48.

Three-point baskets -- West Craven 2 (Jones, Carter), Goldsboro 4 (Wright 2, Daniels, Broadie). Total fouls -- West Craven 19, Goldsboro 17. Turnovers -- West Craven 19, Goldsboro 17. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- West Craven coach .