Aycock's girls win on road; boys fall

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 8, 2004 2:00 AM

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WINTERVILLE -- This time Lela Reid executed the play with perfection.

Tied at 36-36, Reid threw an inbounds pass to Joyce Warrick, who converted the layup and got fouled as the ball rolled through the hoop. Warrick added the free throw as Charles B. Aycock rallied in the final minute to defeat South Central 40-36 in a Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference game Friday evening.

Montario Haddock helped ignite a 14-2 run, leading South Central to a critical 75-67 win against the Golden Falcon boys. The host Falcons stayed in the mix for one of the league's five postseason berths with a 6-9 ECC worksheet.

The Golden Falcons played determined and turned up their defensive intensity in the fourth quarter. They hustled after loose balls, crashed the boards on both ends and held South Central to a single field goal in the last five minutes.

Offensive rebounding proved crucial as well. Warrick's offensive putback with 2:39 remaining ignited a game-ending 11-2 run. Frontcourt mate Cassandra Worrell cashed in a pair of offensive rebounds off the weakside to keep Aycock within a point as the clock ticked under a minute.

"It's all about rebounding position on that weakside," Aycock coach Gary Hales said. "Rebounding is a big part of our game because we are not the best-shooting team in the world."

Quaneisha Milner came up with a steal near midcourt seconds after Worrell's bucket. Milner crashed into a South Central defender and the ball bounced loose onto Aycock's side of the court. Several hands slapped at the ball before Worrell picked it up and calmly laid it off the glass. Worrell got fouled on the play and drained the free throw, tieing the contest at 36-36 with 34.8 seconds to go.

Milner, again, came up with another big play. The feisty guard tied up Jesse Odom on the ensuing inbounds pass, forcing a jumpball. The possession arrow pointed in Aycock's favor and Hales burned a timeout. He diagrammed a play in the huddle and as the team headed back to the court, he told them to be patient and let the play develop.

Reid slapped the ball and first looked for Milner. Then she spotted Warrick left alone on the other side. Reid zipped the pass into Warrick, who turned the assist into the game-winning basket.

"Coach gets on me in practice all the time because I only look on one side on that play," Reid said. "I was looking for Quaneisha in the corner and then I saw Joyce wide open. I realized then that was the play we wanted."

Emily Stewart added a single free throw with 17.9 seconds left for the final margin.

Worrell finished with 16 points, while Warrick contributed a double-double -- 10 points, 13 rebounds.

Aycock (15-5) climbed to 10-4 in the ECC and maintained its two-game advantage against county rival Eastern Wayne. The Golden Falcons trail second-place Kinston by one game after the Vikings' overtime loss against ECC leader Goldsboro.

"The girls sucked it up," Hales said. "You could tell there was a desire in their eyes. We were on the floor after loose balls. I was really proud of their loose-ball hustle tonight.

"They had to make me sweat."

Dustin Smith's steal and layup gave Aycock's boys a 43-42 lead midway through the third quarter. Jamorris Dickerson's one-handed dunk off Josh Coley's steal and assist increased the advantage to 45-42.

Then Haddock, who turned in a career-best 29-point effort, helped produce a 14-2 run. Haddock collected several second-chance points, pushing South Central back in front 54-49 after three quarters of play.

"We were putting our body on them, but our positioning was not very good (for rebounds)," Aycock coach David West said. "We got into some foul trouble, had the big guys out and good teams are going to take advantage of every little mistake you make.

"They were good enough to do that."

Aycock stayed within single digits for most of the fourth quarter, but couldn't grab any significant momentum. The Falcons would come up with a loose ball or an offensive rebound that didn't necessarily lead to another score, but it consumed more time.

South Central grabbed its biggest lead, 71-61, on two Montel Smith free throws with 1:50 to go. Forced to foul, the Golden Falcons sent either Jamale Burrus or Smith to the line. The duo combined for six free throws to give South Central its seventh victory overall and keep its postseason hopes alive.

Dickerson led four Aycock players in double figures with 17 points. Josh Coley chipped in 13, while Alonzo Ferrell provided a double-double -- 12 points, 11 rebounds. Dustin Smith added 10, including seven in the second half.

Girls

C.B. Aycock 12 2 8 18 -- 40

South Central 12 7 9 8 -- 36

C.B. AYCOCK (15-5, 10-4 ECC)

Mary Beth Hooks 0 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Dobbin 0 0 0-0 0, Quaneisha Milner 0 0 0-0 0, Laquita Broadie 0 0 0-0 0, Keyata Pettiford 1 1 1-2 6, Emily Stewart 1 0 2-4 4, Cassandra Worrell 6 0 4-5 16, Joyce Warrick 4 0 2-5 10, Lela Reid 1 0 0-2 2, Jennifer Williamson 1 0 0-0 2, Danielle Street 0 0 0-0 0. TOTALS -- 14 1 9-18 40.

SOUTH CENTRAL (10-12, 4-11)

Katie Holloman 0 0 0-0 0, Stephany Newkirk 2 0 1-2 5, Reesie Moore 1 0 0-2 2, Jesse Odom 1 0 6-8 8, Alecia Jones 0 0 0-0 0, Meghan Vanderhorts 3 0 3-3 9, Kemia Vines 1 1 1-2 6, Jordan Vines 2 0 1-3 5, Alana Risi 0 0 1-2 1, Giana Vanderhorst 0 0 0-2 0. TOTALS -- 10 1 13-24 36.

Three-point baskets -- C.B. Aycock 1 (Pettiford); S. Central 1 (K. Vines). Turnovers -- C.B. Aycock 19, S. Central 20. Total fouls -- C.B. Aycock 17, S. Central 17. Fouled out -- J. Vines. Technicals -- none.

Boys

C.B. Aycock 11 22 16 18 -- 67

South Central 15 21 18 21 -- 75

C.B. AYCOCK (4-16, 4-10 ECC)

Rob Phillips 2 0 0-0 4, Josh Coley 2 2 3-5 13, Alonzo Ferrell 4 0 4-6 12, Dustin Smith 2 1 3-4 10, Jamorris Dickerson 8 0 1-1 17, Brandon Hobbs 0 1 0-0 3, Michael Gurganus 1 0 0-0 2, Greg Gray 0 0 0-0 0, Montrel Sims 3 0 0-0 6, Erik Langston 0 0 0-0 0. TOTALS -- 22 4 11-16 67.

SOUTH CENTRAL (7-14, 6-9)

Chris Camy 0 1 0-0 3, Jamale Burrus 3 0 3-5 9, Blake Jamison 0 0 0-0 0, Bryan Clark 0 0 0-0 0, Johnathan Williams 3 0 4-4 10, Montel Smith 1 2 6-9 14, Augustine Sebera 4 0 0-0 8, Jason Ruben 1 0 0-0 2, Leland Jones 0 0 0-0 0, Montario Haddock 12 0 5-7 29. TOTALS -- 24 3 18-25 75.

Three-point baskets -- C.B. Aycock 4 (Coley 2, Smith, Hobbs); S. Central 3 (Smith 2, Camy). Turnovers -- C.B. Aycock 16, S. Central 13. Total fouls -- C.B. Aycock 20, S. Central 15. Fouled out -- none. Technicals -- none.