Goldsboro boys turn back Southern Wayne

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on December 22, 2013 1:52 AM

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DUDLEY -- Goldsboro got hot at the right time.

Southern Wayne never found its groove.

The end result was a 84-71 victory for the Cougars on Friday night in a game that was choppy from start to finish. The teams combined for 44 personal foul calls and attempted 52 free throws combined.

"It was close in the first half and I don't think either team really had much rhythm," Goldsboro head coach Russell Stephens said. "In the second half we were able to score a few quick buckets and kind of get the momentum on our side."

Goldsboro jumped ahead 17-12 after one quarter thanks to seven points from Eric Bufkin. The Cougars extended the lead to 38-31 on a Joe Baker layup at the halftime buzzer.

With both teams in foul trouble, both head coaches regrouped at the intermission.

To the dismay of the home fans, the Cougars came out red hot to start the third quarter. Rasheen Artis hit three consecutive shots to open the half and the visitors extended their lead to as many as 22 points by the end of the quarter.

"For whatever reason, we came out flat and then we kind of went into shock," Southern Wayne head coach Dwight Smith said. "(Goldsboro) made a few shots and the game got away from us pretty quick."

The Saints cut the deficit to 10 points late in the fourth quarter but that was as close as they would come. The Cougars consistently hit their foul shots down the stretch to keep the difference in double-figures.

Artis led Goldsboro (6-3 overall) with 27 points. Myron Carmon added 14 and Bufkin finished with 12 points to go with his team-high nine rebounds.

Maurice Butler emerged the scoring leader for the Saints with 18 points. Jamon Wade added 12 points. Daequan McKinney and Jalen Roberts each added 10 points.

Southern Wayne (6-4) is back in action on Dec. 27 against Southern Vance at Mount Olive College. The same night that Goldsboro battles Eastern Wayne at Kornegay Arena.