GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Eastern Wayne slips past Goldsboro

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on December 21, 2016 9:59 AM

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BY BEN COLEY

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Eastern Wayne head coach Michael Gurganus is a fan of UNC basketball.

Similar to Tar Heels' head coach Roy Williams, he chooses not to call timeouts in crunch time. Instead, he lets the players work through the chaos.

So when Goldsboro took a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, Gurganus didn't panic.

Neither did his girls.

Treycie Ford hit the go-ahead layup with 35 seconds left, and the Warriors survived 61-58 at New Hope.

"I've always been told to go with my gut," Gurganus said. "And I just felt like I didn't need to call a timeout. I know what it looked like and I know the momentum was their way, but I just trusted my girls."

EW began the fourth quarter with an 8-3 run, which resulted in a 57-46 lead -- the largest of the game.

The Cougars kept chipping away. Eventually, they cut the Warriors' advantage to 57-53.

Next, Tziah Kelly nailed a 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining to make it a one point game. Then with a minute left, Destiny Lucas hit an acrobatic jump shot.

Goldsboro moved ahead 58-57 for its first lead of the night.

"I believe the girls realized that the game was winnable," said Cougars' head coach Latina Bullock. "They decided to step it up, and get some key turnovers and attack the basket. It's what I was telling them to do the whole game."

After Lucas' layup, EW turned the ball over on its next possession. Goldsboro gave the ball right back after a rushed shot landed out of bounds.

On the ensuing play, Ziomara Williams clutched the ball near the paint and fed the ball to Ford who cut through the lane for an uncontested layup.

59-58, EW.

"It was not a drawn up play," Gurganus said. "It's something that we run through the offense. She slashed through the lane, like a give-and-go. It was nothing I drew up -- they were just playing basketball."

Kelly then missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. After two made free throws by Nyesha Best, Lucas missed a game-tying long ball at the buzzer.

Nyesha Best scored a game-high 21 points and also grabbed five rebounds. Ford finished the game with 16 points, three assists and six rebounds. Goldsboro was led by McKayla Roberts, who posted 18 points -- 15 coming in the first half.

Gurganus said he told his team after the game that they should've never been in the situation after being up 11 points. But the first-year coach followed that criticism by stating how proud he was of the perseverance they displayed.

"I saw a lot of composure," Gurganus said. "I saw a lot of pride, and I saw a team that was not going to give in to the pressure. I knew things weren't going our way, but we kept fighting. Fortunately it turned out to go our way."