SBMOP WINTER CLASSIC: Wayne Christian surprises South Lenoir

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on December 28, 2016 9:57 AM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Entering Tuesday night's game against South Lenoir, Wayne Christian had never won a game in the Southern Bank/Mount Olive Pickle Winter Classic.

Darrian Oates changed that during the Eagles' first-ever appearance.

With two crucial acrobatic layups in the fourth quarter, the WCS junior lifted the Eagles to a tightly-contested 64-60 victory over the Blue Devils.

WCS faces Goldsboro in today's semifinal round.

"Darrian is an incredible basketball player," said Eagles' head coach Victor Young. "He's probably one of the top-3 guards in our conference."

The game did not start as well as Young may have hoped. South Lenoir raced to a 12-4 lead, and appeared to have a vice grip on the pace.

As soon as the Blue Devils gained that comfort, the Eagles quickly snatched it away with an 11-0 run to end the first quarter. Oates and Martaye Sembly each had six points in the opening frame.

"My guys were so nervous, and I was nervous," Young said. "It was an incredible opportunity to come back and play at my alma mater. And I made it a big deal in practice last week. They're young, so they were a little antsy. Once we settled down, we started playing our style of basketball."

For most of the second half, WCS displayed complete control. With five minutes left in the game, the Eagles' lead grew to 13 points.

However, the Blue Devils kept chipping away, and used a lightning-quick 17-5 run to shrink the deficit to 56-55 with just over two minutes remaining.

That's when Oates responded with his drives to the basket. His two buckets gave WCS a 61-55 lead, and sufficient breathing room to finish off South Lenoir.

"(Oates) is only a junior," Young said. "And he can control the game. Nobody can keep him out of the paint, and that's what I told him. He got to the rim, and good things happen when you get to the rim."

Oates finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Sembly, who hit five 3-pointers, recorded a game-high 25 points.

The Eagles now must face Goldsboro, which is the defending tournament champion. The opponent may be a tougher test, but Young said he doesn't plan on switching up the game plan.

"We're just going to come out, play hard, and play Wayne Christian basketball," Young said. "Hopefully I'll be able to play against my old alumni Russell Stephens who's at Goldsboro High School. So it should be a good one."