BOYS' BASKETBALL: State-ranked South Central turns back EW

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on January 23, 2017 9:57 AM

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By JUSTIN HAYES

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Classically trained.

That's exactly how South Central appeared on Friday evening, utilizing a nuanced effort from the whole of its roster to register a by-the-numbers, 70-60 victory over Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference foe Eastern Wayne.

The road kill moved the Falcons to 14-1 overall and 8-0 in conference tilts.

SC displayed its poise early, led by the smooth handle of junior Tahj Riddick. The point guard ran the Falcons' motion with aplomb, picked spots to attack off the dribble and logged 10 first-half points.

When he wasn't at the helm, front court mates Day'Ron Sharp and Luke Davis took control. Both 6-foot-7, the duo represented a matchup problem for EW in the three-second area, securing rebound upon rebound to open the game and creating second-chance opportunities for SC.

After eight minutes, the Falcons led 20-8.

Eastern Wayne rallied in the second, however, cutting into the Falcon advantage with a group effort that included buckets from five different players.

But South Central's size continued to loom large.

"Coming into the game, we were willing to give up some shooters to take away the inside," noted EW head coach Bill Manning. "The problem was, early in the game, their misses turned into second and third chances."

All of which led to a 33-24 Falcon halftime advantage.

Then SC guard Sykeim Phillips erupted.

Emerging from Riddick's shadow in the third period, he found his rhythm at the end of a deafening 22-point SC outburst, making four free throws and a triple to give the Falcons a 55-41 lead entering the final eight minutes.

The fourth represented more of the same, as Phillips used his dribble to control pace and his shooting to pad the SC lead. In total, it was a brilliant 10-minute stretch of basketball for the sharpshooter, who finished with a game-high 21 points.

It also brought about the end for Eastern Wayne, which scored in volatile bursts after its sluggish start, but failed to match SC's balance over four quarters.

"We played nervous with the basketball on the perimeter (in the first half)," Manning noted. "But to our guys credit... we had our chances in the second half."

South Central, ranked No. 7 in this week's NCPreps.com 4-A poll, recorded 16 points from Riddick. Rayquan Harris added nine points, while Sharp finished with five points and seven boards.

Eastern Wayne (7-11, 3-4) was paced by Marcus Rouse, who scored 14 points. Yeonte Royal registered 13 points and four rebounds, while junior Omar Merrero finished with 10 points. South Central next faces J.H. Rose on Tuesday. Eastern Wayne travels to county and ECC 3-A rival Southern Wayne next Thursday.