Boys Basketball: Eastern Wayne Gets A Win On Senior Night (PHOTO GALLERY)

Boys Basketball: Eastern Wayne Gets A Win On Senior Night (PHOTO GALLERY)

The Eastern Wayne boys’ basketball team picked up a win on its senior night, but the Warriors are still trying to put a full four quarters together.

Eastern Wayne defeated Southern Wayne 61-55 on Friday evening. The Warriors also snapped a four-game losing streak.

“Well, it was tale two halves, and it was a letdown how we handled things in the second half, but we played as well as we’ve played all year in the first half,” Eastern Wayne head coach Bill Manning said.

Eastern Wayne jumped out to a 26-17 lead in the opening quarter, with Zavian Oates hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

Another big reason for the Warriors’ first-quarter success was a strong first quarter from Albert Brown, who scored 11 of his 20 points in the first quarter.

“There are times when the rim looks like an ocean, and when you’re a shooter, and that rim looks like an ocean, then you know every shot is going to go down, and that was the rhythm that Albert was in,” Manning said.

The Warriors kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second quarter, and they led 45-22 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Saints started to creep back into the game, outscoring the Warriors 18-13, but the Warriors still held a 57-40 at the end of the third quarter.

“We talked at halftime about putting a full four quarters together, and we didn’t do that, but credit to the guys for doing enough to get the win,” Manning said.

The Saints really woke up during the final eight minutes.

Southern Wayne used its defense to limit Eastern Wayne to just five points in the fourth quarter, and Christopher Cameron drained a three-pointer with three minutes left to cut Eastern Wayne’s lead down to 60-52

But the Warriors managed to hold off the Saints’ rally and get the win on senior night.

“We knew Southern Wayne would do that, and we talked about it at halftime,” Manning said. “Their coach (Southern Wayne head coach Dwight Smith) does a great job with those boys, and Southern Wayne just kept battling.”

For the game, the Warriors were paced by Brown’s 20 points. J.J. Murray added 13 points, while Canaan Tyson chipped in eight points.

Donshae Boseman’s 13-point effort led Southern Wayne, while Cameron finished with 12 points, and Paul Francis dropped in eight points.

Eastern Wayne (2-5 overall) travels to New Bern (5-3) on Tuesday, while Southern Wayne (0-9) hosts D.H. Conley (5-2) on Monday.

Share

Events