Down 37-29 at the end of the third quarter, the Goldsboro girls’ basketball team showed how resilient and determined they are.
Unfortunately, the Cougars were unable to get the win as East Duplin held off Goldsboro 59-57 on Wednesday evening.
The Cougars trailed 13-9 at the end of the first quarter.
“In the beginning, we started out kind of slow and sluggish, and we just were not attacking the basket,” Goldsboro head coach Latina Bullock-Thomas said. “We got back into the game because of the girls’ determination.
“Any team is beatable on any given night, and we have the personal to do that, but we just came up short tonight.”
Five second-quarter points from Mary Archibald and seven points from Kyrah Davis kept Goldsboro within striking distance as the Panthers led 26-23 at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, the Cougars pulled to within one point. A three-pointer from East Duplin’s Carlie Radford sparked an 11-2 run that gave East Duplin a 37-29 cushion going into the fourth quarter.
However, Davis scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, while Archibald added seven points, and the Cougars clawed their way back into the game.
Goldsboro outscored East Duplin 28-22 in the fourth quarter, and a three-pointer from Davis cut East Duplin’s lead down to 59-57.
“I told them ‘no matter how many points we are down, just keep playing to win,’ that’s what both teams were trying to do,” Bullock-Thomas said. “You have to give extra effort to have a comeback like that.
“I’m proud of them for coming back because it could have been different as far as the score.”
With only one second left in the game, Goldsboro managed to get a steal and launch the potential game-winning shot, but the ball was unable to find the bottom of the net, and East Duplin escaped with the win.
Davis scored a team-high 28 points, Archibald finished the game with 15 points, while Shayla Greene added five points.
“The girls are playing well, and there is a lot we can improve on,” Bullock-Thomas said. “They just have to keep pushing and give that extra effort. They did a good job of diving after loose balls and attacking the basket in the second half.
“It’s more about being consistent for the whole game from start to finish.”
The Cougars (1-1 overall) next travel to Warsaw on Friday for a game against James Kenan (0-2).
