Something had to change for Goldsboro in the second half.
Clinton held a 25-16 lead at halftime, and Goldsboro was in danger of dropping its fourth straight game to the Dark Horses.
Goldsboro made the necessary adjustments at halftime and came away with a thrilling 51-47 overtime win against the Dark Horses on Monday evening.
The Cougars (7-4 overall) won their second straight game and will face Wallace-Rose Hill (2-9) on Wednesday for their senior night.
“The girls started to come through, and the intensity picked up. Our defense picked up, and when we went man-to-man, that really helped us out in order to stop the ball at certain times, and we capitalized on that,” Goldsboro head coach Latina Bullock-Thomas said.
The Cougars started the game on a 7-1 run, but back-to-back baskets from Clinton’s NaKeviah Evans sparked a 13-0 run for the Dark Horses.
In the second quarter, Goldsboro chipped away at the deficit to cut Clinton’s lead down to 18-15, but Clinton used another 7-1 run to take a 26-15 lead at halftime.
“We just were sluggish and not taking our time. We were throwing the ball away and making careless mistakes and not getting back on defense, and when you do that, it allows the other team to get a run,” Bullock-Thomas said. “But once we got our composure back, we started playing our ball.”
Goldsboro’s intensity increased in the second half as the Cougars scrambled for loose balls, and they took command with a 17-2 run that gave the Cougars a 33-27 lead.
Goldsboro led 36-31 at the end of the third quarter, and the Cougars limited Clinton to just six points in the third quarter.
However, the Dark Horses answered with another run in the fourth quarter, this time a 15-8 run that gave Clinton a 46-44 lead with 20 seconds left to play. Still, freshman Nashiya Williams’ buzzer-beating basket sent the game into overtime, and Williams heroics set the stage for the final four minutes.
The Cougars dominated the overtime period, limiting Clinton to only one point, as they defeated the Dark Horses to earn a hard-fought victory.
“The girls had the drive and intensity because they wanted to win,” Bullock-Thomas said.
Amaya Lucas led Goldsboro with 13 points, while Kyrah Davis provided 12 points. Kaila Bell chipped in eight points.
