Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Goldsboro splits pair of pivotal contests vs. James Kenan

2 min read

In the rematch of two tight contests in Warsaw, Goldsboro and James Kenan locked horns in a pivotal East Central 2-A conference battle. In the end, it was split right down the middle.

The Cougarettes took the girls contest with a dominant second half in their 63-38 win over the Tigers. However, the Cougar boys were unable to recover from a slow start in a 77-63 loss. With that loss, Goldsboro has now been swept by James Kenan, led by former Spring Creek head coach Taylor Jones.

In the girls game, the contest was as competitive as the 42-41 win the Cougars fought for earlier in the season. Freshman guard Kyrah Davis continued her stellar campaign by attacking the basket early. She was unstoppable en route to a game-high 27 points and 10 made field goals.

James Kenan led early, but a late run to close the first half gave Goldsboro a seven point lead. From there, it was Davis and senior guard Mary Archibald that helped the home team take control. The Cougars would push their lead to 15 early in the third quarter and from there, the rout was on.

In the boys contest, the Tigers came to play on both ends of the floor and led early. Goldsboro senior guard Xavion Atkinson, who was honored for reaching 1,000 career points before the game, got the scoring started with a layup and a three. Senior Jaikir Fowler followed up with a layup of his own, but Eric Smith answered with a flurry for the Tigers.

James Kenan’s mixing up of defenses threw the Cougars offense into a tailspin as they led by nine at the break. Their stellar play would continue into the second half as they got their lead to double digits. A three-point play from Atkinson cut it to nine after three quarters of play.

In the end, it was the Tigers who withstood every rally the Cougars tried to make in the final minutes. It’s a tough loss for Goldsboro, who now needs to win out to have any chance at the state playoffs. The Cougars begin their final stretch with a conference matchup at Spring Creek Thursday.

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