Takeaways from FCA Day One: Local powerhouses walk line, but flip switches
4 min read
Day one of the Greater Neuse FCA Winter Classic at University of Mount Olive is in the books. Here are take always from all the matchups involving teams from the WJG Sports area.
Wayne Country Day 92, Spring Creek 50
Wayne Country Day still hasn’t given me a complete effort yet. The Chargers won 92-50 over Spring Creek, but I continue to leave the Chargers’ game without a completely dominant performance. While the 12-2 WCDS team did win by 40, it took 31 minutes for the Chargers to get the running clock. The Chargers are much more talented than the 3-5 Gators, with all due respect to the well-coached Spring Creek team, yet let them hang around for the first half. The Chargers then flipped a switch in the second half and doubled up the Gators. Against Spring Creek and other lesser talented teams this is no problem, but if Wayne Country Day wants to win a championship, they can’t just expect to flip a switch in the playoffs.
Spring Creek’s duo of senior Tyrese Artis and junior Lucas Barfield showed great poise playing against the talented team. Artis showed why he currently holds an offer from Belmont-Abbey. The 6-foot-3 wing had 16 of the Gators’ 50 points and played with a great feel for the game. Barfield had 13 points in the first half before the Chargers began to guard him more effectively. The duo inspires hope that the Gators can right the ship and make the playoffs.
Wayne Country Day senior Linwood Grady scored his 1000th career point after his game-high 18 points. Grady has been a fixture during one of the best periods in WCDS history.
Southern Wayne 72, Arendell Parrott 66
Southern Wayne got back on track with a 72-66 win over Arendell Parrott after losing four straight. The Saints now sit at 6-4, but still almost blew the game to a struggling 5-9 Patriots team. If Southern Wayne wants to win the wide open 3-A/4-A Eastern Carolina Conference, then they will need to close and start games better.
Southern Wayne senior guards David Brewer and Jamari Leach continue to be stellar. Leach had team-high 19 points and Brewer had 14 points. Sophomore Leneir Pocknett has filled in nicely as the third option as he had 16 points. Senior Jeremiah Anderson also chipped in 10 points.
I was impressed with APA freshman guard Tamir “Mir Mir” Moore as he finished with nine points and he really conducted the offense well. Patriots junior Nick Harrison had a game-high 25 points and showed why he’s one of the best shooters in Eastern North Carolina. Mateus Prado also added in 16 points.
Goldsboro 89, Wayne Christian 66
Goldsboro really started slow, but 24 points by junior Xavion Atkinson lifted them to a 89-66 win over Wayne Christian. The 7-4 Eagles jumped out to a 13-4 lead over the 5-1 Cougars. But Goldsboro took the lead into halftime, 34-33. Then Atkinson and the Cougars hit a switch, similar to how they did in other wins. Goldsboro has shown at times this year that they are one of the elite teams and in that second tier of contenders in the NCHSAA 2-A, but have not been consistent throughout an entire game yet. If Goldsboro wants to challenge Kinston or Farmville, they will need to figure out how to play a complete game.
Wayne Christian showed they were no slouches against the more talented Cougar team. Sophomore guard Jayquan Curry scored a team-high 22 points despite Goldsboro focusing much of their attention on him. Curry is a legit scorer who showed why he is the top scorer in the WJG Sports area. Senior Addison Johnson and Jaylon Wallace both provided good scoring punches for the Eagles and could help the Eagles be one of the top three teams in the NCISAA 1-A/2-A Coastal Plain Conference.
Friday Schedule
Wayne Christian will take on Community Christian and high scoring guard Jimmy Forte at 2:30 p.m. Arendell Parrott and Spring Creek Will face off at 4 p.m. Goldsboro will face Coastal Christian of Wilmington at 6 p.m. Wayne Country Day will matchup against Southern Wayne at 7:30 p.m. Winners of the late games will face off on Saturday for the FCA Crown.
