James Kenan’s Tyquise Wilson let’s go with a 3-point attempt during Tuesday night’s game against South Onslow. (Robert Taylor|mountolivetribune.com)
Tiger Stephone Stanley makes a swift jumper near the paint with a Stallion right in his face. (Robert Taylor|mountolivetribune.com)
WARSAW — James Kenan’s Tigers hosted the Southwest Onslow Stallions in a highly anticipated boys’ varsity basketball matchup Tuesday night. The game was fast-paced from start to finish, with the Stallions taking control early and holding off the Tigers’ attempts to rally. Despite a valiant effort, James Kenan fell short, with Southwest Onslow securing a decisive 81-62 victory.
The loss drops James Kenan to 8-10 overall and 4-7 in the 2A East Central Conference, where they currently sit in 5th place.
The Stallions wasted no time setting the tone in the first quarter, striking first with a quick layup and following it with another 2-pointer to take a 4-0 lead. James Kenan’s Stephone Stanley looked to answer but missed a 3-point attempt. Tyquise Wilson managed to steal the ball shortly after, but Southwest Onslow remained composed and extended their lead with another layup. With the score at 6-0, James Kenan called a timeout with 6:09 left in the quarter to regroup.
Following the timeout, TJ Oates committed a turnover that led to another Stallions’ layup, widening the gap to 8-0. David Zelaya finally put James Kenan on the board, hitting one of two free throws to make it 8-1. The Stallions responded immediately with another layup, pushing their lead to 10-1. The Tigers found some offensive rhythm as Stanley drained a three, followed by a layup from Oates to cut the deficit to 13-6.
Zelaya kept the momentum going with a deep three, bringing the score to 13-9. However, Southwest Onslow maintained their composure, adding another layup to extend their lead. Khamyri Soule made a strong drive to the basket but couldn’t convert, while Wilson missed a layup shortly after. With 2:39 remaining in the first quarter, the Tigers called their second timeout, trailing 15-9.
Coming out of the break, the Stallions connected on a three to extend their lead to 18-9. James Kenan tried to keep pace, but Oates missed a 3-point attempt, and the Stallions capitalized with a layup to close the quarter with a 22-12 advantage.
The second quarter opened with Southwest Onslow knocking down a three, pushing the lead to 22-15. Oates answered with a three of his own, cutting the score to 25-18. The Stallions scored again, but Oates struck once more from beyond the arc, bringing the score to 28-21. Zelaya added a mid-range jumper, and moments later, Oates grabbed a steal and drained another trey, making it 31-25.
Southwest Onslow responded with a layup and followed it up with a free throw, extending their lead to 33-25. Turnovers began to hurt James Kenan, with Zelaya losing possession, which led to another Stallions layup. Despite the Tigers’ best efforts, the Stallions continued to stretch their lead, ending the half ahead 43-30.
The Tigers struggled to contain the Stallions in the third quarter. Southwest Onslow opened with a layup and a three-ball to extend their lead to 50-30. James Kenan called a timeout at the 6:36 mark in hopes of shifting momentum. Stanley scored on a layup shortly after the break, bringing the score to 52-32.
However, turnovers and missed opportunities plagued the Tigers. Wilson committed a turnover, and the Stallions capitalized, stretching the lead to 57-32. Stanley and Zelaya both attempted to chip away at the deficit, with Zelaya scoring a layup to make it 59-36. The Stallions drained another three with 41 seconds left in the quarter, ending the third with a commanding 64-39 lead.
Despite the uphill battle, James Kenan refused to back down in the final quarter. Wilson opened the period with a layup, and Stanley added a jumper from the side to cut the deficit. Stanley then connected on a three, bringing the score to 68-46. The Stallions responded with a layup, but Wilson kept the Tigers in the fight with another layup to make it 70-48.
Stanley and Soule continued to push the pace, with Stanley driving for a layup and Soule knocking down a three-pointer to bring the score to 72-53. The Stallions answered with another layup, but Wilson scored again with a layup of his own. James Kenan called a timeout with just over a minute left, trailing 76-55.
In the final moments, Zelaya added a layup, but the Stallions iced the game with a pair of free throws. Zelaya scored once more with 15 seconds remaining, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Stallions’ lead. Southwest Onslow closed out the game with an 81-62 victory.
The game was a hard-fought battle from start to finish. James Kenan showed resilience and flashes of brilliance, particularly from Oates, who hit multiple threes, and Stanley, who led the charge in the second half. However, turnovers and missed opportunities ultimately proved costly.
Southwest Onslow’s balanced attack and ability to capitalize on James Kenan’s mistakes made the difference in this matchup. Despite the loss, the Tigers demonstrated plenty of potential and will look to bounce back in their next game.
