Southern Wayne’s DuJuan Armwood (15) knocks the ball away from Hunt’s Jordan Scott during first-quarter action Tuesday evening in Dudley. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Nygeria Thompson (25) tallied 18 points and pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds against Quad County 3A foe Hunt on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Ta’Niyah Glaspie (23) and Hunt’s Kayla Haley (12) battle for rebounding position during a free throw attempt Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Jamaiya Bass (24) takes the baseline away from Hunt’s Kayla Haley on Tuesday evening. Bass collected a team-high 20 points in the Saints’ 61-28 victory. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Neveah Hines-Bass draws contact from Hunt’s Narriah Barnes as she heads toward the basket during second-half action Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Terdarious Butler dives for a loose ball that lands in a teammate’s hands while Hunt’s Drew Pittman avoids falling on top of him during their Quad County 3A game Tuesday. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Hunt’s Drew Pittman (2) looks for an open teammate as Southern Wayne’s Chris Carmon attempts to trap him in the corner. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Eli Boykin (23) passes the ball back to a teammate during Quad County 3A action in Dudley on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
DUDLEY — Southern Wayne unknowingly played “follow the leader” during its 52-46 victory over reigning Quad County 3A boys’ basketball champion Hunt on Tuesday evening.
The guidance didn’t occur on the hardwood. It came from the bench, instead.
“When you’ve got a [head] coach that doesn’t get rattled, your players don’t get rattled,” SW head coach Brian West said. “I tell my guys every day to have confidence in what you do. Teams are going to make a run, which is part of the game.
“When they do, withstand the surge and finish the game.”
The Saints (5-5 overall) did and reaped a worthy reward.
Chris McDuffie and Chris Carmon each scored 12 points for Southern Wayne, which started 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2013-14 season. West’s team also halted a three-game skid against the Warriors, who have won six of the last 10 meetings since 2006.
“I was proud of them because they withstood the test of not being able to practice and get in the gym [over the holidays],” West said.
Carmon’s offensive putback gave Southern Wayne its biggest lead, 41-29, with less than a minute remaining in the third period.
Hunt answered with a 3-pointer that sparked a 12-2 run, which carried over into the fourth quarter. The Warriors converted four of their next five offensive possessions, the last coming on sophomore Dearon Kirk’s layup with 5:21 left in regulation.
Kirk drew a foul on the play, but missed the free throw.
The Warriors grabbed the offensive rebound and turned it over.
Clinging to a one-possession lead, Chris McDuffie snared an offensive putback and kissed it off the glass as he fell backwards. The basket snapped a five-minute scoring drought for the Saints.
The teams played a “helter-skelter” pace over the next three-plus minutes.
Another second-chance bucket by McDuffie pushed the Saints’ margin to 47-41 with 75 seconds to play. Hunt closed to within 49-46 on Drew Pittman’s 3-pointer, but could get no closer.
Southern Wayne’s DeUntae Wright and Tyquavious Williams scratched for six points apiece. Dujuan Armwood and Eli Boykin each contributed five points.
Girls
Nygeria Thompson posted career highs in points (18) and rebounds (18) as defending QCC champ Southern Wayne demolished Hunt, 61-28, after a nail-biting opening half.
The Saints led 22-16 at the break.
“We were letting them get so relaxed,” SW head coach Ricky Lofton said. “I just told my girls we needed to be more aggressive, put more pressure on them. We got more turnovers and easy baskets.”
A two-possession advantage quickly morphed into a double-digit cushion.
Southern Wayne (8-3, 2-0 QCC) started the third quarter with an 11-0 run courtesy of its 1-2-2 full-court press. Neveah Hines-Bass ignited the back-breaking spurt with a 3-pointer off Elaina Lane’s assist.
Thompson supplied three baskets and Jamaiya Bass buried a 3-pointer in transition. The Warriors pulled to within 33-22 before Bass and Thompson combined to tally four baskets – all in the paint.
Hunt never recovered.
Bass finished with 20 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots. Ta’Niyah Glaspie stuffed her stat sheet with a career-high nine assists, six rebounds and two steals.
Hines-Bass provided 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Saints return home Thursday to face QCC foe South Johnston.
