No chance.
Lofty and gaudy in statistics and reputation, South Central yielded no opportunity for upset-minded J.H. Rose on Jan. 31, slashing to a 71-53 triumph. The Big Carolina Conference boys’ high school basketball skirmish of Pitt County rivals was decided quickly and decisively, the Falcons’ defense scorching with takeaways and impenetrably blunt-force toughness around the lane.
League status quo held, with South Central exiting the Rose Garden just 48 hours prior to a No. 1-vs.-No. 2 clash with New Bern on Friday and a chance to up its league lead to two with three left to play.
“Our goal is to play for a long time, and to do that, you’ve got to take care of games like this,” Falcons’ rookie head coach Leland Jones said after his club stayed unbeaten in seven true road games, moved to 8-0 in the league and 15-1 overall.
In the Falcons’ seventh consecutive win, senior Ean Behm scored 20 points, junior Isaiah Godley 14, junior reserve Da’vius Johnson 11, senior Michael Bowens nine and senior Troy Loftin seven.
Rampants junior Justin Grimes scored 19 points and junior Malachi Green 12. The only others for the home team, which fell to 4-5 in the Rose Garden, to make more than one field goal were seniors Malachi Keyes and Jalen Coward-Cherry.
“We came out with a good sense of urgency tonight, good energy, better than we’ve had in the past,” Jones said. “I think that’s a testament to the guys working hard in practice. We had a chance to start early tonight.”
In front of nearly 1,000 fans, South Central had quarter-stage leads of 16-9, 44-21 and 58-39.
“They shot the ball, my goodness they shot the ball,” 27th-year Rose head coach James Rankins said. “They looked very good. They hustled, they got all the loose balls, and they rebounded. We didn’t play good, but we played hard.”
Defensive plays by Bowens and junior Kashmere Murphy triggered the Falcons’ surge to a 25-9 lead two minutes into the second period. The Rampants trailed 27-9 before hitting their first 3-pointer — a right-winger by Grimes — after more than a half-dozen misses.
Four of Rose’s five 3-pointers were after halftime, none while within five possessions of the lead.
“We thought the half-court would be our plus,” Rankins said. “Our guards got too settled on the 3-point shots, and if you miss 3-point shots, it’s a fastbreak for the other team. In the first half, we had a lot of 3-point shots and they had a lot of fastbreaks.”
Junior Alcireon Phillips, Johnson and Behm flourished in the Falcons’ defensive schemes.
Bowens was true on targets from 23 and 24 feet for a 44-19 lead just before intermission.
“We did a great job talking,” Jones said of the improved half-court defense. “Guys have been working hard trying to get better every day in the shell drill.”
The Rampants missed four times from downtown and the Falcons got to the rim four times building a 10-2 lead, thrice by Behm. His steal and three-point play made it 16-5.
Girls’ game
South Central 55, J.H. Rose 8
The Falcons corralled Rose’s leading scorer, junior Cameron Daise, and posted shutouts in back-to-back quarters. The Rampants’ eight points were a season-low for them, and a season-best defensive effort for South Central.
Sophomore Brook Evans scored eight of her 22 points in the opening period to lead the guests.
Sophomore Niyani Mayo (10 points), senior Sabraya Baker (seven), junior Jaidyn Boswell (six) and freshman Kaelyn McCarter (five) all topped the highest scorer from the home team.
Rose scorers were seniors Tamyah Rhodes and Camya Whitfield, and sophomores Layla Moore and NaKiya Carmichael.
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