La GRANGE — What a difference a half makes.
Exhibit A: Eight-of-29 shooting from the floor, including 0-of-11 from beyond the arc. One assist. No free throws attempted.
Exhibit B: Fourteen-of-28 shooting. Five-of-12 from 3-point range. Eight assists. Twelve-of-15 from the line.
The first set of numbers, woeful as they were, represents North Lenoir’s offensive output in the first half against Greeneville Rose Thursday. The latter was the second half — which explains why the Hawks were able to pull away late for a 61-45 non-conference win over the 4A Rampants.
“The first half, we were not ready to play,” NL coach Anthony Loftin said. “We were a step slow. They beat us to loose balls. We dribbled around too much. Everything we could do (badly), we did.”
Neither team could find the bottom of the net early, as the teams combined to start 2-of-15 from the floor. The Hawks (3-2) began the game 1-of-8 before closing the opening quarter on a 4-of-5 shooting spree to tie the game at 10-10.
The second quarter wasn’t much better, though a 0-for-8 stretch for the Hawks mid-way through the period — including five straight misses from 3-point range — allowed the Rampants to carry a 21-16 edge into the halftime locker room.
Whatever Loftin said to his team at the half, the Hawks must have listened.
After shooting 27.5 percent from the floor in the first half and never attempting a free throw, North Lenoir became more aggressive on both ends of the floor in the second half. The Hawks shot 50 percent from the field after intermission and connected on 12-of-15 free throws in the half – a marked improvement over the team’s cumulative 22-of-94 performance from the line in four prior games.
The Hawks reclaimed the lead for the first time since the opening minute of the second quarter at the 3:46 mark in the third when Jalen Robinson’s bucket put his team up 26-25. The lead would change hands four more times over the next three minutes in a flurry of offensive output for both squads, but North Lenoir took the lead for good when Chad Ginn answered a Rose basket with one of his own to put the Hawks ahead 32-31 with 55 seconds to play in the period.
The 6-foot-3 junior forward had six points in his first start, as he filled in for senior John Carlton, who did not play.
“Ginn came up big for us,” Loftin said. “It was his first start, and he stepped up in the middle for us.”
Offensively, the Hawks were led by Jauqaz Jones with 13 points; Jaroyce Mason had 11 points and Luke Jackson added 10. Javonta King, meanwhile, did not get on the board until the last four minutes of the game but finished with eight points, including seven in the final 94 seconds as the Hawks closed on a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach.
While the offense found its rhythm in the second half, North Lenoir’s defense gave Rose all sorts of problems, creating 25 turnovers on the night – 17 of which came in the second half as the Hawks turned up the intensity with its full-court press and half-court trap.
“Defensively, we forced them to play fast, and that led to some made shots for us,” Loftin said.
The Hawks looked to keep the momentum as they played host to Southern Wayne Friday night in another non-conference match-up.
Girls’ game:
The Rampants pulled away in the second half and cruised to a 68-43 win.
Rose led 11-6 after a quarter, 21-15 at the half and 46-35 after three quarters. Four Rampants finished their scoring with double figures. Rose’s Kamiah Gilbert led all scorers with 20 points, 16 of which came in the second half. She also accounted for four of her team’s seven 3-pointers. Takiya Smith and Takia Thigpen had 14 points apiece, while Jillian Ebron added 13.
The Hawks (1-5) were led by Alyssa Borja’s 16 points, while Quoya Porter added 11. Trailing by 16, Borja connected on a nifty reverse layup with 5:04 to play to cut the deficit to 54-40, but the Hawks would not score again as the Rampants scored the game’s final 14 points to earn the win.
Boys
Rose 10 11 12 12 -- 45
N. Lenoir 10 6 19 26 -- 61
Rose scoring: Marquell Nelson 11, Quinton Jones 10, Stewart 9, Purvis 9, Stafford 4, Chamberlain 2.
NL scoring: Jauqaz Jones 13, Jaroyce Mason 11, Luke Jackson 10, King 8, Ginn 6, Robinson 5, Allen 4, Letchworth 2, Cannon 2.
Girls
Rose 11 10 25 22 -- 68
N. Lenoir 6 9 18 10 -- 43
Rose scoring: Kamiah Gilbert 20, Takiya Smith 14, Takia Thigpen 14, Jillian Ebron 13, Shamble 4, Daniels 3.
NL scoring: Alyssa Borja 16, Quoya Porter 11, Haerer 6, Best 4, Ballen 3, Murray 2, Kramer 1.