DEEP RUN — The M.O. of South Lenoir’s boys basketball team this season has been to start out slow then get going late.
Against Topsail the Blue Devils once again began cold. But this time, they never got hot.
Tyler Hagan led a balanced Pirates attack with 16 points and 10 rebounds as they rolled to a 56-41 win over league-leading South Lenoir at Munn Gymnasium on Friday.
The Blue Devils (12-6, 8-2 East Central 2A) couldn’t score from the field or from the line, and they couldn’t stop Topsail (9-10, 3-7) on its end, either.
“I don’t know. … Maybe we were poorly coached tonight,” said South Lenoir coach Jeremy Barnett, whose team hit just 14 of its 55 field goal attempts, went 1 for 16 from beyond the arc and was 12 of 26 from the free throw line.
“I’ll go back and look at the tape but I swear we had open shot after open shot after open shot, and we just couldn’t throw it in the ocean.”
South Lenoir’s only lead came at 2-0 when Jaquan Wooten, who tied a team-best with 12 points and had a game-high 14 rebounds, dropped one in early in the first quarter. Two possessions later Hagan drained a 3 from the right wing, which put his team on top for good.
For the rest of the night — on their homecoming of all nights — the Blue Devils were never really in it.
After going through the first half of the league 7-0, South Lenoir has been on a steady spiral downward. It has now dropped two of its last three games and instead of being all alone in first it is now in a tie with Clinton.
“Topsail had a lot to do with it. It wasn’t just us,” Barnett said. “(The Pirates) came ready to play.”
Topsail didn’t fare much better in the shooting department, connecting on just 17 of 48 field goal attempts, three of which were 3s. But where the Pirates faltered from the field they made up from at the charity stripe, hitting 19 of 27 freebies.
Now with its two-game conference lead gone South Lenoir must go on the road for three of its final four games.
In its last three games — including a loss at East Duplin and a hard-fought come-from-behind win against Richlands — there has been a trend.
It’s a trend that caught up with the Blue Devils on Friday, and it’s one Barnett feels must stop.
“For the last three games our guys just haven’t been ready to play,” he said. “I’ve gotta do something different.
“I thought 7-0, 8-1 in the conference was motivation enough, but maybe I’m wrong. It’s not been motivation enough.”
SOUTH LENOIR 52, TOPSAIL 24
The Blue Devils girls just keep winning.
Heather West had a game-best 14 points and Demeyia Adams added 10 points and eight rebounds as they won big over Topsail.
West added five assists and six steals and Marquia Suddeth chipped in eight points, eight rebounds and four steals as South Lenoir (14-4, 8-2 East Central 2A) used a 22-3 run to open up the game and never looked back.
Hanna Meready scored seven points and added four assists and Caroline Jones had seven points and three assists for the Blue Devils, who had seven who scored.
Topsail (7-11, 2-8) closed the first half out on an 11-1 run to get within nine at the break, but South Lenoir answered by outscoring the Pirates 14-3 in the third period.
The Blue Devils remain in a three-way tie for second behind Clinton with East Duplin and Jacksonville Northside after all four teams won on Friday.
There are only four conference games left to sort the cluttered upper-half of the league out.
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.
BOYS
Topsail 12 10 13 21—56
South Lenoir 7 9 10 15—41
PIRATES (9-10, 3-8) — Tyler Hagan 16, Trevor Savidge 11, Davis Ball 11, Schoenleber 6, Gilgo 6, Jak. Sullivan 2, Williams 2, Jar. Sullivan 2, Bland, Kimmel, Davis.
BLUE DEVILS (12-6, 8-2) — Jaquan Wooten 12, Jonte Midgette 12, Ishmael Baldwin 10, Jones 4, Whaley 2, Janning 1, Graves, Garner, Cooper, Davis, Turner.
GIRLS
Topsail 3 11 3 7—24
South Lenoir 14 9 14 15—52
PIRATES (7-11, 2-8) — K. White 9, M. White 5, Wolf 6, Skipper 2, Payton 2, Wolff , Reily, Hyatt.
BLUE DEVILS (14-4, 8-2) — Heather West 14, Demeyia Adams 10, Suddeth 8, Meready 7, Jones 7, Stapleford 5, Franklin 1, Pelletier, Ha. West, Combs, Williams, Braxton.