LA GRANGE — In a game featuring a pair of teams very familiar with one another, North Lenoir edged Eastern Carolina 3A Conference foe Eastern Wayne 78-75.
The win served as a stopgap of sorts, as North Lenoir had lost four of five games to slip to fourth place in the league. The victory likely locked up the league’s fourth and final playoff berth for the Hawks and kept North Lenoir in the hunt for a possible top-two finish in league play.
“This was a big win,” NL coach Anthony “Copperhead” Loftin said. “It almost sows up the No. 4 seed for us.”
The game felt like a heavyweight title fight at times, with each team taking its opponent’s best shot and responding with one of its own.
Despite leading by as many as nine in the second half, the Hawks (11-11, 6-4) entered the final period clinging to a 51-48 lead, and neither team appeared willing to concede an inch.
The Warriors (5-17, 2-9) shot 50 percent (6 of 12) from the field in the final frame and connected on 11 of 12 (92 percent) free throws. The Hawks, meanwhile, were a coolly efficient 5 of 8 (62.5 percent) from the floor in the fourth quarter and hit just enough free throws — 16 of 29 (55 percent) — to secure victory.
“At the end of the fourth quarter, we left too many free throws out there,” said Loftin, referring to a string of six straight misses with the clock winding down.
No one came up bigger for the Hawks than Billy Summers, who had 17 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, and eight rebounds.
“They went small, and we had a hard time matching up with them,” Loftin said, “but we felt like we had an advantage inside. We did a good job getting the ball to Billy.”
Summers was joined in double figures by four other Hawks players — Jauquaz Jones (17 points), Devantae Sutton (11), Javonta King (11) and Tyree Hough (10). The Warriors’ Micah Smith led all scorers with 23 points.
After Eastern Wayne trailed by as many as nine in the third quarter, the game tightened significantly in the later stages of the period, and the Warriors took their first lead since the 3:14 mark in the second quarter when Quavis Holloman (10 points) tied the game on a pair of free throws and Jamel Shuford (eight points) followed with a layup to begin the fourth quarter.
Neither team could get separation from there. Both teams traded buckets in a flurry of activity, and the Hawks were only able to extend their lead to five midway through the quarter.
Despite what Loftin called an “ugly win,” he said the game featured several teaching tools.
“We weren’t smooth in everything we did, but we were still able to pull out a win,” he said. “We are going to go back and watch the film, break it down and get better because of it.”
The win was the Hawks’ second in three meetings against the Warriors. In addition to a 12-point win for NL at Eastern Wayne earlier in the conference schedule, the Warriors defeated North Lenoir by 10 in a Christmas tournament.
The Hawks will host Cleveland on Tuesday and will wrap up conference play at Triton on Thursday. With a pair of wins, the team could potentially move into second place in the league.
EASTERN WAYNE 64, NORTH LENOIR 26
The girls’ game featured a matchup between teams at opposite ends of the conference.
Eastern Wayne (22-1, 11-0) had already clinched the regular season title before beating the Hawks. North Lenoir fell to 2-20 overall and 0-10 in conference play.
In a game that was lopsided from the start, the Warriors held NL to a single point in the first quarter and hit nearly as many field goals (25 of 80) as the Hawks attempted (5 of 32) over the course of the game.
The Hawks were led by 12 points from Quoya Porter and nine from Erica Lee, while the Warriors were paced by 10 points from Tamiya Dortch. Eleven of 12 Warriors players tallied at least two points, and five players had at least eight points in a balanced scoring effort.
BOYS
Eastern Wayne 10 17 21 27—75
North Lenoir 11 21 19 27—78
WARRIORS (5-17, 2-9) — Micah Smith 23, Pridgen Dayshaw 11, Tavarise Hall 11, Quavis Holloman 10, Shuford 8, Best 5, Davis 5, Richard 2.
HAWKS (11-11, 6-4) — Jauquaz Jones 17, Billy Summers 17, Devantae Sutton 11, Javonta King 11, Tyree Hough 10, Troy 8, Davis 3, Johnson 1.
GIRLS
Eastern Wayne 14 12 23 15—64
North Lenoir 1 9 7 9—26
WARRIORS (22-1, 11-0) — Tamiya Dortch 10, Christopher 9, Monk 9, Grant 8, Hamilton 8, Muhammed 5, Coriyton 4, Hutchins 4, Boyette 3, Sutton 2, Mitchell 2.
HAWKS (2-20, 0-10) — Quoya Porter 12, Lee 9, Bizzell 2, Varnell 2, Foster 1.