Will Heard goes up for a hoop for the Hawks on Wednesday night.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Triton posted a pair of varsity basketball wins, including an overtime victory in the boys game, at rival Midway on Wednesday night.
A third-quarter surge powered Triton’s varsity girls to a 50-42 triumph.
“We went into the half and the coaching staff made adjustments,” said Triton girls coach Richard Rozier. “Coach (Quanika) McMillian and coach (Kathryn) Levorse, we had a conversation and the girls came out and executed. I told them I can’t take credit for their execution, and they executed the game plan in the second half.”
Midway coach Matthew Bagwell said Triton’s perimeter defense gave the Raiders trouble.
“Their length bothered us a little bit at the top,” Bagwell said. “We struggled getting it in to where we wanted to go. I thought once we did, we did a good job of executing once we made that first pass, but we did struggle a little tonight making that first pass.”
Freshman JaNiah Smith had 16 points and five assists, senior Tristan Ennis had a double-double, with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore A’Shari Watlington had 10 points and six rebounds to lead the Hawks (4-0).
“It’s good to see (Ennis) going,” Rozier said. “She’s such a great leader. She’s such a great player and great person. And I love when she brings it on both ends of the court and it comes together for her.”
Unique Cooke had nine points, six rebounds and three blocks. Abby Hood had two points and nine steals. Chyna Massey had two points. Aubree Bass had one point.
Senior Rylie Williams had 16 points and sophomore Morgan Williams had 13 points to lead the Raiders (1-2).
“We count on Rylie’s leadership as a senior,” Bagwell said. “She hadn’t shot it well to start with, but she had a heck of a game tonight. Every time she touched it, I felt like it was going in. We count on those two for scoring most nights.”
Kris’Shyia McKoy had six points. McKenzie Williams had four points. Leah Culbreth had two points. Jaycie Byrd had one point.
Midway opened the game on a 9-3 run before a pair of Smith free throws and a Massey score, Triton’s first from the field, cut the lead to 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Midway also outscored Triton 11-9 in the second quarter to hold a 20-16 lead at halftime.
Triton dominated the third quarter, going on a 19-7 run through the quarter to take a 35-27 lead into the fourth.
“The big thing is getting it in on the defensive end,” Rozier said. “That’s what started the big run in the third. That’s what got us down the stretch. Turning them over and playing great defense.”
With Triton holding a 44-35 lead late in the fourth, Midway went on a 7-1 run to cut the lead to just three. But Triton’s defense did not allow Midway to score again and the Hawks made 5-of-11 free throws down the stretch to hold off the Raiders.
“We came out a little flat in the third, but we didn’t quit,” Bagwell said. “Everybody has fight in them. We played a two overtime game last night (a 66-65 loss at James Kenan) and then coming back and turning it around. And then we had one of our better players (Rylie Williams) foul out and we still have all the fight and no quit.”
In the varsity boys game, Triton edged Midway 62-58 in overtime.
“It was definitely a tough, physical game,” said Midway boys coach Matthew Creech. “I’m proud of our guys for their effort. They were physical. We matched their physicality, I thought. They’re a lot bigger team than we are, but we played with a lot of heart. We fought through some adversity late in that game. Some adversity outside of our control. But, you’ve got to find a way to fight through those things and overcome it. Unfortunately, tonight, we were just one or two plays short.”
Junior Jalen Evans had 23 points, five rebounds and five assists and junior Will Heard had 21 points to lead the Hawks (2-2).
Sabine Wheeler had five points and two blocks. Nate McKoy had four points and 10 rebounds. James Shaw had four points and four rebounds. Quashawn Williams had three points. Hayden Pope had two points.
Junior Davis Williams had 23 points and senior Wyatt Holland had 19 points to pace the Raiders (1-2).
“Both of those guys, when the ball is in their hands, we’re confident in what we’re going to get,” Creech said. “They’re both gifted scorers. We’ve got some more guys we’re waiting to come along. This team’s going to keep getting better and better, I think, as the season goes on.”
Israel Cook had six points. Trey Gregory had four points. Casey Culbreth had three points. Jaylin Baggett had two points. Nate Smith had one point.
“We started out slow and turned the ball over too many times,” said Triton boys coach T.J. Morrison. “We were fortunate to come away with a win. Will and Jalen made big shots for us. The Williams kid for them was tough.”
Midway came out hot, with a 14-3 run to start the game. But Triton responded with nine unanswered point to cut the lead to 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.
“That’s sort of been our story these first three games,” Creech said. “We’re coming out ready to play and bringing the intensity. We’ve just got to learn how to consistently play that way for 32 minutes. We have spurts where we’re really good and spurts where that level of intensity may drop off a little bit. But this group’s still learning. It’s still early in the season and we still feel like we can have a good season in front of us.”
Midway also outscored Triton 14-12 in the second quarter to lead 28-24 at halftime. Triton outscored Midway 19-15 in the third to tie the score 43-43 going into the fourth.
Late in the fourth, an Evans score had given Triton a 56-54 lead, but Davis Williams answered to tie it again. Triton had one last opportunity with time running out, but the shot was blocked by Culbreth, sending the game into overtime.
Evans hit a three early in the extra frame and Wheeler later added a pair of free throws to give the Hawks a 61-56 lead. Culbreth made a pair of free throws on the other end, but they were the only points for Midway in the overtime period. Evans later added one more point at the free throw line as Triton held on for the win.
Triton also won the junior varsity boys game 54-48 in a three-game sweep over Midway (Triton does not have a junior varsity girls team).
Triton is at home against rival South Johnston and Midway is at home against Sampson County rival Lakewood on Friday.
The Hawks host the Raiders on Monday night.
McKenzie Williams gets a basket for the Lady Raiders.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Kris’shyia McKoy scores for the Midway girls against Triton.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Leah Culbreth scores for Midway in the girls game.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
A’Shari Watlington gets a basket for the Lady Hawks.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Chyna Massey (3) blocks a Midway shot attempt.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Unique Cooke (23) scores for the Triton girls.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Tristan Ennis (24) gets a basket for the visiting Triton girls.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Jalen Evans puts up aa 3-pointer for the Triton boys.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Davis Williams takes aim from beyond the arc for Midway.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Israel Cook scores for the host Midway boys on Wednesday night.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Sabine Wheeler (2) shoots a 3-pointer for the Hawks.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Casey Culbreth (40) of Midway blocks a shot at the end of regulation.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
