Local basketball teams were in action over the Martin Luther King Junior holiday as five area programs took the ride to Sampson County for the annual MLK Jamfest at Union High School.
A pair of division leaders also squared off at Farmville Central in Pitt County as New Hanover (6-0, 14-4) took on South Central High School (4-0, 12-2).
With the Wildcats in front 25-19 after an explosive opening period, South Central crept to within a bucket at the half and tied the game 48-all moving into the fourth quarter.
Sophomore standout Ramello Williams was once again limited for New Hanover because of a lingering ankle injury. He battled his way through the first quarter of action before leaving the game. Classmate Wiz Vaughn also missed Monday’s contest because of a recruiting trip to Old Dominion.
The Falcons outscored New Hanover 15-10 during the final eight minutes of regulation to hand the Wildcats a 63-58 setback.
Acchaeus Fields had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Malique Jacobs added 22 points and eight boards.
South Central has a one-game lead in the split 3A/4A Eastern Carolina Conference, while New Hanover remains unbeaten in league play, but won’t return to conference action until Monday, Jan. 25.
Coastal Christian 47 Union 33
In the 10 a.m. tip-off at Union High School on Monday, Coastal Christian grabbed a 47-33 win over host Union.
With the Centurions in front by one at the half, Coastal Christian held Union to just 13 points over the remaining 16 minutes of regulation. Brian Howell scored all of his game-high 16 points after the break, while Connor Norris knocked down three treys in the opening frame and finished with 11 points.
The Centurions sank six shots from long range in the result to improve to 10-7 overall. They went 7 of 8 from the free throw line as Howell converted all four of his attempts from the charity stripe during the third period.
Triton 77 Laney 60
Triton had a two-possession lead after two quarters of play and used a big second half effort to hand Laney a 77-60 defeat on Monday afternoon.
Chris Bennett and Sherod Sidbury shared team-high honors with 17 points for the Bucs, who had their two-game win streak snapped. Bennett and Sidbury also combined for 15 rebounds as Laney dropped to 9-8 overall.
The Bucs (3-2, 9-8) get back on the floor at home against Hoggard (3-2, 10-7) on Friday, Jan. 22.
Cape Fear Christian 83 Hoggard 80 (3OT)
Game three of the MLK Jamfest at Union High School featured a triple overtime matchup between Hoggard and Cape Fear Christian of Erwin, N.C.
The Vikings were in action for the first time in six days and carried a four-point lead into the break. Turnovers early in the second half helped Cape Fear Christian regain the advantage, but Hoggard held a one-point edge headed into the final frame.
After forcing the game into overtime, Cape Fear Christian and Hoggard battled through two extra sessions before Cape Fear outscored the Vikings 9-6 in triple overtime to grab the 83-80 win.
Jack Bagley had a season-high 28 points for Hoggard, who fell to 2-3 all-time at the MLK Jamfest. The Vikings dropped to 10-7 overall and return to conference play later this week at Laney.
East Carteret 77 West Brunswick 72
West Brunswick saw its six-game winning streak come to an end on Monday as the defending 1A state champions used a fourth quarter push to defeat the Trojans 77-72 in game four of the MLK Jamfest.
East Carteret was up by nine after the first quarter, but West Brunswick cut the deficit to five at the break, 40-35. The Mariners led 54-47 at the 3:30 mark in the third quarter when the Trojans went on an 11-5 spurt to close the frame with a one-point lead headed into the final period.
East Carteret outscored West Brunswick 19-13 during the final eight minutes of regulation to grab the result.
“We just couldn’t make a few plays down the stretch,” said West Brunswick Coach Eric Davis. “I’m proud of the way my guys competed today.”
Ty Hill led West Brunswick with 25 points and Tyler Stanley added 17 points in the setback.
The Mariners improved to 15-1 on the year, with wins against Hoggard and New Hanover this season. West Brunswick dropped to 10-4 overall and look to improve on their 3-1 conference mark at home against South Brunswick on Wednesday.
Westover 68 North Brunswick 48
Mitch Layton scored 12 points to lead North Brunswick. Josh Brown finished with 10 points and Ian Hinson had 11 to put three Scorpions in double figures.
Coastal Christian 47 Union 33
Coastal 12-9-18-8=47
Union 11-9-7-6=33
Triton 77 Laney 60
Triton 18-11-19-29=77
Laney 12-8-18-22=60
Cape Fear Christian 83 Hoggard 80 (3OT)
Cape Fear 12-15-16-14-7-10-9=83
Hoggard 10-21-13-13-7-10-6=80
East Carteret 77 West Brunswick 72
E. Carteret 20-20-18-19=77
W. Brunswick 11-24-24-13=72
South Central 63 New Hanover 58
New Hanover 25-11-12-10=58
South Central 19-15-14-15=63
