Sports - November 2003

Mustangs win season opener

By JOHN MARK BROOKS, Staff Writer

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The East Lincoln Mustangs basketball team started the season with a bang.

The Mustangs defeated the Bessemer City Yellow Jackets 53-38 behind a 14 point effort from guard Darin Dellinger. Acting coach Chip Ashley was proud of Dellinger.

“Fourth quarter down the stretch he was 8-10 from the free throw line. He came up big,” he said.

Center Grant Covington was a force in paint, scoring 12 points while guard T.J. Smith chipped in with 10 points.

“We expect our scoring punch to mainly come from those three players. They did a good job for us,” Ashley said.

Marcus Barnette paced the Yellow Jackets with 21 points to lead all scorers.

The first half was close as the Mustangs held a 29-20 advantage. That wouldn’t last long as the Yellow Jackets were able to muster only one point in the third quarter.

The lack of scoring enabled East Lincoln to build a 38-21 advantage going into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter Ashley was happy with the Mustangs’ execution.

“When we had a big lead, I was proud of the way the kids worked to the offense. They took 30-45 seconds off the clock each possession and were able to get good shots,” he said.

The Mustangs were a force on the boards ripping down 40 compared to the Yellow Jackets’ 26.

“I was really pleased with overall team defense, especially defensive rebounding.  That was a big key in the ball game,” Ashley said.

The coach said it was a total team effort.

“Everybody, all 11 players, got some time and we were able to get some good bench scoring too,” Ashley said.

Bessemer City: Marcus Barnette 21, Haskle Goote 2, Justin Dunovant 4, Quincey Johnson 2, Brandon Wade 11.

East Lincoln: Darin Dellinger 14, Jamelle Lowery 6, Dante Roseboro 5, T.J. Smith 10, Carlos Marquez 4, Brandon Hamilton 2, Grant Covington 12.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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