Sports - December 2003

Wolves win behind late surge

By JOHN MARK BROOKS, Staff Writer

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A team does not always have to win pretty. That’s what a flat Lincolnton Wolves team found out Tuesday night, beating the Red Raiders 55-50.

South Point was ahead 27-22 at halftime. However, a 10 point third quarter put the Wolves in a 13 point hole entering the final quarter.

Head coach Bob Cowie made a coaching change that ended up being the difference in the game.

The Wolves went into a press defense that forced a plethora of Red Raiders’ turnovers. Behind an aggressive defensive effort Lincolnton held South Point to only five points in the quarter.

“We picked up our intensity on defense. We started forcing turnovers that got us back in the game,” Eric Wilson said.

The Wolves, however, exploded with a 23-point quarter.

Down by one, Eric Wilson hit two free throws. Then after a Red Raiders’ possession, fellow senior Darren Wilson knocked down two free throws of his own to put the Wolves up by three.

The Red Raiders had one last chance. Dusty Baskett, who paced his team with 23 points in the contest, was pressured by Eric Wilson forcing a difficult look at a three-pointer with five seconds left that clanged off the right side of the rim.

Wilson said he and his teammates didn’t want to start the season with a loss.

“We didn’t want to start off 0-1, especially in my senior year. I was trying to stress to the guys to play hard and play with some urgency,” Wilson said.

He led the Wolves, pouring in 23 points in the game. Darren Wilson and Josh Keener also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 respectively.

Darren Wilson achieved a career milestone in the game, eclipsing the 1,000 point mark. He needed only 11 coming into the contest.

“I was trying the best I can to get some points on the board to keep us close. I knew we would make a run,” Eric Wilson said.

Cowie was pleased by the win, but said they need to prepare better.

“We came out flat and I was kind of expecting that based on the way we’ve been practicing and preparing,” he said.

Clawing their way back from a 13-point deficit made Cowie proud of a no-quit attitude.

“We showed a lot of heart at the end of the game coming back from 10 or 12 down. We had some good defensive possessions, took care of the ball and Darren and Eric both hit two big three throws down the stretch,” he said.

Kyle Snyder and Bradley Hunter were both cited by their coach for quality minutes and production off the bench.

Cowie was pleased with 2002 Conference Player of the Year Eric Wilson.

“Eric was solid all the way through. He gave up the ball early and then took it into his own hands in the second half. We need others to see what he’s doing and pick up their own play,” he said.

The Wolves will visit North Gaston on Thursday night. Cowie feels his team learned one important lesson.

“We’ve got to prepare better. We have to come out and play people the entire 32 minutes. We snuck out of here, very fortunate, to get a win.”

South Point: Dusty Baskett 23, Brandon Young 5, Perez McLean 2, Jarrell Brennan 7, Charles Hill 9, Ryan Payseur 4.

Lincolnton: Eric Wilson 23, Darren Wilson 12, Jordy Jefferies 7, Kyle Snyder 2, Josh Keener 10, Brant Eagle 1.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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