Gamecocks defeat Kinston

The New Brockton boys basketball team beat Kinston 68-52 Jan. 5 at home.

"They were aggressive, and they were excited," New Brockton basketball coach Anthony Carter said of his players. "We're always excited when we play a county school."

New Brockton put up 30 points in the first quarter to Kinston's four, and Carter said defense was the key.

"We changed our half-court defense," he said. "It's something we actually have not played at all this year. They were aggressive up front with our press."

Aside from defense, acceptance also led to the outburst.

"More than anything, I think the (players) finally have accepted their roles," Carter said. "They're realizing the fact, 'I don't have to be the one (who) scores all of the points. I can be a great part of the success by rebounding the basketball, playing good defense and making that extra pass.' When that happens, we all are successful. I think that was a big part. The (players) just accepted their roles (Thursday) night."

The Bulldogs awakened in the second quarter and outscored NBHS 21-12, but the Gamecocks led 42-25 at the half.

"As we were walking to the locker room, (assistant) Coach (Eric) Reynolds said something about something going on in our (defense)," Carter said. "Coach Reynolds stressed to them about our (defense), the back-side guy getting back-side rebounds. I simply just wrote on the board. I wrote one word on the board. I wrote 'Finish.' They came out, they tried to finish and they finished it. That's important for us. Once we start something, we've got to finish it."

New Brockton led 59-38 after the third quarter.

"It was an opportunity for (players) to play who normally don't get a chance to play," Carter said. "I wanted to see if they could maintain a lead. I guess that's the main thing."

Kinston outscored the Gamecocks 13-9 in the final frame, but NBHS secured the 16-point win.

D. T. Adams led New Brockton with 23 points, and Max Weeks followed with 16.

Lady Gamecocks lose

The Lady Gamecocks lost 50-25 against Kinston.

"I was very pleased with the effort the girls played (with)," Carter said. "It showed a lot of class, a lot of hard work (assistant) Coach (Gloria) Hylton had put in with those young ladies. It shows how much they've committed and dedicated themselves to this program and what we're trying to do."

The Lady Bulldogs led 11-4 after the first quarter, and outscored New Brockton 13-9 in the second quarter to take a 24-13 lead at the half.

Kinston scored 17 points in the third quarter to the Lady Gamecocks' seven and led 41-20 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Makinna Gray, Dashia' Nelson and Jaida Gosha each had five points to lead New Brockton.

"I was very proud of their effort," Carter said. "They played really good defense. We give up a lot of points, but my main thing is as long as we see constant improvement. We held them to fewer points than they've scored before, and we scored more points. We count that as a win."