Raiders’ erase early deficit with solid defense

BELHAVEN — Disregarding individual performance, coaches and players will commonly refer to a win as a “team effort.” But Pungo’s 63-23 victory over Albemarle on Tuesday challenged the common postgame cliché, as every Raider on the roster found the bottom of the net.

The Raiders’ first conference win marks the first step in a rebuilding process that’s destined to show its face this season. Coming off a 19-5 record, head coach Jason Adams lost eight of his former team’s nine players — more than any other high school squad in Beaufort County. Gone is leading scoring Cole Austin Woolard, forward Thomas Mann and even Dalton Etheridge, who transferred to Northside for his senior year.

“We had six or seven juniors move up this year,” Adams said. “They ran the same system in jayvee as we are varsity, so that makes the transition a whole lot easier. And they’re used to winning.”

With four new starters, Pungo has had its fair share of inconsistencies this season and coming off a loss to Oakwood that required every ounce of energy, Albemarle managed to secure an early lead.

Guard Josh Boone distributed to his counterparts and even banked a three from range to give his team a 13-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

After the first eight minutes of play, the reason for the early lack of defense soon became irrelevant in the second quarter. Junior point guard Landon Woolard struggled from the line, but managed to find teammates in transition and hit open shots, while shooting guard Will Respess corralled rebounds, despite his size.

“We came out and didn’t play very physical the first quarter,” Adams said. “That might have been because of the game we played last night, being a little bit winded. We made a few adjustments at half, as far as putting a little bit more pressure on the wings and jumping the pressure. That made a difference. Our press created turnovers, so I was pretty pleased overall.”

A 21-point second quarter gave Pungo a 31-15 lead at the half, a lead they would only inflate through the final 16 minutes.

In the third quarter, two three-pointers from Woolard and a pair of buckets from Daniel Thomas contributed to 15 points, while the defense held Albemarle to just five points.

Seven different players scored for Pungo in the final quarter, as Logan Van Staalduinen and Ryan Tooley forced the Colts to settle for jumpers outside the paint.

Woolard led all scorers with 17 points, while Respess notched a quiet 16 points and nine rebounds. Thomas also finished with eight points and five rebounds.

“Every win is big in conference, especially after we went through last year, losing all the talent we had,” Adams said. “We have a good group of kids, unselfish play. They really bond into the system and our defense is going to be the key to the whole season.”

With the win, Pungo improves to 2-2 and will face head to Merry Hill on Tuesday for the Nick Brantley Tournament at Lawrence Academy.