By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
NEW BERN — Despite managing a paltry 14second-half points, the Washington Pam Pack still had a chance to knock off New Bern. However, Kendrick Henderson hit a couple late free throws to hold off the Pack, helping lift the Bears to a 44-39 win in Friday’s Coastal Conference basketball game.
It was the fifth straight loss and sixth in the last seven games for Washington.
Neither team could find the basket in the first three minutes of the game, which was an indication of things to come. Nate Healy, who led all scorers with 14 points, scored five straight at one stretch to give the Bears a 7-2 lead. It was 11-5 before Cor-J Cox drilled a trey that seemed to breathe some life into Washington.
Washington took a 17-15 lead on a triple by Daquan Daniels, who finished with 11 points. A layup by Dakuan Spencer and a dunk by Cox, who led the Pack with 13 points, pushed Washington’s lead to 23-18.
The Pack settled on a 25-21 halftime edge.
Much like the opening minutes of the first quarter, the start of the third was a snoozer for anybody who likes points.
Cox finally gave the fans a reason to pay attention as he threw down a monstrous one-handed slam, giving Washington a 29-25 lead with three minutes to play. It was Washington’s first and last field goal of the quarter.
New Bern (11-10, 7-5), which has won four straight, used a 6-0 spurt at the end of the period to grab a 31-29 advantage.
After trading baskets to start the fourth, a three-point play be Demarcus Howell gave New Bern a 36-33 lead. Cox hit a short jumper at the other end to make it 36-35, but that’s as close as Washington would get.
Healy got inside for a pair of layups and Ty Pack hit two free throws to push New Bern’s lead to 42-36 with 47 seconds remaining. That was too much to overcome for a cold-shooting Washington team.
Girls
Sam Smith did all she could in the first half while Harmony Simpkins took over in the third quarter for the Pam Pack, but their strong efforts weren’t enough as New Bern turned it up late en route to a 74-55 victory.
Tracie Collins poured in a game-high 29 points to pace the Bears (9-3 Coastal). New Bern also got 13 points from Kimaya Fulcher and 10 apiece from Meredith Franklin and Kourtney Williams.
New Bern jumped out to an 8-0 lead and led 15-6 before Simpkins scored five straight to pull the Pack (10-11, 5-7) within 15-11. Collins began to heat up in the second quarter for New Bern as she helped the Bears extend their lead to 31-21 at the break. Smith, who pulled down 14 rebounds, scored 15 of her 18 points in the first half to keep Washington close.
New Bern used a 7-0 run in the third to go up by as many as 12. Simpkins kept Washington within striking distance, scoring 14 of her team-high 19 points in the quarter. It was a rough quarter for the Bears, who lost Tatum Briele to a head injury and Tameka Williams to a leg injury.
The Bears rallied around their fallen teammates in the fourth as they were able to pull away from the Pack. It didn’t help when Smith fouled out with just over six minutes to play.
Washington, which got seven points from Hayley Stowe, was forced to play once again without Davey Ann Burbage, who is out with a leg injury.
JV teams split
Washington’s junior varsity boys team suffered a 72-59 loss to New Bern.
The Washington junior varsity girls team took a 66-65 win at home. The Pack (7-3) got 27 points from Ebony Lawrence, 13 from Shonnita McIver and 11 from Stanisha Griffin.
The JV girls play Tuesday at Havelock in a 4:30 p.m. game.
Washington 8 17 4 10 — 39
New Bern 11 10 10 13 — 44
WASHINGTON (39)
Cox-J Cox 13, Daquan Daniels 11, Spencer 6, J. Moore 3, Griffin 2, L. Godley 2, Cogdell 2, Modlin, Mallison, M. Moore.
NEW BERN (44)
Nate Healy 14, Pack 7, Henderson 7, Mason 6, Howell 5, Williams 5, Sawyer, Durrell, Lamb.
Girls
Washington 11 10 20 14 — 55
New Bern 18 13 23 20 — 74
WASHINGTON (55)
Harmony Simpkins 19, Sam Smith 18, Stowe 7, Cox 4, Grice 3, Batchelor 2, Tackett 2, Palmer, Weatherington, Alligood, Litzey.
NEW BERN (74)
Tracie Collins 29, Kimaya Fulcher 13, Meredith Franklin 10, Kourtney Williams 10, Briele 6, McCullough 4, Lewis 2, Sard, Adams, Sanfilipo.