By By BRIAN HAINES
Sports Writer
CHOCOWINITY — After blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, Washington guard Taraja Langley rescued the Pam Pack from a would-be devastating loss as he streaked down the court and converted a layup with less then two seconds remaining in the game to sink Southside, 62-60, on Tuesday.
The Seahawks (0-2) took a 60-58 lead with 48.7 seconds left on the clock on a Willie Ruffin free throw. Solid defense helped the Pam Pack tie and recapture the lead, as a Ridge Hodges steal set up Langley for the game-tying layup with 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Southside had a chance to break the tie with under 10 seconds to go, but Washington’s Brandon Tripp blocked a Seahawks’ shot, which fell into the hands of Langley and led to the game-winning field goal.
Langley finished the game with 13 points, while Tripp scored a game-high 19.
Washington (2-0) entered the fourth quarter up 47-36, but was out-scored 24-15 in the final eight minutes.
Southside, led by Ruffin (12 points), Curtis Myers (10 points) and Jordan Benston (10 points), came out of the gate on fire to start the fourth quarter and held a 48-45 lead with five minutes to go after a Benston three-point play.
Washington head coach Joe Lawrence said the fact that his team didn’t buckle after losing the lead late in the game is encouraging.
“We were down three or four points with a minute to go and I’m really proud of these guys because I didn’t see any quit in them,” Lawrence said. “For most of the game we had a lead, and when we got down we could have folded. But we saw some character tonight.”
Southside coach Dwayne White had 10 of his players get into the scoring column, and said after the game that his team’s depth played a vital role in the team’s rally.
“It was the guys off the bench that really brought us back,” White said. “That’s one of the things that will really help us this year is that we have a lot of depth. … We got close enough but there was just a series of unfortunate events.”
Seahawks slide by Pam Pack
Chante Painter and Katisha Hyman continued to come up clutch for Southside as they combined for 11 fourth-quarter points to help their team out-score Washington 19-10 in the final eight minutes en route to a 51-47 victory.
Washington (0-2) held a 37-34 lead after three quarters, but committed too many turnovers throughout the game to widen its lead.
Hayley Stowe led the Pam Pack with 17 points, while Rachel Cantrell added 12.
Cantrell scored most of her points in the second quarter when Washington went on a 20-12 run.
That outburst came after only scoring four points in the first quarter.
Pam Pack coach Allison Jones, whose team just lost to Southside last week, said that her team played harder on Tuesday than in it did in the first match up.
“I was very pleased with our effort,” Jones said. “We tried to do a couple of things defensively to keep them guessing, and it worked a little bit. I was very pleased with our defensive effort, but I’m not so happy with our lack of boxing out and the turnovers.”
The Seahawks (2-0) were paced by Painter and Hyman, who each scored 14 points. Southside also got solid contributions in the paint from Tamisha Cradle and Kayla Jones.
Southside coach Bill Lake said his team was able to take the lead late thanks to some timely shooting and a lot of hustle.
“We came into the fourth quarter and just knew this was it, and our kids played with a lot of heart,” Lake said. “Then, we had some shots that finally fell in.”
Both teams will be back in action Tuesday as Southside will take on Pamlico and Washington will battle Wiliamston.
Girls game
Washington 4 20 13 10 — 47
Southside 9 12 13 17 — 51
Pam Pack (47)
Haley Stowe 17, Ward 2, Rachel Cantrell 12, Batchelor 8, McIver 2, Williams 4.
Seahawks (51)
Chante Painter 14, Thomas 5, Bogart 2, Avery 2, Katisha Hyman 14, Jones 2, Cradle 4, Ruffin 2.
Boys game
Washington 17 15 15 15 — 62
Southside 11 16 9 24 — 60
Pam Pack (62)
Albritton 9, Taraja Langley 13, Harris 5, Hodges 5, Conner 2, Brandon Tripp 19, Horton 2, Chance 2, Randall 2.
Seahawks (60)
Curtis Myers 10, Jordan Benston 10, Jordan 2, Reddick 6, Blount 5, Willie Ruffin 12, Williams 5, Green 2, Aaron 2, Murray 1.