Washington looks to win second straight
Published 7:02 pm Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Washington and Ayden-Grifton will both look to string together their first back-to-back wins of the season Wednesday evening when they meet. The Pam Pack are riding the momentum of a win over Northside while the Chargers are coming off a win against Pamlico County.
The Pam Pack will hope to continue playing the way they did in the second half of Friday’s game. After trailing 27-18 at halftime, coach Steven Flowers questioned his squad’s heart. They responded in a big way by outscoring the visiting Panthers 38-19 in the latter 16 minutes.
They have yet to put together a complete game since its season opener against Northern Nash. The Pam Pack led by three at halftime and only lost on a last-second 3 pointer. They’ve stumbled out of the gate in most of their contests since then.
“The first game we (played a complete game),” Flowers said. “Then we had two games where we didn’t shoot well. We always have a slow start so we’re trying to fix that. But the first game was a complete game.”
Shaiquan Moore has struggled a bit with consistency, but has otherwise been a standout for Washington in the first six games of the season. The junior guard leads the team with 10 points per game and can be especially deadly if he hits his stride from behind the arc.
“He’s our shooter,” Flowers said. “If he’s hitting, we’re doing alright. If he’s not hitting, we struggle to score. But there’s a couple of guys like Tyshawn Cobb and Sharwan Staton. There’s a few of them.”
Cobb and Staton more than carried their fair share of the scoring load last time out. They combined for 24 points. Cobb dominated the glass, too, with 14 rebounds. His presence down low has been an encouraging sign for a Washington team that has limited depth at forward.
“(Cobb) is a versatile guy,” Flowers said. “If we get him to do all the things he’s capable of doing, then we’re in every game. Certain positions, (depth) is tough — especially with the big guys. We’re not really big anyways and when we start getting in foul trouble, we get really small.”
Brandon Jackson and William Tate got in foul trouble against Northside. If the team can defend the Chargers without fouling, they shouldn’t have much trouble. Tyree Wiggins and Tyler Johnson will be the shooters the Pam Pack have to lock down. They’ll also be tasked with stopping a smart, quick point guard in Dontravis Barfield.
Tip off in Littlefield is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be preceded by the girls’ game, which begins at 6 p.m. The girls have a similar goal in that they will look to win their second straight, too.
Kimani Williams runs the show for the Lady Chargers. She’s a tough player that can score, but Ayden-Grifton’s offense isn’t much beyond her. Washington may look to play a speedy game that proved successful against Northside.