Trailing 6-5 in the first quarter, the Patriots (4-0) went on a 33-2 run that extended into the third quarter of their 66-30 victory. The Patriot girls (1-3) got off to another painfully slow start in a 61-45 loss to the Red Devils.
It took Patriot coach Mike Apple’s squad more than five minutes to make its first basket in the road game. That came on a jumper by Keith Core.
Moments later, Core converted a Jonathan Galberth steal into a dunk and the Patriots’ first lead. After a basket by the Red Devils’ David Campbell made it 17-8 in favor of the Patriots in the second quarter, the home team went eight minutes before it scored again.
The Patriots ended up with 21 steals, led by Donte Henderson and Jeremy Hargrove with four each.
All but one of the Patriots that got into the game made the scoring column. Playing only in the fourth period, freshman forward Wesley Thomas scored a game-high 13 points. He and the Patriots’ other freshman, Jarrin Wooten (six points), were a combined eight for eight from the field.
The loss dropped the 2-A Red Devils to 0-3 for the season.
The Patriot girls trailed 29-17 after committing 16 first-half turnovers and getting beaten badly in transition.
They trailed 48-26 at the end of three quarters before finding a combination of players that clicked.
Guards Leondra Smith, Portia Brown and Latanya Cain led a fourth-quarter rally that cut the Red Devil lead to 55-45 with just over two minutes left in the game.
The trio scored 16 of the Patriots’ 19 points in the period. Smith finished with a team-high 12 points.
The Red Devil girls improved to 3-0 on the season.
The Patriot junior varsity boys’ team moved to 2-0 with an 88-26 home victory over Red Springs on Wednesday.
Josh Scales led the Pats with 17 points and Dayton Knight added 15 as every player on the squad scored for the second game in a row.
They will play at Union Pines today, beginning with the girls’ contest at 4:30 p.m.
Girls’ Game
Pinecrest 6 11 9 19 — 45
Red Springs 11 18 19 13 — 61
Pinecrest — L. Smith 5 0-1 12, Brown 3 0-0 7, Stromen 2 1-3 5, E. Smith 0 2-2 2, Page 1 0-0 2, Cain 3 1-1 7, Humphrey 1 2-2 4, Leach 1 0-0 2, Williams 2 0-2 4, Justice 0 0-2 0, Gregorio 0 0-0 0. Totals — 18 6-13 45.
Red Springs — Oxendine 1 1-2 3, A. Sinclair 6 5-8 17, Leggett 1 0-0 2, Bell 5 4-6 14, S. Sinclair 6 2-3 14, Williams 4 1-4 9, McArthur 1 0-0 2. Totals — 24 13-23 61.
Three-point goals: Pinecrest 3 (L. Smith 2, Brown); Red Springs 0.
Boys’ Game
Pinecrest 8 23 11 24 — 66
Red Springs 6 2 10 12 — 30
Pinecrest — Henderson 0 2-4 2, McLean 3 1-2 7, McDonald 2 0-0 6, Eddy 1 0-0 2, Hargrove 2 0-4 4, Galbreith 2 0-1 5, Core 4 0-0 8, Pride 1 0-0 2, Galberth 1 2-2 4, Stout 2 0-0 5, Wooten 3 0-0 6, McDougald 1 0-0 2, Thomas 5 3-5 13, Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals — 27 8-18 66.
Red Springs — McLeon 0 0-0 0, D. Campbell 4 0-0 8, Townsend 1 1-3 3, Johnson 2 2-2 6, S. Jackson 0 0-0 0; Obeda 0 0-0 0, Cummings 2 1-2 5, T. Campbell 0 0-0 0, Ashford 0 0-0 0, Paul 1 0-0 2, W. Jackson 0 0-0 0, Smith 3 0-4 6. Totals — 13 4-11 30.
Three-point goals: Pinecrest 4 (McDonald 2, Galbreith, Stout); Red Springs 0.
