The light switch came on for Goldsboro in the third quarter, while Wallace-Rose Hill stayed in the dark.
The Cougars used a game-breaking run in the third quarter to topple Wallace-Rose Hill 47-23 and get a big win on their senior night.
Goldsboro ends the season on a four-game winning streak and a 7-4 overall record.
Kaila Bell and Kyrah Davis each collected 10 points. Shayla Greene provided nine, while Amaya Lucas supplied six points.
The teams battled back and forth in the opening half. Davis scored four straight points to give Goldsboro a 23-15 lead, with 1:15 remaining in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs responded with a 5-0 run, but Goldsboro still held a 23-19 advantage at halftime.
“I told them that they had to pick it up at the start of the third quarter and just come out strong,” Goldsboro head coach Latina Bullock-Thomas said.
Goldsboro dominated Wallace-Rose Hill in the second half.
Using a man-to-man defense, the Cougars forced multiple turnovers and held the Bulldogs scoreless in the third quarter.
A free throw from Davis started an 18-0 run, and the Cougars led 41-19 at the end of the third quarter.
Back-to-back baskets from Greene and Precious Williams early in the fourth quarter pushed the Cougars’ lead up to 45-15.
Wallace-Rose Hill cut Goldsboro’s lead down to 45-23, but it was too little too late, and Goldsboro got to celebrate senior night with a big victory.
“At first, we started out kind of slow, and we were not really aggressive, and we needed to pick it up on defense, so we went man-to-man to get the game moving a bit,” Bullock-Thomas said. “It worked in our favor, and we were able to get some steals and convert on those steals, and the intensity picked up for the girls.”
After the game, Bullock-Thomas thanked her seniors – Greene, Mary Archibald, Akiyah York, Lucas and Giovonni Nelson – for their dedication and hard work during the past four years, especially this season.
“I told the seniors that I’m very proud of them for being able to carry the team and to provide leadership,” Bullock-Thomas said. “For them being able to do that meant a whole lot to the team.”
