THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 1995 TAG: 9502020162
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Once the Perquimans County High School boys basketball team finally got its state ranking this week, the Pirates wasted no time in shellacking conference opponent Camden County 78-49 to prove their dominance.
The Pirates, who have improved greatly from an undisciplined, ragtag, run-and-gun squad into a well-oiled, well-rounded team, were ranked ninth in the Associated Press's 1A poll this past week. It was the Pirates' first state ranking since the 1990-91 season.
The Pirates jumped out to a 19-5 first quarter lead. Leading 12-5, Perquimans scored seven straight points, all in transition. Johnnie Dunbar, Kelsey Moore and Tykinsten Wood all sank layups and Wood added a free throw during the run which ended the quarter. Wood scored seven of his 13 points in the first quarter.
The Pirates took a 17-point halftime lead by exchanging layups and 3-pointers while Camden misfired on outside shot attempts. Earlier in the season, Perquimans would have settled for nothing more than an uptempo game. Now, the Pirates can also play midcourt which lulls opponents into a false notion that maybe Perquimans will stick with that game plan the rest of the contest. But just as soon as Jermaine Coston hits a 3-pointer on one end, Maurice Shannonhouse will pull off a steal on defense and hit a layup or feed someone else for a layup. It's the diversity in scoring that's burying opponents.
Camden's lack of offense on the inside and cold touch on the outside cost it the game.
``We got all the shots in the world that we wanted,'' said Camden head coach Tim Brown. ``Their quickness is all the difference between the two teams.''
Camden's Arderrick Wiggins had the only hot hand for the Bruins, scoring 17 points.
Luther Overton, Perquimans head coach, said he was pleased with the Pirates' balanced attack.
``Whatever defense they showed we tried to run an offense to counter and it worked,'' he said. ``We have a lot of scoring potential almost anywhere on the floor.''
Overton said he was expecting the state ranking sometime during the season.
``We believe we deserve to be in the top 10. This area's (northeastern North Carolina) been down so long, it takes awhile to be recognized,'' he said.
Overton sees improvement in his team every time they hit they floor.
``Sometimes they want to improve all at once,'' Overton said. ``But I do see a lot of the little changes happening.''
Coston led the Pirates with 17 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, and Shannonhouse added 13 points.
Britton Overton scored 12 points and Nick Williams added 10 points for the Bruins. by CNB