WINDSOR – The Bertie girls and boys basketball teams split their Tuesday night affair with the John A. Holmes Aces of Edenton here Tuesday night. 

The girls dropped a 60-43 contest to the fourth-ranked 2-A girls team in the latest NC Preps poll, while the Falcon boys bounced back to even things up as they won, 61-47, in the nightcap.

Varsity Girls Fall

Valiantly fighting thru a bout with the flu, Lady Falcons coach Alice Lyons-Bennett saw her girls race out to an early 6-0 lead before Edenton made some defensive adjustments and took advantage of four key Bertie turnovers to even the score at 8-8 early in the first quarter. 

Tierra Brown set the pace for her team with eight points in the frame, but Edenton ended the quarter up by one, 13-12.

Edenton opened the second quarter with a 13-3 run, keyed by Tiffany Welch who bombed in a pair of three-pointers and the Lady Aces began to stretch out the game. 

Bertie fell victim to cold shooting in the quarter and Edenton controlled the offensive boards as the Lady Aces bulged the lead to 10 (28-18), with under two minutes left in the half. 

Edenton then went cold from the floor, and Satora Swain ended the half with a running lay-up to pull Bertie within seven at halftime, as the two teams ended the first half with Edenton ahead, 28-21.

Swain and La’Quetta Leary came out firing for Bertie in the third quarter and the Lady Falcons cut the margin to four points twice – the last time, 34-30 – before Edenton’s Desarae Perry hit a wild follow-shot and was fouled. 

Despite clanking the free-throw, Perry grabbed her own rebound off the miss and swished in a short jumper in the lane and stretched it to a ten-point Edenton lead after three periods, 40-30.

Equalia Vines opened the scoring for Bertie in the final quarter with six quick points, but she also picked up two quick whistles and fouled out with over three minutes left to play. 

Bertie watched helplessly as a pair of Ticonan Dolberry three’s were the only scoring the Lady Falcons could muster down the stretch. 

Edenton took the 60-43 contest for their 13th win of the year against just one loss. 

Bertie suffers their second loss of the season in Northeastern Coastal Conference play.

Vines finished the night as Bertie’s only double-figure scorer with 10, followed by Brown’s nine points – eight of them coming in the first half.  Gerrisha Moore paced Edenton with 21, while Desarae Perry finished with 15, 13 coming in the second half.

&uot;Every game this year we kind of wait until the fourth quarter to start playing,&uot; sighed Bertie assistant coach, Chris Jordan, &uot;and we keep telling ’em we’re gonna get caught up if we don’t come out starting from the first quarter all thru the game. Edenton has a good team and they’re the team to beat this year.”

Edenton coach Fred White was pleased with his team’s play.

&uot;We were able to get the ball up the floor well,&uot; White said. &uot;We did a real good job in that, hit some three-pointers — didn’t make lay-ups — but the turning point was #24 (Vines) fouling out&uot;.  But I don’t think one night’s gonna win the conference for you. There’s a lot more games to be played&uot;.

Bertie boys roll

The boys’ contest was a complete role-reversal: Bertie sprinted out to an 11-2 lead and was never pressed the rest of the way, building as much as a 16-point lead in the second quarter before ending the half up, 35-17, thanks to 11 points from Brandon Brown.

The second half opened with Bertie hitting three of five three-pointers and pushing the lead up to as much as 25 thanks to a pressing defense that produced a lot of lay-ups in transition. 

Thomas Vaughn’s eight points tried to make it respectable for Edenton, but the Aces were down by 21, 52-31, after three periods.

The fourth quarter was pretty much a cakewalk for Bertie, highlighted by a rim-rattling thunder-dunk from Old Dominion University-signee, Kent Bazemore, off a brilliant fast-break assist from Desmond Williams. 

The Falcons easily coasted to a 61-47 victory and hopefully a little momentum heading into their Friday night showdown in Ahoskie against Hertford County. 

Brown led the Bertie scoring with 14 points, ironically the only Falcon in double-figures despite the large victory margin.  

Doche Mercer and Thomas Vaughn had 15-each for Edenton as the Aces remained winless in NCC play.

&uot;We established we were the better team early&uot;, said Falcons coach Calvin Moore, &uot;with Darrius (Wesson) and Travis (Bond) back in the line-up (out earlier with football injuries) the team has changed its whole complexity.

“We’re playing with a little more energy and we’re making more baskets,” he continued. “We’re gonna get better, and we know there’s a big ball-game (Friday night’s contest with rival, Hertford County) coming up.  We bring out the best in them (Hertford County). I know that.&uot;

 

Girl’s Box:

Lady Aces (60):  Gerrisha Moore  – 21,  Desarae Perry - 15, T. Welch - 9, T. Wilder - 8, Q. Spivey - 2, D. Leary - 2, L. Hardy - 2, K. Carter n 1

Lady Falcons (43):  Equalia Vines - 10, T. Brown - 9, L. Leary - 9, S. Swain - 7, T. Dolberry - 6, Y. Bridges - 2

 

Boy’s Box:

Bertie (61):  Brandon Brown - 14, D. Wesson - 9, D. Williams - 8, I. Brown - 7, K. Bazemore - 6, J. Jackson - 5, T. Bond - 4, D. Williams - 2,  W. Credle - 1

Edenton (47):  Thomas Vaughn - 15, Doche Mercer - 15, D. Hoffler - 7, J. Duncan - 6, D. Spears - 2, D. Walton - 2