Perfect finish for Eagles

VANCEBORO – They already had the cake. On Thursday night, the West Craven Eagles added the icing.

Entering the regular season finale against the Havelock Rams, the No. 2 Eagles had the Coastal Conference championship locked up. When West Craven topped Havelock, 60-44, it gave the Eagles a perfect run through the regular season.

“I never would have thought this would happen,” West Craven coach David Fernandez said. “The girls have worked all summer and all fall and they have earned it. In this league in varsity basketball, there are no words for it.”

The win by the second-ranked Eagles (23-0, 14-0) over the Rams (15-7, 9-5) was especially gratifying to West Craven’s three seniors. Khadijah Bryant, Destinee McDougle and Teajae Williams were honored on senior night.

“I’m really glad for the seniors,” Fernandez said. “The seniors went 0-23 their freshman year, so it’s a complete turnaround.

“They mean everything to the program. I can’t be happier for them.”

Sophomore Jamie Cherry paced the Eagles with 25 points and nine steals. Jasmine Raynor had 11 points while Bryant added 10 points and eight rebounds. McDougle chipped in with six points and seven rebounds while Nyeesha Roundtree had five points and six boards.

Havelock was led by LaShondra Prichard, who had 15 points and 14 rebounds. Shakina Dyer had seven points while Natalie Johnson has six points, four steals and four rebounds. Ngozi Nix added five points and six rebounds. Kierra Fleming contributed four points and seven boards.

Playing in front of a packed house in a playoff-type atmosphere, the Eagles stormed out to a 12-2 lead. A driving layup by Johnson pulled the Rams within 15-9, while Prichard’s jumper a short time later made it 17-13 to end the first quarter.

A pair of free throws by Cherry pushed the Eagles lead to 27-17 midway through the second quarter. Cherry’s long 3-pointer just before the halftime horn pushed the West Craven advantage to 11 points, 32-21.

The Rams refused to fold.

“We knew it was going to be tough tonight,” Fernandez said. “(Havelock) coach (Anna) Spear is an outstanding coach and we knew she was going to have something ready for us. They hung around and did good things and made us earn the victory tonight.”

A three-point play by Nix early in the third quarter pulled the Rams within 35-32. It was still a three-point game, 39-36, after a Prichard putback.

West Craven finally gained some breathing room thanks to a 7-0 spurt to end the quarter. A layup by Bryant off a sweet feed from Cherry, coming just before the horn, gave the Eagles a 46-36 lead.

Havelock pulled within 46-40 early in the fourth, but the Eagles were able to pull away. An 8-0 run by West Craven, which included a pair of baskets by Raynor, pushed the lead to double digits.

West Craven will carry its unblemished record into next week’s conference tournament.

“We’ve earned the right to be here through the conference tournament and the playoffs,” Fernandez said. “We need the fan support here. That helps us and the girls are excited to play at home.”

Havelock 13 8 15 8 – 44

West Craven 17 15 14 14 – 60

HAVELOCK (44)

LaShonda Prichard 15, Dyer 7, Johnson 6, Nix 5, Fleming 4, Fenderson 4, McKinley 3.

WEST CRAVEN (60)

Jamie Cherry 25, Jasmine Raynor 11, Khadijah Bryant 10, McDougle 6, Roundtree 5, Brown 2, Koerperich 1.

Kevin Travis can be reached at 252-635-5669 or by email at ktravis@freedomenc.com. Follow Travis on Twitter @ktravman.