ELIZABETHTOWN — Paul R. Brown managed to get one final regular-season game scheduled, and the Bulldogs made it pay off on Tuesday. Nine players scored against Community Baptist and, after opening a 19-1 lead in the first quarter, the Dawgs cruised to a 71-21 win to finish with a 7-7 record overall.
“I’m glad we could get the boys another game,” said Paul R. Brown coach Ken Cross. “And 7-7 feels a lot better than 6-7. Being under .500 would have haunted me all summer.”
The Bulldogs opened the game with a 4-0 spurt before Community Baptist got its first and only point of the period. But Paul R. Brown then went on a 15-0 run to finish the first quarter with a 19-1 advantage.
The second stanza saw Community Baptist put seven points on the board, but the Bulldogs lit things up again with another 19 points to carry a 38-8 lead into the intermission.
Paul R. Brown started the second half almost identical to the first half, outscoring Community Baptist by a 20-2 margin through the third quarter to take a 58-10 lead into the fourth frame.
The two teams played evenly through the final quarter, but the Bulldogs managed to get a 13-11 advantage to wrap up the 50-point win.
“We played pretty good in spurts, but we also had our usual spots where we turned the ball over too much and missed easy layups,” Cross said. “I was happy we were able to play everyone.”
Zarian Brown led the Dawgs with 14 points along with six rebounds and a blocked shot; Marquese Robinson scored 13 points with a three-pointer; Marvin Lacewell scored eight points with a blocked shot; Davion Lacy scored eight points; Darius Willis scored eight points with a three-pointer; MyKell McKoy grabbed five rebounds and had a blocked shot; Brandon Strange had six rebounds and a blocked shot.
Paul R. Brown will lose two seniors — Lacewell and Robinson — from the team.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-862-4163 or cvincent@bladenjournal.com.