New Josey boys basketball coach Sam Lilly broke out a lavender shirt and polka-dotted tie ensemble for the final game of the 2004 Holiday Round Ball Classic.
"It's the championship game," Lilly said prior to tip-off. "A coach has to break out the tie and make sure he looks good for the championship game."
Lilly looked smooth roaming the sidelines. The thing was, his Eagles looked better than he did Wednesday night.
An easy 69-55 thumping of North Augusta for the championship proved a fitting showcase to the end of the first half of the Eagles' season.
Josey (14-0) had more points at the half than the Yellow Jackets managed in three quarters and never had trouble stopping a very solid team.
"I think we are playing as a family and believing in each other and trusting each other," Lilly said. "We're beginning to get it. I really want to start peaking by the end of January."
If this isn't the peak yet, go ahead and start booking the trip for a deep Eagles flight through the Class AA playoffs.
"They just keep coming at you and don't let up," North Augusta coach Al Young said. "They are constantly running the floor, applying the pressure and banging the boards. Over a period of time, that just wears you down."
Josey senior stalwart Dominique Archie scored 21 points on the night to lead all scorers. Senior classmate Najee Tolbert added 17 and Josh Adams poured in 16.
The Eagles kept North Augusta's scoring threats bottled up, off the scoring column and in foul trouble. Easy baskets and strong rebounding efforts sewed up the victory.
This was never in doubt. North Augusta outscored the Eagles 18-16 in the final period of garbage time to make the loss a lot more cosmetic. By the final minutes, the contest looked like the bell rang to end gym class.
There were more fans leaving the building than watching the final two minutes of play. It appears a rising juggernaut just isn't enough the keep the attention of the holiday-starved crowd.
Josey, winners of five games in the past six days, took on all challengers to finish up December with that unblemished mark.
"I think we are about 80 percent of what we can be," Lilly said. "It's up to me and my coaches to find that 20 more percent of this team. I really believe we can find that 20-percent improvement. We are going to make sure we find that and don't lose focus. This group can go all the way if we just keep our focus and keep playing as a family."
l Cross Creek outlasted Josey in the girls championship earlier on the night.
A game that saw 11 ties or lead changes over the final two minutes of regulation and an overtime period ended with a
53-49 victory for the Razorbacks.
Cross Creek (9-2) earned its eighth consecutive victory thanks to a three-player attack led by Javonna Kent.
Kent scored 24 points and broke a 49-49 overtime tie with four free throws with 25.9 seconds remaining in the overtime period.
She was helped by strong rebounding nights from post players Shay Rawls and Stacey Lampkin. The junior post tandem brought down 31 boards.
Lampkin showed she's recovering from earlier injuries with her 13 point, 18 rebound night.
"I tell you Stacey was the player of the game tonight.," Cross Creek coach Kim Schlein said. "She plays like that and she just makes us so much better."
Alice Holmes and Keyonia Cook had 19 and 18 points for the Eagles, repectively in the losing effort.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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