NCWC and Piedmont to
face off in Roger
Taylor Championship
Rocky Mount, NC
- In Friday night
basketball action,
host North Carolina
Wesleyan and
Piedmont College
both picked up
hard-fought wins and
earned the right to
face off in
Saturday’s 2006
Roger Taylor
Invitational
championship game.
The Battling Bishops
advanced with a
78-70 win over York
College, while
Piedmont used a
tournament-record 42
points by Jake
Baldwin to down
Wesley 95-89 in
overtime.
In the tournament’s
first game, NC
Wesleyan built a
33-24 halftime
advantage and went
on to shoot 54
percent in the
second half to seal
the 78-70 victory.
The turning point in
the game came at the
7:49 mark of the
final period. With
Wesleyan leading
57-50, the Bishops’
Jarvis Cobb knocked
down three
consecutive three
pointers to give
NCWC a 66-53 lead.
Wesleyan led by as
many as 15 on two
occasions, but York
made a late run to
pull within six at
74-68 with 1:11
remaining in
regulation. Then
forced to foul, the
Cardinals watched
the Bishops knock
down four free
throws in the final
minute to secure the
victory 8-point
victory.
Lenny Hall paced
Wesleyan with a
team-high 20 points
and eight rebounds,
while Cobb finished
with 19. Trey Drake
added 11 points and
five assists.
For York, Jeffrey
Boone turned in a
game-high 22 points,
while Jonathan
Christian added 13.
Boone and Michael
Salamanca each
pulled down six
boards.
In the second game,
Wesley and Piedmont
fought to a 41-41
tie at the half
before the Lions
were
able to forge a
14-point lead with
9:11 left in
regulation. The
Wolverines, however,
put together a late
run, and a Rashawn
Johnson basket with
53 seconds left
eventually sent the
game into overtime.
The overtime period
saw the Lions shoot
4-of-5 from the
floor and 10-of-13
at the charity
stripe to pull away
for the 95-89 win.
In addition to
Baldwin’s 42, Mike
Adams and Wesley
Parker chipped in
with 11 and 10
points,
respectively. Jake
Green dished out a
game-high eight
assists for the
Lions, who shot a
blistering 63
percent from the
floor.
Johnson paced Wesley
with 25 points and
seven rebounds.
James Stratton added
19.
Saturday’s
consolation between
York and Wesley will
tip-off at 1:00 p.m.
followed by the
championship game at
3:00 p.m.
