Boys, girls fell to Ayden-Grifton on road Friday night.
AYDEN�It was expected to be a close game, and for the most part it was. Until Ayden-Grifton�s Buddy Taylor decided it wasn�t.
Taylor helped break open a nail-biter with back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter and then hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final period as the Chargers outlasted Greene Central 55-45 in the Eastern Carolina 2A Conference opener for both teams Friday at Bob Murphrey Gymnasium.
Taylor, a 5-foot-11 junior who transferred from Farmville Central before the season, finished with a game-high 21 points, 13 in the second half.
After the two rivals battled to a 21-21 halftime tie, the Chargers (8-5, 1-0 EC2A) found themselves clinging to a 27-25 lead when Taylor went to work.
Taylor swished treys on consecutive trips down court, pushing the margin to eight with 3:52 remaining in the third period, the largest lead of the game up to that point.
The brief furry turned out to be the difference.
In the final frame, AG led by 10 and never let the Rams (8-6, 0-1 EC2A) get closer than five. The Chargers scored 16 points in the final 8 minutes, 10 from the free throw line to keep GC at bay.
GC shot just 26 percent from the field (17 of 65) and wasn�t much better from the free throw line (9 of 18).
Despite their horrid marksmanship, they remained within striking distance until the end.
Moye, meanwhile, had quite a few things go right, namely a 1-2-2 zone defense that he switched the Chargers into after intermission.
AG connected on 8 of 16 from the floor in the decisive third quarter.
Will Gardner added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Chargers, who are off for exams until next Friday when they visit South Lenoir.
GC also doesn�t play again until the 17th,when they host North Lenoir.
Somebody had to win the girls� contest between a pair of teams with just one win apiece.
That somebody was AG, which rallied from an eight-point, third-quarter deficit, took its first lead early in the fourth quarter and then held on for a 42-37 victory.
The Chargers (2-11, 1-0 EC2A) trailed 8-1 early and then 26-18 with 2:52 left in the third quarter.
They kept chipping away and finally pulled ahead when Destiny Dixon buried consecutive 3-pointers to turn a 28-24 disadvantage into a 30-28 lead.
GC (1-13, 0-1 EC2A) never led again.
Dixon finished with a game-high 22 points, half of which came in the fourth quarter with the outcome in doubt.
Cierra Dixon added 10 for the Chargers, while Tahliyah Joyner and Bria Payton tallied 8 apiece to pace the Rams.
GC Scoring (8-6, 0-1): Kevin Ormond 12, Brandon Belcher 10, Wade 5, Davis 5, Suggs 4, Smith 3, Parker 2, Braswell 2, Rozelle 2.
AG Scoring (8-5, 1-0): Buddy Taylor 21, Will Gardner 10, Edwards 7, Harper 6, Joyner 5, Wright 4, Blount 2.