It had been two years since a talented Goldsboro High School team was handed a shocking home defeat to a team that hit a staggering 18 three-point baskets in the 2018 NCHSAA basketball playoffs.
So, when senior guard Christian Bullock learned that the Cougars would, again, host First Flight in the state tournament, he didn’t need any extra motivation.
“This was pretty much a revenge game. Everybody remembered what happened,” he said. “It motivated us. I wanted to make sure I was mentally prepared.”
Head coach Jamaal Croom agrees. He was among those on the bench in 2018 when the Cougars suffered what he characterized as an “embarrassing” season-ending loss to First Flight.
“It motivated us a lot,” Croom said. “Me and Christian talked about it, you know, about just redeeming ourselves from that embarrassing loss two years ago.”
The young man’s preparation — and his coach’s game plan — paid off.
Bullock scored a team-high 17 points and played arguably his best defensive game of the season to ensure the final home game of his storied career was a victory.
And when, after the buzzer sounded, the Cougars gathered at half-court, those who turned out to watch them advance to the third round of the playoffs honored them with a standing ovation.
“It feels great,” Bullock said. “It lets me know that the city is behind us.”
Goldsboro advances to play No. 1-seed South Granville on the road Saturday evening.
But you can bet this Cougar squad won’t be intimidated by the ranking of their opponent.
“This is a completely different season,” Croom said. “In the past, teams that I coached … it seemed like we hit a wall. But I told the guys, ‘We’re not going to hit a wall. We’re going to bust through that wall.'”
They remember when the GHS football team won a road playoff game against a top-seeded South Granville football team last season — and believe that if they play their game, they can run with anyone remaining in the 2A field.
“One game at a time,” Bullock said. “We’re not going to underestimate anybody.”
And after what unfolded in Goldsboro Thursday evening, nobody will underestimate the Cougars’ senior guard.
“He’s had to overcome a lot of obstacles throughout his high school career,” Croom said of Bullock. “It says a lot about him and his will and his determination to be great and I’m extremely proud of him. But the thing we talked about is, ‘We’re not done yet.'”
