While the final score read Wake Tech 88, Johnston Community College 68, the final score did not indicate how far both programs have come in such a short time.

JCC, in its second year as a full-time junior college basketball program and in just its third year of existence, has dramatically improved upon its initial year as a club team, where it won only one game, and last season when the Jaguars doubled that win output. With the loss, the Jags dropped to an impressive 9-10, but stand in sixth place in the Region X conference standings.

On the opposite side of the fence, Wake Tech is experiencing an outstanding inaugural season, standing fourth in the conference while sporting a 12-6 worksheet.

"When I looked at the conference, I thought we would be competitive," said Eagles coach Van Williams. "We have a solid group of kids that work together and know what needs to be done."

Finding chemistry so soon was also not surprising to Williams, who hit the floor running on the recruiting trail while the ink was still wet on his contract, and he found a wealth of talent in Wake County, with a number of his players being graduates of Garner Magnet High School. That group of former Trojans includes Karl Agenor, Tyrone Williams and A.J. Smith, while getting strong leadership from shooting guard Lance Beckwith, who bombed in 29 against the Jaguars and is averaging close to 17 points per game this season.

But Williams, who had 15 players on his roster at the start of the season, has seen that number dwindle to eight for various reasons.

"That's the nature of the beast of junior college," Williams said, noting that transition from high school, keeping up academic eligibility and other factors had cut into the team.

The eight who remain continue to hold their own against perennial powers Louisburg, Vance Granville, and current conference pacesetters Patrick Henry Community College and Guilford Tech.

Beckwith and Co. took the fight to the Jaguars, building an 18-3 lead in the opening seven minutes, before the Jags began fighting back.

Led by former Clayton standout A. J. Scarboro, along with C.B. Aycock product Michael Simms, JCC trimmed its deficit to five points on several occasions before going to the locker room at halftime on the short end of a 35-29 score.

"The guys have worked hard during the off-season, as well as in practice and have done tremendously well in the weight room," said JCC coach Roderick Ford. "We have only been blown out a couple of times, compared to the previous two seasons, and three of our losses have come in overtime - these guys don't know how to quit."

The proof of that statement was displayed throughout the evening.

Wake Tech surged at the outset of the second half, almost as impressively as it had in the first, building a 26-point lead, 64-38 with 9:11 to play.

But behind Scarboro, Bobby White, Richard Nolan and DeAngelo Ruffin, the Jaguars battled back, trimming the margin to 69-61 with just under four minutes to play.

That deficit could have been smaller, but the Jaguars missed a pair of free throws when Julian Martin was assessed a technical foul after being called for a hold against Nolan. The Tech bench was also hit with a technical for protesting the call.

However, Wake righted itself after the technical and used a 19-7 spurt to put the game away.

"Both teams are on the way up," Williams said. "It's a very positive thing for both counties."