GBB--Wilson Christian Holds off Greenfield
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Lady Chargers surge past Greenfield 54-39
By Tom Ham Special to the Times
A 10-point flurry late in the first half not only transformed a 15-12 deficit into a 22-15 advantage, but shifted the momentum for the Wilson Christian varsity girls basketball team to claim a 54-39 victory at city rival Greenfield School on Monday evening.
The Lady Chargers, reigning NCCSA 2-A champions, also won a 3-point shootout, 11-7 (33-21 in points) to hike their record to 6-1 in coming off their championship performance in their Chargers Christmas Classic on Friday and Saturday.
Greenfield, which advanced into the NCISAA 1-A semifinals last season and is now playing at the 2-A level, evened its record at 4-4.
The Knights were without standout junior point guard for the sixth straight game because of ankle injury. Head coach Willie McNair, her father, reports she could return as early as Saturday — when Greenfield faces Kinston of the NCHSAA 2-A ranks in a showcase event. Serenity McNair averaged 28 points per game in her two Greenfield outings.
“This was a challenge,” Wilson Christian head coach Brian Trull said. “It was tough to prepare because we didn’t know whether Serenity was going to play. I don’t know how she would have affected the game, but I hate we didn’t get to play against her. She’s a great player and we hope she gets back soon.”
With a shake of his head, Willie McNair mused: “I started to put her in there with her boot on.”
Without Serenity McNair, Greenfield claimed a 13-12 first-quarter lead behind 6-foot-2 junior Tori Coleman and sophomore Darcy Deans.
The Knights remained out front until WCA junior Gracie Farmer poured in a 3-point shot to ignite the 10-0 run. Senior Sophia Nesbit sent the Chargers ahead (17-15) for keeps with a field goal at the four-minute mark
Then came five successive points from senior Jocelyn Bailey to complete the flurry. Junior guard Chloe Villaverde added a 3-pointer before, at the halftime buzzer, Greenfield’s Coleman drained a 3-point shot to trim the deficit to 25-19.
The Knights would draw no closer in a futile third quarter. Senior Kate Hoskins opened the Chargers’ second-half scoring with a pair of 3-pointers before Jeallen Holland, the only senior, put Greenfield on the scoreboard.
After a poor start from beyond the 3-point arc, WCA unleashed five accurate bombs in the third quarter.
“We are going to shoot 3s,” Trull emphasized, “and I told the team that it was the law of averages. We can’t change who we are. I knew we were going to hit some of those shots.
“Wow!” Nesbit exclaimed of WCA knocking down 11 3s. “This will help us get comfortable in taking the 3s.
“We’ve had problems coming out. But this time, we really got into it. The offense was really good. They said defense wins championships and defense won for us tonight.”
Such was not the case for Greenfield.
“We didn’t play good defense around the 3-point area,” Coleman contended. “We got lazy and let them shoot. I think we just get tired.”
Willie McNair lamented the Chargers’ five 3-pointers in the third quarter and the fact his team was outscored by 14 points — eventually losing by 15.
“(The struggles) typically happen in the second and third quarters,” he declared. “The first half, we did really well defensively. We lost our discipline in the third; that killed us. We’ve got to work on being locked in for 32 minutes.”
A 3-pointer each from Villaverde and Hoskins left WCA with a commanding 46-26 lead after three quarters. The biggest margin was 50-26 on senior Holland Miller’s only basket.
The Knights trimmed nine points off the WCA cushion on a scoring tear from Holland, the game’s top scorer with 16 points. Coleman wound up with 11 points and Dean bucketed nine.
“I wished I could have gotten the ball more in the second half,” said Coleman, who was drawing attention from two and three WCA defenders. “I like to shoot. We need to work more on communicating.”
Coleman estimates she is about 90% percent healthy in recovering from a torn ACL.
“I’m getting there,” she declared. “I’m just waiting for my cousin (Serenity McNair) to get back.”
Added Willie McNair of his daughter’s absence: “We are using these games as a positive to get everyone’s game and effort elevated, and to be able to get the energy up when she returns.”
WCA’s balanced offense featured 14 points from Hoskins, 11 each from Nesbit and Farmer, nine from Villaverde and seven from Bailey, who snared seven rebounds along with Villaverde. Villaverde also doled out six assists. Nesbit grabbed five rebounds and Bailey handed out four assists.
The Chargers outrebounded Greenfield 32-17 and committed just nine turnovers. WCA canned 11-of-37 3-point shots for 29% accuracy and went 21 of 53 for 39% on total shots from the field.
Stationed on a wing, the 6-1 Nesbit will be content to allow Bailey to continue to deal with the traffic and banging in the pivot.
“I like to shoot,” she remarked with a smile. “I just have to keep on playing and work to consistently get better.”
Trull contended fatigue was not a factor Monday and his Chargers play for the fourth time in five days when they visit Greenville Christian on Tuesday for a 2-A East Region assignment.
WILSON CHRISTIAN (54)
Villaverde 9, Miller 2, Bailey 7, K. Hoskins 14, Nesbit 11, Farmer 11, LIttle.
GREENFIELD (39)
Graf 1, Amirh 2, Good, Dean 9, Williams, Johnson, Coleman 11, Holland 16.
Score by quarters:
WCA 12 13 21 8 — 54
Greenfield 13 6 7 13 — 39
By Tom Ham Special to the Times
A 10-point flurry late in the first half not only transformed a 15-12 deficit into a 22-15 advantage, but shifted the momentum for the Wilson Christian varsity girls basketball team to claim a 54-39 victory at city rival Greenfield School on Monday evening.
The Lady Chargers, reigning NCCSA 2-A champions, also won a 3-point shootout, 11-7 (33-21 in points) to hike their record to 6-1 in coming off their championship performance in their Chargers Christmas Classic on Friday and Saturday.
Greenfield, which advanced into the NCISAA 1-A semifinals last season and is now playing at the 2-A level, evened its record at 4-4.
The Knights were without standout junior point guard for the sixth straight game because of ankle injury. Head coach Willie McNair, her father, reports she could return as early as Saturday — when Greenfield faces Kinston of the NCHSAA 2-A ranks in a showcase event. Serenity McNair averaged 28 points per game in her two Greenfield outings.
“This was a challenge,” Wilson Christian head coach Brian Trull said. “It was tough to prepare because we didn’t know whether Serenity was going to play. I don’t know how she would have affected the game, but I hate we didn’t get to play against her. She’s a great player and we hope she gets back soon.”
With a shake of his head, Willie McNair mused: “I started to put her in there with her boot on.”
Without Serenity McNair, Greenfield claimed a 13-12 first-quarter lead behind 6-foot-2 junior Tori Coleman and sophomore Darcy Deans.
The Knights remained out front until WCA junior Gracie Farmer poured in a 3-point shot to ignite the 10-0 run. Senior Sophia Nesbit sent the Chargers ahead (17-15) for keeps with a field goal at the four-minute mark
Then came five successive points from senior Jocelyn Bailey to complete the flurry. Junior guard Chloe Villaverde added a 3-pointer before, at the halftime buzzer, Greenfield’s Coleman drained a 3-point shot to trim the deficit to 25-19.
The Knights would draw no closer in a futile third quarter. Senior Kate Hoskins opened the Chargers’ second-half scoring with a pair of 3-pointers before Jeallen Holland, the only senior, put Greenfield on the scoreboard.
After a poor start from beyond the 3-point arc, WCA unleashed five accurate bombs in the third quarter.
“We are going to shoot 3s,” Trull emphasized, “and I told the team that it was the law of averages. We can’t change who we are. I knew we were going to hit some of those shots.
“Wow!” Nesbit exclaimed of WCA knocking down 11 3s. “This will help us get comfortable in taking the 3s.
“We’ve had problems coming out. But this time, we really got into it. The offense was really good. They said defense wins championships and defense won for us tonight.”
Such was not the case for Greenfield.
“We didn’t play good defense around the 3-point area,” Coleman contended. “We got lazy and let them shoot. I think we just get tired.”
Willie McNair lamented the Chargers’ five 3-pointers in the third quarter and the fact his team was outscored by 14 points — eventually losing by 15.
“(The struggles) typically happen in the second and third quarters,” he declared. “The first half, we did really well defensively. We lost our discipline in the third; that killed us. We’ve got to work on being locked in for 32 minutes.”
A 3-pointer each from Villaverde and Hoskins left WCA with a commanding 46-26 lead after three quarters. The biggest margin was 50-26 on senior Holland Miller’s only basket.
The Knights trimmed nine points off the WCA cushion on a scoring tear from Holland, the game’s top scorer with 16 points. Coleman wound up with 11 points and Dean bucketed nine.
“I wished I could have gotten the ball more in the second half,” said Coleman, who was drawing attention from two and three WCA defenders. “I like to shoot. We need to work more on communicating.”
Coleman estimates she is about 90% percent healthy in recovering from a torn ACL.
“I’m getting there,” she declared. “I’m just waiting for my cousin (Serenity McNair) to get back.”
Added Willie McNair of his daughter’s absence: “We are using these games as a positive to get everyone’s game and effort elevated, and to be able to get the energy up when she returns.”
WCA’s balanced offense featured 14 points from Hoskins, 11 each from Nesbit and Farmer, nine from Villaverde and seven from Bailey, who snared seven rebounds along with Villaverde. Villaverde also doled out six assists. Nesbit grabbed five rebounds and Bailey handed out four assists.
The Chargers outrebounded Greenfield 32-17 and committed just nine turnovers. WCA canned 11-of-37 3-point shots for 29% accuracy and went 21 of 53 for 39% on total shots from the field.
Stationed on a wing, the 6-1 Nesbit will be content to allow Bailey to continue to deal with the traffic and banging in the pivot.
“I like to shoot,” she remarked with a smile. “I just have to keep on playing and work to consistently get better.”
Trull contended fatigue was not a factor Monday and his Chargers play for the fourth time in five days when they visit Greenville Christian on Tuesday for a 2-A East Region assignment.
WILSON CHRISTIAN (54)
Villaverde 9, Miller 2, Bailey 7, K. Hoskins 14, Nesbit 11, Farmer 11, LIttle.
GREENFIELD (39)
Graf 1, Amirh 2, Good, Dean 9, Williams, Johnson, Coleman 11, Holland 16.
Score by quarters:
WCA 12 13 21 8 — 54
Greenfield 13 6 7 13 — 39