KVA completes perfect week on hardwood
By Bryant Baucom bbaucom@hendersondispatch.com; 252-436-2840 Jan 13, 2023 Updated 10 hrs ago
HENDERSON — Kerr-Vance Academy capped off a perfect week on the hardwood on Thursday, earning a decisive 69-42 victory over Oakwood High School.
The win for the Spartans was their second over the five-day stretch and brought them to .500 in conference play.
Leading by just 7 points at the break, head coach Marcus Foster implored his team to take hold of the contest and put it out of reach. Taking his advice, the Spartans began the second half on a 12-0 run en route to the season sweep of the Eagles.
Freshman Wil Holmes recorded a game-high 27 points, while sophomore M.J. Wright assisted with a 21-point performance. Foster also praised the work of the frontcourt, singling out Rakia Terry for his effort on the glass.
Thursday night’s victory came on the heels of a mid-week win for Kerr-Vance, in which they orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback to snap a six-game losing streak.
First-year program Wake Prep clung to a 7-point lead heading into the final eight minutes of play, figuratively holding the season in the balance for the then 2-8 Spartans.
With less than a minute to play, Kerr-Vance found themselves down 3, but a steal by Wright that developed into an and-one opportunity for the Spartans swung the momentum, much like a pendulum, in their direction.
Clinging onto a 52-51 advantage following a two-point basket, their defense held firm in the final 10 seconds, as Foster’s squad earned their first victory since Dec. 6.
“They played very hard and they never gave up. That’s been a problem for us in the past. I was pleased with the effort for all four quarters,” said Foster. “I talked to the guys and told them to just believe in themselves, dig down, pour everything they had, and just leave it all on the court.”
Sitting at six games under .500 heading into the non-conference tilt, the trajectory of their season hung in the balance.
“To get a win on Wednesday night was huge for us. It was a big turnaround for the program,” said Foster. “It feels real good as a coach, but the kids get all of the credit for it. I couldn’t have asked for a better performance from them.”
Holmes, who is Kerr-Vance’s leading scorer, tallied a game-high 18 points, as Wright aided the offensive attack with 16 points of his own.
Despite the successful offensive numbers, it is the trademark defense of the Spartans that contributed to the win.
Forcing 18 turnovers and utilizing their tenacious defense helped lead to fast-break opportunities and a plethora of transition points.
“We want to get out and run and that comes from our defense,” said Foster. “If we force turnovers, we can get easy baskets.”
Wednesday’s result is a byproduct of Kerr-Vance’s development over the course of the season, as they now know their identity as a program.
“They are finding out what their roles are,” said Foster. “We found out last night truly what our identity is as a team. We can be a really scrappy team and that’s the thing I’ve wanted from day one since I took this job.”
The Spartans’ roster features just one senior and a total of seven underclassmen, making the perfect record on the week a glimpse into the future in Henderson.
While those types of results may not be present over every sequence of the season, Foster emphasized the change in confidence and outlook for the Kerr-Vance basketball program.
“We are going to fight and we’re going to be active on defense. We’re a young team,” said Foster. “We know moving forward what we can do and what we’re capable of.”
“We might not score a lot, but we’ll scratch your eyeballs out.”
By Bryant Baucom bbaucom@hendersondispatch.com; 252-436-2840 Jan 13, 2023 Updated 10 hrs ago
HENDERSON — Kerr-Vance Academy capped off a perfect week on the hardwood on Thursday, earning a decisive 69-42 victory over Oakwood High School.
The win for the Spartans was their second over the five-day stretch and brought them to .500 in conference play.
Leading by just 7 points at the break, head coach Marcus Foster implored his team to take hold of the contest and put it out of reach. Taking his advice, the Spartans began the second half on a 12-0 run en route to the season sweep of the Eagles.
Freshman Wil Holmes recorded a game-high 27 points, while sophomore M.J. Wright assisted with a 21-point performance. Foster also praised the work of the frontcourt, singling out Rakia Terry for his effort on the glass.
Thursday night’s victory came on the heels of a mid-week win for Kerr-Vance, in which they orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback to snap a six-game losing streak.
First-year program Wake Prep clung to a 7-point lead heading into the final eight minutes of play, figuratively holding the season in the balance for the then 2-8 Spartans.
With less than a minute to play, Kerr-Vance found themselves down 3, but a steal by Wright that developed into an and-one opportunity for the Spartans swung the momentum, much like a pendulum, in their direction.
Clinging onto a 52-51 advantage following a two-point basket, their defense held firm in the final 10 seconds, as Foster’s squad earned their first victory since Dec. 6.
“They played very hard and they never gave up. That’s been a problem for us in the past. I was pleased with the effort for all four quarters,” said Foster. “I talked to the guys and told them to just believe in themselves, dig down, pour everything they had, and just leave it all on the court.”
Sitting at six games under .500 heading into the non-conference tilt, the trajectory of their season hung in the balance.
“To get a win on Wednesday night was huge for us. It was a big turnaround for the program,” said Foster. “It feels real good as a coach, but the kids get all of the credit for it. I couldn’t have asked for a better performance from them.”
Holmes, who is Kerr-Vance’s leading scorer, tallied a game-high 18 points, as Wright aided the offensive attack with 16 points of his own.
Despite the successful offensive numbers, it is the trademark defense of the Spartans that contributed to the win.
Forcing 18 turnovers and utilizing their tenacious defense helped lead to fast-break opportunities and a plethora of transition points.
“We want to get out and run and that comes from our defense,” said Foster. “If we force turnovers, we can get easy baskets.”
Wednesday’s result is a byproduct of Kerr-Vance’s development over the course of the season, as they now know their identity as a program.
“They are finding out what their roles are,” said Foster. “We found out last night truly what our identity is as a team. We can be a really scrappy team and that’s the thing I’ve wanted from day one since I took this job.”
The Spartans’ roster features just one senior and a total of seven underclassmen, making the perfect record on the week a glimpse into the future in Henderson.
While those types of results may not be present over every sequence of the season, Foster emphasized the change in confidence and outlook for the Kerr-Vance basketball program.
“We are going to fight and we’re going to be active on defense. We’re a young team,” said Foster. “We know moving forward what we can do and what we’re capable of.”
“We might not score a lot, but we’ll scratch your eyeballs out.”
