The Kerr-Vance Academy boys and girls varsity basketball teams were both victorious Friday night in Greenville at Pope John Paul II Catholic High School.
The Lady Spartans improved to 2-0 on the season with a 35-27 victory.
The high scorers for the game were Kennedy Adcock (11 points), Macy Lee Johnson (9 points) and Bonnie Evans (8 points). Sophie Naradzy absolutely dominated the boards, grabbing 16 rebounds on the night, and also recorded three blocks.
In the boys’ game, the Spartans (1-1) evened their record on the season despite missing several key players including senior Joseph Burnette, who was injured in a car accident on Thursday. Two other Spartans didn’t make the trip to Greenville due to illness.
Kerr-Vance once again started slow, with Pope John Paul II jumping out to an early 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. The contest remained tight throughout the second quarter with the Spartans going to the locker room facing a 31-26 deficit.
“We played much better in the second half, especially on defense,” Spartans’ coach Taron Downey said. “We just didn’t have the intensity through the first two and a half quarters.”
The Spartans took the lead for good mid-way through the third quarter and began the fourth with a 45-41 advantage. The Spartans aggressive play on defense led to foul trouble for the host Saints of Pope John Paul II.
The Spartans continued to pull away in the fourth and ultimately came away with a 58-46 victory. The gap could have been much larger if the Spartans had shot better from the free-throw line. As a team, Kerr-Vance shot less than 50 percent from the charity stripe on the night, which was far from impressive.
The Spartans’ strong defensive play held Pope John Paul II to 15 points in the second half, while Kerr-vance netted 32.
Daniel Wilkinson led the Spartans with 16 points, followed by Jordan Smith and Wil Short, who each tallied 14. Dustin Smith added six for the Spartans, while Branson Hight and Akshar Patel chipped in four points a piece.
“Daniel really showed his toughness tonight,” Downey said. “He really bounced back from the last game and added a much-needed offensive spark. And Wil did an excellent job managing the game at the point. Jordan also stepped up moving into a starting role. We’ve just got to eliminate our mistakes, particularly missed free throws.”
The Spartans return to action on Monday night at Grace Christian of Sanford
The Lady Spartans improved to 2-0 on the season with a 35-27 victory.
The high scorers for the game were Kennedy Adcock (11 points), Macy Lee Johnson (9 points) and Bonnie Evans (8 points). Sophie Naradzy absolutely dominated the boards, grabbing 16 rebounds on the night, and also recorded three blocks.
In the boys’ game, the Spartans (1-1) evened their record on the season despite missing several key players including senior Joseph Burnette, who was injured in a car accident on Thursday. Two other Spartans didn’t make the trip to Greenville due to illness.
Kerr-Vance once again started slow, with Pope John Paul II jumping out to an early 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. The contest remained tight throughout the second quarter with the Spartans going to the locker room facing a 31-26 deficit.
“We played much better in the second half, especially on defense,” Spartans’ coach Taron Downey said. “We just didn’t have the intensity through the first two and a half quarters.”
The Spartans took the lead for good mid-way through the third quarter and began the fourth with a 45-41 advantage. The Spartans aggressive play on defense led to foul trouble for the host Saints of Pope John Paul II.
The Spartans continued to pull away in the fourth and ultimately came away with a 58-46 victory. The gap could have been much larger if the Spartans had shot better from the free-throw line. As a team, Kerr-Vance shot less than 50 percent from the charity stripe on the night, which was far from impressive.
The Spartans’ strong defensive play held Pope John Paul II to 15 points in the second half, while Kerr-vance netted 32.
Daniel Wilkinson led the Spartans with 16 points, followed by Jordan Smith and Wil Short, who each tallied 14. Dustin Smith added six for the Spartans, while Branson Hight and Akshar Patel chipped in four points a piece.
“Daniel really showed his toughness tonight,” Downey said. “He really bounced back from the last game and added a much-needed offensive spark. And Wil did an excellent job managing the game at the point. Jordan also stepped up moving into a starting role. We’ve just got to eliminate our mistakes, particularly missed free throws.”
The Spartans return to action on Monday night at Grace Christian of Sanford
