Salem Baptist sweeps Westchester
BY MICHAEL LINDSAYENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — Westchester Countr y Day rallied hard to get back in the game but couldn’t quite make that final push.The Wildcats cut a 21-point deficit to five during the second half and stayed within reach into the final minute but ultimately fell, 77-66, against Salem Baptist in non-conference boys basketball Tuesday night in Westchester’s Finch Center.In the girls game, Salem Baptist raced to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but Westchester made some plays to keep it fairly even from there in falling 53-34.
“Salem took it to us in the first half,” Wildcats boys coach David Carrier said.
“They exploited us and really played well. They jumped on us early and we played catch-up the rest of the game. I give them a lot of credit. They used their size and length and they’re a well-coached team.
“They’re 17-2 and they’re way better than the first time we played them. For us to compete with a team like that we really have to be locked in for 32 minutes. I thought the second half we were great — we play with a lot of heart. Just early they hit five 3s, and, as a coach, you kind of have to give something up. They made them, but I’m proud of my guys for how we fought.”
J3 Swindell scored 22 points while Myles Patterson had 21 points and Jackson Weil had 18 points as the double-figure scorers for Westchester (8-5), ranked No. 8 among NCISAA 2A teams while the Vikings (17-2) are No. 83 in the state overall and No. 6 in the NCISAA 2A.
Led by Shad Thomas with 23 points, Brandon Summers with 15 and Zach Shumate, who played at High Point Christian last year, with 13, Salem Baptist hit shots from outside and used its size to score at the basket to build a 12-point lead in the first quarter that reached 17 before holding a lead 45-29 into half-time.
The Vikings’ lead hit 21 with 3:51 left in the third. But the Wildcats scored the final 14 points of the quarter — scoring on six of nine possessions while Salem Baptist struggled with misses and turnovers — and the fi rst two of the fourth to pull within five with 7:52 left and again later with 6:56 left.
“I think it was a combination of things,” Carrier said. “You’ve seen enough basket-ball games where you get the momentum going and it can swing so fast — and they’re all 16-year-old kids. So, they get a big lead and kind of relax, lose their focus a little bit and then momentum catches.
“But I think when you get down 21 points, it takes a lot of effort to get it back to fi ve. And (Salem Baptist) did a good job keeping their poise and stretching it back out. ... I thought we might be catching them at the right time, but they’re a tough matchup for us.”
Westchester just couldn’t quite get over the hump late. A miss and a couple turnovers stalled its offense and eventually the Vikings slammed home an alley-oop dunk to spark a 14-2 run high-lighted by another alley-oop dunk and suddenly their lead was back out to 17 with 3:15 left in the game.The Wildcats clawed back within nine twice in the final minute.
But a couple misses by Westchester and free throws by Salem Baptist sealed it, despite the strong rally by the Wildcats — who lead the PTAC at 3-0 but still have tough games ahead, including one against HPCA and two against Greensboro Day.Westchester, which lost at home for the first time this season and had won six in a row, will return to PTAC play Friday at home against Calvary Day.
“We know we have a good team,” Carrier said. “But, for us to play with these really long, athletic teams, we really have to be locked in for the whole game and not half the game. Maybe that’s a lesson learned tonight — I think it will be.”
BY MICHAEL LINDSAYENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — Westchester Countr y Day rallied hard to get back in the game but couldn’t quite make that final push.The Wildcats cut a 21-point deficit to five during the second half and stayed within reach into the final minute but ultimately fell, 77-66, against Salem Baptist in non-conference boys basketball Tuesday night in Westchester’s Finch Center.In the girls game, Salem Baptist raced to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but Westchester made some plays to keep it fairly even from there in falling 53-34.
“Salem took it to us in the first half,” Wildcats boys coach David Carrier said.
“They exploited us and really played well. They jumped on us early and we played catch-up the rest of the game. I give them a lot of credit. They used their size and length and they’re a well-coached team.
“They’re 17-2 and they’re way better than the first time we played them. For us to compete with a team like that we really have to be locked in for 32 minutes. I thought the second half we were great — we play with a lot of heart. Just early they hit five 3s, and, as a coach, you kind of have to give something up. They made them, but I’m proud of my guys for how we fought.”
J3 Swindell scored 22 points while Myles Patterson had 21 points and Jackson Weil had 18 points as the double-figure scorers for Westchester (8-5), ranked No. 8 among NCISAA 2A teams while the Vikings (17-2) are No. 83 in the state overall and No. 6 in the NCISAA 2A.
Led by Shad Thomas with 23 points, Brandon Summers with 15 and Zach Shumate, who played at High Point Christian last year, with 13, Salem Baptist hit shots from outside and used its size to score at the basket to build a 12-point lead in the first quarter that reached 17 before holding a lead 45-29 into half-time.
The Vikings’ lead hit 21 with 3:51 left in the third. But the Wildcats scored the final 14 points of the quarter — scoring on six of nine possessions while Salem Baptist struggled with misses and turnovers — and the fi rst two of the fourth to pull within five with 7:52 left and again later with 6:56 left.
“I think it was a combination of things,” Carrier said. “You’ve seen enough basket-ball games where you get the momentum going and it can swing so fast — and they’re all 16-year-old kids. So, they get a big lead and kind of relax, lose their focus a little bit and then momentum catches.
“But I think when you get down 21 points, it takes a lot of effort to get it back to fi ve. And (Salem Baptist) did a good job keeping their poise and stretching it back out. ... I thought we might be catching them at the right time, but they’re a tough matchup for us.”
Westchester just couldn’t quite get over the hump late. A miss and a couple turnovers stalled its offense and eventually the Vikings slammed home an alley-oop dunk to spark a 14-2 run high-lighted by another alley-oop dunk and suddenly their lead was back out to 17 with 3:15 left in the game.The Wildcats clawed back within nine twice in the final minute.
But a couple misses by Westchester and free throws by Salem Baptist sealed it, despite the strong rally by the Wildcats — who lead the PTAC at 3-0 but still have tough games ahead, including one against HPCA and two against Greensboro Day.Westchester, which lost at home for the first time this season and had won six in a row, will return to PTAC play Friday at home against Calvary Day.
“We know we have a good team,” Carrier said. “But, for us to play with these really long, athletic teams, we really have to be locked in for the whole game and not half the game. Maybe that’s a lesson learned tonight — I think it will be.”
