Westchester boys roll past Cary Christian
Feb. 20, 2015 @ 11:35 PM
Michael Lindsay
HIGH POINT -The Westchester Country Day boys played to their strengths and kept their season alive.
The eighth-seeded Wildcats shot the ball well on offense, particularly from outside, and turned up the pressure on defense in rolling past ninth-seeded Cary Christian 73-60 on Friday night at Westchester in the first round of the NCISAA 2A basketball playoffs.
"Being in the state tournament in my first year here, I'm so lucky to have this group of guys," coach David Carrier said. "It's nice to win in the state tournament, but the thing I'm most excited about is that our season's not over. I get to be with these guys - they're a great group.
"We played 32 minutes, and we told them we had to do that. Cary Christian is well-coached, well-schooled and a heckuva basketball team. So, we couldn't have any mental lapses, and we didn't. We've really matured as the season's gone on."
L.J. McCoy scored 19 points, hitting four 3-pointers, to lead the Wildcats (19-6), who have won 12 of their last 13 games and will face top-seeded Northside Christian in the quarterfinals Thursday morning at 11:30 at Asheville Carolina Day.
Caymen Bennett followed with 16 points, while Marshall Lange and David Ayodele each added 14 points. Westchester finished with eight 3s as a team and never trailed, taking the lead for good at the 3:53 mark of the first quarter.
The Wildcats led 17-10 after one quarter before the Knights pulled within 20-18 with four minutes left. But Westchester scored 10 of the final 12 points of the half - highlighted by a big fastbreak dunk by Ayodele - to lead 30-20 into halftime.
"We got killed on the boards, but we made up for it in other ways. Our 3-point shooting, Marshall, David - those guys are awesome," said McCoy, a sophomore. "... We're good 3-point shooters, and that's our game."
The Wildcats led by double digits throughout the third quarter, holding a 48-36 advantage heading to the fourth quarter, and led by as many as 17 twice in the first four and a half minutes of the final quarter.
Cary Christian (16-10), which was led by Caleb Ellis with 16 points, trimmed its deficit to nine twice in the fourth quarter, with 2:34 and 1:38 remaining. But Westchester hit eight straight free throws to secure the win and advance.
"Honestly, I think it was our pressure defense," Carrier said. "It forced them to kind of have to play our style. We like to get up and down, press and run, and that's not really their style. And, since we had the lead, they had to come out and guard us. We scored 43 points in the second half, and that'll win you most games. ...
"We're excited," he said of moving on. "We play Northside, which has won the last three state championships and is the No. 1 seed again. So, I don't think many people are giving us a chance. But we're excited for the chance to compete. And, like I said, I'm just excited our season's not over."
Feb. 20, 2015 @ 11:35 PM
Michael Lindsay
HIGH POINT -The Westchester Country Day boys played to their strengths and kept their season alive.
The eighth-seeded Wildcats shot the ball well on offense, particularly from outside, and turned up the pressure on defense in rolling past ninth-seeded Cary Christian 73-60 on Friday night at Westchester in the first round of the NCISAA 2A basketball playoffs.
"Being in the state tournament in my first year here, I'm so lucky to have this group of guys," coach David Carrier said. "It's nice to win in the state tournament, but the thing I'm most excited about is that our season's not over. I get to be with these guys - they're a great group.
"We played 32 minutes, and we told them we had to do that. Cary Christian is well-coached, well-schooled and a heckuva basketball team. So, we couldn't have any mental lapses, and we didn't. We've really matured as the season's gone on."
L.J. McCoy scored 19 points, hitting four 3-pointers, to lead the Wildcats (19-6), who have won 12 of their last 13 games and will face top-seeded Northside Christian in the quarterfinals Thursday morning at 11:30 at Asheville Carolina Day.
Caymen Bennett followed with 16 points, while Marshall Lange and David Ayodele each added 14 points. Westchester finished with eight 3s as a team and never trailed, taking the lead for good at the 3:53 mark of the first quarter.
The Wildcats led 17-10 after one quarter before the Knights pulled within 20-18 with four minutes left. But Westchester scored 10 of the final 12 points of the half - highlighted by a big fastbreak dunk by Ayodele - to lead 30-20 into halftime.
"We got killed on the boards, but we made up for it in other ways. Our 3-point shooting, Marshall, David - those guys are awesome," said McCoy, a sophomore. "... We're good 3-point shooters, and that's our game."
The Wildcats led by double digits throughout the third quarter, holding a 48-36 advantage heading to the fourth quarter, and led by as many as 17 twice in the first four and a half minutes of the final quarter.
Cary Christian (16-10), which was led by Caleb Ellis with 16 points, trimmed its deficit to nine twice in the fourth quarter, with 2:34 and 1:38 remaining. But Westchester hit eight straight free throws to secure the win and advance.
"Honestly, I think it was our pressure defense," Carrier said. "It forced them to kind of have to play our style. We like to get up and down, press and run, and that's not really their style. And, since we had the lead, they had to come out and guard us. We scored 43 points in the second half, and that'll win you most games. ...
"We're excited," he said of moving on. "We play Northside, which has won the last three state championships and is the No. 1 seed again. So, I don't think many people are giving us a chance. But we're excited for the chance to compete. And, like I said, I'm just excited our season's not over."
