HPCA basketball sweeps Forsyth Country Day
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Jan 22, 2022 Updated 2 hrs ago
LEWISVILLE – High Point Christian kept applying pressure and eventually Forsyth Country Day broke.
The Cougars built a lead in the second quarter, stayed steady and pulled away in the fourth to beat the Furies 64-43 in PTAC boys basketball Friday at Forsyth Country Day.
In the girls game, HPCA gained the decisive advantage in the fourth quarter and won 50-43.
“Coming in, we hadn’t played in a week and a half,” Cougars boys coach Joseph Cooper said. “We had one canceled last night because of the weather. So we’ve gone hard the last three days in practice. We’ve run a lot. So, it was really good to see how we responded in a hostile environment.
“We’ve always struggled playing here. It’s a hard place to play, and it hasn’t been too kind to us in the past. We put a heavy emphasis on this and, of course, we have GDS on Tuesday. So we wanted to come out and take something we could build on.”
Isaiah Sanders scored 16 points while Thomas McIntosh added 11 points to lead HPCA (15-4 overall, 2-0 conference), which has won 10 of its last 11 games. Ethan Smith added nine points while Benny Limbacher followed with eight points.
The Cougars, ranked No. 40 in the state overall by MaxPreps and No. 3 among NCISAA 3A teams, led almost the entire game. But a pair of 13-4 runs in the second and fourth quarters helped put the game out of reach.
“We’ve just been preparing in practice and competing with each other,” said Sanders, a 5-foot-10 junior guard. “And now we feel like we can compete with anybody. So, we’re just taking it day by day and team by team.”
HPCA, which beat Forsyth in the championship of the Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic three weeks ago, used its big run in the second to lead by eight inside the final minute of the second and took a 28-21 lead into halftime.
The Cougars led by nine in the third before taking an eight-point lead to the fourth. A five-point spurt to open the final quarter gave them a double-digit lead. And their big run over the final three minutes extended their advantage past 20.
“We just had to keep our composure,” Sanders said. “We knew the fans were going to get into us. So we just had to play as we usually do.
“It felt good. It’s usually a stressful time – I’m not going to lie,” he said with a smile.
Brandon Morgan scored 18 points to lead the Furies (10-9, 1-1). HPCA next plays Tuesday at Greensboro Day, ranked No. 14 nationally.
“Our defense was terrific,” Cooper said. “It disrupted their whole rhythm, the flow of the game. At times, I thought they got frustrated. And at the end we were able to pounce on it and capitalize.
“We know Brandon Morgan’s terrific and he can shoot the ball. We knew that coming in, believe it or not, as many open shots as he got,” he said with a laugh. “Credit to him – he’s a great player. But we liked our chances if we stuck to the game plan.”
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Jan 22, 2022 Updated 2 hrs ago
LEWISVILLE – High Point Christian kept applying pressure and eventually Forsyth Country Day broke.
The Cougars built a lead in the second quarter, stayed steady and pulled away in the fourth to beat the Furies 64-43 in PTAC boys basketball Friday at Forsyth Country Day.
In the girls game, HPCA gained the decisive advantage in the fourth quarter and won 50-43.
“Coming in, we hadn’t played in a week and a half,” Cougars boys coach Joseph Cooper said. “We had one canceled last night because of the weather. So we’ve gone hard the last three days in practice. We’ve run a lot. So, it was really good to see how we responded in a hostile environment.
“We’ve always struggled playing here. It’s a hard place to play, and it hasn’t been too kind to us in the past. We put a heavy emphasis on this and, of course, we have GDS on Tuesday. So we wanted to come out and take something we could build on.”
Isaiah Sanders scored 16 points while Thomas McIntosh added 11 points to lead HPCA (15-4 overall, 2-0 conference), which has won 10 of its last 11 games. Ethan Smith added nine points while Benny Limbacher followed with eight points.
The Cougars, ranked No. 40 in the state overall by MaxPreps and No. 3 among NCISAA 3A teams, led almost the entire game. But a pair of 13-4 runs in the second and fourth quarters helped put the game out of reach.
“We’ve just been preparing in practice and competing with each other,” said Sanders, a 5-foot-10 junior guard. “And now we feel like we can compete with anybody. So, we’re just taking it day by day and team by team.”
HPCA, which beat Forsyth in the championship of the Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic three weeks ago, used its big run in the second to lead by eight inside the final minute of the second and took a 28-21 lead into halftime.
The Cougars led by nine in the third before taking an eight-point lead to the fourth. A five-point spurt to open the final quarter gave them a double-digit lead. And their big run over the final three minutes extended their advantage past 20.
“We just had to keep our composure,” Sanders said. “We knew the fans were going to get into us. So we just had to play as we usually do.
“It felt good. It’s usually a stressful time – I’m not going to lie,” he said with a smile.
Brandon Morgan scored 18 points to lead the Furies (10-9, 1-1). HPCA next plays Tuesday at Greensboro Day, ranked No. 14 nationally.
“Our defense was terrific,” Cooper said. “It disrupted their whole rhythm, the flow of the game. At times, I thought they got frustrated. And at the end we were able to pounce on it and capitalize.
“We know Brandon Morgan’s terrific and he can shoot the ball. We knew that coming in, believe it or not, as many open shots as he got,” he said with a laugh. “Credit to him – he’s a great player. But we liked our chances if we stuck to the game plan.”
