Westchester wins two in Qubein Center
• Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer
HIGH POINT — Westchester Country Day came together on the big stage.
The Wildcats scored the first six points of the game, led by double digits in the first quarter and rolled past New Garden Friends 51-23 in NCISAA nonconference boys basketball Friday at High Point University’s Qubein Center.
In the girls game, Westchester raced to a 45-5 victory.
“I thought we played hard,” Wildcats boys coach Brook Patterson said. “That was our mentality — just to come out and play hard. I know it’s cliche, but we really wanted to play as a team. These will be the brightest lights we play under all year.
“So, I challenged them, saying, ‘It’s easy to come out here and everyone wants to score and get as many points as you want as individuals. But if we can play as a team, then we’ll be fine.’ And we did that. That’s what I’m most proud of — we played as a team.”
Griffin Powell, who had a pair of big dunks, and MJ Edwards each scored eight points to lead Westchester (2-2), which had 11 players score in a well-balanced offensive effort.
Joshua Bayne added seven points, followed by Ben Bublitz and George Marsh with six points each as the Wildcats scored on six of their first nine possessions to quickly lead by double digits 6 1/2 minutes into the game.
“We played well as a team,” Edwards said. “We stayed together, played well, and kept positive energy. That was the biggest thing — getting the freshmen in, getting everybody in. We had good vibes with the crowd.”
The Bears (2-3) — who are coached by former Westchester star Dwon Clifton — inched within six early in the second. But the Wildcats went on a 10-2 run — highlighted by a 3-pointer and a layup by Edwards — to lead by 14 with 2:12 left.
Westchester, which led 26-15 at halftime, then scored all 13 points of the third quarter to push its lead past 20. The Wildcats pulled away to lead by as many as 28 points in the final seconds.
“It was definitely playing our game,” Edwards said. “Showing people what we’re made of. And playing in the Qubein Center was the perfect place to do that. Very proud, grateful and happy we did it here.
“Coach helped us play. And for all of us it’s good. We know we’re a good team, and we’re just trying to get our wrinkles out. Now I think we showed everybody what we’re made of.”
Jeffrey Clark II and Kingston Clifton each scored six points to lead New Garden Friends, which — in its first year in the NCISAA — struggled to match Westchester. But it’s a learning experience, Coach Clifton said.
“It’s a life lesson,” he said. “If you find yourself in a situation where you feel in your spirit that you’re going to quit, then you need to figure it out, get up close and personal with that part and defeat it. If you do that out here, then you’ll do that in real life.
“You and I both know that this world is rough. You can be overwhelmed with your job at the wrong time, have personal problems and it can overwhelm you — like this game. But in that position are you going to quit on your life? This is why these kids need sports and these experiences.
“I enjoyed, as much as I could enjoy, getting pummelled like that,” he said with a smile. “I enjoyed what it could do for those guys and the life lessons they could learn from it. They’re going to remember this experience.”
Clifton, who is also the school’s athletic director, starred at Westchester in the late 1990s, graduating in 2000. He later played at Clemson and UNCG. It was the first time he faced his former school.
“It was surreal,” he said with a smile. “It was surreal to be on that side of it, not on the court playing for Westchester but on the sidelines for another school with my son coaching against them. I want to win, I want to beat them. But, at the end of the day, I understand what Westchester was when I was there and the type of spirit these guys have — very competitive, fighter’s spirit.
“And that’s what we’re trying to build at New Garden. It’s going to take some time to get the right type of mindset infused into what we’re doing. And it’s moments like this that are going to help us do it.”
• Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer
HIGH POINT — Westchester Country Day came together on the big stage.
The Wildcats scored the first six points of the game, led by double digits in the first quarter and rolled past New Garden Friends 51-23 in NCISAA nonconference boys basketball Friday at High Point University’s Qubein Center.
In the girls game, Westchester raced to a 45-5 victory.
“I thought we played hard,” Wildcats boys coach Brook Patterson said. “That was our mentality — just to come out and play hard. I know it’s cliche, but we really wanted to play as a team. These will be the brightest lights we play under all year.
“So, I challenged them, saying, ‘It’s easy to come out here and everyone wants to score and get as many points as you want as individuals. But if we can play as a team, then we’ll be fine.’ And we did that. That’s what I’m most proud of — we played as a team.”
Griffin Powell, who had a pair of big dunks, and MJ Edwards each scored eight points to lead Westchester (2-2), which had 11 players score in a well-balanced offensive effort.
Joshua Bayne added seven points, followed by Ben Bublitz and George Marsh with six points each as the Wildcats scored on six of their first nine possessions to quickly lead by double digits 6 1/2 minutes into the game.
“We played well as a team,” Edwards said. “We stayed together, played well, and kept positive energy. That was the biggest thing — getting the freshmen in, getting everybody in. We had good vibes with the crowd.”
The Bears (2-3) — who are coached by former Westchester star Dwon Clifton — inched within six early in the second. But the Wildcats went on a 10-2 run — highlighted by a 3-pointer and a layup by Edwards — to lead by 14 with 2:12 left.
Westchester, which led 26-15 at halftime, then scored all 13 points of the third quarter to push its lead past 20. The Wildcats pulled away to lead by as many as 28 points in the final seconds.
“It was definitely playing our game,” Edwards said. “Showing people what we’re made of. And playing in the Qubein Center was the perfect place to do that. Very proud, grateful and happy we did it here.
“Coach helped us play. And for all of us it’s good. We know we’re a good team, and we’re just trying to get our wrinkles out. Now I think we showed everybody what we’re made of.”
Jeffrey Clark II and Kingston Clifton each scored six points to lead New Garden Friends, which — in its first year in the NCISAA — struggled to match Westchester. But it’s a learning experience, Coach Clifton said.
“It’s a life lesson,” he said. “If you find yourself in a situation where you feel in your spirit that you’re going to quit, then you need to figure it out, get up close and personal with that part and defeat it. If you do that out here, then you’ll do that in real life.
“You and I both know that this world is rough. You can be overwhelmed with your job at the wrong time, have personal problems and it can overwhelm you — like this game. But in that position are you going to quit on your life? This is why these kids need sports and these experiences.
“I enjoyed, as much as I could enjoy, getting pummelled like that,” he said with a smile. “I enjoyed what it could do for those guys and the life lessons they could learn from it. They’re going to remember this experience.”
Clifton, who is also the school’s athletic director, starred at Westchester in the late 1990s, graduating in 2000. He later played at Clemson and UNCG. It was the first time he faced his former school.
“It was surreal,” he said with a smile. “It was surreal to be on that side of it, not on the court playing for Westchester but on the sidelines for another school with my son coaching against them. I want to win, I want to beat them. But, at the end of the day, I understand what Westchester was when I was there and the type of spirit these guys have — very competitive, fighter’s spirit.
“And that’s what we’re trying to build at New Garden. It’s going to take some time to get the right type of mindset infused into what we’re doing. And it’s moments like this that are going to help us do it.”
