Crossroads wins CIC title
BY RYAN LEGER HENDERSON DAILY DISPATCH
When Joseph Cooper took the job to coach the boys’ basketball team at Crossroads Christian school five years ago, he had one specific goal in mind — win a conference championship.
The Colts (22-8, 13-1) achieved that goal Saturday afternoon, defeating a Rocky Mount squad that hadn’t lost a conference game in two seasons, 83-68, to claim their first ever 1A Carolina Independent Conference title.
Crossroads’ senior Jeremiah Green was the consensus tournament MVP, while sophomore Ghage Kenan and Dwayne Macon were named to the CIC tournament all-star team. Cooper and his squad cut down the nets after the trophy presentation, savoring the accomplishment March Madness style.
“This feels so awesome,” Cooper said. “We have been working hard on this for five years and it feels great to accomplish our goal, especially against such a tough opponent. All of the kids are already asking where we are going to hang the banner, so I guess we need to start figuring that out.”
The Colts finally got off to a quick start Saturday, after struggling with slow starts throughout the season. Ghage Kenan (24 points) and Jeremiah Green (28 points) had a lot to do with that as they led the Colts’ offense early on, which allowed Crossroads to take an 18-11 lead into the second quarter.
Another goal of Cooper’s was to stop, or at least try to maintain, Rocky Mount sophomore Elijah McCadden. The 6-5 point guard was named the CIC Player of the Year and has already gained attention from numerous Division 1 schools. Although McCadden scored 21 points, the Colts did a good job confusing the young point guard and forcing turnovers. Crossroads was able to expand its lead to 39-29 at the half, but Cooper knew that the contest was far from over.
Our defense was able to pressure Elijah early on by trapping on ball screens and I think that was able to get them out of their rhythm a little bit,” Cooper said. “Ghage is only a sophomore and has a real bright future. He is one of those kids that works hard and does all the little things defensively.”
McCadden tried to take over the game for Rocky Mount in the second half, which ended up working out perfectly for Crossroads.
Cooper switched his guys into a zone and McCadden struggled mightily from long distance. The Colts took the opportunity to go on a huge run, taking a 22-point lead with about six minutes left in regulation.
Rocky Mount battled back however, cutting the Colts’ lead to 73-60 with just 2:53 on the clock.
C o o p e r called a timeout and calmed his guys down, which worked wonders for the second night in a row.
The Col t s o u t s c o r e d Rocky Mount 10-8 to finish the contest and Makiyah Jones (7 points) netted four clutch free-throws down the stretch to ice the game.
Zaire Edwards (7 points), Dwayne Macon (15 points) and Luke Ellis (3 points) also performed well for the Colts, especially Ellis who hit the boards with a passion whenever he was on the floor.
Cooper and his squad now turn their attention to the 1A State Playoffs, which they are no stranger to. The Colts qualified last season, only to be knocked out in the first round.
Right after they were eliminated, Crossroads made it their goal to return and win at least one game this season. They have achieved the first part of their goal, and will find out their matchup today.
Cooper hopes they will have the chance to host a first-round game, especially after their win over Rocky Mount, but only time will tell.
BY RYAN LEGER HENDERSON DAILY DISPATCH
When Joseph Cooper took the job to coach the boys’ basketball team at Crossroads Christian school five years ago, he had one specific goal in mind — win a conference championship.
The Colts (22-8, 13-1) achieved that goal Saturday afternoon, defeating a Rocky Mount squad that hadn’t lost a conference game in two seasons, 83-68, to claim their first ever 1A Carolina Independent Conference title.
Crossroads’ senior Jeremiah Green was the consensus tournament MVP, while sophomore Ghage Kenan and Dwayne Macon were named to the CIC tournament all-star team. Cooper and his squad cut down the nets after the trophy presentation, savoring the accomplishment March Madness style.
“This feels so awesome,” Cooper said. “We have been working hard on this for five years and it feels great to accomplish our goal, especially against such a tough opponent. All of the kids are already asking where we are going to hang the banner, so I guess we need to start figuring that out.”
The Colts finally got off to a quick start Saturday, after struggling with slow starts throughout the season. Ghage Kenan (24 points) and Jeremiah Green (28 points) had a lot to do with that as they led the Colts’ offense early on, which allowed Crossroads to take an 18-11 lead into the second quarter.
Another goal of Cooper’s was to stop, or at least try to maintain, Rocky Mount sophomore Elijah McCadden. The 6-5 point guard was named the CIC Player of the Year and has already gained attention from numerous Division 1 schools. Although McCadden scored 21 points, the Colts did a good job confusing the young point guard and forcing turnovers. Crossroads was able to expand its lead to 39-29 at the half, but Cooper knew that the contest was far from over.
Our defense was able to pressure Elijah early on by trapping on ball screens and I think that was able to get them out of their rhythm a little bit,” Cooper said. “Ghage is only a sophomore and has a real bright future. He is one of those kids that works hard and does all the little things defensively.”
McCadden tried to take over the game for Rocky Mount in the second half, which ended up working out perfectly for Crossroads.
Cooper switched his guys into a zone and McCadden struggled mightily from long distance. The Colts took the opportunity to go on a huge run, taking a 22-point lead with about six minutes left in regulation.
Rocky Mount battled back however, cutting the Colts’ lead to 73-60 with just 2:53 on the clock.
C o o p e r called a timeout and calmed his guys down, which worked wonders for the second night in a row.
The Col t s o u t s c o r e d Rocky Mount 10-8 to finish the contest and Makiyah Jones (7 points) netted four clutch free-throws down the stretch to ice the game.
Zaire Edwards (7 points), Dwayne Macon (15 points) and Luke Ellis (3 points) also performed well for the Colts, especially Ellis who hit the boards with a passion whenever he was on the floor.
Cooper and his squad now turn their attention to the 1A State Playoffs, which they are no stranger to. The Colts qualified last season, only to be knocked out in the first round.
Right after they were eliminated, Crossroads made it their goal to return and win at least one game this season. They have achieved the first part of their goal, and will find out their matchup today.
Cooper hopes they will have the chance to host a first-round game, especially after their win over Rocky Mount, but only time will tell.