MARK LINDSEY—HIGH POINT ENTERPRISE
GREENSBORO — High Point Christian wasn’t particularly pleased with how it defended in its last game. So, in the week since, it focused hard on that phase — and it showed.
The Cougars scored the first 16 points of the game, while holding Christ School scoreless for the first 4 minutes, 16 seconds, and rolled to a 69-48 win Friday in UNCG’s Fleming Gymnasium in a meeting of boys basketball powers.
“We played solid, and that’s what we needed,” HPCA coach Brandon Clifford said. “We had a stretch where we didn’t really know who we were. And we got a wake-up call against Providence Day. We certainly don’t think we should’ve lost that game, but, at the end of the day, it was probably good for us.
“We played a talented, experienced team that’s been together for a while, and we weren’t really ready. So, I had to become a better basketball coach and do a better job preparing my team, and hopefully I did that over the last week. We’re proud of the win, and we just have to keep moving forward.”
Bam Adebayo scored 20 points — including 10 in the first quarter — and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Cougars (4-1), who lost to Providence Day 76-66 last Saturday. Ty Graves followed with 16 points.
HPCA, ranked No. 3 among NCISAA 3A teams, scored on seven of its first nine possessions on offense while forcing five turnovers and three missed shots on defense in building a 16-0 lead. It led 24-9 at the end of the first quarter.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” said Adebayo, a 6-foot-10, 262-pound senior forward who has committed to Kentucky. “We had to make a statement. We’re coming off a loss, so we just had to get a big win.
“We had all week to practice our defense,” he said of the first quarter “We had to switch up some stuff, and we just all got on the same page and star ted clicking defensively with each other.”
From there, Christ School (4-5) got as close as eight early in the second quarter. But the Cougars quickly rebuilt their double-digit lead, led 33-18 at halftime and pushed their advantage to as big as 30 in the second half.
John Fulkerson scored 10 points to lead the Greenies, who are ranked just outside the top five in the state and lost a close game against four th- ranked Wesleyan Christian on Tuesday, while Matt Halvorsen added eight points.
“The stress for us right now is to just focus on ourselves,” Clif ford said. “We don’t really care about the scoreboard. At one point, we were nationally ranked and projected to play for a national championship. That’s the standard we have for ourselves.
“To do that, you have to play complete games. So, the challenge for us tonight was: Let’s perform. Let’s play hard. Let’s not play to the scoreboard and worry about what they’re doing. Let’s
focus on ourselves. And, for the most part, I thought we did that.”
HPCA plays again Tuesday at home against 2A rival Westchester Country Day at 7 p.m.
GREENSBORO — High Point Christian wasn’t particularly pleased with how it defended in its last game. So, in the week since, it focused hard on that phase — and it showed.
The Cougars scored the first 16 points of the game, while holding Christ School scoreless for the first 4 minutes, 16 seconds, and rolled to a 69-48 win Friday in UNCG’s Fleming Gymnasium in a meeting of boys basketball powers.
“We played solid, and that’s what we needed,” HPCA coach Brandon Clifford said. “We had a stretch where we didn’t really know who we were. And we got a wake-up call against Providence Day. We certainly don’t think we should’ve lost that game, but, at the end of the day, it was probably good for us.
“We played a talented, experienced team that’s been together for a while, and we weren’t really ready. So, I had to become a better basketball coach and do a better job preparing my team, and hopefully I did that over the last week. We’re proud of the win, and we just have to keep moving forward.”
Bam Adebayo scored 20 points — including 10 in the first quarter — and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Cougars (4-1), who lost to Providence Day 76-66 last Saturday. Ty Graves followed with 16 points.
HPCA, ranked No. 3 among NCISAA 3A teams, scored on seven of its first nine possessions on offense while forcing five turnovers and three missed shots on defense in building a 16-0 lead. It led 24-9 at the end of the first quarter.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” said Adebayo, a 6-foot-10, 262-pound senior forward who has committed to Kentucky. “We had to make a statement. We’re coming off a loss, so we just had to get a big win.
“We had all week to practice our defense,” he said of the first quarter “We had to switch up some stuff, and we just all got on the same page and star ted clicking defensively with each other.”
From there, Christ School (4-5) got as close as eight early in the second quarter. But the Cougars quickly rebuilt their double-digit lead, led 33-18 at halftime and pushed their advantage to as big as 30 in the second half.
John Fulkerson scored 10 points to lead the Greenies, who are ranked just outside the top five in the state and lost a close game against four th- ranked Wesleyan Christian on Tuesday, while Matt Halvorsen added eight points.
“The stress for us right now is to just focus on ourselves,” Clif ford said. “We don’t really care about the scoreboard. At one point, we were nationally ranked and projected to play for a national championship. That’s the standard we have for ourselves.
“To do that, you have to play complete games. So, the challenge for us tonight was: Let’s perform. Let’s play hard. Let’s not play to the scoreboard and worry about what they’re doing. Let’s
focus on ourselves. And, for the most part, I thought we did that.”
HPCA plays again Tuesday at home against 2A rival Westchester Country Day at 7 p.m.
