High Point Christian boys roll
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HIGH POINT — A QUICK TURNAROUND PROVED TO BE NO PROBLEM FOR HIGH POINT CHRISTIAN’S BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
TIPPING OFF ABOUT 14 HOURS AFTER ARRIVING HOME FROM A WIN OVER GRACE CHRISTIAN IN RALEIGH, THE COUGARS BUILT A BIG LEAD IN THE OPENING MINUTES AND ROLLED PAST FAYETTEVILLE CHRISTIAN, 91-62.
HPCA COACH JOSEPH COOPER SAID HE INTENTIONALLY SCHEDULED AN AFTERNOON GAME AFTER A NIGHT GAME ON PURPOSE TO HELP GET THE COUGARS READY FOR STATE TOURNAMENT PLAY IN FEBRUARY.
“THIS IS ONE OF OUR EMPHASIS THIS YEAR,” SAID GUARD KJ GARRETT, WHO SPARKED THE COUGARS WITH 20 POINTS, 6 ASSISTS, FIVE REBOUNDS AND FIVE STEALS. “LAST YEAR WE WERE 1-7 IN BACK-TO-BACKS. WE’RE CONCENTRATING ON BACK-TO-BACKS NOW. PREPARING FOR THEM IS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. IT’S WHAT WE DO.”
HPCA ORIGINALLY WAS SCHEDULED TO PLAY ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN IN A BOYS/GIRLS DOUBLE HEADER. BUT ASHEVILLE DECIDED IT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PLAY AND FAYETTEVILLE CHRISTIAN BECAME A REPLACEMENT FOR THE BOYS GAME.
SCORING ON SEVEN OF THEIR FIRST NINE POSSESSIONS, STARTING WITH THE FIRST THREE IN A ROW, HELPED HPCA GO UP 18-2 WITH 3:30 LEFT IN THE FIRST QUARTER. FAYETTEVILLE NEVER GOT CLOSER THAN SEVEN, THAT ON THREE OCCASIONS EARLY IN THE SECOND QUARTER.
ETHAN SMITH HIT FOUR 3S, ADDED 16 POINTS AND GRABBED SEVEN REBOUNDS FOR THE COUGARS (6-0). PJ UNDERHILL HAD EIGHT POINTS AND EIGHT REBOUNDS; AND MYLES ARCHIE ALSO CHIPPED IN EIGHT POINTS. ISAIAH SANDERS DISHED FIVE ASSISTS IN ADDITION TO SCORING FIVE POINTS.
THE PASSING WAS ON DISPLAY IN THE EARLY BURST THAT STARTED WITH BACK-TO-BACK 3S FROM SMITH AND SANDERS. GARRETT FOLLOWED WITH TWO DRIVES TO THE BASKET, MCINTOSH CANNED A 3, UNDERHILL FOLLOWED WITH A MISS AND GARRETT ADDED ANOTHER LAYUP, WAS FOULED AND SANK THE FREE THROW.
“OUR BALL MOVEMENT, MAKING THE EXTRA PASS, THAT PLAYED A BIG PART OF IT,” GARRETT SAID. “BEING UNSELFISH, THAT WAS A BIG PART OF IT. WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.”
FAYETTEVILLE (2-3), MEANWHILE, SCORED ON JUST ONE OF ITS FIRST EIGHT POSSESSIONS.
“THEIR SHOOTING ABILITY IS REALLY GOOD, SO WE HAD TO MAKE SURE WE HAD OUR HANDS OUT ON THEIR SHOOTERS,” GARRETT SAID.”WE DID A GOOD JOB ON THAT. AND THEN WE HAD GOOD EXECUTION ON THE OFFENSIVE END, HITTING THE RIGHT SPOTS AT THE RIGHT TIME.”
FAYETTEVILLE STARTED HITTING ENOUGH SHOTS LATE IN THE FIRST QUARTER AND EARLY IN THE SECOND THAT IT PULLED WITHIN SEVEN FOR THE FINAL TIME AT 26-19. HPCA THEN WENT ON AN 11-2 RUN THAT ENDED ON A BUCKET FOR A 39-21 ADVANTAGE WITH 3:30 LEFT IN THE SECOND QUARTER.
FAYETTEVILLE TRAILED 45-32 AT THE HALF AND THEN 47-35 AFTER A THREE-POINT PLAY EARLY IN THE THIRD QUARTER. HPCA RESPONDED WITH A 20-4 SPARKED BY SMITH AND GARRETT.
“WE WERE TRYING SOME THINGS ON DEFENSE IN THE SECOND QUARTER, BUT I LIKED THAT WE WERE SO RESILIENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND HALF,” COOPER SAID.
SMITH STARTED THE SURGE WITH A 3. GARRETT THEN CONVERTED ANOTHER THREE-POINT PLAY ON A DRIVE FOR A LAYUP AND FOUL SHOT. HE FOLLOWED THAT WITH A STEAL AND A DUNK. SMITH HIT ANOTHER 3, AND GARRETT DRAINED A RAINBOW 3.
‘WE’VE GOT GUYS THAT CAN HIT THE 3 AND SPREAD THE DEFENSE,” COOPER SAID.”AND, KJ IS SO DYNAMIC THAT HE CAN DRIVE AND MAKE THE DEFENSE COLLAPSE AND KICK IT TO THE CORNER. HE’S AN OFFENSE ALL BY HIMSELF.”
WHEN THE RUN ENDED AFTER THREE MORE BUCKETS, HPCA LED 67-39. THE LEAD PEAKED AT 72-41 WITH 33 SECONDS LEFT IN THE THIRD QUARTER.
“OUR ENERGY CARRIED US,” GARRETT SAID. “I GOT THE DUNK AND THE KICK-BACK 3. WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE A BIG HOLE AND THEY JUST COULDN’T GET OUT OF IT. OUR DEFENSE WAS WHAT CREATED THE RUN.
“I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET THE W. WE’RE 6-0 AND TRYING TO GET A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. SO, WE’RE JUST TRYING TO BUILD ON TOWARD THAT.”
FAYETTEVILLE MADE A BRIEF RUN EARLY IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, BUT THE COUGARS’ RESERVES STRETCHED THE MARGIN AT THE END. ALL 14 OF HPCA PLAYERS SAW ACTION AND 13 SCORED.
“COMING INTO TODAY, FOUR OF OUR FIVE GAMES HAD COME DOWN TO THE WIRE,” COOPER SAID.”WE WERE HAVING TO PLAY STARTERS ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF THE GAME. SO IT WAS GREAT FOR THE TEAM TO SEE DIFFERENT LOOKS AND GET SOME DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES.”
- BY GREER SMITH SPECIAL TO THE ENTERPRISE
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
HIGH POINT — A QUICK TURNAROUND PROVED TO BE NO PROBLEM FOR HIGH POINT CHRISTIAN’S BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
TIPPING OFF ABOUT 14 HOURS AFTER ARRIVING HOME FROM A WIN OVER GRACE CHRISTIAN IN RALEIGH, THE COUGARS BUILT A BIG LEAD IN THE OPENING MINUTES AND ROLLED PAST FAYETTEVILLE CHRISTIAN, 91-62.
HPCA COACH JOSEPH COOPER SAID HE INTENTIONALLY SCHEDULED AN AFTERNOON GAME AFTER A NIGHT GAME ON PURPOSE TO HELP GET THE COUGARS READY FOR STATE TOURNAMENT PLAY IN FEBRUARY.
“THIS IS ONE OF OUR EMPHASIS THIS YEAR,” SAID GUARD KJ GARRETT, WHO SPARKED THE COUGARS WITH 20 POINTS, 6 ASSISTS, FIVE REBOUNDS AND FIVE STEALS. “LAST YEAR WE WERE 1-7 IN BACK-TO-BACKS. WE’RE CONCENTRATING ON BACK-TO-BACKS NOW. PREPARING FOR THEM IS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. IT’S WHAT WE DO.”
HPCA ORIGINALLY WAS SCHEDULED TO PLAY ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN IN A BOYS/GIRLS DOUBLE HEADER. BUT ASHEVILLE DECIDED IT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PLAY AND FAYETTEVILLE CHRISTIAN BECAME A REPLACEMENT FOR THE BOYS GAME.
SCORING ON SEVEN OF THEIR FIRST NINE POSSESSIONS, STARTING WITH THE FIRST THREE IN A ROW, HELPED HPCA GO UP 18-2 WITH 3:30 LEFT IN THE FIRST QUARTER. FAYETTEVILLE NEVER GOT CLOSER THAN SEVEN, THAT ON THREE OCCASIONS EARLY IN THE SECOND QUARTER.
ETHAN SMITH HIT FOUR 3S, ADDED 16 POINTS AND GRABBED SEVEN REBOUNDS FOR THE COUGARS (6-0). PJ UNDERHILL HAD EIGHT POINTS AND EIGHT REBOUNDS; AND MYLES ARCHIE ALSO CHIPPED IN EIGHT POINTS. ISAIAH SANDERS DISHED FIVE ASSISTS IN ADDITION TO SCORING FIVE POINTS.
THE PASSING WAS ON DISPLAY IN THE EARLY BURST THAT STARTED WITH BACK-TO-BACK 3S FROM SMITH AND SANDERS. GARRETT FOLLOWED WITH TWO DRIVES TO THE BASKET, MCINTOSH CANNED A 3, UNDERHILL FOLLOWED WITH A MISS AND GARRETT ADDED ANOTHER LAYUP, WAS FOULED AND SANK THE FREE THROW.
“OUR BALL MOVEMENT, MAKING THE EXTRA PASS, THAT PLAYED A BIG PART OF IT,” GARRETT SAID. “BEING UNSELFISH, THAT WAS A BIG PART OF IT. WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.”
FAYETTEVILLE (2-3), MEANWHILE, SCORED ON JUST ONE OF ITS FIRST EIGHT POSSESSIONS.
“THEIR SHOOTING ABILITY IS REALLY GOOD, SO WE HAD TO MAKE SURE WE HAD OUR HANDS OUT ON THEIR SHOOTERS,” GARRETT SAID.”WE DID A GOOD JOB ON THAT. AND THEN WE HAD GOOD EXECUTION ON THE OFFENSIVE END, HITTING THE RIGHT SPOTS AT THE RIGHT TIME.”
FAYETTEVILLE STARTED HITTING ENOUGH SHOTS LATE IN THE FIRST QUARTER AND EARLY IN THE SECOND THAT IT PULLED WITHIN SEVEN FOR THE FINAL TIME AT 26-19. HPCA THEN WENT ON AN 11-2 RUN THAT ENDED ON A BUCKET FOR A 39-21 ADVANTAGE WITH 3:30 LEFT IN THE SECOND QUARTER.
FAYETTEVILLE TRAILED 45-32 AT THE HALF AND THEN 47-35 AFTER A THREE-POINT PLAY EARLY IN THE THIRD QUARTER. HPCA RESPONDED WITH A 20-4 SPARKED BY SMITH AND GARRETT.
“WE WERE TRYING SOME THINGS ON DEFENSE IN THE SECOND QUARTER, BUT I LIKED THAT WE WERE SO RESILIENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND HALF,” COOPER SAID.
SMITH STARTED THE SURGE WITH A 3. GARRETT THEN CONVERTED ANOTHER THREE-POINT PLAY ON A DRIVE FOR A LAYUP AND FOUL SHOT. HE FOLLOWED THAT WITH A STEAL AND A DUNK. SMITH HIT ANOTHER 3, AND GARRETT DRAINED A RAINBOW 3.
‘WE’VE GOT GUYS THAT CAN HIT THE 3 AND SPREAD THE DEFENSE,” COOPER SAID.”AND, KJ IS SO DYNAMIC THAT HE CAN DRIVE AND MAKE THE DEFENSE COLLAPSE AND KICK IT TO THE CORNER. HE’S AN OFFENSE ALL BY HIMSELF.”
WHEN THE RUN ENDED AFTER THREE MORE BUCKETS, HPCA LED 67-39. THE LEAD PEAKED AT 72-41 WITH 33 SECONDS LEFT IN THE THIRD QUARTER.
“OUR ENERGY CARRIED US,” GARRETT SAID. “I GOT THE DUNK AND THE KICK-BACK 3. WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE A BIG HOLE AND THEY JUST COULDN’T GET OUT OF IT. OUR DEFENSE WAS WHAT CREATED THE RUN.
“I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET THE W. WE’RE 6-0 AND TRYING TO GET A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. SO, WE’RE JUST TRYING TO BUILD ON TOWARD THAT.”
FAYETTEVILLE MADE A BRIEF RUN EARLY IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, BUT THE COUGARS’ RESERVES STRETCHED THE MARGIN AT THE END. ALL 14 OF HPCA PLAYERS SAW ACTION AND 13 SCORED.
“COMING INTO TODAY, FOUR OF OUR FIVE GAMES HAD COME DOWN TO THE WIRE,” COOPER SAID.”WE WERE HAVING TO PLAY STARTERS ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF THE GAME. SO IT WAS GREAT FOR THE TEAM TO SEE DIFFERENT LOOKS AND GET SOME DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES.”
