Forest Trail trips Wesleyan
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — Wesleyan Christian fell behind early but continued to fight against a good team.
The Trojans trailed by 20 at halftime but kept it even in the second half as they fell 69-50 against Forest Trail in girls basketball Monday in the MLK Showcase at Wesleyan.
“We knew it was going to be tough,” Wesleyan coach Matt McCarthy said. “I don’t think we were prepared in the first half for the speed of the game. But the bigger issue in the first half was that I don’t think we, as a team, thought we could play with them. But in the second half we adjusted well and we won the half.
“They were trapping us and it was the same girls in the second half as it was in the first half. But we played with a lot more confidence. So, I was really happy – we played a great second half of basketball. And playing a team like this is only going to prepare us for the future.”
Shaniya Jones scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Trojans (15-5), one of the top private-school teams in the area who are looking to contend atop the NCISAA 3A this season. Kayla Darr added 10 points, hitting three 3-pointers, while Nicole Mackey chipped in eight points.
Wesleyan struggled early with turnovers and missed shots, falling behind 13-4 on an 11-0 run by the Golden Knights and trailing 16-8 at the end of the first quarter. Forest Trail pushed its lead to 36-16 at halftime and got it to as large as 28 points with 3:11 left in the third.
But the Trojans, trailing 53-32 heading to the fourth, chipped away at their deficit – getting as close as 17 points early in the fourth. They outscored the Golden Knights, who are coached by former Wake Forest standout Delaney Rudd, 34-33 in the second half and 21-8 from the foul line for the game
“It’s a big boost,” Jones said of the team’s second-half performance. “Normally, we might’ve been beaten by more than that. So, it was good to see us find a way to come together and come back against a hard team.”
Jordan Tuff, Leah Church — who made four of her team’s nine 3s — and Ashlyn Hampton each finished with 12 points to lead Forest Trail, which is a member of the National Independent Athletic Association and has played a number of nationally ranked teams.
Wesleyan plays a nonconference game Thursday at home against Calvary Day before starting a string of PACIS games Jan. 24 at Greensboro Day.
“The biggest problem with this team is that, if you look at the games we’ve lost, it’s a matter of playing four quarters against teams that are traditionally solid,” McCarthy said. “And it’s always the first half. I do think this carries a little momentum. But we have to take bthat second half into the first quarter in the future.
“I think repetition builds confidence,” he said. “So, there are a few things that we’ll just have to work a little bit harder on, get a little bit better at. We missed 10 free throws, and you can’t compete with high-level teams shooting like that from the free-throw line. … I do think we’re
battle-ready — and this is why we schedule these games. If we can put four quarters together, then we’ll be just fine.”
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — Wesleyan Christian fell behind early but continued to fight against a good team.
The Trojans trailed by 20 at halftime but kept it even in the second half as they fell 69-50 against Forest Trail in girls basketball Monday in the MLK Showcase at Wesleyan.
“We knew it was going to be tough,” Wesleyan coach Matt McCarthy said. “I don’t think we were prepared in the first half for the speed of the game. But the bigger issue in the first half was that I don’t think we, as a team, thought we could play with them. But in the second half we adjusted well and we won the half.
“They were trapping us and it was the same girls in the second half as it was in the first half. But we played with a lot more confidence. So, I was really happy – we played a great second half of basketball. And playing a team like this is only going to prepare us for the future.”
Shaniya Jones scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Trojans (15-5), one of the top private-school teams in the area who are looking to contend atop the NCISAA 3A this season. Kayla Darr added 10 points, hitting three 3-pointers, while Nicole Mackey chipped in eight points.
Wesleyan struggled early with turnovers and missed shots, falling behind 13-4 on an 11-0 run by the Golden Knights and trailing 16-8 at the end of the first quarter. Forest Trail pushed its lead to 36-16 at halftime and got it to as large as 28 points with 3:11 left in the third.
But the Trojans, trailing 53-32 heading to the fourth, chipped away at their deficit – getting as close as 17 points early in the fourth. They outscored the Golden Knights, who are coached by former Wake Forest standout Delaney Rudd, 34-33 in the second half and 21-8 from the foul line for the game
“It’s a big boost,” Jones said of the team’s second-half performance. “Normally, we might’ve been beaten by more than that. So, it was good to see us find a way to come together and come back against a hard team.”
Jordan Tuff, Leah Church — who made four of her team’s nine 3s — and Ashlyn Hampton each finished with 12 points to lead Forest Trail, which is a member of the National Independent Athletic Association and has played a number of nationally ranked teams.
Wesleyan plays a nonconference game Thursday at home against Calvary Day before starting a string of PACIS games Jan. 24 at Greensboro Day.
“The biggest problem with this team is that, if you look at the games we’ve lost, it’s a matter of playing four quarters against teams that are traditionally solid,” McCarthy said. “And it’s always the first half. I do think this carries a little momentum. But we have to take bthat second half into the first quarter in the future.
“I think repetition builds confidence,” he said. “So, there are a few things that we’ll just have to work a little bit harder on, get a little bit better at. We missed 10 free throws, and you can’t compete with high-level teams shooting like that from the free-throw line. … I do think we’re
battle-ready — and this is why we schedule these games. If we can put four quarters together, then we’ll be just fine.”
