Lady Chargers shackle Greenfield for third straight win
By Jimmy Lewis jlewis@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 | Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT
Brian Trull would much rather talk about his team’s defense.
But if the Wilson Christian varsity girls basketball team can continue this shooting touch from the outside, then the Lady Chargers just became that much more difficult to defeat in January and February.
Freshman Gracie Farmer was 4 for 6 from 3-point territory, and sophomore Jocelyn Bailey had four of Wilson Christian’s 12 steals as the pink-clad Lady Chargers rolled to their third straight victory with a 53-28 decision over county foe Greenfield School.
Leading 7-6 after one quarter of play, Wilson Christian, the defending North Carolina Christian School Association 2-A champion, used a 3-pointer from Farmer and a Bailey layup off a Greenfield turnover to spark a 7-2 run that served to give the hosts a manageable margin the rest of the way.
Both teams entered play short-handed in different capacities. Wilson Christian coasted to the runaway victory without the presence of senior guard and leading scorer Lea Gossett, while the Lady Knights were without the services of head coach Bruce Wall, who is under quarantine for the first few games of the season.
Through four contests, Wilson Christian has not allowed an opponent to score over 35 points — a needed recipe for a team that struggled to score in its first two outings.
“I’m very pleased with our defense,” Trull said. “We held another team under 30 points and we’re averaging less than 30 points allowed on the season. Regardless of whether or not that 3-point shot goes down, that’s going to keep us in a whole lot of games. I like the 3-point shot going down. Kate (Hoskins) can really shoot it and Gracie can really shoot it. So that gives us some weapons, for sure.”
Greenfield entered play with just seven bodies, several of which are new to the sport. That didn’t end well for the Lady Knights, who saw the ball end up primarily in the hands of dynamic point guard Serenity McNair. But Wilson Christian’s 1-2-2 defense made it difficult for McNair to penetrate with regularity, and the result was the Lady Knights taking a multitude of jump shots that were off the mark.
“I think defensively, we were really great tonight,” Bailey said. “It felt smooth and I felt that everyone was where they needed to be.”
Once the ball left McNair’s hands, Greenfield lacked any consistent second option to score with the perimeter game largely falling flat.
“We were able to flatten out on top and eliminate that,” Trull said of McNair’s dribble penetration. “I think she was a bit frustrated at the end and wanted to take some shots from the outside because she knew she wasn’t going to get inside. Our length gave her a good bit of trouble.”
That length at the top of the 1-2-2 defense alternated between 5-foot-11 sophomore forward Sophia Nesbit and the 5-10 Bailey. With Nesbit in and out due to foul trouble, Bailey stepped in and became the athletic engine that turned defense into offense.
“That’s what I would do,” Greenfield assistant coach Willie McNair said. “I would take away (Serenity McNair’s) penetration. I would pack it in. We’ve got to be able to knock down shots, that’s just what it is.”
Bailey finished with 12 points, seven assists, four steals and three rebounds.
“She’s strong with her left hand even though she’s right-handed,” Trull said of Bailey. “It gives us a lot of options on our offensive end.”
Wilson Christian led 23-12 at the half and limited Greenfield to just one field goal — a steal and layup from McNair — and a pair of free throws by Jeallen Holland to take a commanding 39-16 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Lady Chargers led by as many as 26 on sophomore Kate Hoskins’ layup in the fourth.
“The 1-2-2, we don’t practice much against that,” McNair said. “But I think we still improvised with it, and the coach did a good job of coming up with something for us to be able to get our shots. We had our shots; we did not make them. But it’s alright, that will come as the season continues.”
McNair led Greenfield with 13 points, with Holland chipping in 10.
Wilson Christian finished 21 of 50 from the floor for 42% accuracy. Farmer made one 3-pointer in each quarter, while Hoskins was 2 for 4 from long range.
Junior Hailey Carnes pulled down nine rebounds as senior Katelyn Parker had eight.
“We’re young,” Trull reminded. “Incredibly young. Jocelyn sophomore, Gracie freshman, Kate sophomore. A lot of youth, but as they get more experience and confidence, it’s just going to get better.”
GREENFIELD (28)
Dean 2, McNair 13, Holland 10, Parker 2, Suarez-Robles 1.
WILSON CHR. (53)
Farmer 12, Villaverde, Watson 1, Bailey 12, Parker 6, Hoskins 12, Carnes 4, Nesbit 2, Barnes 4, Willard.
Score by quarters:
Greenfield 6 6 4 12 — 28
Wilson Chr. 7 16 16 14 — 53
By Jimmy Lewis jlewis@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 | Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT
Brian Trull would much rather talk about his team’s defense.
But if the Wilson Christian varsity girls basketball team can continue this shooting touch from the outside, then the Lady Chargers just became that much more difficult to defeat in January and February.
Freshman Gracie Farmer was 4 for 6 from 3-point territory, and sophomore Jocelyn Bailey had four of Wilson Christian’s 12 steals as the pink-clad Lady Chargers rolled to their third straight victory with a 53-28 decision over county foe Greenfield School.
Leading 7-6 after one quarter of play, Wilson Christian, the defending North Carolina Christian School Association 2-A champion, used a 3-pointer from Farmer and a Bailey layup off a Greenfield turnover to spark a 7-2 run that served to give the hosts a manageable margin the rest of the way.
Both teams entered play short-handed in different capacities. Wilson Christian coasted to the runaway victory without the presence of senior guard and leading scorer Lea Gossett, while the Lady Knights were without the services of head coach Bruce Wall, who is under quarantine for the first few games of the season.
Through four contests, Wilson Christian has not allowed an opponent to score over 35 points — a needed recipe for a team that struggled to score in its first two outings.
“I’m very pleased with our defense,” Trull said. “We held another team under 30 points and we’re averaging less than 30 points allowed on the season. Regardless of whether or not that 3-point shot goes down, that’s going to keep us in a whole lot of games. I like the 3-point shot going down. Kate (Hoskins) can really shoot it and Gracie can really shoot it. So that gives us some weapons, for sure.”
Greenfield entered play with just seven bodies, several of which are new to the sport. That didn’t end well for the Lady Knights, who saw the ball end up primarily in the hands of dynamic point guard Serenity McNair. But Wilson Christian’s 1-2-2 defense made it difficult for McNair to penetrate with regularity, and the result was the Lady Knights taking a multitude of jump shots that were off the mark.
“I think defensively, we were really great tonight,” Bailey said. “It felt smooth and I felt that everyone was where they needed to be.”
Once the ball left McNair’s hands, Greenfield lacked any consistent second option to score with the perimeter game largely falling flat.
“We were able to flatten out on top and eliminate that,” Trull said of McNair’s dribble penetration. “I think she was a bit frustrated at the end and wanted to take some shots from the outside because she knew she wasn’t going to get inside. Our length gave her a good bit of trouble.”
That length at the top of the 1-2-2 defense alternated between 5-foot-11 sophomore forward Sophia Nesbit and the 5-10 Bailey. With Nesbit in and out due to foul trouble, Bailey stepped in and became the athletic engine that turned defense into offense.
“That’s what I would do,” Greenfield assistant coach Willie McNair said. “I would take away (Serenity McNair’s) penetration. I would pack it in. We’ve got to be able to knock down shots, that’s just what it is.”
Bailey finished with 12 points, seven assists, four steals and three rebounds.
“She’s strong with her left hand even though she’s right-handed,” Trull said of Bailey. “It gives us a lot of options on our offensive end.”
Wilson Christian led 23-12 at the half and limited Greenfield to just one field goal — a steal and layup from McNair — and a pair of free throws by Jeallen Holland to take a commanding 39-16 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Lady Chargers led by as many as 26 on sophomore Kate Hoskins’ layup in the fourth.
“The 1-2-2, we don’t practice much against that,” McNair said. “But I think we still improvised with it, and the coach did a good job of coming up with something for us to be able to get our shots. We had our shots; we did not make them. But it’s alright, that will come as the season continues.”
McNair led Greenfield with 13 points, with Holland chipping in 10.
Wilson Christian finished 21 of 50 from the floor for 42% accuracy. Farmer made one 3-pointer in each quarter, while Hoskins was 2 for 4 from long range.
Junior Hailey Carnes pulled down nine rebounds as senior Katelyn Parker had eight.
“We’re young,” Trull reminded. “Incredibly young. Jocelyn sophomore, Gracie freshman, Kate sophomore. A lot of youth, but as they get more experience and confidence, it’s just going to get better.”
GREENFIELD (28)
Dean 2, McNair 13, Holland 10, Parker 2, Suarez-Robles 1.
WILSON CHR. (53)
Farmer 12, Villaverde, Watson 1, Bailey 12, Parker 6, Hoskins 12, Carnes 4, Nesbit 2, Barnes 4, Willard.
Score by quarters:
Greenfield 6 6 4 12 — 28
Wilson Chr. 7 16 16 14 — 53
