The Nickel stops here
Greenfield’s defense sparks 59-54 win over Northwood
By Tom Ham hammer@wilsontimes.com | 265-7819
The Greenfield School gym showcased two of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A’s top five teams and one of the NCISAA’s brightest stars Saturday afternoon.
Amid anticipation of a spectacular shootout, defense and desire, however, proved the difference.
No. 2-ranked Greenfield grinded to a 59-54 conquest of 6-foot-5 senior Josh Nickelberry and his No. 5-ranked Northwood Temple of Fayetteville team.
The Knights, in posting their 15th win against four losses, took command with a 9-0 spree midway through the fourth quarter that erased a 46-45 deficit and sent Northwood Temple to its eighth loss against 11 wins.
Both teams were playing for the third time during the week and the Eagles were coming off a victory against No. 1-ranked Trinity Christian the previous evening.
“A huge win but not a pretty win,” remarked veteran Greenfield head coach Rob Salter. “Both teams have had a tough week. We just played terrific defense; we made them work for everything.”
Responded Northwood Temple head coach James Strong: “I saw some tired bodies. It didn’t look like we got the rest we needed. Coach Rob and his team did a good job of fighting back. A lot of 50-50 balls went the other way. Either Greenfield wanted it more or they were fresher.”
Nickelberry, headed to the University of Louisville, managed a game-high 27 points. But the Knights rotation of 6-5 junior Jacari Outlaw, junior Dji Bailey, junior Colin Guilford and junior Jordan Lynch hounded Nickelberry throughout. In the final quarter, the Knights forced Nickelberry into a couple of turnovers and a trio of all-but-impossible shots.
Did Nickelberry try to do too much?
“We live with that,” Strong answered. “He is such a great player that we don’t want to stop him from being aggressive. We ride his back.”
Behind junior Jamael Akeem Harvey and 6-10 senior Brandon Franklin, the Eagles snapped a 40-40 tie with the first three points of the final quarter.
But Outlaw’s three-point play vaulted the Knights ahead for keeps at 48-46 with five minutes, 33 seconds remaining. Outlaw ignited the 9-0 spree that included a 3-pointer from junior Creighton Lebo and a field goal and a free throw from Guilford.
Northwood Temple pulled as close as four points and the Knights survived a bucket and two free throws from Nickelberry with two free throws each from Guilford and Lebo in the final 28.5 seconds.
“This was a really important win for us,” declared 6-5 Greenfield junior Trey Pittman. “It will help us late in the season to see that we can win a big game when we don’t shoot well.”
Neither team lit it up. The Knights went 22 of 56 from the floor (39 percent) and 5 of 25 from 3-point range, while Northwood Temple was 18 of 48 (37 percent) and 3 of 17, respectively. Both teams claimed 33 rebounds.
Pittman triggered Greenfield with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Guilford and Lebo each canned 12 points.
For the Eagles, Nickelberry snared 11 rebounds and Harvey tossed in 15 points.
With the performance, Nickelberry eclipsed 2,500 career points and, with 2,504, moved into eighth place all-time among North Carolina high school boys basketball scorers.
“We wanted to deny (Nickelberry) the basketball and make him make tough shots,” Salter explained. “I thought we did a really good job.”
Lebo scrambled for a putback to stake the Knights to a 23-19 halftime lead.
Ignited by Pittman, Greenfield responded with its most impressive stretch in the third quarter. A 9-0 tear provided the Knights their largest lead of 32-21. Pittman stuffed in six of the points and Bailey nailed a 3-point shot. Pittman wound up with 10 points in the quarter, finishing putbacks on four occasions.
“Trey was just terrific,” Salter clamored. “He’s got a knack for rebounding the ball, especially on the offensive glass. That’s the fourth straight game he’s had double figures in rebounds.”
Said Pittman: “It was the third game of the week and we needed energy. We needed to pull out the win. I was just boxing out, being physical and sneaking onto the offensive glass and grabbing rebounds and tips.”
But Nickelberry went on a tear and the Eagles finally knotted the score at 40-40 to end the third quarter on Harvey’s bucket at the buzzer.
“But we were a tired team and we really had a couple of turnovers that hurt us in the fourth quarter,” Strong noted.
Salter praised Greenfield’s grit.
“We stepped up and showed toughness,” he commended. “When you are not shooting well, that’s what you’ve got to do.”
NORTHWOOD TEMPLE (54)
Bradford, Page 2, Sepulveda 2, Harvey 15, Carter, Nickelberry 27, Axel 1, Franklin 5, Young 2.
GREENFIELD (59)
Pittman 15, Bailey 6, Guilford 12, Outlaw 8, Lebo 12, Lynch 4, Baker, Foster 2.
Score by quarters:
Northwood Temple 12 7 21 14 — 54
Greenfield 11 12 17 19 — 59
Greenfield’s defense sparks 59-54 win over Northwood
By Tom Ham hammer@wilsontimes.com | 265-7819
The Greenfield School gym showcased two of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A’s top five teams and one of the NCISAA’s brightest stars Saturday afternoon.
Amid anticipation of a spectacular shootout, defense and desire, however, proved the difference.
No. 2-ranked Greenfield grinded to a 59-54 conquest of 6-foot-5 senior Josh Nickelberry and his No. 5-ranked Northwood Temple of Fayetteville team.
The Knights, in posting their 15th win against four losses, took command with a 9-0 spree midway through the fourth quarter that erased a 46-45 deficit and sent Northwood Temple to its eighth loss against 11 wins.
Both teams were playing for the third time during the week and the Eagles were coming off a victory against No. 1-ranked Trinity Christian the previous evening.
“A huge win but not a pretty win,” remarked veteran Greenfield head coach Rob Salter. “Both teams have had a tough week. We just played terrific defense; we made them work for everything.”
Responded Northwood Temple head coach James Strong: “I saw some tired bodies. It didn’t look like we got the rest we needed. Coach Rob and his team did a good job of fighting back. A lot of 50-50 balls went the other way. Either Greenfield wanted it more or they were fresher.”
Nickelberry, headed to the University of Louisville, managed a game-high 27 points. But the Knights rotation of 6-5 junior Jacari Outlaw, junior Dji Bailey, junior Colin Guilford and junior Jordan Lynch hounded Nickelberry throughout. In the final quarter, the Knights forced Nickelberry into a couple of turnovers and a trio of all-but-impossible shots.
Did Nickelberry try to do too much?
“We live with that,” Strong answered. “He is such a great player that we don’t want to stop him from being aggressive. We ride his back.”
Behind junior Jamael Akeem Harvey and 6-10 senior Brandon Franklin, the Eagles snapped a 40-40 tie with the first three points of the final quarter.
But Outlaw’s three-point play vaulted the Knights ahead for keeps at 48-46 with five minutes, 33 seconds remaining. Outlaw ignited the 9-0 spree that included a 3-pointer from junior Creighton Lebo and a field goal and a free throw from Guilford.
Northwood Temple pulled as close as four points and the Knights survived a bucket and two free throws from Nickelberry with two free throws each from Guilford and Lebo in the final 28.5 seconds.
“This was a really important win for us,” declared 6-5 Greenfield junior Trey Pittman. “It will help us late in the season to see that we can win a big game when we don’t shoot well.”
Neither team lit it up. The Knights went 22 of 56 from the floor (39 percent) and 5 of 25 from 3-point range, while Northwood Temple was 18 of 48 (37 percent) and 3 of 17, respectively. Both teams claimed 33 rebounds.
Pittman triggered Greenfield with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Guilford and Lebo each canned 12 points.
For the Eagles, Nickelberry snared 11 rebounds and Harvey tossed in 15 points.
With the performance, Nickelberry eclipsed 2,500 career points and, with 2,504, moved into eighth place all-time among North Carolina high school boys basketball scorers.
“We wanted to deny (Nickelberry) the basketball and make him make tough shots,” Salter explained. “I thought we did a really good job.”
Lebo scrambled for a putback to stake the Knights to a 23-19 halftime lead.
Ignited by Pittman, Greenfield responded with its most impressive stretch in the third quarter. A 9-0 tear provided the Knights their largest lead of 32-21. Pittman stuffed in six of the points and Bailey nailed a 3-point shot. Pittman wound up with 10 points in the quarter, finishing putbacks on four occasions.
“Trey was just terrific,” Salter clamored. “He’s got a knack for rebounding the ball, especially on the offensive glass. That’s the fourth straight game he’s had double figures in rebounds.”
Said Pittman: “It was the third game of the week and we needed energy. We needed to pull out the win. I was just boxing out, being physical and sneaking onto the offensive glass and grabbing rebounds and tips.”
But Nickelberry went on a tear and the Eagles finally knotted the score at 40-40 to end the third quarter on Harvey’s bucket at the buzzer.
“But we were a tired team and we really had a couple of turnovers that hurt us in the fourth quarter,” Strong noted.
Salter praised Greenfield’s grit.
“We stepped up and showed toughness,” he commended. “When you are not shooting well, that’s what you’ve got to do.”
NORTHWOOD TEMPLE (54)
Bradford, Page 2, Sepulveda 2, Harvey 15, Carter, Nickelberry 27, Axel 1, Franklin 5, Young 2.
GREENFIELD (59)
Pittman 15, Bailey 6, Guilford 12, Outlaw 8, Lebo 12, Lynch 4, Baker, Foster 2.
Score by quarters:
Northwood Temple 12 7 21 14 — 54
Greenfield 11 12 17 19 — 59
