Knights falter against Fayetteville Academy in Christmas tourney final
By Tom Ham hammer@wilsontimes.com | 265-7819
The Greenfield School varsity boys basketball team realized it faced a stern championship-game task against a tall and talented Fayetteville Academy team that featured 6-foot senior guard John Michael Wright.
And when their star junior guard Creighton Lebo was whistled for his fourth foul in the opening moments of the third quarter, the Knights knew they were in trouble.
With Wright being proclaimed the most valuable player, Fayetteville, despite the availability of just six players, wrecked Greenfield’s bid to repeat as the Greenfield Christmas Tournament champion by a 79-61 margin Saturday night.
The Eagles captured their second Greenfield holiday title in the last three years. Fayetteville prevailed in 2016 — when Wright was a sophomore — but was handily defeated by Greenfield in the final last year — when Wright played for Northwood High and Bill Boyette wasn’t the head coach.
A member of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 2-A ranks, Fayetteville vaulted to 10-2, while the Knights of the 1-A NCISAA ranks dipped to 10-3.
The Eagles competed with only five players available after the first two minutes with 6-3 senior Cam Billups hobbled by an ankle injury. Senior Drayton Smith, who played a total of five minutes in the Eagles’ first 11 games, played the rest of the way — contributing six points and mistake-free minutes.
“We’d had a lot of adversity but we felt good about it coming in,” Wright insisted. “If we played hard and slowed the game down, we had a good chance of winning. We played great; defense was our main focus. We knew, if we locked down on defense, the offense would take care of itself.”
Added Boyette: “That was a pretty good accomplishment under a lot of adversity. We are getting to the point that we believe in each other and trust each other defensively, We kept our composure most of the night.”
Greenfield’s mission was, obviously, to leave the Eagles weary and ragged.
“Fayetteville is a great team,” expressed veteran Greenfield head coach Rob Salter. “Their size really bothered us. We did a good job of making them tired, but they kept on making great plays.”
In the third quarter, the Knights finally succeeded in their strategy to keep the ball out of Wright’s hands and effectively trapped on inbounds plays. Greenfield axed Fayetteville’s biggest lead of 49-27 to 51-40 with Lebo on the bench. Jacari Outlaw, a 6-5 junior; junior Dji Bailey and junior Collin Guilford picked up the offensive pace.
“Our wing guy was coming too far out,” Wright explained the Eagles’ problems against the trap. “Once we brought him in a little, it was easy to pass out of the trap.”
But the Eagles still rattled and, with Lebo back on the floor, Greenfield chopped the deficit to 64-55 midway the final quarter. But Wright swished two free throws and Smith got free underneath against the press and the Eagles took command.
“We were worried about fatigue and fouls,” Wright admitted. “We told our big men to keep their hands up and take charges. We were straight then. I was not too worried because the clock was on our side.”
Wright dazzled with 26 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. He poured in 82 points in the three tournament games.
“I didn’t come in with the mindset of winning (MVP),” Wright said. “But now that I got it, it’s a good accomplishment. It feels great; it’s something I can put on the shelf.”
Williams Onyeodi, a 6-5 senior, poured in 20 points and claimed 10 rebounds. Emmanuel Izunabor, a 6-8 senior, added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Walter Ghaffar, a 6-2 sophomore, netted 14 points. The Eagles ruled the backboards, 31-17.
Outlaw wound up with 15 points, four rebounds and four assists for Greenfield. Lebo tossed in 15 points and junior Jordan Lynch 11.
Wright was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Onyeodi and Izunabor and Greenfield’s Lebo and Lynch.
“Losing (Lebo) was huge,” Salter lamented. “He’s our rock along with Jacari. That hurt us badly. He was getting where he wanted offensively and is one of our best defenders.”
Lebo drilled in Greenfield’s first eight points and was joined by Lynch in accounting for the Knights’ first 13. The Knights led for the first time at 11-8 on Lynch’s 3-pointer.
But Izunabor’s dunk with 3.6 seconds showing staked the Eagles to a 17-15 first-quarter lead. Greenfield would not lead again.
The Eagles, 12 of 18 from the foul line the first half, pushed the lead to 26--18 and, up 32-23, finished the first half out front 32-23 on Ghaffar’s bucket off a steal, Wright’s 3-pointer and a pair of foul tosses from Ghaffar with 38 seconds showing.
“We wanted to push tempo and do a good job of pressing,” Salter explained. “We didn’t want to slow them down, but we slowed ourselves down. Our transition offense was not good and we didn’t keep the pressure on them.
“We didn’t make a lot of first-half shots (Lebo and Lynch combined for 21 of the 23 points). And when we got it down to nine, we didn’t get the ball into the right hands. That was a big possession.”
FAYETTEVILLE ACADEMY (79)
Wright 26, Billups, Onyeodi 20, Izunabar 13, Ghaffar 14, Smith 6.
GREENFIELD (61)
Bailey 4, Outlaw 15, Pittman 2, Lebo 15, Baker 4, Lynch 11, Foster 2, Guilford 8.
Score by quarters:
Fayetteville 17 22 19 21 — 79
Greenfield 15 8 17 21 — 61
By Tom Ham hammer@wilsontimes.com | 265-7819
The Greenfield School varsity boys basketball team realized it faced a stern championship-game task against a tall and talented Fayetteville Academy team that featured 6-foot senior guard John Michael Wright.
And when their star junior guard Creighton Lebo was whistled for his fourth foul in the opening moments of the third quarter, the Knights knew they were in trouble.
With Wright being proclaimed the most valuable player, Fayetteville, despite the availability of just six players, wrecked Greenfield’s bid to repeat as the Greenfield Christmas Tournament champion by a 79-61 margin Saturday night.
The Eagles captured their second Greenfield holiday title in the last three years. Fayetteville prevailed in 2016 — when Wright was a sophomore — but was handily defeated by Greenfield in the final last year — when Wright played for Northwood High and Bill Boyette wasn’t the head coach.
A member of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 2-A ranks, Fayetteville vaulted to 10-2, while the Knights of the 1-A NCISAA ranks dipped to 10-3.
The Eagles competed with only five players available after the first two minutes with 6-3 senior Cam Billups hobbled by an ankle injury. Senior Drayton Smith, who played a total of five minutes in the Eagles’ first 11 games, played the rest of the way — contributing six points and mistake-free minutes.
“We’d had a lot of adversity but we felt good about it coming in,” Wright insisted. “If we played hard and slowed the game down, we had a good chance of winning. We played great; defense was our main focus. We knew, if we locked down on defense, the offense would take care of itself.”
Added Boyette: “That was a pretty good accomplishment under a lot of adversity. We are getting to the point that we believe in each other and trust each other defensively, We kept our composure most of the night.”
Greenfield’s mission was, obviously, to leave the Eagles weary and ragged.
“Fayetteville is a great team,” expressed veteran Greenfield head coach Rob Salter. “Their size really bothered us. We did a good job of making them tired, but they kept on making great plays.”
In the third quarter, the Knights finally succeeded in their strategy to keep the ball out of Wright’s hands and effectively trapped on inbounds plays. Greenfield axed Fayetteville’s biggest lead of 49-27 to 51-40 with Lebo on the bench. Jacari Outlaw, a 6-5 junior; junior Dji Bailey and junior Collin Guilford picked up the offensive pace.
“Our wing guy was coming too far out,” Wright explained the Eagles’ problems against the trap. “Once we brought him in a little, it was easy to pass out of the trap.”
But the Eagles still rattled and, with Lebo back on the floor, Greenfield chopped the deficit to 64-55 midway the final quarter. But Wright swished two free throws and Smith got free underneath against the press and the Eagles took command.
“We were worried about fatigue and fouls,” Wright admitted. “We told our big men to keep their hands up and take charges. We were straight then. I was not too worried because the clock was on our side.”
Wright dazzled with 26 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. He poured in 82 points in the three tournament games.
“I didn’t come in with the mindset of winning (MVP),” Wright said. “But now that I got it, it’s a good accomplishment. It feels great; it’s something I can put on the shelf.”
Williams Onyeodi, a 6-5 senior, poured in 20 points and claimed 10 rebounds. Emmanuel Izunabor, a 6-8 senior, added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Walter Ghaffar, a 6-2 sophomore, netted 14 points. The Eagles ruled the backboards, 31-17.
Outlaw wound up with 15 points, four rebounds and four assists for Greenfield. Lebo tossed in 15 points and junior Jordan Lynch 11.
Wright was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Onyeodi and Izunabor and Greenfield’s Lebo and Lynch.
“Losing (Lebo) was huge,” Salter lamented. “He’s our rock along with Jacari. That hurt us badly. He was getting where he wanted offensively and is one of our best defenders.”
Lebo drilled in Greenfield’s first eight points and was joined by Lynch in accounting for the Knights’ first 13. The Knights led for the first time at 11-8 on Lynch’s 3-pointer.
But Izunabor’s dunk with 3.6 seconds showing staked the Eagles to a 17-15 first-quarter lead. Greenfield would not lead again.
The Eagles, 12 of 18 from the foul line the first half, pushed the lead to 26--18 and, up 32-23, finished the first half out front 32-23 on Ghaffar’s bucket off a steal, Wright’s 3-pointer and a pair of foul tosses from Ghaffar with 38 seconds showing.
“We wanted to push tempo and do a good job of pressing,” Salter explained. “We didn’t want to slow them down, but we slowed ourselves down. Our transition offense was not good and we didn’t keep the pressure on them.
“We didn’t make a lot of first-half shots (Lebo and Lynch combined for 21 of the 23 points). And when we got it down to nine, we didn’t get the ball into the right hands. That was a big possession.”
FAYETTEVILLE ACADEMY (79)
Wright 26, Billups, Onyeodi 20, Izunabar 13, Ghaffar 14, Smith 6.
GREENFIELD (61)
Bailey 4, Outlaw 15, Pittman 2, Lebo 15, Baker 4, Lynch 11, Foster 2, Guilford 8.
Score by quarters:
Fayetteville 17 22 19 21 — 79
Greenfield 15 8 17 21 — 61
