HPCA girls outlast Oak Grove in Sheetz semis
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Dec 28, 2022 Updated 4 hrs ago
HIGH POINT — Oak Grove made plays to pull even late, but High Point Christian made just a few more to win the game.
The Cougars, forcing turnovers and hitting a handful of pivotal shots, scored seven straight points in the fourth quarter to tip the balance their way and beat the Grizzlies 56-49 in the girls semifinals of the Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic basketball tournament Wednesday at Southwest.
“It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to come up with a win,” HPCA coach Brittany Drew said. “We showed some fight and showed some grit.”
Nadiya Hairston scored 16 points to lead the Cougars (9-5), who will face perennial tournament contender Southwest Guilford tonight at 6 in the finals. Kylie Torrence followed with 14 points, while Angel Walker had nine points. Courtney Taylor and Amaya Glenn each chipped in six points.
“It feels pretty good,” said Hairston, a senior guard. “Last year we didn’t get a win in this round. So, hopefully we can execute in the championship and do what we need to do.”
HPCA — after leading by six in the second quarter and by seven in the third — trailed by three heading to the fourth. But it quickly regained the lead two minutes in, following baskets by Courtney Taylor and Torrence.
The teams went back and forth inside the final four minutes of the game — with the score tied 45-45 with 3:53 left. Torrence hit a jumper with 3:43 left and Hairston followed with a tough layup with 1:40 left for a four-point lead.
Free throws by Taylor and Walker pushed the Cougars’ advantage to seven with 42.2 seconds left. Meanwhile, HPCA’s defense forced turnovers on four straight possessions and Oak Grove missed two free throws.
“I think we all just knew we wanted to win that game,” Hairston said. “So, we kind of did what we needed to do. We really locked down on defense, and that kind of helped us get the lead.”
Zaire Jones provided a strong inside presence, scoring 18 points, while Haley Long, running the court and hitting from outside, added 12 points for the Grizzlies (6-5), who will take on Glenn in the third-place game at 3. Avery Ray added 10 points while Trista Charles had nine.
“We didn’t play the best we could,” said Oak Grove coach Sissy Rausch, who had two of her top players foul out in the final minute. “We missed a lot of chippies. I think we felt the pressure. Our perception was the calls weren’t going our way, so the girls got a little flustered.”
The Grizzlies hung with one of the top teams in the area for much of the game, highlighted by a 14-4 run to close the third quarter. But just an untimely dry spell in the final minutes shifted the outcome.
“Everything just got a little bit stagnant,” Rausch said. “We weren’t moving the ball as well. So, we didn’t get shots — and we missed a lot in the fourth quarter. I’m picturing four just in the last four minutes that should’ve gone in. And we were called for a walk, which wasn’t a walk. Just stuff like that threw us off.”
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Dec 28, 2022 Updated 4 hrs ago
HIGH POINT — Oak Grove made plays to pull even late, but High Point Christian made just a few more to win the game.
The Cougars, forcing turnovers and hitting a handful of pivotal shots, scored seven straight points in the fourth quarter to tip the balance their way and beat the Grizzlies 56-49 in the girls semifinals of the Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic basketball tournament Wednesday at Southwest.
“It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to come up with a win,” HPCA coach Brittany Drew said. “We showed some fight and showed some grit.”
Nadiya Hairston scored 16 points to lead the Cougars (9-5), who will face perennial tournament contender Southwest Guilford tonight at 6 in the finals. Kylie Torrence followed with 14 points, while Angel Walker had nine points. Courtney Taylor and Amaya Glenn each chipped in six points.
“It feels pretty good,” said Hairston, a senior guard. “Last year we didn’t get a win in this round. So, hopefully we can execute in the championship and do what we need to do.”
HPCA — after leading by six in the second quarter and by seven in the third — trailed by three heading to the fourth. But it quickly regained the lead two minutes in, following baskets by Courtney Taylor and Torrence.
The teams went back and forth inside the final four minutes of the game — with the score tied 45-45 with 3:53 left. Torrence hit a jumper with 3:43 left and Hairston followed with a tough layup with 1:40 left for a four-point lead.
Free throws by Taylor and Walker pushed the Cougars’ advantage to seven with 42.2 seconds left. Meanwhile, HPCA’s defense forced turnovers on four straight possessions and Oak Grove missed two free throws.
“I think we all just knew we wanted to win that game,” Hairston said. “So, we kind of did what we needed to do. We really locked down on defense, and that kind of helped us get the lead.”
Zaire Jones provided a strong inside presence, scoring 18 points, while Haley Long, running the court and hitting from outside, added 12 points for the Grizzlies (6-5), who will take on Glenn in the third-place game at 3. Avery Ray added 10 points while Trista Charles had nine.
“We didn’t play the best we could,” said Oak Grove coach Sissy Rausch, who had two of her top players foul out in the final minute. “We missed a lot of chippies. I think we felt the pressure. Our perception was the calls weren’t going our way, so the girls got a little flustered.”
The Grizzlies hung with one of the top teams in the area for much of the game, highlighted by a 14-4 run to close the third quarter. But just an untimely dry spell in the final minutes shifted the outcome.
“Everything just got a little bit stagnant,” Rausch said. “We weren’t moving the ball as well. So, we didn’t get shots — and we missed a lot in the fourth quarter. I’m picturing four just in the last four minutes that should’ve gone in. And we were called for a walk, which wasn’t a walk. Just stuff like that threw us off.”
