Cougars earn split with Greensboro Day
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Jan 27, 2023 Updated 1 hr ago
HIGH POINT – High Point Christian was again neck-and-neck with one of the top teams in the state. But Greensboro Day again escaped with a hard-fought win.
The Cougars built a sizable lead early but fell behind double digits late, going cold during a couple pivotal stretches. They stayed within reach in the final seconds before falling to the Bengals 45-40 in PTAC boys basketball Friday night at HPCA.
In the girls game, HPCA – hitting shots and playing strong defense – raced ahead in the first half, continued to pull away and rolled past Greensboro Day 52-29.
“I wanted to see us take a step forward, and I definitely saw that tonight,” Cougars boys coach Joseph Cooper said. “We competed. They’re a lot bigger than us, and for us a big point of emphasis for us was physicality and competing.
“We definitely did that. Obviously we’ve got to shoot the ball better from the free-throw line. We also missed a lot of point-blank shots, especially in that third quarter. But we’re right there both times we’ve played them. We just have to get over the hump.”
Isaiah Sanders – who left with a hand or arm injury with two minutes left in the game and didn’t return – scored 10 points to lead HPCA (14-12 overall, 3-3 conference), ranked No. 93 in the state overall and No. 7 among NCISAA 3A teams. Benny Limbacher and Adam Grier each added nine points.
The Cougars, who shot 31% from the field for the game while the Bengals shot 43%, led by six in the first quarter and extended it to eight midway through the second. But GDS pulled even at 19-19 into halftime. HPCA still led with 3:20 left in the third before the Benglas scored the final eight points of the quarter to lead 33-26.
GDS – which struggled with 16 turnovers while HPCA had six – extended its lead to 10 with 3:14 left in the game after the Cougars came up empty on four of their first five possessions of the fourth, including back-to-back trips on which they missed a tough layup and then the follow at the basket.
HPCA, which missed all seven of its free-throw attempts in the fourth, did rally – getting as close as four with 54 seconds left and again with 10 seconds left. But the Bengals, ranked No. 11 in the state overall and No. 2 in the NCISAA 3A, hit four of their final six free throws to stay just far enough ahead.
Jaydon Young scored 19 points while Joseph Bachman added 10 points to lead GDS (25-3, 6-0), which won the team’s previous game 46-43 earlier this month.
“They’re playing against big-team players,” Cooper said. “Adam Grier was just guarded for four quarters by a kid going to Virginia Tech. So, this should give them a lot more confidence. And hopefully down the stretch we’ll be a lot more confident for it.”
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer Jan 27, 2023 Updated 1 hr ago
HIGH POINT – High Point Christian was again neck-and-neck with one of the top teams in the state. But Greensboro Day again escaped with a hard-fought win.
The Cougars built a sizable lead early but fell behind double digits late, going cold during a couple pivotal stretches. They stayed within reach in the final seconds before falling to the Bengals 45-40 in PTAC boys basketball Friday night at HPCA.
In the girls game, HPCA – hitting shots and playing strong defense – raced ahead in the first half, continued to pull away and rolled past Greensboro Day 52-29.
“I wanted to see us take a step forward, and I definitely saw that tonight,” Cougars boys coach Joseph Cooper said. “We competed. They’re a lot bigger than us, and for us a big point of emphasis for us was physicality and competing.
“We definitely did that. Obviously we’ve got to shoot the ball better from the free-throw line. We also missed a lot of point-blank shots, especially in that third quarter. But we’re right there both times we’ve played them. We just have to get over the hump.”
Isaiah Sanders – who left with a hand or arm injury with two minutes left in the game and didn’t return – scored 10 points to lead HPCA (14-12 overall, 3-3 conference), ranked No. 93 in the state overall and No. 7 among NCISAA 3A teams. Benny Limbacher and Adam Grier each added nine points.
The Cougars, who shot 31% from the field for the game while the Bengals shot 43%, led by six in the first quarter and extended it to eight midway through the second. But GDS pulled even at 19-19 into halftime. HPCA still led with 3:20 left in the third before the Benglas scored the final eight points of the quarter to lead 33-26.
GDS – which struggled with 16 turnovers while HPCA had six – extended its lead to 10 with 3:14 left in the game after the Cougars came up empty on four of their first five possessions of the fourth, including back-to-back trips on which they missed a tough layup and then the follow at the basket.
HPCA, which missed all seven of its free-throw attempts in the fourth, did rally – getting as close as four with 54 seconds left and again with 10 seconds left. But the Bengals, ranked No. 11 in the state overall and No. 2 in the NCISAA 3A, hit four of their final six free throws to stay just far enough ahead.
Jaydon Young scored 19 points while Joseph Bachman added 10 points to lead GDS (25-3, 6-0), which won the team’s previous game 46-43 earlier this month.
“They’re playing against big-team players,” Cooper said. “Adam Grier was just guarded for four quarters by a kid going to Virginia Tech. So, this should give them a lot more confidence. And hopefully down the stretch we’ll be a lot more confident for it.”
