KVA grinds out sloppy win on senior night
By Brandon White bwhite@henderson
Head coach Brandon Dickerson anticipated KVA having some issues following the Thanksgiving break, but he said there are many things his players need to improve on if they want to win more games before the end of the year.
“We’ll always take the win,” Dickerson said. “We’ve got a lot of things to clean up, but this is the first time that we’ve been back in action for some time. There was a little rust we had to get out tonight, but I think we’ll be fine.”
St. Thomas More had to use an early timeout after KVA started the game with a 6-0 run. KVA proceeded to go cold with their shooting following the stoppage, which enabled St. Thomas More to tie the game at 9-9 at the end of the first quarter.
After a 3 from senior Joel Lewis put the Spartans out in front, each side struggled to develop cohesion in regards to perimeter shooting. KVA appeared to take control of the game by building a five-point advantage, only for St. Thomas More to surge ahead and enter the locker room up 18-16.
“When you go on a break, the shots aren’t going to fall,” Dickerson said. “You just have to keep shooting with confidence, but I thought our issues were more a result of our effort not being there.”
The third quarter closely mirrored the second with KVA and St. Thomas More failing to take advantage of several open looks around the net. But an improved defensive performance from KVA proved to be crucial in them taking a 26-24 lead heading into the final quarter. A handful of baskets from Lewis during the final eight minutes of regulation was enough for the Spartans to take control of the game and hold on for the win, which improved their overall record to 2-1 on the season.
Lewis led his team in scoring with 13 points, while fellow senior Chance Murphy followed him with eight points. The other two seniors on the roster, Michael Holtzman and Coleman Merritt, finished with five and three points, respectively.
Dickerson praised the contributions that his seniors have made to KVA’s basketball program over the past few years, but he expects all of them to embrace their leadership roles as the team attempts to improve its chemistry over the rest of the year.
“We just need to work on communication,” Dickerson said. “The effort always needs to be there regardless if it’s the first quarter or the fourth quarter. I understand communication is hard with the masks, but we still have to do a better job on that end.”
KVA will try to bring home their third victory of the season when they travel to New Bern on Friday to face off against Epiphany at 7:30 p.m.
By Brandon White bwhite@henderson
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HENDERSON — An early Senior Night for the Kerr-Vance Academy men’s basketball team was marred by inconsistency and missed opportunities, but a strong fourth quarter propelled the squad past St. Thomas More Academy on Tuesday by a score of 40-30.Bottom of Form
Head coach Brandon Dickerson anticipated KVA having some issues following the Thanksgiving break, but he said there are many things his players need to improve on if they want to win more games before the end of the year.
“We’ll always take the win,” Dickerson said. “We’ve got a lot of things to clean up, but this is the first time that we’ve been back in action for some time. There was a little rust we had to get out tonight, but I think we’ll be fine.”
St. Thomas More had to use an early timeout after KVA started the game with a 6-0 run. KVA proceeded to go cold with their shooting following the stoppage, which enabled St. Thomas More to tie the game at 9-9 at the end of the first quarter.
After a 3 from senior Joel Lewis put the Spartans out in front, each side struggled to develop cohesion in regards to perimeter shooting. KVA appeared to take control of the game by building a five-point advantage, only for St. Thomas More to surge ahead and enter the locker room up 18-16.
“When you go on a break, the shots aren’t going to fall,” Dickerson said. “You just have to keep shooting with confidence, but I thought our issues were more a result of our effort not being there.”
The third quarter closely mirrored the second with KVA and St. Thomas More failing to take advantage of several open looks around the net. But an improved defensive performance from KVA proved to be crucial in them taking a 26-24 lead heading into the final quarter. A handful of baskets from Lewis during the final eight minutes of regulation was enough for the Spartans to take control of the game and hold on for the win, which improved their overall record to 2-1 on the season.
Lewis led his team in scoring with 13 points, while fellow senior Chance Murphy followed him with eight points. The other two seniors on the roster, Michael Holtzman and Coleman Merritt, finished with five and three points, respectively.
Dickerson praised the contributions that his seniors have made to KVA’s basketball program over the past few years, but he expects all of them to embrace their leadership roles as the team attempts to improve its chemistry over the rest of the year.
“We just need to work on communication,” Dickerson said. “The effort always needs to be there regardless if it’s the first quarter or the fourth quarter. I understand communication is hard with the masks, but we still have to do a better job on that end.”
KVA will try to bring home their third victory of the season when they travel to New Bern on Friday to face off against Epiphany at 7:30 p.m.
