Knights end mini-slump with victory over Eagles
• Village Christian gets off to a fast start with the help of a fullcourt press.
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
After Village Christian suffered a pair of losses last week, coach Kurtis Darden said the Knights looked back in form in Friday’s 84-64 win at Northwood Temple.
“Just getting back to playing Village basketball feels good,” Darden said.
Village’s preferred brand of play, marked by quick ball movement, accuracy from deep and plenty of transition baskets, was on display from the start against the Eagles (17-8).
The Knights (19-4) led by nine points at 23-14 at the end of the first quarter, following a two-minute span of fullcourt pressure, a switch from the halfcourt man Village had been running to start the game.
“I think we caught them off guard, and that’s what we like to do,” Darden said. “We throw a press up every now and again, see if we can get a couple buckets real quick to increase the lead.”
On the offensive end, the Knights shot well from the perimeter throughout the game, making nine 3-point goals and at least one in every quarter.
Point guard Jordan Ratliffe had four 3s. Ratliffe, fellow guard David Strother and forward Nassyr Daniels each scored 16 points for Village.
“We moved the ball, played great defense and got out and ran a lot,” Strother said. “We were hitting shots. We were on, and we were protecting the basket.”
Eagles’ coach Chris Lattimer said Northwood’s defense wasn’t sufficient to slow down Village.
“We didn’t play good onball defense tonight,” the coach said. “We didn’t defend the ball, and that allowed a lot of dribble penetration for them. And I don’t think we competed as hard as we could have.”
Guard Dakari Johnson led the Eagles with 17 points, and center Armel TeTe added 16.
The Eagles were plagued by a slew of missed shots early in the game.
Better shooting and a move from zone to man-toman defense in the second half helped ignite Northwood.
Johnson scored nine points in the third quarter, and TeTe scored eight in the final frame.
But the Village lead, which stood at 30 points early in the second half, proved to be too large to overcome.
“In the third quarter, we started to show some signs of life with the man-to-man, getting some deflections and some steals,” Lattimer said. “But every time we would score, they’d come back down and hit another 3pointer. Hats off to them. They shot the ball extremely well tonight.”
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.
• Village Christian gets off to a fast start with the help of a fullcourt press.
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
After Village Christian suffered a pair of losses last week, coach Kurtis Darden said the Knights looked back in form in Friday’s 84-64 win at Northwood Temple.
“Just getting back to playing Village basketball feels good,” Darden said.
Village’s preferred brand of play, marked by quick ball movement, accuracy from deep and plenty of transition baskets, was on display from the start against the Eagles (17-8).
The Knights (19-4) led by nine points at 23-14 at the end of the first quarter, following a two-minute span of fullcourt pressure, a switch from the halfcourt man Village had been running to start the game.
“I think we caught them off guard, and that’s what we like to do,” Darden said. “We throw a press up every now and again, see if we can get a couple buckets real quick to increase the lead.”
On the offensive end, the Knights shot well from the perimeter throughout the game, making nine 3-point goals and at least one in every quarter.
Point guard Jordan Ratliffe had four 3s. Ratliffe, fellow guard David Strother and forward Nassyr Daniels each scored 16 points for Village.
“We moved the ball, played great defense and got out and ran a lot,” Strother said. “We were hitting shots. We were on, and we were protecting the basket.”
Eagles’ coach Chris Lattimer said Northwood’s defense wasn’t sufficient to slow down Village.
“We didn’t play good onball defense tonight,” the coach said. “We didn’t defend the ball, and that allowed a lot of dribble penetration for them. And I don’t think we competed as hard as we could have.”
Guard Dakari Johnson led the Eagles with 17 points, and center Armel TeTe added 16.
The Eagles were plagued by a slew of missed shots early in the game.
Better shooting and a move from zone to man-toman defense in the second half helped ignite Northwood.
Johnson scored nine points in the third quarter, and TeTe scored eight in the final frame.
But the Village lead, which stood at 30 points early in the second half, proved to be too large to overcome.
“In the third quarter, we started to show some signs of life with the man-to-man, getting some deflections and some steals,” Lattimer said. “But every time we would score, they’d come back down and hit another 3pointer. Hats off to them. They shot the ball extremely well tonight.”
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.
