FCD boys fight to the end in Wesleyan loss
BY KEGAN LOWE
Winston-Salem Journal
LEWISVILLE — The winloss record isn’t exactly what Howard West was hoping for with just one game left in the regular season, but the Forsyth Country Day boys’ basketball head coach is beyond satisfied with the competitive drive his team has shown throughout the season.
The Furies lost 78-69 to Wesleyan Christian Academy on Tuesday night, dropping their NCISAA Piedmont Conference record to 0-5. But West is adamant those numbers don’ttell the entire story. Playing with only seven healthy players, Forsyth Country Day (15-13) competes in a four-team league alongside Greensboro Day, High Point Christian and Wesleyan. All three teams are currently ranked by MaxPreps as some of the best in North Carolina, with
Greensboro Day ranked as the No. 1 team in the entire state and Wesleyan not far behind at No. 4. But just 10 days after losing to Wesleyan by 24 and allowing a season-worst 90 points, Forsyth Country Day hung around long enough to make the Trojans sweat on Tuesday. FCD trailed by four with just 2:35 remaining, before Wesleyan the game on an 8-3 run to ensure the victory.
“We played well tonight and we played really well last game versus High Point Christian, but now we go to Greensboro Day on Thursday and that’s murderers’ row right there,” West said. “This is the toughest league — public or private — in the state, but there’s no question we’re getting better and you could see that tonight. We only have seven kids and all of them are giving us absolutely everything they’ve got, so we really couldn’t ask for anymore.”
Wesleyan (25-4, 4-2) was led by junior Aaron Wiggins, who scored a gamehigh 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting, while fellow junior Jaylen Hoard came off the bench to add 20 points for the Trojans.
As a team, Wesleyan shot 42.9 percent (30 of 70) from the field, which was efficient enough to help the Trojans lead 17-11 after the first quarter and 38-31 at halftime.
While Wesleyan was never able to fully put FCD away, coach Keith Gatlin’s team stretched its lead to as many as 15 points early in the fourth quarter before the Furies started to mount a comeback.
“No matter what, they always play us tough here. It never fails,” Gatlin said. “Howard does a really great job with them, but I just thought we wore them down. We have a lot more bodies than they do, so it’s tough for them.”
Trailing 63-48 with less than six minutes remaining, Forsyth Country Day went on an extended 18-7 run, fueled by sophomore Brandon Mayhan and junior Tripp Greene, to pull within four with 2:35 remaining.
Mayhan led the Furies with a team-high 21 points, while Greene added 17. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Trojans got back-toback buckets from Wiggins and junior Ian Steere to push the lead back out to three possessions with less than 80 seconds remaining.
“We made some plays near the end and made it pretty interesting there,” West said. “But that’s just a really talented team. They play well together and all of them can score, so it’s hard for us to stay with them for all four quarters.”
HIGH POINT WESLEYAN 78
FORSYTH COUNTRY DAY 69
High Point Wesleyan 17 21 23 17 — 78
Forsyth Country Day 11 20 15 23 — 69
HPW (25-4, 4-2 Piedmont): Aaron Wiggins 27, Jaylen Hoard 20, David Caraher 11, Shawn Walker Jr. 11, Steere 4, Austin 3, Thompson 2
FCD (15-13, 0-5): Brandon Mayhan 21, Tripp Greene 17, Ivan Milicevic 16,
BY KEGAN LOWE
Winston-Salem Journal
LEWISVILLE — The winloss record isn’t exactly what Howard West was hoping for with just one game left in the regular season, but the Forsyth Country Day boys’ basketball head coach is beyond satisfied with the competitive drive his team has shown throughout the season.
The Furies lost 78-69 to Wesleyan Christian Academy on Tuesday night, dropping their NCISAA Piedmont Conference record to 0-5. But West is adamant those numbers don’ttell the entire story. Playing with only seven healthy players, Forsyth Country Day (15-13) competes in a four-team league alongside Greensboro Day, High Point Christian and Wesleyan. All three teams are currently ranked by MaxPreps as some of the best in North Carolina, with
Greensboro Day ranked as the No. 1 team in the entire state and Wesleyan not far behind at No. 4. But just 10 days after losing to Wesleyan by 24 and allowing a season-worst 90 points, Forsyth Country Day hung around long enough to make the Trojans sweat on Tuesday. FCD trailed by four with just 2:35 remaining, before Wesleyan the game on an 8-3 run to ensure the victory.
“We played well tonight and we played really well last game versus High Point Christian, but now we go to Greensboro Day on Thursday and that’s murderers’ row right there,” West said. “This is the toughest league — public or private — in the state, but there’s no question we’re getting better and you could see that tonight. We only have seven kids and all of them are giving us absolutely everything they’ve got, so we really couldn’t ask for anymore.”
Wesleyan (25-4, 4-2) was led by junior Aaron Wiggins, who scored a gamehigh 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting, while fellow junior Jaylen Hoard came off the bench to add 20 points for the Trojans.
As a team, Wesleyan shot 42.9 percent (30 of 70) from the field, which was efficient enough to help the Trojans lead 17-11 after the first quarter and 38-31 at halftime.
While Wesleyan was never able to fully put FCD away, coach Keith Gatlin’s team stretched its lead to as many as 15 points early in the fourth quarter before the Furies started to mount a comeback.
“No matter what, they always play us tough here. It never fails,” Gatlin said. “Howard does a really great job with them, but I just thought we wore them down. We have a lot more bodies than they do, so it’s tough for them.”
Trailing 63-48 with less than six minutes remaining, Forsyth Country Day went on an extended 18-7 run, fueled by sophomore Brandon Mayhan and junior Tripp Greene, to pull within four with 2:35 remaining.
Mayhan led the Furies with a team-high 21 points, while Greene added 17. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Trojans got back-toback buckets from Wiggins and junior Ian Steere to push the lead back out to three possessions with less than 80 seconds remaining.
“We made some plays near the end and made it pretty interesting there,” West said. “But that’s just a really talented team. They play well together and all of them can score, so it’s hard for us to stay with them for all four quarters.”
HIGH POINT WESLEYAN 78
FORSYTH COUNTRY DAY 69
High Point Wesleyan 17 21 23 17 — 78
Forsyth Country Day 11 20 15 23 — 69
HPW (25-4, 4-2 Piedmont): Aaron Wiggins 27, Jaylen Hoard 20, David Caraher 11, Shawn Walker Jr. 11, Steere 4, Austin 3, Thompson 2
FCD (15-13, 0-5): Brandon Mayhan 21, Tripp Greene 17, Ivan Milicevic 16,
