Wesleyan, Southwest set for girls championship
• By MICHAEL LINDSAY ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — Wesleyan Christian’s girls watched their big lead disappear. But that seemed to be all right with them.
The Trojans regained their footing with a key spurt midway through the fourth quarter, sank enough free throws down the stretch and beat rival High Point Christian 55-47 in the semifinals of the Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic on Tuesday at Southwest Guilford.
“We’re actually good in close games,” Wesleyan coach Daniel McRae said with a laugh. “My assistant coach, Bri Burgins, said we should call a timeout. And I said, ‘No, we’re right where we want to be.’ We have no idea how to play with a 10-point lead. Get it down to two or three and we’re pretty good.
“When it was back and forth, they made what I thought were some difficult shots — and kudos to them. They made some shots and we missed some easy stuff. But finally we got a couple stops and some turnovers. Then we made some layups and got to the free-throw line.”
Lily Pereira scored 25 points to lead the Trojans (10-1), who will face Southwest Guilford in the girls championship tonight at 6. Taylor Hawley added 13 points while Lilly McRae followed with seven points.
“I feel like we played really well in the beginning,” said Pereira, a 5-foot-10 junior wing. “The first and second quarters were pretty good. But in the third quarter we just started running out of gas. But thankfully, as a team, we really know how to work through those moments and battle through adversity.”
Wesleyan — which won the teams’ previous meeting by two on Dec. 10 — led by 10 at halftime. But the Cougars scored 12 of the first 13 points of the third quarter to lead by one, and the teams remained close into the fourth.
It was still a one-point game when the Trojans went on an 8-2 run — bookended by a pair of three-point plays by Pereira — to lead by seven with 3:49 left in the game. Wesleyan extended its lead to 10 with 55.7 seconds remaining.
“We really had to pull together and make sure we were playing with patience,” Pereira said. “We started speeding up and having one pass, one shot. So, we just need to make sure we were waiting for the right opportunity instead of the first thing we saw, and I think that’s what helped us pull it out.”
Nadiya Hairston scored 14 points to lead HPCA (7-9), which has been without starting forward Kennedy Powell due to a lower leg injury. Angel Walker chipped in eight points while Anna Krajisnik and Caroline Smith each contributed seven.
“I think we played much better in the second half,” Cougars coach Brittany Drew said. “We just have to put two halves together. If we play the first half like the second half, we’ll do pretty well.
“It was our effort,” she said of the second half. “I think our effort was there. I think we executed better in the second half. Everything we preach as a unit we did in the second half. We just have to start games better.”
HPCA struggled during the first half. But, sparked most notably by Hairston and Walker, it quickly got back in the game.
“I think now we just have to put things together,” Drew said. “These losses are more like learning experiences. We just have to have that momentum going into conference — that’s the biggest thing.”
The Cougars will face Glenn in the third-place game at 3 p.m.
WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN 55, HP CHRISTIAN 47
HPCA 9 8 16 14 – 47
WCA 14 13 7 21 – 55
HIGH POINT CHRISTIAN
Nadiya Hairston 14, Walker 8, Krajisnik 7, Smith 7, Walls 4, Burkhart 4, Limbacher 3
WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN
Lily Pereira 25, Taylor Hawley 13, McRae 7, Tat 5, Brown 3, Chrapliwy 2
• By MICHAEL LINDSAY ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — Wesleyan Christian’s girls watched their big lead disappear. But that seemed to be all right with them.
The Trojans regained their footing with a key spurt midway through the fourth quarter, sank enough free throws down the stretch and beat rival High Point Christian 55-47 in the semifinals of the Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic on Tuesday at Southwest Guilford.
“We’re actually good in close games,” Wesleyan coach Daniel McRae said with a laugh. “My assistant coach, Bri Burgins, said we should call a timeout. And I said, ‘No, we’re right where we want to be.’ We have no idea how to play with a 10-point lead. Get it down to two or three and we’re pretty good.
“When it was back and forth, they made what I thought were some difficult shots — and kudos to them. They made some shots and we missed some easy stuff. But finally we got a couple stops and some turnovers. Then we made some layups and got to the free-throw line.”
Lily Pereira scored 25 points to lead the Trojans (10-1), who will face Southwest Guilford in the girls championship tonight at 6. Taylor Hawley added 13 points while Lilly McRae followed with seven points.
“I feel like we played really well in the beginning,” said Pereira, a 5-foot-10 junior wing. “The first and second quarters were pretty good. But in the third quarter we just started running out of gas. But thankfully, as a team, we really know how to work through those moments and battle through adversity.”
Wesleyan — which won the teams’ previous meeting by two on Dec. 10 — led by 10 at halftime. But the Cougars scored 12 of the first 13 points of the third quarter to lead by one, and the teams remained close into the fourth.
It was still a one-point game when the Trojans went on an 8-2 run — bookended by a pair of three-point plays by Pereira — to lead by seven with 3:49 left in the game. Wesleyan extended its lead to 10 with 55.7 seconds remaining.
“We really had to pull together and make sure we were playing with patience,” Pereira said. “We started speeding up and having one pass, one shot. So, we just need to make sure we were waiting for the right opportunity instead of the first thing we saw, and I think that’s what helped us pull it out.”
Nadiya Hairston scored 14 points to lead HPCA (7-9), which has been without starting forward Kennedy Powell due to a lower leg injury. Angel Walker chipped in eight points while Anna Krajisnik and Caroline Smith each contributed seven.
“I think we played much better in the second half,” Cougars coach Brittany Drew said. “We just have to put two halves together. If we play the first half like the second half, we’ll do pretty well.
“It was our effort,” she said of the second half. “I think our effort was there. I think we executed better in the second half. Everything we preach as a unit we did in the second half. We just have to start games better.”
HPCA struggled during the first half. But, sparked most notably by Hairston and Walker, it quickly got back in the game.
“I think now we just have to put things together,” Drew said. “These losses are more like learning experiences. We just have to have that momentum going into conference — that’s the biggest thing.”
The Cougars will face Glenn in the third-place game at 3 p.m.
WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN 55, HP CHRISTIAN 47
HPCA 9 8 16 14 – 47
WCA 14 13 7 21 – 55
HIGH POINT CHRISTIAN
Nadiya Hairston 14, Walker 8, Krajisnik 7, Smith 7, Walls 4, Burkhart 4, Limbacher 3
WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN
Lily Pereira 25, Taylor Hawley 13, McRae 7, Tat 5, Brown 3, Chrapliwy 2
