BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
HP ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
Westchester rolls past Southern
HIGH POINT — The Westchester Country Day boys might be starting to see the payoff from their difficult early-season schedule.
The Wildcats, keyed by solid defense and precision shooting, led by double-digits in the first quarter and held Southern Guilford in check the rest of the way to roll to an 84-64 win Monday in the Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic at Southwest Guilford.
“We played really well,” Westchester coach David Carrier said. “Our depth really helped. We had a lot of guys play, a lot of guys score. We played very unselfishly. So, it was a great win for us — and we needed it. We’ve had some tough games, and the guys really bounced back.
“It always looks better when you’re making shots — there’s no doubt about that,” he said of his team’s hot start. “We have so many shot-makers that we don’t have to just force it to one guy. We’re going to make shots, but I was really proud of our effort, our intensity and how we shared the ball.”
Marshall Lange scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Wildcats (7-6), who had lost five straight against challenging opponents that included High Point Christian and Wesleyan Christian. Caymen Bennett added 16 points, while L.J. McCoy and Lantz Lowe followed with 10 points each.
Westchester scored on four straight possessions — hitting three 3-pointers in a row to start — early in the first to lead 11-4. Its lead hit 10 with 3:19 left and stretched to 15 at 24-9 to end the quarter. The Wildcats led 40-22 at halftime and by as much as 28 in the second half.
“It was a great team win,” said Lange, a Newberry College recruit. “We’re coming off a couple tough losses, so it felt good to bounce back and win one. We came out very energized. Coach always preaches defense. So, we came out strong on defense and that led to easy buckets on offense.
“It feels really good, and it’s big for our confidence,” he said of getting the win. “You’ve just got to get your confidence back, start playing well and just get back on the winning track. So, it feels really good.”
Casey Clarkson scored nine points to lead the Storm (5-6). Kendrick Moser and Rayshawn Knight each added seven points, while Xzavier Walker followed with six. Southern, for the most part, kept pace with Westchester over the final three quarters. But the slow start was too much to overcome.
“I didn’t think we played very well,” Storm coach Evan Fancourt said. “Their pressure kind of rattled us, and we did a poor job responding. We just could never get out of that early hole that we dug ourselves.
“Offensively we struggled with their pressure. When we executed our press-break and spread the floor a little bit, we were able to get some transition opportunities. I don’t think we capitalized as much as we needed to. So, we were never really able to get back in the ballgame. Defensively we knew they had good guards and we just allowed too much penetration.”
The Wildcats will play in the semifinals against North Surry this evening at 7:30, while Southern will face North Davidson at 1:30 in the consolation bracket.
HP ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
Westchester rolls past Southern
HIGH POINT — The Westchester Country Day boys might be starting to see the payoff from their difficult early-season schedule.
The Wildcats, keyed by solid defense and precision shooting, led by double-digits in the first quarter and held Southern Guilford in check the rest of the way to roll to an 84-64 win Monday in the Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic at Southwest Guilford.
“We played really well,” Westchester coach David Carrier said. “Our depth really helped. We had a lot of guys play, a lot of guys score. We played very unselfishly. So, it was a great win for us — and we needed it. We’ve had some tough games, and the guys really bounced back.
“It always looks better when you’re making shots — there’s no doubt about that,” he said of his team’s hot start. “We have so many shot-makers that we don’t have to just force it to one guy. We’re going to make shots, but I was really proud of our effort, our intensity and how we shared the ball.”
Marshall Lange scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Wildcats (7-6), who had lost five straight against challenging opponents that included High Point Christian and Wesleyan Christian. Caymen Bennett added 16 points, while L.J. McCoy and Lantz Lowe followed with 10 points each.
Westchester scored on four straight possessions — hitting three 3-pointers in a row to start — early in the first to lead 11-4. Its lead hit 10 with 3:19 left and stretched to 15 at 24-9 to end the quarter. The Wildcats led 40-22 at halftime and by as much as 28 in the second half.
“It was a great team win,” said Lange, a Newberry College recruit. “We’re coming off a couple tough losses, so it felt good to bounce back and win one. We came out very energized. Coach always preaches defense. So, we came out strong on defense and that led to easy buckets on offense.
“It feels really good, and it’s big for our confidence,” he said of getting the win. “You’ve just got to get your confidence back, start playing well and just get back on the winning track. So, it feels really good.”
Casey Clarkson scored nine points to lead the Storm (5-6). Kendrick Moser and Rayshawn Knight each added seven points, while Xzavier Walker followed with six. Southern, for the most part, kept pace with Westchester over the final three quarters. But the slow start was too much to overcome.
“I didn’t think we played very well,” Storm coach Evan Fancourt said. “Their pressure kind of rattled us, and we did a poor job responding. We just could never get out of that early hole that we dug ourselves.
“Offensively we struggled with their pressure. When we executed our press-break and spread the floor a little bit, we were able to get some transition opportunities. I don’t think we capitalized as much as we needed to. So, we were never really able to get back in the ballgame. Defensively we knew they had good guards and we just allowed too much penetration.”
The Wildcats will play in the semifinals against North Surry this evening at 7:30, while Southern will face North Davidson at 1:30 in the consolation bracket.
