WCA boys finish strong for region win
By Andrew Schnittker
Behind a strong second quarter, the Wilson Christian boys basketball team came up with a key NCCSA 2-A East Region victory on Tuesday evening, topping visiting Southside Christian 54-39.
The Chargers, who improved to 7-14 overall and 4-3 against East Region foes, took a 15-point lead into halftime and never led by fewer than seven points in the second half against the Warriors (2-11, 1-5) as they closed it out efficiently down the stretch.
“We definitely needed a conference win,” said Wilson Christian head coach Kevin Zander. “… We’ve been struggling a little bit offensively. It was nice to get some things going in the second quarter. I was pleased with how we played offensively in the second quarter offensively. We started off a little slow again, but we got into a rhythm scoring 24 points there in the second. So it was definitely a huge win for us to go 4-3 in our conference.”
Simon Quinn led the Chargers with 18 points, followed by Titus Batts with 14.
Zack Lines led the Warriors with 17 points.
After the Chargers took a 6-4 lead following a defensive battle of a first quarter, Wilson Christian went on a tear in the second frame, outscoring the Warriors 24-11 to take a 15-point advantage into the locker room.
“I think in the first quarter we came out slow,” Batts said. “But we realized we needed to start pushing more. I think we really are a second-half team. We like to push more in the second half.”
The Chargers finally got their press and transition game going for some easy layups, and started finding a way to attack the paint, which in turn opened up some 3-point shooting opportunities late in the frame.
“Ball movement was key, and just being patient,” Zander said. “We tried to force it inside a little bit too much in the first quarter, and once we started to move the ball a little bit more around the outside before we attacked the middle and the edges, that was the difference in the second quarter.”
After the Warriors cut WCA’s lead to 18-13, the Chargers finished the frame on a 12-2 run. With WCA up 20-13 with a couple minutes left until halftime, Quinn came up with a 3 and a steal layup in under 10 seconds, pushing the lead to double digits for the first time of the game.
In the last minute of the period, Brayden Joyner splashed down a 3, and Quinn came up with a last-second layup to send the Chargers into the locker room up 30-15.
“Making the defense work is key,” Zander said. “So us working the ball around quickly and penetrating those gaps was certainly a difference maker. Because we are a quick team, we were able to capitalize on that.”
The Warriors managed to do a better job forcing turnovers with their own press, limiting Wilson Christian’s opportunities to get inside against their zone and knocking down a couple 3-pointers in the third quarter, cutting WCA’s lead down to single digits for the first time since the second quarter with under two minutes left in the third.
The Chargers, however, kept their opponent at arm’s length, and came up with a key layup from Batts late in the third quarter to take a 10-point lead into the fourth.
“We keep our composure,” Batts said. “They’re a good team. They know how to keep their composure too. We’ve just been through the situations so much to where we just know not to panic. We just keep calm.”
The Chargers’ lead never dipped below seven in the fourth quarter as they finished strong down the stretch, demonstrating composure as they worked the ball around and through the zone for key buckets to preserve their lead.
“I did not want to call a timeout,” Zander said. “I wanted them to play through it. I think it was important for them to play through it without me having to calm them down and get their composure. So we’ve been working on our mental toughness all year, and I think some people like Seth Trull and Xay Joyner stepped up tonight and composed the team to where we could keep moving forward and finish it in the fourth quarter.”
The Chargers will be back in action Tuesday, Jan. 31, with a visit from Living Waters Christian.
“We just need to keep calm, stay intense, keep composure and play hard,” Batts said. “These teams are good in our conference.”
SOUTHSIDE CHRISTIAN (39)--Lines 17, Boush 8, Keeton 7, Buchanan 4, Purdum 3.
WILSON CHRISTIAN (54)--Quinn 18, Batts 14, B. Joyner 7, X. Joyner 5, Clark 4, Provo 2, Zander 1, Trull 1.
Score by quarters:
Southside 4 11 14 10 — 39
WCA 6 24 9 15 — 54
By Andrew Schnittker
Behind a strong second quarter, the Wilson Christian boys basketball team came up with a key NCCSA 2-A East Region victory on Tuesday evening, topping visiting Southside Christian 54-39.
The Chargers, who improved to 7-14 overall and 4-3 against East Region foes, took a 15-point lead into halftime and never led by fewer than seven points in the second half against the Warriors (2-11, 1-5) as they closed it out efficiently down the stretch.
“We definitely needed a conference win,” said Wilson Christian head coach Kevin Zander. “… We’ve been struggling a little bit offensively. It was nice to get some things going in the second quarter. I was pleased with how we played offensively in the second quarter offensively. We started off a little slow again, but we got into a rhythm scoring 24 points there in the second. So it was definitely a huge win for us to go 4-3 in our conference.”
Simon Quinn led the Chargers with 18 points, followed by Titus Batts with 14.
Zack Lines led the Warriors with 17 points.
After the Chargers took a 6-4 lead following a defensive battle of a first quarter, Wilson Christian went on a tear in the second frame, outscoring the Warriors 24-11 to take a 15-point advantage into the locker room.
“I think in the first quarter we came out slow,” Batts said. “But we realized we needed to start pushing more. I think we really are a second-half team. We like to push more in the second half.”
The Chargers finally got their press and transition game going for some easy layups, and started finding a way to attack the paint, which in turn opened up some 3-point shooting opportunities late in the frame.
“Ball movement was key, and just being patient,” Zander said. “We tried to force it inside a little bit too much in the first quarter, and once we started to move the ball a little bit more around the outside before we attacked the middle and the edges, that was the difference in the second quarter.”
After the Warriors cut WCA’s lead to 18-13, the Chargers finished the frame on a 12-2 run. With WCA up 20-13 with a couple minutes left until halftime, Quinn came up with a 3 and a steal layup in under 10 seconds, pushing the lead to double digits for the first time of the game.
In the last minute of the period, Brayden Joyner splashed down a 3, and Quinn came up with a last-second layup to send the Chargers into the locker room up 30-15.
“Making the defense work is key,” Zander said. “So us working the ball around quickly and penetrating those gaps was certainly a difference maker. Because we are a quick team, we were able to capitalize on that.”
The Warriors managed to do a better job forcing turnovers with their own press, limiting Wilson Christian’s opportunities to get inside against their zone and knocking down a couple 3-pointers in the third quarter, cutting WCA’s lead down to single digits for the first time since the second quarter with under two minutes left in the third.
The Chargers, however, kept their opponent at arm’s length, and came up with a key layup from Batts late in the third quarter to take a 10-point lead into the fourth.
“We keep our composure,” Batts said. “They’re a good team. They know how to keep their composure too. We’ve just been through the situations so much to where we just know not to panic. We just keep calm.”
The Chargers’ lead never dipped below seven in the fourth quarter as they finished strong down the stretch, demonstrating composure as they worked the ball around and through the zone for key buckets to preserve their lead.
“I did not want to call a timeout,” Zander said. “I wanted them to play through it. I think it was important for them to play through it without me having to calm them down and get their composure. So we’ve been working on our mental toughness all year, and I think some people like Seth Trull and Xay Joyner stepped up tonight and composed the team to where we could keep moving forward and finish it in the fourth quarter.”
The Chargers will be back in action Tuesday, Jan. 31, with a visit from Living Waters Christian.
“We just need to keep calm, stay intense, keep composure and play hard,” Batts said. “These teams are good in our conference.”
SOUTHSIDE CHRISTIAN (39)--Lines 17, Boush 8, Keeton 7, Buchanan 4, Purdum 3.
WILSON CHRISTIAN (54)--Quinn 18, Batts 14, B. Joyner 7, X. Joyner 5, Clark 4, Provo 2, Zander 1, Trull 1.
Score by quarters:
Southside 4 11 14 10 — 39
WCA 6 24 9 15 — 54
