Lady Chargers lock down Bulldogs for fourth straight win
By Andrew Schnittker
aschnittker@wilsontimes.com
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Behind a stout, well-executed defensive effort, the Wilson Christian girls basketball team cruised to a 38-22 win over visiting Wake Christian Thursday evening.
The Lady Chargers, who won their fourth straight game and improved to 14-2 on the season, gave the Bulldogs (6-12) fits with their zone defense throughout the night.
“Defensively is where we’re starting,” said Wilson Christian head coach Brian Trull. “We played great defense and executed on offense. We were very patient in getting the right look, not the good shot but the better and the best shot. And we did go inside-out tonight, which I thought was very effective.”
Wilson Christian held Wake to just eight points in the first half and 12 through the game’s first three quarters. The Lady Chargers also pulled down 23 rebounds and came away with 10 steals.
“I feel like everyone boxed out and was very aggressive tonight,” said Wilson Christian senior Jocelyn Bailey.
Trull distributed playing time evenly, with eight players finding the scoresheet and every healthy player on the roster seeing minutes.
“You hear the girls, they’re enjoying each other and they’re cheering for each other,” Trull said. “So that’s nice. Tuesday night was a much tighter game, it was closer, so we didn’t play as many players. But tonight, we were able to get everybody involved in a game like that and get them experience, which is important.”
Bailey led Wilson Christian with 12 points, followed by Kate Hoskins with nine. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort, with Bailey, point guard Chloe Villaverde and Bri Little combining for the team lead in rebounds with four apiece.
“I felt like we played defense very well and were very patient on offense,” Bailey said. “We’ve gotten better at that recently.”
The Lady Chargers got off to a strong start in this one, zipping out to a 15-4 lead after eight minutes. WCA used its sharp ball movement through and around the paint to set up open shots, and Hoskins scored all nine of her points in the opening frame on a pair of treys and a three-point play.
“If you look at percentages, the paint to the 3-point shot is way better than just a side to side or just a step-in 3,” Trull said.
Wilson Christian continued to flummox the Bulldogs with its zone defense in the second quarter, limiting Wake to just two made field goals to take a 27-8 lead into halftime.
“We’re doing a much better job in our rotation getting Sophia (Nesbit) down from the top down,” Trull said. “She’s so long, so we get deflections and just make it difficult for teams to get good shots off.”
With the Lady Chargers up around 20 points throughout the third quarter, Trull was able to rotate lineups and get valuable experience throughout the roster for some of the Lady Chargers’ young players.
The Lady Chargers know that playing experience throughout the team could prove valuable down the line or in future seasons, and the starters, in their turn, enjoyed getting to watch the younger players get some time.
“That’s so much fun,” Bailey said. “I love when we can do that and cheer for them. They cheer for us all the time, so it’s nice to give back.”
WCA’s lead never dipped below 16 in the final frame, as the Lady Chargers cruised to their 14th win of the season.
WCA will visit Faith Christian of Rocky Mount on Friday, ahead of a looming NCCSA 2-A East Region showdown with Greenville Christian on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
“That first group is really confident right now, which is good,” Trull said. “You want to be confident, you want to know when you step on the court that you have an opportunity to beat anybody you play, and I think they feel like that right now.”
WAKE CHRISTIAN (22)
Mercedes 15, Morgan 3, Frazier 2, Caruso 2.
WILSON CHRISTIAN (38)
Bailey 12, Hoskins 9, Nesbit 5, Villaverde 5, Farmer 3, Hurteau 2, Little 2.
Score by quarters:
Wake 4 4 4 10 — 22
WCA 15 12 7 4 — 38
By Andrew Schnittker
aschnittker@wilsontimes.com
\
Behind a stout, well-executed defensive effort, the Wilson Christian girls basketball team cruised to a 38-22 win over visiting Wake Christian Thursday evening.
The Lady Chargers, who won their fourth straight game and improved to 14-2 on the season, gave the Bulldogs (6-12) fits with their zone defense throughout the night.
“Defensively is where we’re starting,” said Wilson Christian head coach Brian Trull. “We played great defense and executed on offense. We were very patient in getting the right look, not the good shot but the better and the best shot. And we did go inside-out tonight, which I thought was very effective.”
Wilson Christian held Wake to just eight points in the first half and 12 through the game’s first three quarters. The Lady Chargers also pulled down 23 rebounds and came away with 10 steals.
“I feel like everyone boxed out and was very aggressive tonight,” said Wilson Christian senior Jocelyn Bailey.
Trull distributed playing time evenly, with eight players finding the scoresheet and every healthy player on the roster seeing minutes.
“You hear the girls, they’re enjoying each other and they’re cheering for each other,” Trull said. “So that’s nice. Tuesday night was a much tighter game, it was closer, so we didn’t play as many players. But tonight, we were able to get everybody involved in a game like that and get them experience, which is important.”
Bailey led Wilson Christian with 12 points, followed by Kate Hoskins with nine. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort, with Bailey, point guard Chloe Villaverde and Bri Little combining for the team lead in rebounds with four apiece.
“I felt like we played defense very well and were very patient on offense,” Bailey said. “We’ve gotten better at that recently.”
The Lady Chargers got off to a strong start in this one, zipping out to a 15-4 lead after eight minutes. WCA used its sharp ball movement through and around the paint to set up open shots, and Hoskins scored all nine of her points in the opening frame on a pair of treys and a three-point play.
“If you look at percentages, the paint to the 3-point shot is way better than just a side to side or just a step-in 3,” Trull said.
Wilson Christian continued to flummox the Bulldogs with its zone defense in the second quarter, limiting Wake to just two made field goals to take a 27-8 lead into halftime.
“We’re doing a much better job in our rotation getting Sophia (Nesbit) down from the top down,” Trull said. “She’s so long, so we get deflections and just make it difficult for teams to get good shots off.”
With the Lady Chargers up around 20 points throughout the third quarter, Trull was able to rotate lineups and get valuable experience throughout the roster for some of the Lady Chargers’ young players.
The Lady Chargers know that playing experience throughout the team could prove valuable down the line or in future seasons, and the starters, in their turn, enjoyed getting to watch the younger players get some time.
“That’s so much fun,” Bailey said. “I love when we can do that and cheer for them. They cheer for us all the time, so it’s nice to give back.”
WCA’s lead never dipped below 16 in the final frame, as the Lady Chargers cruised to their 14th win of the season.
WCA will visit Faith Christian of Rocky Mount on Friday, ahead of a looming NCCSA 2-A East Region showdown with Greenville Christian on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
“That first group is really confident right now, which is good,” Trull said. “You want to be confident, you want to know when you step on the court that you have an opportunity to beat anybody you play, and I think they feel like that right now.”
WAKE CHRISTIAN (22)
Mercedes 15, Morgan 3, Frazier 2, Caruso 2.
WILSON CHRISTIAN (38)
Bailey 12, Hoskins 9, Nesbit 5, Villaverde 5, Farmer 3, Hurteau 2, Little 2.
Score by quarters:
Wake 4 4 4 10 — 22
WCA 15 12 7 4 — 38
