WS Chronicle

Photo by Craig T. Greenlee

Jordan Oakes, a shooting guard, provides outside scoring from 3-point range for North Forsyth.

BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE

FOR THE CHRONICLE

Having a 4-7 record in JV basketball leads one to believe that North Forsyth is doomed to finish the season way below the .500 mark. But when you consider the end results of playing a rugged early-season, non-conference schedule, don’t be surprised if the Vikings surface as top contenders in the Mid-Piedmont Conference.

In the opening weeks of the season, Class 3-A North Forsyth played six of its first 11 games against teams who compete at the Class 4-A level (Mount Tabor, East Forsyth, Reynolds and Glenn). Although the Vikings were winless in six tries against 4-A schools, they’ve gotten off to a good start in the MPC with a 2-0 mark.

In an early-season match-up against eventual Lash-Chronicle champ East Forsyth, the Vikings had an eight-point lead with just under five minutes left to play in the game. Coming down the stretch, though, North Forsyth was victimized by a combination of poor shot selection and sloppy ball handling. The end result was a 54-46 loss.

In the Lash-Chronicle’s first round, North Forsyth rallied late in the second quarter and trailed by only two points at intermission. A rash of second-half turnovers put the Vikings at a severe disadvantage and they ended up losing 87-65 to Reynolds, who beat No. 1 seed Mount Tabor to reach the tournament’s title game.

“We had a tough go early on,” said coach Jefferey Moore of North Forsyth. “But those games served as good preparation to help us get ready [for conference]. We had some good runs in those games, but simply couldn’t sustain it for four quarters.”

The Vikings are looking to at least duplicate last season’s performance. They struggled in non-league games during the first month, then went 11-1 in the Mid-Piedmont Conference to finish in a first-place tie with Asheboro.

“This team is athletic enough to score points, but still has to get better when it comes to playing defense and rebounding the basketball,” Moore said. “That’s going to be especially important in those games when our shots aren’t falling.”

The chances of North Forsyth making another strong conference run are enhanced because of the returning cast. Five sophomores – Jordan Oakes, Khalib Pettigrew, Marquan Matthews, Aaron Worthy and Dawoud Evans –  played last year as freshmen, and they’re ready to lead the way.

Oakes, a shooting guard, has developed as a reliable 3-point shooter. In the paint, Pettigrew, who weighs 280 pounds, uses his bulk to dominate the glass at both ends of the floor. Matthews and Worthy provide scoring and defense as formidable contributors on the wing.

Naeem Evans and Ronald Jackson (football quarterback) have proven themselves as capable guards who will continue to improve as they gain more game experience. “Naeem continues to progress,” said Moore. “For him, it’s more a matter of getting adjusted to the speed of the game and the intensity. Ronald was the back-up quarterback on the varsity this season, so he’s already very comfortable in taking on a leadership role.”