WS Chronicle

Photo by Craig T. Greenlee

BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE

FOR THE CHRONICLE

In retrospect, North Forsyth’s overtime loss to Southern Guilford in JV basketball last week proved to be a case of poor communication and missed opportunities.

The Vikings appeared to be in command with a 10-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t sustain it. The end result was a 68-66 defeat. It was a painful way to lose a game that could have had a different outcome.

“Basically, we got discombobulated,” said coach Jefferey Moore of North Forsyth. “This turned out to be another learning experience for us when it comes to tight-game situations. We need to have more of a gladiator mentality. When we get a lead, we have to be able to put the game away. Southern Guilford got hot and we started breaking apart.”

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Vikings were up 45-35. But when Southern Guilford attacked with a half-court trap, North Forsyth (5-9, 3-2 Mid-Piedmont 3-A Conference as of Jan. 19) frequently went into shut-down mode. The pressure was so disruptive that it allowed the Storm to climb back into contention.

With 2:32 left to play in the fourth quarter, Jaron Lewis hit a fade-away bank shot and was fouled. In questioning the official’s call, North Forsyth was whistled for a technical foul. Tyler Dearmon hit a pair of free throws and Lewis converted a foul shot to put the Storm back in the lead at 61-59.

Power forward Khalib Pettigrew of the Vikings answered with a put-back basket for the final points of the quarter, which produced a 61-61 tie at the end of regulation play. The 6-foot-2, 275 pound sophomore was largely responsible for keeping North Forsyth in the game during Southern Guilford’s late-game run.

Pettigrew scored 12 points in the final quarter and finished with a game-high 29 points. Ronald Jackson contributed 13 points in a losing effort.

“When we had that stretch when we weren’t able to score in the fourth quarter, that helped them to creep back into the game,” said Moore. “On defense, we have to get better at recognizing where the shooters are on the floor. The best way to do that is for everybody to communicate with each other.”

In overtime, Pettigrew and Jackson sank two free throws apiece to give the Vikings a 66-62 lead with 1:48 remaining. Southern Guilford responded with a 3-pointer by Dhier Deng and a basket from Lewis to go back in front 67-66 with about 40 seconds left to play. Tyriek Ingram hit one of two foul shots to give the visitors a two-point lead.

North Forsyth had one final opportunity to pull off a victory with just under eights seconds showing on the game clock. Aaron Worthy dribbled past defenders and found an opening just inside the top of the key. He launched an 18-foot jumper that bounced off the back of the rim right before the buzzer sounded.

Deng was the high scorer for Southern Guilford with 23 points, which included six 3-pointers, four of which came during the fourth quarter and OT.  Dearmon added 19 points and Lewis chipped in with 12.

“We picked up our energy and showed some mental toughness,” said coach Michael Cheston, whose team improved to 9-6 and 3-3 in the MPC (as of Jan. 19). “That was the difference for us in the fourth quarter. We started the season with seven straight wins, but then we hit a slump. This win gets us back on track.”