WS Chronicle

Photo by Timothy Ramsey

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

The final game of the night during Day One of Lash/Chronicle tournament between Glenn and Thomasville was an instant classic.  It involved a 20-point halftime deficit for Glenn, which came all the way back and won by two in the final minutes.  But by no means was it the only good game of the day.

The day was kicked off by the matchup between Mt. Tabor and Walkertown. As the No. 3 seed in this year’s tournament, the Spartans overwhelmed the Wolfpack and took home an easy victory in the first game of the day with the score of 77-57.

Next on the court was Atkins against Reynolds. During the first half of play it was a tight contest matchup between two solid teams.  Reynolds began to flex their muscles during the third and by the end of the quarter they led by 22 points.  The Demons forced turnovers on defense that thwarted any comeback attempts from the Camels. Atkins fought hard to the bitter end but the Demons were too tough and won 57-37.

Reynolds coach Mike McCulloch said as the No. 4 seed, they did what they were supposed to do during the game but knows they will have to have a better effort if they are to advance to the semifinals.

“Better shot selection, moving our feet on defense and playing with a little more enthusiasm are some of the things we need to work on going forward,” McCulloch said.  “We had a game last night and I think my guys did a great job of turning it around and were mentally ready to play.”

Atkins head coach Bronal Gary added, “We missed some easy shots, we had some miscommunications but all in all, I love the effort and I love how hard we played.  We played a tough Reynolds, team but if we play that way for the rest of the year, we will be successful.”

The game involving Reagan and Lexington was another close one during the first half.  Defense reigned supreme before intermission as Reagan held a slight lead 22-18. During the second half Reagan point guard Landon Rice took over and hit clutch shots.  The Raider defense showed up as well allowing only 15 points in the final two quarters propelling them to a 47-33 victory.

Reagan head coach James Stackhouse says the victory wasn’t pretty, but he will take the win.  He felt his team was sluggish in the first half and the size of Lexington bothered them. Lexington head coach Dwayne Tate said his team played hard and made strides in the game.

He says going 3 for 13 from the free throw line hurt his team.  He commended point guard Louis Estrada for his excellent play during the game by scoring 11 of his teams 33 points.

The host team, the Carver Yellowjackets, was seeded  No. 6 .  They faced off against the No. 11-seeded Winston-Salem Prep Phoenix.  The Phoenix jumped on Carver early by going on an 11-0 run to start the game and never looked back.  Prep was led by Jalen Crawley, who scored 20 points and Essin Arid, who added 16 of his own.  Carver kept turning the ball over in key situations, which played right in the hands of Prep.  The Phoenix downed Carver by the score of 66-55.

Phoenix assistant coach Jerran Foster thought his team “did OK” but lacked intensity at times.  He says his team is learning, and that’s what matters.  He says they must learn to play with a lead.  Carver coach Raheem Martin says his team was sluggish in the first half, but by the time his team woke up, it was too little too late.

West Forsyth is the No. 7 seed and the team that no one wants to play.  The Titans are an athletic bunch that used that to their advantage against North Forsyth in their game. West was led by C.J. Smith and Elijah Scales. The biggest lead of the night was 16 points for the Titans, and they won by the score of 55-42.

West Forsyth head coach Jeffrey Williams said his team played good enough to win but they struggled at times shooting the ball.  He says he was pleased with his team’s ability to break the press. North Forsyth coach Will Bell felt his team was gassed a little bit by playing four games in five nights, which is why he went so deeply in his bench.  He says that was not an excuse and praised West for their play.