WS Chronicle

Photo by Timothy Ramsey

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

Friday, Dec. 23, brought about the final day of the Lash/Chronicle tournament. The day included the remaining consolation games along with the championship and third place games.  For the squads in the consolation games, some teams showed up and others seemed to just mail it in.

After giving up a 20-point lead and losing to Glenn less than 24 hours prior to their game against Thomasville, West Forsyth had two options: tuck their tails and run or show up and play to the best of their abilities.  They chose the latter.

They seemed to have learned their lesson about staying focused as they led 21-11 after one.  Thomasville was able to stay within striking distance in the first half by crashing the offensive boards and getting second-shot opportunities.  The third quarter was another story because the Titans started the half on an 18-0 run that blew the game wide open.  The Bulldogs played tough throughout but never recovered from the run and fell 96-58.

“We really needed this and hopefully we can use this momentum over the break and come back in January with a strong rest of the season,” said West Forsyth assistant coach Michael Porter.  “I was very impressed with the second half, and you could tell they came out with a lot more energy.”

Thomasville head coach Robert Moore Jr. said, “We were in it early but when they put that press on, our kids got rattled.  They were too big for us, and we let the game get away from us.  We competed and we just couldn’t put four quarters together.”

The fact it was a close game throughout did not bode well for Glenn as they took on North Forsyth. The Bobcats seem to thrive off of large deficits.  Their game against the Vikings stayed close from start to finish.  Glenn seemed a little low on energy as they may have expended too much in their comeback attempt against West Forsyth the day before. The Bobcats fell to the Vikings in a squeaker 58-52.

“I felt like we executed our game plan that our guys put in for this game,” said Will Bell, North Forsyth head coach.  “The kids did a very good job of listening and ultimately they executed well. They realize they have to go hard for 32 minutes if they want to win and the last four or five games they have done that.”

Chris Geter, Glenn head coach, said,  “I just don’t get us.  When our backs are against the wall, that’s when we play our best, but when the game is close and we have to make smart decisions, I question our decision-making ability,”

The next consolation game of the day was Carver versus Atkins.  The host Yellowjackets were coming off a victory against Walkertown and Atkins previously had defeated Lexington prior to this game.  Carver jumped all over the Camels with their superior athleticism. The full court press from Carver also gave Atkins all types of headaches leading to a 39-20 lead at the half.

“When we play well, that’s what we kind of bring to the table when we start games well,” said Carver head coach Raheem Martin.  “This is one of the first ones we have actually started well and I’m hoping this leads to more confidence in the first and second quarter of games to come.”

The Yellowjackets kept their foot on the gas in the second half by not letting Atkins gain any sort of continuity on offense.  The Camels gave it their best effort but Carver was too much for them to handle and they lost 62-37.

“Today was a tough one but all in all this tournament was an improvement on last year because we didn’t win any,” said Bronal Gary, Atkins head coach.

Prior to the championship game was the fight for third place game between East Forsyth and Parkland.  Both teams had aspirations for the championship game but just fell a bit short.

Early on, the Eagles seemed to bounce back well from their semi-final defeat against Mt. Tabor by taking a 13-3 lead midway through the first.  By halftime the Mustangs made a run of their own and closed to within one at the break. The full court press by East Forsyth began to pay dividends in the third, giving them a 15-point lead going into the fourth.  The turnovers continued for Parkland, and East Forsyth won by nearly 30 points 69-43.

“The guys didn’t give up and they could have easily folded,” said East Forsyth coach Rodney Minor.  “They came out focused tonight and ready to play and I thought they did well.”

Parkland assistant coach Jeffrey Perry said, “In the second half we just had a let down like we did in the previous game.  I think we came in with some momentum but we didn’t play a full 32-minute game and that’s what it takes.”