North Forsyth trounces Carver
(pictured above:Cameron King)
North Forsyth never had to slow down for speed bumps in a 65-28 runaway road victory over Carver last week. The Vikings pulled away in the second quarter and were never threatened after that.
“We controlled the game in all aspects,” said North Forsyth Coach Jeff Moore, whose team opened the season with back-to-back wins. “Our fast break worked very well and the defense was solid. The one area where we fell short was our free-throw shooting. At first, we came out in man-to-man, but had no success keeping them out of the lane. When we changed to a 2-3 zone, it made it a lot more difficult for them to take the ball to the basket.”
With David Payne and Caleb Pettigrew doing most of the offensive damage, North Forsyth bolted to a 28-13 lead at the half. Payne and Pettigrew combined for half of the Vikings first-half output.
Pettigrew, a 6-foot-2, 340 pounds back-up post player, owned the interior at both ends of the floor. He came off the bench and led the Vikings with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Payne finished with 10 points.
Carver, on the other hand, scored three points in the second quarter and never recovered. Ice-cold shooting, turnovers and the Yellowjackets’ inability to keep the Vikings off the glass, conspired to put Carver at a severe disadvantage. Amari Crowell was the Yellowjackets leading scorer with seven points.
Carver, which has nine freshmen on its 15-player roster, could’ve benefited from the presence of its top scorer. Quinn Baker is not available for duty because of a broken bone in his shooting hand. The left-handed shooting guard (who averaged 13 points per game last season) is scheduled to have his cast removed in mid-December. Baker, however, isn’t likely to return to action until the first week of January.
“We’re extremely young, so it’s going to take some time for most of our players to get acclimated to the pace and the intensity,” said Coach Jamie Foster of Carver. “As they continue to learn what’s being taught, they will continue to make a positive transition.”
Kajuan Jackson, a 6-foot-2 small forward, is the lone returning starter for Carver. Jackson is an athletic leaper who’s developed a dependable mid-range jumper. Freshmen Michael Bennett and Russell Grand provide added depth in the backcourt. Up front, 6-foot-4 center Raekwon Miller has the tools to become a formidable force in the paint by season’s end.
As for North Forsyth, it’s still too early in the season to tell what its impact might be. Like most junior varsity teams, the Vikings have their share of inexperienced players. Cameron King and Darryl Gaines gained valuable experience last year as freshmen. Now they’ve taken the leadership reigns, which will help in the growth and development of newcomers De’Ante Petree and Kenyatta Carpenter.
“What stands out most about this group is how competitive they are,” said Moore. “They all have upbeat attitudes and they are students of the game. There is potential here.”
