WS Chronicle

Day Two of the Lash/Chronicle basketball tournament more than lived up to the hype. Both Number One seeds survived to play in the championship of their respective brackets and will face off against worthy opponents for the top spot.

Winston-Salem Prep and Parkland were first on Friday afternoon in the Lash Bracket. Prep got off to a great start by forcing their will on the glass leading to a 31-19 lead at the half. The Phoenix maintained their lead into the third quarter, but Parkland would not go away.

The Mustangs clawed their way back into striking distance by going to a full court press. The press sped up Prep, causing them to make turnovers and take bad shots. Parkland cut the deficit to 2 points in the fourth quarter. Clutch shooting from Prep down the stretch and a technical foul on a Mustang player propelled Prep to the 51-44 victory.

“I thought it was a tale of two halves, I thought if we would have played the way we played in the second half, in the first half, it would have been a totally different ballgame,” said Cory Baker, Parkland head coach. “But I have a young team and we are just trying to get better every game out.”

At halftime, Baker told his players he felt this was a game they could win if they just “did the small things right.” He said the full court press got Prep out of their rhythm, but thought they ran out of time in the end.

Number One seed West Forsyth finally got their first taste of action in the tournament as they faced off against Reynolds. The Titans were hot from the field to begin the game, taking a 22-11 lead after one quarter. Reynolds broke out of their slump in the second, chipping away at the Titan lead. The Demons came all the way back and only trailed by one going into intermission, 32-31.

Reynolds continued their momentum in the third, taking a slim 4-point lead early on. The Titans answered with a run of their own to take a 50-46 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. West Forsyth held off the Demons down the stretch to earn the 65-61 victory.

“It was a hard-fought game, they came out and did exactly what we thought they would do,” said Titan head coach Charles Thomas. “We struggled with our execution, we let them get us a little sped up and we lost control of the game we had early. We rebounded well and I am happy with that.”

Thomas said he expected Reynolds to make a run, but did not expect it to be so sustained. He credits his team for staying focused and executing the game plan. 

The final game of the day was Mt. Tabor against Glenn. Tabor seized control of the game from tip-off and never relinquished. Good defense, timely shooting and ball control all contributed to the 45-33 win for the Spartans. Mt. Tabor head coach Kedrick Carpenter said they have a few things to iron out before the championship game.

“I think we played solid overall, we just have to close out games better because we did a lot of silly things toward the end,” said Carpenter. “I just wanted to play zone and not get into an up-and-down battle with them, because I know my personnel well.

The Spartans only loss this year has been to West Forsyth, so they are looking to avenge that loss. “Last year we lost to West by one point, so at the end of the day, it is kind of personal for me,” said Carpenter about Saturday’s championship game.

There was great action at Winston-Salem Prep in The Chronicle Bracket as well. East Forsyth continued their winning ways by defeating Reagan 62-50. Forbush, in their first tournament action, dominated Walkertown 76-56, by locking down on defense and using their imposing size.

Carver bounced back from their opening day loss to defeat Andrews 61-55. Saturday’s championship and consolation games are set up to be some of the best in recent memory.