ft Sports WeekH
Also Religion and Classifieds December 10, 2015
BASKETBALL
Eagles get the best of Vikings with late-game comeback
54-46
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
If the results of the season opener is any indication,
followers of East Forsyth JV basketball are in for a
thrilling ride. Down by eight points with 4:38 to go in the
game, the Eagles delivered down the stretch to take a 54
46 road win over North Forsyth last week.
Trenton West of East Forsyth converted a pair of free
throws to force a 45-45 tie with 1:48 left to play. The
Eagles closed out the game with a 9-1 run - all from the
foul line - as Tanis Samuels hit 7-of-8 free throws.
The game began to turn in the Eagles favor for good
when coach Rodney Minor put his starters back in the
game for the final minutes. Earlier in the quarter, Minor
yanked his starters who had not played well for a good
portion of the second half.
"I took them out so they could watch from the bench
and see what was happening," said Minor. "They didn't go ,
after loose balls and they didn't rebound very well. So, I i
had to change things up with a lineup of mostly freshmen.
"Once the starters returned, they did a better job of
grabbing rebounds and they attacked the paint. We started
getting second-chance points and we knocked down some
free throws. That's what gave us the victory."
Samuels topped the Eagles with 15 points, followed by
Sayyid Dalton, who contributed 11 points. Bradley Hall
finished with 10.
"In the first quarter, we started out good, but then we
got lethargic," said Minor. "We got too comfortable with
a 10-point lead and we settled for too many jump shots. At
one point, it seemed like North Forsyth just wanted it
more than we did."
The Vikings, with Jordan Oakes, Dawoud Evans,
Marquan Matthews and Nairn Evans taking turns,
regrouped midway through the third quarter. Dawoud
Evans hit a free throw to give North Forsyth its first lead
of the game (32-31) with 3:30 remaining. Oakes and Nairn
Evans drilled 3-pointers to give the Vikings some cushion.
As things turned out, though, it wasn't enough.
"We have to learn how to hold a lead," said coach
Jefferey Moore of North Forsyth, whose team fell to 0-3.
"In far too many instances, we rushed shots and didn't
make the best decisions. With a lead, there was no need
for us to be in a hurry with our offensive possessions. It
didn't help any that we were out of position for a lot of
See Eagles on B2
rnoto oy craig i ureeniec
Nairn Evans of the Vikings had three 3-pointers for
a team high 14 points against the Eagles.
Mount Tabor
tabbed No. 1 seed
for Lash-Chronicle
tournament
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
jt; Mount Tabor got the
nod as the top seed for the
Lash-Chronicle JV
Tournament, which tips
off with six first-round
games on Saturday at
Carver High School.
Being picked No. 1, how
ever, doesn't mean that the
Spartans are a lock to win
it.
First-round winners
will play in the quarterfi
nal round set for Dec. 19.
Two days later, the teams
that survive the quarterfi
nals will face off in a cou
ple of semifinals match
ups. The championship
game will be played on
Dec. 22.
Based on early-season
results, Mount Tabor (3-0
at the start of this week) is
sure to face stiff chal
lenges from several con
tenders in the 14-team
field. No. 2 West Forsyth
and No. 3 East Forsyth
figure to have a final say
as to which team will ulti
mately own the champi
onship trophy.
In addition to the 12
public schools in Forsyth
County, the tournament
field includes Thomasville
and Lexington. Of those
two out-of-town schools,
fifth-seeded Lexington is
the most likely pull off a
few surprises. The Yellow
Jackets are deep and have
an abundance of quick
ness to flourish in a fast
paced game.
One team to keep an
eye on is Winston-Salem
Prep, which has won three
of the last four Lash
Chronicle tournaments.
The Phoenix, which lost
its first three games, hasn't
played up to its capability.
Prep enters this year's
tournament as the No. 9
seed.
"We feel blessed to be
picked as the No. 1 seed,"
said coach Willie Harrison
of Mount Tabor. "This
gives us the opportunity to
do some scouting and get
a good look at possible
opponents,
"But just because a
team is No. 1 doesn't mean
that winning is automatic.
You still have to play. So,
we're eager to get started
and hopefully show that
we deserve to be seeded
No. 1 in the tournament.
We know it won't be easy.
That's why we're not over
looking any team."
Mount Tabor has the
ability to play different
styles, which bodes well
for tournament play. The
Spartans prime strength is
in the paint with the trio of
Dillon Bullard, Cole
Foley and Duncan Smits.
In the backcourt, Carson
Anthis and Quest Aldridge
provide stability and court
savvy.
"We'll run whenever
the opportunity presents
itself," said Harrison. "But
we can also slow it down
and pound the ball inside.
Across the board, this
team is deep and we have
several players who can
S?rTournament on B2
? Photo by^^^^^Mnlec
J ay lan McMillon (4) delivers at both ends of the floor for West Forsyth.
Titans squash fourth-quarter rally to defeat Phoenix
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
West Forsyth imposed
its will in the closing min
utes to beat Winston-Salem
Prep in JV basketball last
Friday. The Titans scored
quickly off two steals to
break open a tight game
and earn a 56-50 victory on
their home court.
For most of the night.
West Forsyth maintained
control and led by as many
as 12 points. Prep, in the
meantime, managed to stay
in contention and tied the
game, 45-45 on a pair of
free throws by Jalen
Cranley with 3:21 remain
ing in the fourth quarter.
Less than a minute
later, Mike Montgomery
hit a three-pointer ftom the
right wing to put the
Phoenix in front, 48-47.
From that point on, howev
er, the game belonged to
the two Titans players who
have same-sounding last
names with different
spellings.
The decisive sequence
started when JaQuan
McMillian stole a Prep
pass and fed Jaylan
McMillon for a lay-up. On
the Phoenix's next posses
sion, McMillian came up
with another steal and
drove the length of the
court and scored while
being fouled. He converted
the free throw to complete
the three-point play.
McMillon added the finish
ing touches with a fast
break basket to supply
West Forsyth with a 54-48
cushion with 42 seconds
left to play.
'Tonight we shared the
ball and at times, we played
well defensively," said
coach Jeffrey Williams of
West Forsyth, whose team
opened the season with
three straight wins. "We
also got the opportunity for
some of our players to fur
ther establish what their
individual roles are on this
team."
Kelvin Johnson topped
the Titans with 18 points
and McMillian finished
with 14.
Winston-Salem Prep
(0-3 at the start of this
week) has gotten off to an
uncharacteristically slug
gish start. Even so, coach
Bill Tibbs isn't about to
push the panic button.
For the time being, he's
missing wing player Tyren
Hairston who's sidelined
with a dislocated toe.
Hairston is expected to
return around Dec. 15. The
Phoenix did get a boost late
Sec Titans on B2
56-50
( .
"Tonight we shared
the ball and at times,
we played well
defensively."
-Coach Jeffrey Williams of West Forsyth,
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