Photo by Craig T. Greenlee
Coach Rodney Minor was ecstatic in the aftermath of the Eagles winning their first Lash-Chronicle championship.
Best shot
from page BI
"This is a fun team to
watch," said Minor. "They
play unselfishly and don't
mind giving the ball up to
get the best possible shot.
With the balance we have,
there's no need for us to
have to rely on one or two
players to do all the scoring
every night."
Given East Forsyth's
early success, there's
always the possibility of a
let-down. Except for a sur
prising loss to Reagan, the
Eagles have won handily in
every outing. Minor is
pleased with the results,
but knows that his team
must improve to stay ahead
of the opposition.
"As well as we've
played, we're still gelling
as a team," he said. "I have
to admit that the team
chemistry is a lot further
along than I expected.
Everybody is still learning
the nuances of how each
individual plays. They're
picking up on things such
as knowing where certain
players like to get the ball
and how to best communi
cate with each other on
defense. As long as we
continue to play the way
we know how, we'll be
fine."
A major plus for East
Forsyth is the versatility of
its roster. This team has the
personnel that's equipped
to operate from half-court
sets or run the floor in a
fast-paced game.
Everything starts with
pivot player (^onnor
Sparrow, the Lash
Chronicle MVP. Sparrow
takes up space and punish
es defenders in the post.
His size (6 feet 5 inches,
250 pounds) make him a
difficult cover on the low
blocks. Sparrow, however,
isn't the only scoring
option. *
The Eagles have a
mini-squadron of depend
able perimeter shooters in
Tanis Samuels, Sayyid
Dal ton, Avery Hall, Josh
Mahaffey and Josh Wiley.
Defensively, this team
can be dominant. That's
what transpired in the
Lash-Chronicle final when
East Forsyth limited
Reynolds to six points in
the first quarter. The Eagles
ended up winning by 10
points (68-58). The score,
however, doesn't paint an
accurate picture of how
thoroughly they dominat
ed.
Even though East
Forsyth is on top of its
game, it's far from being a
perfect team. There are still
times in games when men
tal mistakes, particularly
on defense, have allowed
opponents to score easily
and get back in contention.
Minor knows that in the
coming weeks, his team
will face stem challenges
in conference games that
figure to be hotly contest
ed. In those types of games,
momentary lapses could
prove costly.
"What it all comes
down to is us doing the lit
tle things," he said. "We've
got to hustle back on
defense and not allow
teams to score easy points
in transition. Sometimes
we're slow in making our
rotations on defense, but
those are things that can be
corrected.
"Overall, I like the
direction we're going in.
We have a good core of
players who know how to
get the job done."
Lash-Chronicle MVP Connor Sparrow scored 30 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in the title game.
? 1 ?
Power forward Christian Herbin of Glenn takes the ball to the rim during the
second round of the Lash-Chronicle JV Tournament.
Glenn's Ronald Young III (25) has emerged as a factor on the glass in recent
weeks.
I Glenn
it Jwn page ft I
will be viewed as a prime contender in the Piedmont Triad
4-A Conference. East Forsyth, Northwest Guilford and
Southwest Guilford are usually at or near the top of the
standings year in and year out. Still, that doesn't mean the
Bobcats are destined to finish at or near the bottom.
"The key for us is to be more disciplined," said
Daniels. "We're definitely getting better every day. Our
guards are playing well and as a team, we're playing with
more effort."
Daniels is counting on a few newcomers to help the
Bobcats establish themselves as a factor in this season's
chase for first place in the conference. Freshman post
player Paul Carlton is a proven commodity in the paint at
both ends of the floor. His inside presence causes defenses
to collapse on him. which creates adequate floor spacing
for Micah Bennett and Bryson Bell-StJohn to knock
down jumpers from the perimeter.
Ronald Young ID, who has no prior high school play
ing experience, is pushing for more playing time at power
forward. Young is active on the boards and is developing
as a solid post defender. His emergence will allow Carlton
to move to power forward and give Glenn more size on its
front line.
Christian Herbin comes off the bench to provide added
depth at the post positions.