Photos by Craig T. Greenlee
Reynolds guard Treviz Murphy makes a strong move to the basket against North
Forsyth's Jordan Oakes.
Ian Henderson played a key role in RJR advancing to the championship round
of the Lash-Chronicle JV Tournament.
Reynolds
from page B1
an immediate impact as a scoring threat. McCulloch is quick to confess that Goodloe
could easily be a starter. With this group, though, McCulloch believes his team is best
served by having Goodloe as the sixth man. In the Lash-Chronicle championship game,
Goodloe buried a couple of 3-pointers and scored 15 points to lead a comeback in a 68
58 loss.
"Mysta will continue to come off the bench," said McCulloch. "There's no question
that he's good enough to start. But he gives us such a spark with his ability to score. So,
that's his role on this team."
As well as the Demons have played, they are not flawless. East Forsyth used a full
court zone press and the inside dominance 6-foot-5 center Connor Sparrow to shut them
down in the Lash-Chronicle title game. It took most of the first half before Reynolds was
able to handle the pressure with any level of consistency.
By the late stages of the second quarter, East Forsyth had built a substantial cushion
and Reynolds wasn't able to make a complete comeback. "We didn't handle their pressure
too well and that caused us to play at a different pace," said McCulloch. "It didn't help
that our shot selection wasn't what it usually is. Those are some things that well work
on."
Parkland
from page BI
But whether Leal is
back on the court or not,
Williams realizes that it's
mandatory for others to
raise their level of play.
"We're going to need more
from every one of our
players at every position,"
said Williams. "That's
what it's going to take for
us to compete at the high
est level."
Micah Williams has
excelled as a pass-first
point guard who gets his
teammates involved in the
scoring. Coach Williams,
however, feels that in order
for the Mustangs to have
more offensive diversity,
it's crucial for Micah
Willianis to be more
assertive in looking for his
shot.
Parkland's point
guard shouldn't have an
issue getting ample scoring
support from other posi
tions on the floor. Swing
player Raquane Key is at
his best when attacking the
rim and getting to the free
throw line. Damien
Thacker has developed an
effective inside/outside
game at small forward.
Zach Holmes is
expected to become more
of a factor as an inside
presence, especially at the
defensive end. Freshman
guard. Esosa Igbinigie
comes off the bench to pro
vide energy and intensity
at both ends of die court.
* . Photo by Craig T Greeniee
Parkland's Raquane Key pulls up to take the mid-range jumper.
North Forsyth
from rvscBI
In an early-season match-up
against eventual Lash-Chronicle
champ East Forsyth, the Vikings had
an eight-point lead with just under
five minutes left to play i|i the game.
Coming down the stretch, though.
North Forsyth was victimized by a
combination of poor shot selection
and sloppy ball handling. The end
result was a 54-46 loss.
In the Lash-Chronicle's first
round. North Forsyth rallied late in
the second quarter and trailed by only
two points at intermission. A rash of
second-half turnovers put the Vikings
at a severe disadvantage and they
ended op losing 87-65 to Reynolds,
4 who beat No. 1 seed Mount Tabor to
" reach die tournament's title game.
"We had a tough go eariy on."
said coach Jeffercy Moore of North
Forsyth. "But those games served as
good preparation to help us get ready
[far conference]. We had some good
runs in those games, but simply
couldn't sustain it for four quarters."
The Vikings are looking to at
I 4* - " " ? ? ? I
"We had a tough go early on."
-Jefferey Moore, North Forsyth Coach
least duplicate last season's perform
ance. They struggled in non-league
games during the first month, then
went 11-1 in the Mid-Piedmont
Conference to finish in a first-place
tie with Asheboro.
"This team is athletic enough to
score points, but still has to get better
when h comes to playing defense and
rebounding the basketball," Moore
said. That's going to be especially
important in those games when our
shots aren't falling."
The chances of North Forsyth
making another strong conference
run are enhanced because of the
returning cast. Five sophomores -
Jordan Oakes. Khalib Petti grew.
Mftrquan Matthews. Aaron Worthy
and Da wood Evans - played last
year as freshmen, and they're ready to
lead the way.
Oakes, a shooting guard, has
developed as a reliable 3-point shoot
er. In the paint. Petti grew, who
weighs 280 pounds, uses his bulk to
rt
dominate the glass at both ends of the
floor. Matthews and Worthy provide
scoring and defense as formidable
contributors on the wing.
Naeem Evans and Ronald
Jackson (football quarterback) have
proven themselves as capable guards
who will continue to improve as they
gain more game experience. "Naeem
continues to progress," said Moore.
"For him, it's more a matter of getting
adjusted to the speed of the game and
the intensity. Ronald was the back-up
quarterback on the varsity this sea
son, so he's already very comfortable
in taking on a leadership role."
Ffcoto by Oaag T Qneatec
Marquan Matthews is one of five
returning players from last year's
Vikings squad that tied for first
place in the Mid-Piedmont 3-A
Conference.
r