W. Christian boys falter in CCC play
By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on January 15, 2010 1:46 PM
In close games, there is always a high price for missed free throws.
Thursday evening was no different for Wayne Christian in a 46-40 loss to Northwood Temple at Clifford Gymnatorium. The Eagles shot just 33 percent (8-for-24) from the charity stripe and could not complete a strong second half with opportunities from the foul line.
"We did not do a good job tonight on the offensive end," said Wayne Christian head coach Franklin Brathwaite. "We missed a lot of close shots that we needed in the second half and we could not convert at the foul line all night."
A slow start certainly did not help the home team's confidence.
Northwood Temple built a 9-0 lead over the first five minutes of the opening quarter as the Eagles racked up turnovers and missed jump shots. By the end of the first period, the visitors led 12-4 and Wayne Christian (4-12 overall) was forced to play catch-up.
"I thought we did a good job of getting back in the game with our defense," said Brathwaite. "Northwood was a faster team with a good ball handler and we held them to 46 points, but it wasn't enough tonight."
Wayne Christian closed the gap to four points at the end of the third quarter on a basket by Taylor Johnson. Northwood answered to open the final period with a layup by Andrew Brown and kept the Eagles at arm's length from there.
The visitors were paced by Brandon Griffin's 14-point effort. Brown added nine points and nine rebounds in the victory.
Johnson led the Wayne Christian offense with 11 points. The balanced attack was complimented by five points each from Luke Howell, Anthony Mulligan, Jordan Crouthamel, Chase King and Taurel Singletary. Howell led the Eagles on the glass with eight rebounds.
"We played well enough to win," said Brathwaite. "All of our guys contributed, but we did not do enough of the little things well."
Wayne Christian will play host to Cape Fear Christian on Tuesday.