Chargers' 'Big 3' chop down Oakwood

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on January 19, 2011 1:46 PM

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Technically, there were 10 players on the floor at Wayne Country Day School on Tuesday night.

In reality, the Chargers' big three were slightly better than the terrific twosome from The Oakwood School.

Sarah Best, Mack Thompson and Catherine Ford combined for 50 points and the Chargers held on for a 56-51 victory in a Coastal Plains Independent 1-A battle of short-handed teams.

Just 14 players saw action in the game.

"We play iron-woman basketball so we need someone new to step up each night," said Chargers head coach Eric Perry. "Tonight, we got good contributions from our starters and we were able to battle until the end."

A jumper by Thompson gave the Chargers the lead with five minutes to play. The teams traded baskets for the next three minutes with Kim Martel and Best each adding two points for Wayne Country Day.

With one minute to play, Oakwood guard Hamani Simpkins sank a runner off the right side of the lane and cut the Chargers' lead to 52-51. Ford immediately grabbed the inbound pass and raced the length of the floor for a driving layup.

After a missed jump shot by the Eagles, forward Tamber Burke grabbed a loose ball rebound and looked to find an open teammate for one last attempt.

Ford stole the pass and raced up the floor before being fouled. The Chargers' leader buried both free throws to seal the win.

"Sometimes Catherine gets down when her shot isn't falling," said Perry. "But I always tell her that there are so many other facets to a basketball game, and just to keep her effort up and things will go her way."

Thompson paced the Wayne Country Day offense with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Best added 18 points, while Ford finished with 13. Martel was the only other Charger to score, and finished with six points.

Simpkins led the Eagles with a game-high 24 points. Burke added 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Wayne Country Day (9-2 overall, 1-0 CPIC) entertains Upper Room on Thursday.