Chargers run past Eagles at Clifford Gym

By Brandon Davis
Published in Sports on December 2, 2015 1:48 PM

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Wanting something and having it are two different things.

Wayne Christian head basketball coach Victor Young wanting a win over archrival Wayne Country Day that fell through in disappointing fashion, 79-68, on Tuesday evening.

"I was just trying to will my guys to put in their energy and effort, and we just deferred toward the end of the game," Young said. "We deferred, they (WCD) picked it up and put it back in."

Wayne Country Day bolted to an early lead only to see Wayne Christian battle back. Darrin Oates drove the length of the court for a layup, and Tyrique McLain assisted Rashawn Wellington for two more points as the Eagles crawled to within seven points.

The Chargers' Tony Townsend assisted Jamal Forde with a 3-pointer, and Townsend stole the ball seconds later for a long pass to Forde, who made a layup. Oates stole the ball from the Chargers, threw the ball to McLain for the first dunk of the night. Oates played defense as well. He drew a foul and sank both free throws to pull his team within six points.

WCDS lead 21-15 after one quarter.

McLain and Oates carried their team to a 21-21 tie to start the second quarter. Brandon Cowan assisted Joshiah Simmons with a 3-point shot.

Townsend snatched the ball from a WCA guard, and assisted Forde with a layup. Emmanuel Walker made a jumper and drew a foul. He sank his free throw.

The Chargers extended their lead to 44-37, but Oates led a late Wayne Christian charge. His steal and jump shot carried the Eagles into halftime with a 47-46 lead.

P.J. Hill assisted Forde and Jamal King to start the second half in scoring, and the Chargers marched to a four-point lead.

Osi Amaefule shot a jumper and had an offensive putback. Oates threw a court-length pass to McLain for two more points.

Hill assisted King with a layup, and the Chargers led, 61-60, at the end of the third quarter.

Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Townsend assisted Justin Loftin-Russell for the first points. King drew a foul and made his foul shot. WCD led WCA, 68-61, with five minutes left in the game.

King sank two more free throws, and the Chargers went on an 11-7 run to end the fourth quarter.

McLain ended the game with 22 points, and Oates had 17 points. Amaefule had 11 points, while Simmons had 10 points.

Forde scored 26 points for the Chargers. King had 17 and Townsend added 12 to the scorebook.

"We started playing more defense and we got stops," WCD head coach David Flowers said, who realized the turning point of the game. "They've (WCA) got a good team. They're a great team. It was a fun game. They made shots and we made them."

Wayne Country Day (6-3 overall) plays host to Community Christian on Thursday, while Wayne Christian (3-2) travels to Cape Fear Christian on Friday.