BOYS' BASKETBALL: WCDS counters Eagles' height with sharp perimeter shooting

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on January 13, 2017 10:00 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

Cape Fear Christian waltzed into Wayne Country Day's gym boasting a massive height advantage.

A 6-foot-9 guy here, 6-foot-8 guy there. Then there was a 6-foot-4 sharpshooter for good measure.

The Chargers mustered a small shrug. They've see these lineups all season and know how to handle them.

Thursday night wasn't any different.

With crisp shooting and a composed half-court offense, WCDS grabbed control of the game early and never let up in its 66-60 victory over Cape Fear.

"We knew we could get shots," said WCDS head coach David Flowers. "We knew we couldn't get to the basket, but we knew we could get shots...Then once we got a lead, I kept stressing to the guys -- make them come guard us."

Thanks to a 10-0 run to end the first quarter, the Chargers' first lead came at 16-14. WCDS knocked down four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes. Cole Atwood sank two, while Jimmie Sanders and Jamal King had one apiece.

WCDS stretched its lead to eight by halftime and maintained a 48-38 advantage by the end of the third quarter.

The Eagles' only big push came midway through the fourth quarter when they cut the lead to 50-46. Pressure-filled defense started to agitate the Chargers, causing turnovers and missed shots.

But Flowers knew the answer to breaking the aggressive press.

Speed. And lots of it.

"I told Jimmie (Sanders), they can't stay in front of him," Flowers said. "So if you get a chance to dribble around (the press) than dribble around it, and we'll look at what we have. Once we broke it the first time, we knew that we were okay."

After the press was defeated, WCDS pulled the ball out and patiently waited for a good shot.

King nailed a mid-range basket, and then Atwood followed with a 3-pointer to boost the margin to 55-46. Cape Fear's threat ended just as quickly as it had begun.

Due to the apparent height differential, the Eagles held a 41-24 rebounding edge in Thursday's game. Despite the disadvantage, 10 3-pointers from the Chargers helped combat the Eagles' length.

"I'll take (the rebounding margin)," Flowers said. "If we shoot the ball like that. If we shoot the ball well, I'll take that number because I know the size. I think we got rebounds at the right time. When we needed stops, we got stops."

King recorded 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Sanders led with 22 points and five assists.

Fayetteville Academy, Northwood Temple, Charlotte Christian and Trinity Christian are just a few schools on WCDS' schedule with similar heights and talent level. Flowers said the team is used to the adversity, and they're going to keep handling it like they've done all season.

"We've played teams like this," Flowers said. "It's good for us to know we're okay, and it's just another game for us. If we're hitting our shots and we're running our stuff, we'll be okay."