BOYS' BASKETBALL: 'White'-hot Knights handle Chargers

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on February 6, 2017 9:59 AM

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By JUSTIN HAYES

jhayes@newsargus.com

WILSON -- En fuego.

Now a part of our everyday basketball jargon, the phrase was stretched to its reasonable limit on Friday night as Coastal Plains Independent 1-A Conference pillar Greenfield outlasted Wayne Country Day School, 89-78, in what can only be described as a white-hot, in-game scoring clinic.

And the contest, played in warp speed before a standing-room only caucus, featured a bit of everything.

Multiple division one prospects, check.  High stakes within league play, check.

Video-game inspired shooting efficiency -- complete with an armful of cheat codes -- absolutely.

WCDS began the mayhem early, passing the leather crisply and connecting on five triples to quiet a raucous pre-game crowd. Not to be outdone, Greenfield replied in kind, making six treys of its own to assume a 28-22 lead after eight minutes.

But the group heat check didn't stop there.

Both outfits continued their torrid pace in the second stanza, highlighted by WCDS point guard Jimmie Sanders, who converted a 4-point play with 4:17 remaining in the half to square the game at 33 apiece.

The deadlock wouldn't last long, however.

Greenfield All-American and UNC commit Coby White finished the quarter with a flurry, controlling both pace and scoring to give the Knights a 47-43 advantage at the break.

"Both teams were running their stuff well, making contested shots," said Greenfield head coach Rob Salter. "That was as good a first half as you'll see in a high school game."

Ditto the second, which only served to build on the first-half frenzy.

WCDS countered White's relentless dribble-action in the third period with 12 points from sophomore Jamal King, and appeared poised to assume control of matters when Greenfield junior Elijah McCadden -- a Wake Forest University recruit -- picked up his fourth foul with over 10 minutes left in the ball game.

The Chargers' run, however, would suffer two distinct blows.

White authored the first, answering a Marcus Metcalf triple that tied matters at 66-all with a blinding rim-run of his own to keep Greenfield firmly in control.

The second came in the form of King's fifth foul, which he picked up scrambling for a rebound along the WCDS baseline with nearly three minutes to play.

"Without Jamal, we're a different team," said WCDS head coach David Flowers. "The guys kept fighting, but it was downhill... they (just) beat us."

Specifically White, whose 44-point, 11-rebound, six-assist performance stamped the win and positioned Greenfield (19-10 overall) atop the CPIC regular-season standings at 7-1 with its longtime rival.

The Knights also received solid play from senior Dorieon Suggs, who finished with 14 points. McCadden chipped in 13, while freshman Dji Bailey contributed 14 points on four made triples.

Wayne Country Day (18-10, 7-1 CPIC) was paced by 27 points and 10 boards from King, 22 points from Sanders and 12 from junior Cole Atwood. Courtesy of a coin flip Saturday morning, the Chargers are the No. 1 seed for the CPIC tournament.