news-record.com

SPORTS

Page comes from behind, stays perfect in Metro 4-A

Saturday, January 17, 2009
(Updated 7:39 am)

GREENSBORO -- Despite being in a hostile environment, the Page boys basketball team kept its perfect mark in the Metro 4-A conference intact Friday with a come-from-behind 55-50 win over Grimsley.

The Pirates had a frustrating night shooting the ball at times, trailed by five early in the fourth quarter and by a point with two minutes to play. But they ended the game with a 6-0 run to close out their city rival.

"It's tough to play in this envirnonment," Page coach Robert Kent said. "But we've already played a tough schedule. They have been in a bunch of close games, so they knew what to expect. Our goal this season is to win the conference regular season and get that No. 1 seed for the playoffs."

The Pirates trailed 45-40 early in the final quarter, but an 18-foot jumper by Jonathan Spain and a 3-pointer by Michael Oates pulled Page (11-5, 3-0) even.

The lead changed hands a couple of more times, with the Whirlies seizing a 50-49 lead with two minutes to play.

But Grimsley committed a crucial turnover and Page made them pay.

Jordan Weethee hit a shot to give the Pirates the lead and then Grimsley (11-5, 1-2) missed a free throw.

The Pirates cashed in on that opportunity as well when A.J. Finney hit a layup with less than a minute to play, pushing the Page lead to 53-50.

The Whirlies tried to get two different long-range shooters open, but Page did a good job of covering them and Krechaun Williams was forced to take an off-balance, 3-pointer that was off target. Page's Julius Brooks dunked on the other end to put an exclamation point on the Pirates win.

"When A.J. hit that little layup, that put us up three and that was huge because we had missed so many close ones," Kent said. "Our kids played hard, and they played hard. It was just a great atmosphere for a basketball game."

The game was a back-and-forth battle all night, with each team going on runs and trying to bounce back.

"We told them that we've got to take their best shot and survive it," Kent said. "I think they did that. We're getting better, which is good."

Both teams opened tentative, but the Whirlies jumped out to a 18-13 lead in the first quarter behind a 3-pointer by Burrell Brown. But then Spain hit two free throws to make it 18-15 after one period.

The second quarter saw the Pirates take control, even with Brooks on the bench for much of the time.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by DeMonte Harrison helped Page take a 35-28 halftime lead.

The Whirlies came out after intermission and picked up the intensity on defense to hold the Pirates to five points in the quarter. That defensive effort gave them a 43-40 lead going into the fourth quarter.

But after the game, Grimsley coach Darren Corbett was left to wonder about missed opportunities that dropped his team two games behind the first-place Pirates in the conference.

"They made the plays when they had to, and we just came up a little bit short," Corbett said. "I wish it was something I could point to. We had only lost one home game. We just have to learn to make plays in these situations."

"It's early, but we have to minimize our mistakes and finish games," Corbett added.

 

Page (11-5, 3-0) -- Jordan Weethee 15, Julius Brooks 12, DeMonte Harrison 6, Jonathan Spain 6, Michael Oates 3, Stacey Greene 2, A.J. Finney 2, Chris Knight 2.

Grimsley (11-5, 1-2) -- Keith Manley 18, Carter Gourley 11, Krechaun Williams 7, Lee Sweeny 5, Burrell Brown 3, David Ray 3, Code Isley 3.

Page


15 20 5 15 -- 55
Grimsley
18 10 15 7 -- 50

eMail Updates

Advertisement | Advertise with Us

Local Tickets

View All

Featured Ads

Search

Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us

News & Record Network Sites

User Tools

  • Social Networking
  • RSS
  • Share
  • Sign in to MyNR

Search