Sanderson boys basketball
Sanderson senior Matt James scored 20 points in a Thursday's loss to Southeast Raleigh.
Spartans' 4th-quarter push
too late in loss to Bulldogs
Two days after a decisive 20-point victory over Cary on opening night, the Sanderson boys basketball team suffered a bout of overconfidence against Southeast Raleigh Thursday night, said Spartans head coach Mike Shaw.
The result was a 64-52 loss, though Sanderson did manage to push the Bulldogs late after a lackluster start.
Trailing by 16 points at the end of three quarters, the Spartans stretched out the game, sending Southeast to the foul line 26 times in the final quarter. The Bulldogs converted 21 times, but Sanderson still managed to draw closer and with D.J. Turner's jumper with 1:35 left, the squad was within six points, 55-49.
However, the Spartans wouldn't pull any closer, and Southeast sealed the win — fittingly at the line.
Matt James led Sanderson's late charge, scoring nine of his team-high 20 points in the final period.
Click here to see highlights from Sanderson's contest against Southeast Raleigh.
While the Spartans picked up their intensity in the final half, the squad's uneven showing at the foul line, making just 20 of 41 attempts, never allowed them to pull the game even.
Shaw said his team didn't have the same fight Thursday as it did against Cary.
"The difference between our first game and tonight was really our mindset," he said. "I think we were just a little overconfident. And they played a lot harder than us, right from the start. Our effort just wasn't there."
The Spartans did themselves little favors early as well.
After Chris Carter dropped in a lay-up one minute into Thursday's game, giving Sanderson a 2-0 advantage — it's only lead of the contest —the Spartans didn't score another field goal the rest of the quarter. (Though the squad did hit five of eight free-throws.)
Sanderson's shooting woes allowed Southeast Raleigh to take a 15-7 lead after one quarter.
While the Spartans got several close looks, the baskets never seemed to fall in the first half.
After playing Southeast even through the second quarter, trailing 23-16 at half, Sanderson fell behind by double-digits as the Bulldogs' offense started to attack the basket. Southeast outscored Sanderson 19-9 in the third, and its 43-27 advantage was too much to overcome.
Shaw is positive his squad can rebound for next Tuesday's game at Athens Drive.
"We have some good kids, and I think they will learn from this," he said. "Hopefully, we'll make some adjustments and we'll see what happens."
Behind James, Turner scored 14 points and Carter added 10 points.
