Sanderson boys basketball
Sanderson guard Kevin Black (front) scored six points in Tuesday's win over Athens Drive.
Spartans sprint out early,
hold on for win
Sanderson boys basketball coach Mike Shaw found the best way to sum his Spartans’ fast start in Tuesday’s 58-47 victory over Athens Drive with a baseball term.
Shaw called the Jaguars use of a zone defense instead of a man-to-man look a “curveball.” But the off-speed pitch didn’t catch the Spartans off-balance.
Sophomore Franklin Wolfe dropped in a lay-in, followed by a three-pointer, helping Sanderson to a 5-0 lead out of the gates. Athens Drive battled back, tying the game at 6-6, but the Spartans retaliated with a 8-2 run, and closed out the quarter leading 14-8.
“They surprised us a little bit because we didn’t expect them to come out in a zone,” Shaw said. “But we made a lot of good adjustments. To be honest, we haven’t even practiced against zone too much. We have been mostly practicing against our own man defense. But we reacted great anyway.”
In fact, the Spartans, led by Matt James’ 16 points, controlled the tempo the majority of the contest – aside from a sluggish third quarter.
For highlights from the Sanderson/Athens Drive game click here.
By halftime, Sanderson had pushed its advantage to 10 points, leading 31-21. The Spartans were helped by a Jaguar technical foul and personal foul, which sent Kevin Black and Wolfe to the line for four consecutive shots. The Spartan shooters converted all four, giving Sanderson a nine-point lead.
The Spartans were at their best converting defensive stops into easy baskets, and getting transition points. The tempo set up a handful of lay-ups as well as James' alley-oop dunk — highlight reel material — just before halftime. Shaw said the Spartans got away from that philosophy after the intermission, and as a result, they struggled.
Sanderson managed to score just five points in the third — all from Chris Carter. On the other hand, the Jaguars scored 11, closing the Spartans lead to four at the end of the quarter.
“I think we maybe thought we were going to stick back and hit jumpshots all night long. And we relied on the three-pointer a little bit too much,” Shaw said. “What helped us get that early lead was that we hit a couple of those early shots, and then we started getting some lay-ups because it opened the lane a little bit.
“We got back to that in the fourth quarter.”
Wolfe finished with 13 points, Carter added 11 and Black and D.J. Turner added six apiece.
The Spartans took advantage of their opportunities at the free-throw line, converting 18 of 27 attempts — a 66 percent shooting percentage.
Having played Athens Drive just a week earlier — Sanderson prevailed 57-49 in the first meeting — Shaw said he liked how his Spartans adjusted between match-ups.
Is it just me or does Chris Carter (52) looking like he is really high on this dunk?
"Last time we played them, they really beat us up on the boards," he said. "But I thought we were much better there tonight."
Sanderson limited Athens Drive's biggest presence inside, 6-foot-8 Rob Crisp, which allowed the Spartans to get running in transition. Crisp finished with just six points. (Kwamaine Jones led the Jaguars with 13 points.)
"Matt (James) wasn’t intimidated at all by his size, which is good because (Crisp) — as big as he is — moves around well," Shaw said.
With the victory, the Spartans improve to 3-1 this season, with a rematch at Southeast Raleigh set for Thursday (Dec. 3). The Bulldogs handed Sanderson its only loss of the season, a 64-52 defeat Nov. 19. The rematch begins at 7:30 p.m.
"I really challenged our guys this week to play two strong games and we’re half way there," Shaw said. "Facing Southeast Raleigh again is good. It’s a little bit of a pay-back game for us."
Following the meeting with Southeast Raleigh, Sanderson hosts Panther Creek Monday, Dec. 7.
