[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Redmon’s Winning Shot Helps South Win Last 7
|
| North’s Justin Minor (left) defends Mattieu Sawicki. - Photo by Jim Barringer |
Last week the Tigers took down another opponent - North Davie - that beat them earlier in the season, and it was Denzel Redmon who pulled them through, scoring with three seconds left to give South a 43-41 win over the visiting Wildcats. A week earlier South got revenge against Forsyth Country Day, 40-39.
The following day South closed its season with a 51-20 drubbing of visiting Downtown. That capped a remarkable turnaround from 2-5 to 9-5.
“Another month with this team and there’s no telling what we’d do,” coach Brent Wall said. “We’d like to see West Rowan and Knox again. I would put (this season) up there with any of them (in Wall’s six years at South). We had a month and a half of really good basketball, and there were only a couple of close games in that run.”
Redmon’s game-winning shot and 16 points, Shannon Dillard’s 13 points and Kenyatta Brand’s clutch free-throw shooting made amends for a 50-47 loss at North on Dec. 7. The eighth graders for South were 0-2 against North, losing badly last year (56-41).
“That meant a lot to the eighth graders,” Wall said. “It’s the last real North-South game (with Ellis Middle opening in August), and it’ll probably be remembered for a long time as one of the best North-South games.”
Though it was a painful end for North, the Wildcats met all of coach Matt McPherson’s standards. Blake Simmons led a spirited showing with 15 points and eight rebounds. Alex Newman had eight points, six rebounds from his guard spot and four assists. And Sean Newman hit a tying shot with 12 seconds left.
“That was the best we’ve played defensively, offensively and playing team basketball,” he said. “We did a great job of keeping them off the boards. Everybody played lights out. They made a play and we made a play. Our shot at the end just didn’t go in.”
South fought back from first-half and third-quarter deficits because Dillard (10 second-half points) and Brand flourished when it mattered most. After going scoreless in the first half, Brand scored seven points in the second half, including three of three free throws in the fourth.
The difference, ironically enough, was South’s performance at the line. The Tigers were abysmal at the line most of the year, missing 14 of 21 in the loss at North, but they drained eight of 13 foul ... subscribe to the Davie County Enterprise Record, P.O. Box 99, Mocksville, N.C. 27028.