HUDSON, NC (February 6, 2017)…Recently, the road for the South Caldwell Spartans basketball squads has been what can be described as bittersweet. Even though the girls and the boys teams took league-leading Freedom to task early last week, the still came up short and neither coaches Parham and Hart are amused by moral victories; even with the overtime period in the boys matchup.
The varsity basketball squads then had a chance to redeem themselves against Saint Stephens at Spartan Gym this past Friday evening. For the ladies, they appear to be in somewhat of a funk after the amazing Hickory win at home last month. While they are presently 7-5 in the conference and 14-7 overall, these young ladies have much higher expectations and are still committed to fulfill these. Keep finding a way ladies but do not “keep pounding” like the Carolina Panthers or you will lose huge.
The Saint girls squad proved to be a formidable opponent as they fended off a late rally for a 39-35 win. Brooke Williams led the Spartans with 12 points. We certainly hope and pray that Hope Lail recovers from the concussion protocol very soon and also hope the Lady Spartans will get back on track as they travel to Fred T. Foard Tuesday evening.
For the boys varsity, in the Northwestern 3A/4A Conference, there is no easy outing. The current boys overall record of 12-9 is a credit to the coaching staff and their excellent leadership as well as the guys playing well as a team. Last season, after two hard fought meetings, Saint would prevail in both. This season, South had a convincing 58-45 win back on January 14th.
In the second conference contest, with tournament and state playoffs on the horizon, every game matters even more. Saint came to play with that urgency and their head coach, Murphy Post, coached with such intensity. Indians forwards Will Shumate and Jordan Klingenburg, with their 18 and 10 points, made matters difficult for the Spartans. In fact, Saint increased their lead to as many as ten points early in the final frame.
Yet, Alex Haigler, J.C. Byland and Jody Spears, took those urgency matters seriously as well. Byland hit some crucial jumpers in the thrid quarter to keep pace with Saint. Haigler, who led all scorers with 21, made key free throws and Spears made two very important treys to put the Spartans back in the lead in the late minutes of the game. A Saint turnover at the end of the game helped preserve the nailbiter win by the Spartans, 59-57. Both squads played with heart and passion in both games. Such heart, passion and skill will be much needed as the regular season wraps up this Friday.
Notable notes:
-Loved the “Construction Crew” student section. What will it be for the finale this Friday?
-Gracie Bowman, please take those “air rolls” to the student section next time. God has blessed you with great ability!
-Me thinks one of those officials, the one who sort of looks like the actor Colin Hanks, used way too much Brylcreem on his hair and most likely clouded his judgment given some of those irritating calls he made the other evening.