By Edwin Sam ’13, Sports Section Editor
In their first game back from the Tennessee Holiday Tournament, the boys’ basketball team defeated CHCA 52-50 to continue their incredible start to the season. The Indians have surpassed all expectations with a tremendous 8-2 record.
In the back-and-forth first quarter, CHCA’s press and CCD’s tendency to advance the ball quickly led to a fast tempo early. Dribble penetration, which led CHCA’s defense to contract, opened up space for outside shots. Sophomores Wyatt Fletcher ’15, Caleb Tregre ’15, and Royal Thurman ‘15 each hit three pointers in the opening period. The Indians ended the quarter with an 8-2 run to take a 17-11 lead into the second quarter.
Country Day played a smaller lineup in the second quarter and began to spread the floor. As CHCA switched to half-court defense, the Indians struggled to continue their early inside play and dribble penetration. However, Country Day started finding the free throw line. Trent Babb ’13, J.R. Menifee ’14, and Ben Stegman ’15 collectively converted all five of their second quarter free throws. Violations by CHCA propelled CCD to a quick 6-0 run a couple minutes into the quarter. CHCA, then, closed the gap as Country Day turned the ball over and lost many defensive rebounds. The Indians led 28-26 going into halftime.
To open the second half, Fletcher scored four points to inject energy and momentum into the squad. Catching CHCA’s defense off-guard, Menifee and Tregre continued to push the pace. Country Day’s defensive intensity forced turnovers, which in turn led to transition opportunities. In particular, freshman Darryn Jordan ’16 propelled CCD with three rapid steals. As they went into the fourth quarter, the Indians held a 43-34 lead over the Eagles.
In the final quarter, the Indians had difficulty breaking the CHCA full-court press. Country Day’s offense stagnated as they scored all nine of their points from the free throw line. After CHCA’s scorers began knocking down jump shots, the Eagles closed the gap to 50-47 with under a minute left in the game. Caleb Tregre put the game out of reach with two free throws, extending the Indians’ lead to 52-47. Country Day went 90% from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Just before time expired, CHCA hit a three pointer to give a final score of 52-50.
The Indians balanced the scoring between nine players, and J.R. Menifee led the team in scoring with ten points. Caleb Tregre contributed with nine points and seven assists. Babb, Fletcher, and Matt Walton ’14 scored eight, seven, and six points respectively. Jordan, Thurman, Nathan Gibson ’15, and Ben Stegmen ’15 totaled 12 points from the bench.
Photo Courtesy of Eric Christine ’16.
