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Honored
Woodstock Academy prep basketball players, left to right: Michael Jefferson, Elijah Blackman, Cairo McCrory, Vondre Chase and Malikai Delgado were honored during Senior Night Feb. 19. Photo by Marc Allard.
It had been a long week for the Woodstock Academy Blue prep basketball team.
It came into the Feb. 19 game with Springfield Commonwealth Academy Red with three straight losses.
There was some sweat off the brow following the Centaurs 77-61 win over SCA.
“We needed this game badly for many different reasons but really just for the overall morale of the team,” said coach Denzel Washington. “We’ve had two tough games at West Point (N.Y.) against Air Force and Army (preps) so we had to come in and take care of things at home.”
Prior to the game, the Centaurs honored seniors Vondre Chase, Elijah Blackman, and Malikai Delgado for their efforts this season.
They battled evenly with SCA for the first 15 minutes of the game which was tied at 22 with 5:17 left in the first half.
But the Centaurs built some momentum going into halftime when Darryl MacKey broke the tie with a strong move to the basket to net two of his 14 first-half points.
That fast start by the Centaurs’ guard benefitted the team as a whole.
Mackey added two more layups and a pretty emphatic slam before the half and helped propel Woodstock Academy to a 35-26 advantage at the break.
The Centaurs built a double-digit halftime lead but, as happens more often than not, the expected run by Springfield Commonwealth occurred.
A 3-pointer by the visitors with 5:47 left cut the margin to three, 56-53.
The Centaurs took advantage of what given over the final five minutes-plus — free throws.
Woodstock Academy made 13-of-17 from the charity stripe over the final five minutes.
Nahshon Battle finished with 22 points to lead the team while MacKey contributed a double-double, adding 13 rebounds to the cause. Center Paul Hosey added 14 points.
Gold Team
The Woodstock Academy Gold prep basketball team lost its second game in a row Feb. 19.
It fell to the Springfield Commonwealth Academy Blue prep basketball team, 96-89 in a Power 5 Conference game.
But coach Jacque Rivera said his message to the team was one of stay the course.
“There is no need to panic,” Rivera said he told his team. “Just do what you know how to do. It’s not about anything else. You know you have to box out when a shot goes up. Do it. That’s what it is. If Tiger Woods doesn’t play his best game, he doesn’t panic. He goes back out and gets at it again the next day.”
Not that there isn’t room for improvement.
The Gold prep team never led in the game against SCA.
And that, more than the 15-point deficit the Centaurs had to battle in the second half, was the deciding factor in Rivera’s mind.
“Basketball is a game of matchups and runs. You see teams down with bigger deficits and come back to win. But the consistent slow starts we’re having — we can look for reasons like the 8 p.m. start or the Senior Night ceremonies — but the reality is that you can’t keep starting off that slow. Slow starts are for when people don’t know each other like back in November. We’re in February now,” Rivera said.
Prior to the game, the Centaurs honored Gold seniors Michael Jefferson and Cairo McCrory for their hard work this season in a Senior Night ceremony.
It didn’t add any early motivation.
The Centaurs gradually slipped back in the first half against Springfield.
The visitors scored eight of the first 11 points and that five-point deficit was the rule of thumb until just 1:16 was left in the half.
Woodstock Academy was 1-for-13 from the 3-point arc in the first half.
Quran McPherson (16 points) briefly interrupted the run with a free throw but two more from the charity stripe from Isaiah Richards put SCA up at the half, 43-30.
It was a 17-point lead for SCA, 61-44, when the Centaurs (24-6) finally made an attempt at a comeback. A 14-4 run brought the Centaurs back to a single-digit deficit. Ronnie DeGray sparked that run with eight of his 26 points.
The Centaurs, however, could not maintain the pressure.
Springfield Commonwealth regained a double-digit lead, getting back to a 16-point lead with 4:34 left.
“The end is near and we want to compete for a championship but the end is also near and the guys are starting to think about what the future holds. You’re physically here, but mentally, you have to stay with your body,” Rivera said.
Woodstock Academy did find the fortitude to rally one more time. Thanks to six more points from DeGray and four from Joe Moon (16 points), the Centaurs got it down to as little as four, 88-84, with 1:11 left.
Springfield Commonwealth shut the door by making eight of its last 10 free throws.
Despite the two losses, Rivera said the goals are still very much within the grasp of his team.
“I think we’re in the same place as we were in November; a team that can compete and win a National title. That is the Woodstock Academy way. I’m not just saying that, I think we have a real shot at it. When we’re clicking and sharing, we’re scary,” Rivera said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
Woodstock Academy
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