WCDS boys experience another third-quarter collapse

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on January 28, 2015 1:48 PM

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Maybe Wayne Country Day should skip halftime of its remaining basketball games this season.

David Flowers certainly wouldn't mind.

For the second straight game, the Chargers entered halftime with a lead.

And for the second straight game, the opponent completely took Flowers' team out of its rhythm in the third quarter and eventually exited with a victory. This time, long-time archrival Greenfield was the culprit.

William Crandall and AJ Sanders each posted a double-double as the Knights prevailed 77-64 on the Coastal Plains Independent 1-A Conference scene. Crandell delivered a 15-point, 11-rebound performance. Sanders provided 18 points and 14 rebounds.

The duo combined for seven assists.

"We go into the locker room and I was a little bit upset with them because I thought we didn't play to our potential in the first half," said Flowers, whose team led 29-28 at the break. "We come out in the second half and go back to doing things our way instead of listening to what's being told, to what's gotten you to that one-point lead.

"We miss a dunk, try to throw an alley-oop that wasn't there and then all of a sudden when we get to trailing, we decide 'I'm going to try to bring us back by myself, put the team on my shoulders' instead of just understanding it's just a seven-point game with a quarter and a half left to go.

"Don't let it get out of control."

Greenfield controlled the boards, dove on the floor for loose balls and seemed to catch all the breaks after intermission. The Knights (17-8 overall) hit their first four shots from the floor in the third quarter and seized the lead for good, 34-31, on Sanders' 3-pointer.

The long-distance shot sparked a 19-8 run that created a 12-point cushion.

Flowers, at that point, burned his final 30-second timeout.

He explained in the huddle that plenty of time remained and that a winnable game was within reach. But the Chargers (13-9) came up empty on a critical stretch of possessions that allowed their nemesis to remain in front.

Wayne Country Day finally caught fire and climbed to within 51-48 on consecutive 3-pointers from Victor Miller and DJ Waters, respectively, early in the final period. Greenfield responded with a 12-2 run, capped by Jake Taylor's 3-pointer from the left corner.

The Chargers kept the deficit at single digits during the final two-plus minutes of regulation. The Knights sealed the outcome with a back-breaking 3-pointer and consistent free throw shooting - 9 of 12 in the fourth stanza and 16 of 23 for the game.

Freshman guard Coby White -- who played at Eastern Wayne Middle School last winter -- contributed 18 points, six rebounds and three assists. Taylor supplied 10 points.

Jamal Forde led three WCDS players with 20 points, including four 3-pointers. Miller and Shahim Muhammad knocked down 11 points apiece. The Chargers drained 10 three-pointers on the night.

"It's so frustrating because this a great basketball team ... one of the best I've ever coached," said Flowers, whose squad has logged a 4-5 worksheet since going 2-0 in the Southern Bank/Mount Olive Pickle Winter Classic in late December.

"If they don't start believing in what we're telling them, don't start coming together as a complete unit, it's going to be a disappointing season when it could be great."