Arborbrook 31 – United Faith 23
Before I get into last night’s game let me say our fans are a home teams nightmare (quote from my wife). We have more fans than the home team and they are much louder. Once again let me say thank you to every one that attended the game, it was fun wasn’t it.
We practiced defense all week and it showed in the game. We also anticipated United Faith would play a box and one on Nate Johnson and they did. This was our second meeting with United Faith and we were eager for a rematch. One of the patterns we seem to be developing is a slow start at the beginning of the game. We did not score until the 1st quarter was more than half over but our zone defense proved very effective. We held a 4 -0 lead until late in the quarter when United Faith scored their first basket.
United Faith scored the first 5 points in the second quarter for a 7-4 lead before our offense finally saw some shots drop. We had numerous shots at the basket but they seemed to hang on the rim and drop out. Nate Johnson made a couple of driving lay ups and Mitch Moore hit a long shot from the top of the lane and we took a 12-9 lead into the locker room. Coach told the players he was extremely pleased with our aggressive defense and going after loose balls. If only half our shots had dropped, we would be 20 points ahead.
Everything happened quickly in the third quarter. We took a 14-9 lead then in the blink of an eye fell behind 17-14. United Faith hit a 3 pointer and made 2 steals. This game was starting to look like a replay of the last game. Nate Johnson scored five points in the quarter but was on the bench when Mitch Moore made another long shot and Josh Black made a short jumper from the left of the lane. We trailed 23-21 going into the fourth quarter.
Our Defense took over the game. United Faith had trouble getting a shot off, had trouble passing, and actually looked lost on the court. Meanwhile, Nate tied the game on a steal and a driving layup, gave us the lead on a rebound and a coast to coast layup, and hit a jump shot from the foul line. Mitch and Josh scored the final two baskets on great defensive steals. The defense shut out United Faith in the 4th quarter. United Faith scored 14 points in the 3rd quarter but only scored 9 points in the other three quarters combined.
Nate Johnson ended the game with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. Mitch Moore scored 6 points while grabbing 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Josh Black added 4 points with 5 rebounds and 1 steal. Trey Barnes did not score but played good defense with 6 rebounds and 1 steal. Caleb Farmer directed the offense for most of the game and did another great job. Caleb is a natural point guard and floor leader.
One other point that I noticed and maybe no one else did. Coach Scott talks about writing out own legacy. Obviously our fans and team spirit will be a part of this legacy but I believe sportsmanship should also apply. This was a closely contested game and emotions were high. Mitch Moore and a United Faith player hit each other hard going after a loose ball. Mitch was the first one up and immediately went over to the other player, helped him up and checked to see if he was all right before heading down the court. Two minutes later, Nate Johnson went in for a hard layup, hit number 22 of United Faith hard enough to knock him off his feet. Once again Nate went immediately to the other player, helped him back to his feet and checked to make sure he was okay. This is not the first time I have seen this. The players did not learn this from the coaches even though they probably should have. Helping an opposing player up relates to character and character comes from the parents. Thank you parents for making the coaching staff look good.
We have another game Monday against Weddington Community Church at Mineral Springs. Game Time is 4:30.
