South Davidson at Eastern Randolph

[Chute Boxe Hero]

Caught the Cats home debut last night. I'll start with the ladies first......

Well, it started off great. Lady Cats jumped out to a 9-2 lead and it looked like they were going to run the "other" Wildcats out of the gym. Kenly Whitaker was having a great first quarter. And then.....

SD guard Hannah Harrison decided she was just going to flat take over this thing. Harrison hit a barrage of threes. Behind her outburst, SD caught up with ER and sped past them. Harrison also handled the ball very well. She had a couple of ER defenders frustrated. Allegedly, Harrison finished with 38 points.

Carmen Duffy also had a nice game for South. She used her height and length to maximum advantage. At times, it looked like she was playing catch with herself on the offensive boards. She also had some nice blocks.

South wound up winning 67-48.

 

[Chute Boxe Hero]

As for the guys....

they won 94-62. Which is awesome considering ER did not play a good first half. IIRC, they only had a two point lead going into the locker room.

The Cats are going to look quite a bit different this time around. They're going to run and press, run and press, and run and press some more. It's going to be fun to watch.

Speaking of fun to watch.......I was able to see Timmy Brower play for the first time. I had heard great stuff about this guy ever since he was in sixth grade. If not for a leg injury, he probably would've started as a freshman. Needless to say, he did not disappoint.

Brower is a smooth operator on the court. He scored in a variety of ways. He's got a nice skillset and a very good feel for the game. I'm very excited to watch this guy for the next three years.

Will Stalker also had a nice game for ER. Stalker is not afraid to put on the hardhat and do the dirty work. In contrast to Brower, Stalker plays like a wild ram at times. He sparked a couple of ER runs with his relentless attack of the paint. He also has some infectious energy. Every team needs a Will Stalker.

Guards Nicah Taylor and Pierce Leonard also had good games. Leonard was one of the better players on Uwharrie Charter last year.

 

[Chute Boxe Hero]

The most interesting thing about ER might be their new coach, Johnny Thomas. Thomas played under Freddy Johnson at Greensboro Day in the mid 2000's. Thomas then went on to play at NC State. Seems like a really cool guy.

 

[Chute Boxe Hero]

Gotta say though......South Davidson was a better team than I expected. They played a really good first half. SD handled the ER press well. I think they just got wore down that second half.

I was impressed with their forward, Tanner Walters. Walters is a strong 6-4 that can hurt you from beyond the arc. He was on fire there for a little bit. Walters could be a difference maker for South. Point guard Tanner Delattre also had a good game for South.