By Leonard McNair
The boys’ basketball team defeated East Chapel Hill 51-44 Wednesday night, just one night after a 77-65 victory over Granville Central.
“I wanted to see how well we performed while we were tired, while we were down,” coach Russ Frazier said after the game. “Could we muster the energy to come back-to-back, come in and go from playing a conference team to a 4A basketball team and give some intensity?”
Frazier’s questions were answered in the win, led by the senior trio of Cam Pappas, Mark Goods and John Wieland. Pappas led the team with 15 points. Goods added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Wieland scored 10 points and grabbed nine boards.
After a first quarter of back-and-forth action, the Chargers grabbed the lead in the second, and while East Chapel Hill managed to tie the game a few times, the Wildcats were never able to retake the lead. The Wildcats were led by 6-foot-4 Cameron Smith, who scored a game-high 18 points.
After three quarters, Northwood led by three. Junior Aumad Walker sparked the Charger offense, scoring key buckets to keep Northwood ahead.
Overall, Northwood now stands at 14-5 (11-0 in conference).
“We have some good leadership: John Wieland, Mark Goods, Jacobi Harris. They’re really pushing the charge for us to get better, and we are,” said Frazier.
But Frazier noted that it’s a group effort, citing the improvement of freshmen Ti Pinnix (eight points and six assists) and Kadarus Rone, as well as the play off the bench from junior Chris Smith.
The team’s next home game is Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:30, when senior Cam Pappas will play his former team, Cedar Ridge.