Kristian Eanes had 23 points and Shontai Totten added 16 as the Chargers rolled to a 66-48 victory over J.F. Webb Friday night at Northwood.
The Chargers played the game without head coach Cameron Vernon, who was not at the game due to family reasons. Assistant coach Jimmy Tilley served as the interim head coach for the game.
“Coach Tilley made it feel like a normal game,” Eanes said.
The game was back and forth for much of the first half with the teams trading points to make it 30-25 Northwood at the half. The Chargers went on a 10-0 run to open the second half, led by Totten with six points. The Chargers took a 40-25 lead early in the third quarter and didn’t allow Webb to score again until the 2:32 mark in the third quarter. The Chargers never looked back, winning by a score of 66-48.
“Getting started in the second half was big,” Tilley said. “We did a good job of controlling the game and keeping them at bay.”
In a losing effort for Webb, Nakiya Bullock had 18 points. During the game the Chargers were without sophomore shooting-guard Bryn Aydt who averages 10.3 points per game. Players stepped up for the Chargers, notably senior Eboni Watson, who provided a spark off the bench with four points.
“Eboni is very athletic, aggressive and is a very good asset,” Tilley said.
Friday Night was a dedication game for Northwood. Across the gym were posters that every girl on Northwood’s team had created to dedicate the game to a certain loved one, many of whom had passed away.
“Tonight, I did it for my grandpa,” sophomore Jazanae Billings said. “I didn’t have a father figure growing up, my grandpa took care of me like a father. He has now passed away and he was a very big part of me. He never got to see me play, it was important to me to play well tonight because I know he was somewhere watching.”
With the win the Chargers go to 17-3 overall and 8-2 in conference with their only conference losses coming to defending state champion, Chapel Hill. The Chargers have a good chance of accomplishing one of their goals they set for this season.
“Before the season, one of our goals was to have a home game in the first round of the state playoffs,” Tilley said. “These next four games are very important to us so we can have a good seed and play at home in the playoffs.”
Next week the Lady Chargers play Cedar Ridge at home on Tuesday and Orange at Home on Friday. Both games are at 6 p.m.
— Jacob Sipe and Jailen Leach