Missed shots don’t bother Brad Cox.
The West Point High School boys basketball coach is more concerned about the process his players take to get those shots. That’s why Cox couldn’t help but clap when he saw Juan Davis drive the middle of the New Hope High defense Friday night and kick to the ball to his right. Davis’ penetration created a wide-open look for Trey Williams on the right wing, but the 3-pointer missed. Still, Cox applauded his team’s efforts and knew execution like that was going to pay dividends.
West Point’s delivery continued and its execution improved in the second half en route to an 81-57 victory in a Class 5A, Region 2, District 1 matchup. Oxford defeated Saltillo 73-34 to create a three-way tie between New Hope, Oxford, and West Point (2-1) atop the district standings.
“This team has been very good and we still haven’t played out best basketball,” said Cox, whose team improved to 19-3. “We are still working on ball movement and sharing the ball. We have some talented guys and we are able to go get our own shot. … The defense has really come around since Christmas. Our zone has looked really good. We are covering up shooters, and we are so long that we can cover up for them if somebody makes a mistake.”
Despite all of West Point’s physical gifts, Cox said his players need to realize the team can be a lot better if they create for somebody else to go from a good shot to a great shot. He feels that unselfishness can help the Green Wave position themselves to capitalize on the fact they will have a chance to play host to the North State tournament if they advance out of district play.
For that to happen, West Point will need more efforts like the one they had Friday night. Demarius Calvert had a team-high 20 points, while A.J. Jones (17) and Davis (13) also scored in double figures. Williams added nine points in the balanced attack that featured an aggressive showing on the offensive glass.
With players like Davis and Williams on the wings, it is easy to see why Cox wants the Green Wave to go from good to great. Both players have deep shooting range, so Jones, the point guard, can fill up on assists if he continues to weave his ways in and out of defenses to draw and dish. Cox said Davis is getting in that habit, too. He said Davis has worked hard to improve his ballhandling so he can create opportunities for his teammates, just like he did on the Williams miss that drew his applause.
“Everything was perfect except the ball didn’t go in, but it is going to be like that sometimes,” Cox said. “The ball was moving, people were touching it, and we have a kid who has been working hard on that part of his game and he did it perfect. He didn’t handle it an extra dribble too long or too less. He drew the defender and kicked it out. It was good basketball.”
Leading 33-27 at halftime, West Point pushed the lead to as many as 13 in the third quarter, only to see New Hope (9-10) answer every surge. But West Point didn’t relent, using a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter to blow the game open. Cox said foul trouble to three starters, particularly Jones, in the second quarter contributed to the team playing a click too quickly. Still, he credited the second unit for being able to hold the lead and give the team a halftime edge.
In the third quarter, Jones returned and showed his knack for changing speeds and finding the open player. Cox said the team did a better job of picking when to run and when not to run in the second half. He said the Green Wave’s offensive rebounding also played a big part in building a lead.
“With New Hope, a lead is never safe because how hard they play,” Cox said. “I felt there were times in the first half that they were quicker to the ball and on the floor. I felt like in the second half we were very aggressive and we met that effort and intensity.”
That performance was satisfying coming off a loss Tuesday at Oxford. Cox said West missed its share of free throws against Oxford, and compounded that by not getting as many offensive rebounds as it did Friday night. The Green Wave corrected that against the Trojans by sending their three, four, and five players to the backboards to rebound. That strategy prevented New Hope from getting easy runouts and enabled West Point to control the tempo, especially in the second half.
“We played a lot harder tonight than we did at Oxford,” Cox said. “We had some things that didn’t go our way (against Oxford), kind of like tonight. Tonight we overcame. I kind of felt Tuesday night we let it kind of mess with our head a little bit. We weren’t able to stay focused and fight through it.”
With added depth across the front line provided by Tyquavis Brownlee, Cox feels good about his team’s chances. He said defense, offensive rebounding, and sharing the basketball will be keys to making it a special season.
“Once we commit to rebounding and sharing the ball, I think we will hit another level,” Cox said.
On the other side, New Hope coach Drew McBrayer said his team couldn’t orchestrate a rally after West Point used a 9-2 run at the end of the second quarter to take a lead it held for the rest of the game. Demyis Mayberry led New Hope with 22 points, while Terryonte Thomas (11) and Jaylon Bardley (10) also scored in double figures. Shemar Johnson had seven points.
“We tried to do some things we normally don’t do to get some turnovers and get back into the ballgame and it turned ugly real quick,” McBrayer said. “It was a little lack of focus there, but we had to try something. You aren’t playing for style points. You are trying to win the game. It didn’t work, but sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t.”
McBrayer said the loss to West Point creates a similar situation to the past four years, when New Hope, Oxford, and West Point have battled down the wire in the regular season. The matchups have included rainbow 3-pointers and buzzer-beaters, so McBrayer isn’t sure how everything is going to play out. But with a victory already in hand against Oxford, McBrayer knows his team can control its destiny if it improves its defense and executes better on offense.
“We made a few more shots,” McBrayer said of the game against Oxford. “(West Point) was in that zone and you have two ways to attack it, through the high post, which I thought we did a pretty good job of, and you have to be able to make some shots, especially with their length. You can’t try to get in there because they are so long and it tough to operate sometimes.
“We played tougher at Oxford than we did tonight. You hate to blame it on youth, and I don’t want to blame it on youth because by this time they have played enough ballgames. But the loose ball is out on the floor and we are standing there looking at it and they are on the floor after it. The hustle plays and toughness that, in my mind, we have to do a better job of.”
n The Heritage Academy boys basketball team defeated Hamilton 53-50 on Friday. Walker Brown had 12 points to lead the Patriots. Hunter Sykes added 10 points and Caleb Gurley had eight.
Dominique Dobbs and Juante Bankhead tied for game-high scoring honors with 18 points. Daniel Washington had 11.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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