The host Calvary Day boys basketball team created some breathing room in the second quarter after trading baskets with Windsor Forest for the first eight-plus minutes of the game Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers' 13-point halftime cushion remained after the squads played even for the third quarter. But when the Knights scored the first six points of the fourth, Calvary coach Scepter Brownlee probably made the night's biggest call.
He called a timeout, and the Cavaliers responded with a 12-2 run the rest of the way to secure a 64-47 victory and improve to 7-3 overall and 4-0 in Region 3-3A.
"I saw our body language looked a little deflated," Brownlee said afterward, taking a timeout with CDS leading 52-45 with 4:18 remaining in the regulation. "(The Knights) made a couple of shots. But we got in the timeout, and we just talked about poise. You have to have poise under pressure.
"After coming out of the timeout, they regrouped and they refocused, and we were able to push the lead back into play," the coach continued. "Windsor Forest is never going to quit. … so you have to play a complete 32 minutes. I'm thankful that we were able to do that today."
The Cavaliers did it behind a game-high 25 points from guard Marlon Knight Jr. in the first three quarters. His teammates provided the offense in the final period.
Chol Kiir worked inside for two points on an assist from Oliver Fetzner, who, on a subsequent possession, followed his own miss with a putback for 56-45 with a little over three minutes left.
Windsor Forest's Sean Cabellero, who scored 13 of his team-high 16 points in the second half, put back an offensive rebound for the team's last points of the game.
The 6-foot-8 Kiir used his length and aggressiveness to power to the basket for a layup, then Evan Blessett followed his own miss to score his only basket of the night, and Kiir drove for another basket for 62-47.
Windsor Forest (5-3, 3-1 region) then called timeout with 1:38 left, but the damage had been done.
Kuol Deng, at 6-9, the Cavaliers' other towering presence, had been sitting during the quarter because of foul trouble, but he went back on the floor after the timeout and slammed a double-clutch dunk in the final seconds for the 17-point victory.
"That team is incredible," Windsor Forest coach Aaron Clark said. "Hopefully, we'll see them in the playoffs and we'll be able to play again. That's a great team. They turned it on at the right time, made timely buckets. They were solid on defense. We were trying to penetrate, put some pressure on those big guys or even move them out away from the bucket a little bit. Did some switches, and they just came right back."
The teams played a tight first quarter in the highly energized and packed small gymnasium at Calvary.
Knights standout Landon Page, who had nine of his 14 points in the first half, sank a 3-pointer with about 6:40 to play in the second quarter for a tie at 18.
Fetzner gave the Cavaliers a lead they would not relinquish with a 3-pointer from the left baseline. After a Windsor Forest basket, CDS point guard Demetrius Brown scored on a fast break on teammate Knight's assist, and then Knight spun on a drive in the lane for a layup and a defensive foul.
The Calvary big men teamed up on a fast break, with Kiir assisting Deng, and Knight followed with a runner in the lane for a 29-22 advantage and a Windsor Forest timeout at 2:03 left in the second quarter.
Cabellero hit a basket coming out of the timeout, but the Cavs responded with Fetzner hitting another 3-pointer from the left baseline for a 32-24 margin.
Calvary's Knight could have pulled up for an open jumper, but he decided on a higher-percentage shot and drove the lane for a layup and foul – converting the three-point play for 35-24 with 21 seconds left. Deng (14 game points) put back an offensive rebound at the buzzer for a 37-24 cushion.
"In the second quarter, we just tried to impose our will," Brownlee said. "We talked to our guys about trying to execute. Teams are going to pressure you, they're going to play extremely hard. You have to share the basketball. The basketball will find who should score. I thought in the second quarter specifically, the basketball found who was open. They shared the ball, and it was really good to see."
It's not so good for Windsor Forest's Clark to see.
"They hit a lot of shots," Clark said. "No. 10 (Knight) played great. They're big, so you can't give them second-chance points. They got a lot of offensive rebounds. We can't do that. I think their size wore us down a little bit. We didn't hit a lot of shots."
Neither team could find the basket in the opening minute-plus of the fourth quarter, then Windsor Forest heated up. Cabellero sank an outside jumper, Zachary Robertson made one of two free throws, and Page drilled a 3-pointer for a seven-point deficit, 52-45.
"Windsor Forest is a heck of a team, a senior-laden team," Brownlee said. "They play extremely hard. They're well-coached."
When the Cavaliers turned the ball over on the next possession, Brownlee called the timeout, and his team's strong response closed out the contest.
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CALVARY DAY 64, WINDSOR FOREST 47 |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| WINDSOR FOREST | 15 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 47 |
| CALVARY DAY | 16 | 21 | 15 | 12 | 64 |
| WFHS (47) | |||||
|
Manning 8, Mack 2, Landon Page 14, Sean Cabellero 16, Smith 2, Robertson 3 |
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| CDS (64) | |||||
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Kuol Deng 14, Blessett 2, Marlon Knight Jr. 25, Brown 4, Kiir 8, Oliver Fetzner 11. |
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Records—Windsor Forest 5-3, 3-1 Region 3-3A; Calvary Day 7-3, 4-0 region. |
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GIRLS BASKETBALL
CALVARY DAY 60, WINDSOR FOREST 46
The Cavaliers improved to 4-0 in Region 3-3A behind a double-double from Zora Geiger (21 points, 11 rebounds) and a near double-double from teammate Amariah Jones (eight points, 10 boards).
Calvary Day (6-4 overall), which opened the season 0-3, played a stretch of the second half without standout point guard Destini Gooddine, who got into foul trouble and eventually fouled out. She scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half when the Cavaliers led by as many as 23 points.
The Knights (1-5, 0-3 region), playing without injured guard and leading scorer Grace Ellington, lost their fifth straight game. Rakiyah Bush poured in 19 points, and Katelyn Cabellero 17 to provide most of the offense. Bush scored 13 points in the second half, and Cabellero contributed nine.
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CALVARY DAY 64, WINDSOR FOREST 47 |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| WINDSOR FOREST | 6 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 46 |
| CALVARY DAY | 15 | 20 | 11 | 14 | 60 |
| WFHS (46) | |||||
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Washington 6, Katelyn Cabellero 17, Rakiyah Bush 19, Jones 0, Poinsett 4. |
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| CDS (60) | |||||
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Destini Gooddine 12, Owens 6, Johnson 7, Zora Geiger 21, B. Jones 5, A. Jones 8, Mack 2, Bailey 1. |
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Records—Windsor Forest 1-5, 0-3 Region 3-3A; Calvary Day 6-4, 4-0 region. |
FINAL SCORES TUESDAY 12.17.2024
Girls
Richmond Hill 41, Hilton Head Island 24
Southeast Bulloch (0-4) vs Johnson (1-5)
Brunswick 67, Effingham County 30
Vidalia 68, Savannah Christian 25
Bradwell Institute 78, Swainsboro 38
Calvary Day 60, Windsor Forest 46
Bryan County 48, Screven County 42
Beach 46, Long County 44
Johnson 53, Southeast Bulloch 19
Liberty County vs Jenkins (PPD)
Boys
Hilton Head Island 77, Richmond Hill 68
Brunswick 79, Effingham County 63
New Hampstead 89, South Effingham 73
Vidalia 65, Savannah Christian 51
Bradwell Institute 75, Swainsboro 38
Calvary Day 64, Windsor Forest 47
Screven County 48, Bryan County 45
Johnson 68, Southeast Bulloch 47
Beach 47, Long County 46
Drive Academy 68, Savannah High 61
Liberty County vs Jenkins (PPD)
PHOTO CREDIT: Prep Sports Report
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