What the Calvary Day boys basketball team lacks in numbers – there are only eight players on the roster – the Cavaliers try to make up for in height, defense, and unselfish play.
That all worked rather well as Calvary opened its Region 3-3A slate with a 55-39 victory Friday night at Groves.
Marlon Knight Jr., the lone football player on the basketball squad, scored 13 of his game-high 17 points in the second half. The Cavaliers (3-2, 1-0 region) did not tire as the game progressed, instead pulling away after a tight two quarters with a 33-point second half.
PHOTO: Calvary's Marlon Knight Jr. - Prep Sports Report
PHOTO: Calvary's Marlon Knight Jr. - Prep Sports Report
"Groves plays so hard. They're hungry," Calvary coach Scepter Brownlee said. "We knew tonight was going to be a battle, that ultimately, we'd need everybody. But, hopefully, we could become the great eight. We want to play great defense in the halfcourt, rebound the basketball and then find ways to score. We're a work in progress, but we are getting better."
The lone senior on the small roster, Oliver Fetzner, was next for CDS in scoring with 13 points as the 6-foot-4 guard/forward hit 3 of 5 from beyond the arc.
PHOTO: Calvary's Oliver Fetzner, - Prep Sports Report
"Oliver did great. He knocked down some big ones," said Groves coach Kevin Evans, noting that the Rebels' defense appeared to be in good position for coverage and even for steals on a couple of occasions, only for the ball to get to Fetzner, and he drained a 3.
"Our guys look for him; they have confidence in him," Brownlee said.
"He's a great player. Coach Brownlee is a great coach with what he's doing over there at Calvary," Evans said. "When you look at a team with eight, you definitely think you can wear them down, but you can tell when they run their stuff they're conditioned. They made big shots down the stretch."
The great halfcourt defense that Brownlee noted has two majestic pillars, which Evans referred to as "the trees," in 6'9" Kuol Deng and 6'8" Chol Kiir. Brownlee said the Uganda natives have been with the team since their freshmen year at Calvary, and the juniors "have grown a lot."
PHOTO (l-r): Calvary's #2 Kuol Deng & #24 Chol Kiir - Prep Sports Report
"They work very hard in the weight room," the coach said. "Competing in the summer really helped them, traveling around the country. We're looking for big things out of both of them."
Rim protectors on defense, the pair also have the ability to bring the ball up on offense and throw over the top of pressing defenders' outstretched arms. Their offensive games are coming along, as there were a couple of emphatic dunks, including Deng's slam on a fast break for a 29-18 lead with about six and a half minutes to go in the third quarter.
The Cavaliers then came out of a timeout and executed a textbook fast break, cleaning the glass and getting the outlet quickly to a teammate, who didn't do any unnecessary dribbling and fired to Knight for an easy layup.
While Deng (six points) and Kiir (two) didn't put up big offensive numbers, their presence was felt on both sides of the court. Multiple Groves' drives to the hoop ran into tall, slender interference.
"I wouldn't say they intimidated us. We worked these last couple of days to prepare for them. We just didn't finish it," Evans said. "If we play as hard as we did today against those trees, we should have a lot more success in getting to the rim and finishing. It's a long year. You've got to grind it out."
Brownlee also commended the play of junior point guard Demetrius Brown.
"He brings it all together," the coach said. "He finds everybody and tries to get everybody involved. We're very proud of the progress that he's made."
The Calvary defense was concerned with Groves' standout point guard, Tyrone Chisholm, trying to limit the senior and make other players step up. Chisholm, listed at 5'8'' and 155 pounds, finished with a team-high 14 points as he sometimes dared to slash through a forest of defenders between him and the basket.
PHOTO: Grove's Tyrone Chisholm - Prep Sports Report
Senior guard Cameron Jenkins, with 11 points, was the only other player in double figures for the Rebels (1-5, 0-1 region).
Evans said the team started slowly and needed to play at a faster tempo.
"I think we hustled a little bit, but our rotations (on defense) were kind of off," Evans said. "We gave up some easy buckets. I think the biggest thing for us is getting some experience. A lot of these guys are in their first year playing varsity. I'm trying to get them in early and get them some minutes; I played a lot of guys. We've just got to keep working."
CALVARY DAY 55, GROVES 39
CALVARY DAY (55)
Deng 6, Jenkins 5, Marlon Knight Jr. 17, Brown 4, Sullivan 8, Kiir 2, Oliver Fetzner 13.
GROVES (39)
Thomas 2, Tyrone Chisholm 14, Cameron Jenkins 11, Jones 2, Adams 2, Godboldce 4, Detty 4.
| Calvary 55, Groves 39 | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Calvary | 12 | 10 | 19 | 14 | 55 |
| Groves | 9 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 39 |
Records—Calvary Day 3-2, 1-0 Region 3-3A; Groves 1-5, 0-1 region.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
CALVARY DAY 59, GROVES 37
The Cavaliers are figuring out a winning formula, and one ingredient is setting the tone early in a game.
Another is getting the ball in the hands of two senior playmakers, point guard Destini Gooddine and forward Zora Geiger.
Calvary surged to a 30-12 halftime lead Friday on host Groves, which scored only four points in the second quarter. Cavaliers coach Daniel Jackson said his squad (2-3, 1-0 Region 3-3A) has "come out rather flat" in some games earlier this season.
"Groves always is a tough opponent," Jackson said. "We want to use those tough opponents to try to see if we can establish ourselves early because we're going to need it later on."
The Rebels (2-5, 0-1) matched their first-half output in the third quarter alone, but the Cavaliers led by 16 with some big contributions from Geiger, who is the team's main inside scoring threat, while Gooddine can bomb from the outside or drive the lane.
PHOTO: Calvary's Destini Gooddine - Prep Sports Report
"It's a great tandem between the two of them," Jackson said. "Destinee, everyone knows her as a high-scoring guard. Zora is the hybrid player for us. She came to us as more of a post player. Now, we've been trying to work her game where she's a dual threat inside and out."
The Cavaliers will have the 5-foot-10 Geiger out on the wing, in the post, or mixing it up around the rim for rebounds.
PHOTO: Calvary's Zora Geiger - Prep Sports Report
Geiger responded to two Groves baskets early in the third quarter with a conventional three-point play on a drive to the basket and free throw for a 33-16 advantage.
She did it again with just over a minute left with a layup and free throw. On the next possession, she executed a give-and-go with freshman Janiyah Johnson, who sent a pass immediately back to Geiger for a layup and a 40-24 lead going into the fourth quarter.
With Geiger resting for a chunk of the fourth quarter, Gooddine provided plenty of offense. She hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to open the scoring, sank one from the right side more than three minutes later, and another with three minutes left in regulation.
The Cavaliers were dominating the offensive glass on one possession when Gooddine finally sank her team's fourth attempt for a 56-32 advantage. Geiger returned to the floor and sank two free throws with 34 seconds left for the final 22-point margin.
Gooddine scored 11 of her game-high 23 points in the first half, while Geiger recorded 10 of her 14 in the second half.
Groves' top scorer, junior Aniyah Wright, led the Rebels with 17 points – 11 in the second half.
PHOTO: Grove's Aniyah Wright - Prep Sports Report
Jackson said he was pleased with the outcome, but the focus already was shifting to a game Saturday against Bradwell Institute.
"Of course, as coaches, we can always nitpick the small things that we always need to work on – which I'm doing already," Jackson said. "We'll talk about them, then go against Bradwell tomorrow."
CALVARY DAY 59, GROVES 37
CALVARY DAY (59)
Destini Gooddine 23, Owens 6, Johnson 5, Zora Geiger 14, B. Jones 6, A. Jones 3, Wilson 2.
GROVES (37)
Adkins 7, Byrd 2, Aniyah Wright 17, Edwards 2, Washington 4, Savage 5.
| Calvary 55, Groves 37 | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Calvary | 14 | 16 | 10 | 19 | 55 |
| Groves | 8 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 37 |
Records—Calvary Day 2-3, 1-0 Region 3-3A; Groves 2-5, 0-1 region.
PHOTO CREDIT: Prep Sports Report
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