Greater Beckley Christian has opened the boys basketball season with some impressive wins. However, the Crusaders have played with fire after getting off to slow starts.
Wednesday afternoon in the championship game of the Pepsi Division of the Little General Battle for the Armory, Greater Beckley tested head coach Justin Arvon’s patience yet again.
After scoring just 27 points in the opening half, the Crusaders doubled that output in the second half to defeat Princeton 81-74.
“Just like the game we played yesterday, we came out a little lethargic. I don’t know what it is going to take. We were playing a four-A school and these guys should be ready to go right off the tip,” Arvon said. “We are capable of so much greater. They are great kids and great players as you saw later on in the game. It is our jobs as coaches to be sure they come ready to play every day. We have to find out what that chemistry scenario is or it’s going to get us beat soon.”
Princeton never trailed in the first half and carried a 35-27 lead into intermission behind the play of big man Jon Wellman. Wellman scored 10 of his 16 first-half points over the final five minutes of the half to help build the halftime lead.
“I was very pleased with Jon tonight. Jon and Kris (Joyce) carried us. When Kris fouled out that hurt us. Jon also rebounded tonight and took it right at their big guy. He didn’t shy away and I was pleased with that,” Princeton head coach Robb Williams said.
Greater Beckley looked like a completely different team after the break.
“The halftime meeting wasn’t a fun one. They were held accountable (for their play) and we had two of our starters sitting on the bench as a result,” Arvon said. “We are going to have to start holding kids accountable for not giving their best effort.”
Two scores each from Kaden Smallwood and Kendrick Wilson in the first 90 seconds of the third quarter ignited the Crusaders on a 12-0 run.
“We outscored them three out of four quarters, but they just killed us in the third. We came out flat and literally did exactly what I told them not to do,” Williams said. “I wanted them to move the ball and get in a flow. We came down and took a shot that didn’t hit the rim. The next time we rushed it down and took another shot that was ill-advised. I don’t think there was a pass on either one of them.”
After Wilson’s pull-up jumper tied the game, John Rose rattled one home to give Greater Beckley (6-0) its first lead of the game. Princeton (4-2) would never get the lead back and when the third quarter horn sounded, the Tigers trailed 57-47.
“We knew the offense would come. The first half we were getting beat off the ball, so we knew we had to pick it up on the defensive end,” Smallwood said. “We came out and got a couple stops right off the bat and scored on those. That boosted our momentum right there.”
The dynamic guard duo of Smallwood and Wilson punished Princeton and combined to score 53 points with 34 coming in the second half alone.
“I am not sure if anyone really knew about Kendrick coming into the season, but they are starting to know about him now,” Smallwood said. “Kendrick takes a lot of pressure off of me knowing that I have another guard that can make plays just as well as I can. We know where to find each other in our spots. We have a great connection with each other.”
Williams admitted that his team really had no answer for the Greater Beckley guard play.
“Let’s be honest, they played well. Smallwood and Wilson played really well. We didn’t have an answer. My guards are a little smaller and they just went around them and hit the jumper,” Williams said.
Arvon explained part of the reason that Smallwood and Wilson had such a big night.
“Princeton did a really good job of making us get to the rim and finish. They weren’t dropping down and helping,” Arvon said. “They were out on the perimeter talking away our 3-point shooting pretty well and leaving it up to our guards. When those guys don’t come down and help, we are going to take the layups and trust our guards to make plays.”
Princeton cut the lead to five early in the final quarter before the Crusaders pushed it back to 12 with just under two minutes to play.
However, a couple of loose plays from Greater Beckley and a relentless defensive spurt from the Tigers brought Princeton to within five with 26 seconds left in the game.
The Tigers could get no closer.
Sherlock Padmore scored 11 points and had eight rebounds, while Sean-David Kadjo grabbed seven boards for the Crusaders. Joyce led Princeton with 27 and Wellman finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
“We didn’t execute like we had been executing. We were moving the ball, but then we just kinda stood and took quick shots,” Williams said. “You can’t do that against good teams. They are No. 1 in single-A for a reason. They didn’t get lucky tonight.They have been beating some good teams.”
P: 14 21 12 27 – 74
GBC: 10 17 30 24 – 81
Princeton 74
Davon Edwards 5, Chase Hancock 5, Grant Cochran 3, Kris Joyce 27, Jon Wellman 25, Jared Watson 2, Kham Hurte 3, E.J. Washington 4. Totals: 28-63 13-21 74.
Greater Beckley
Kendrick Wilson 22, Kaden Smallwood 31, Sherlock Padmore 11, Sean-David Kadjo 5, John Rose 6, Miko Robinson 1, Landon Rose 2, Michael Judy 3. Totals: 27-63 24-36 81.
3-pointers – P: 5 (Joyce 3, Wellman, Hurte); GBC 3 (Wilson, Smallwood, Judy).