Springfield, Mo. (For OzarksSportsZone.com) -- The Greenwood Blue Jays fought hard in the first half against the Halfway Cardinals, but dominated in the second, using their height to win 64-47 on Friday night.
Greenwood led just 10-8 after the first quarter and 26-18 at halftime.
“Playing at our home, we felt like we needed to protect our home school, [but] we started slow and sluggish,” said Greenwood’s coach, Darren Taylor. “In the third quarter, we tried to use our size advantage to get the ball inside and we did a little better job using our big guys.”
The Blue Jays definitely had height on their side in 6’5’’ Riley Keith and 6’3’’ Nathan Carmichael. Between the two, Greenwood’s defense was able to contest shots throughout the game.
“Going in, we knew we’d have to shut down their size, which turned out to be the case, and we needed to focus on their post,” said Halfway coach Jared Langley. “We made a couple of stupid mistakes and their lead ballooned.”
Caleb Morlan also landed two 3-pointers to help the Blue Jays take a 44-25 lead after the third quarter.
Things got interesting in the fourth quarter, though, as Halfway tried to maneuver around Greenwood’s defense. The Cards set up passes around the three-point line creating openings for their top scorer, Dalton Taylor, who drained three consecutive 3s.
Meanwhile, as Halfway got more physical in an attempt to overcome Greenwood’s size, they began to foul, giving away 16 points in free throws.
Halfway outscored Greenwood in the fourth quarter, 22-20, but it wasn’t enough to make up for their scoring deficit in the third quarter. Greenwood took the win, having only had to maintain an already strong lead.
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