Newberry Academy Dominates Whitmire in Decisive Victory
NEWBERRY — The crowd was buzzing with excitement on Tuesday, December 10th, as Newberry Academy and Whitmire faced off for the second time this season. Newberry Academy, with a season record now at 3-3, made it a clean sweep against the Wolverines, who are still searching for their first win at 0-7 after the 53-33 defeat.
A Recap of the First Meeting
The first matchup between these two teams was nothing short of exhilarating. Both teams fought hard, but Newberry Academy emerged victorious with a slim 49-41 win. However, the second game told a different story, as Whitmire struggled with several injuries that hampered their performance, forcing them to rely on four eighth graders from their junior varsity team.
First Half Highlights
Right from the tip-off, it was clear that the Eagles were in full control. They jumped out to a substantial lead in the first quarter, holding Whitmire to just three points—yes, just three! By the end of the first quarter, Newberry Academy had already built a comfortable lead of 11-3.
As the second quarter rolled around, the Wolverines didn’t back down. Their young group showed some tenacity and put up a good fight, managing to keep the game competitive. Unfortunately for Whitmire, they still entered halftime trailing by a score of 26-12.
A Game-Changing Third Quarter
The momentum heavily shifted in Newberry Academy’s favor as the teams returned for the third quarter. The Eagles took control of the game in a major way, limiting Whitmire to just six points. By the end of the quarter, Newberry had practically sealed the game with a staggering almost 30-point lead, capped off by a 10-0 run that left the Wolverines in the dust.
Coach’s Take on the Game
Eagles head coach Scott Gardner shared his insights following the game. “We just tried to run our normal stuff,” he explained. “They were handicapped a bit with some of their players not being there. Their point guard was out with a concussion. We played them earlier and it was a lot closer, but obviously bringing up some young players to play against our more veteran players was the difference.”
He continued, “I was happy with our guys the way we ran our stuff, trapped tonight, and played man defense. I thought we did a pretty good job overall executing our game plan.”
Looking Ahead
With this win, Newberry Academy has leveled their season at 3-3 and will now set their sights on the next challenge: they will hit the road to take on Laurens Academy on December 16th. Meanwhile, the Whitmire Wolverines will be looking to bounce back and snag their first win of the season when they face Calhoun Falls Charter in a road game on Friday, December 13th.
It promises to be an exciting next few games for both teams as they navigate their seasons. Fans will certainly be keeping a close eye on each squad as they work through the ups and downs of high school basketball. With young talent stepping up and veterans leading the charge, who knows what the next match will bring?
For further updates, be sure to stay tuned as both teams continue to battle it out on the court.
