WILMINGTON– An all-around effort helped guide Ashley to a 67-53 win over West Brunswick on Thursday night. The Eagle’s resiliency and selfless play shut down every Trojan attempt to get back in the game.
T.J. Williams opened the scoring off a nice look by Trey Eller as coach Bryn McSwain’s squad went on a 7-0 run to start the first quarter. Quentin Ash responded with a quick basket and two free throws to get West Brunswick on the board. That was the only scoring for the Trojans through the first eight minutes as the Eagles allowed just one field goal in the first quarter.
With Tyre Gathwright back in the lineup for the second straight night, the Eagles used its three-headed attack behind Gathwright, Williams and Ridell Camidge to dictate the pace of play. Gathwright knocked down a runner from the baseline and Williams scored on a high-percentage shot to extend Ashley’s lead to ten.
Tony Clarida answered for the Trojans as he put back a rebound and finished a three-point play from the foul line. West Brunswick went on a 6-0 run midway through the second quarter to climb back into the game. Both teams traded baskets up and down the floor until Grey Cheers hit his first three-ball of the night and scored five straight points with less than a minute to play in the half to get the Trojans within four at the break.
West Brunswick was able to hold Williams scoreless through the third quarter as Ashley opened the second half with five turnovers in a little over two minutes. Markel Jones knocked down his first basket for the Trojans and Clarida hit a layup to make the score 30-26 Ashley at the four-minute mark.
With Williams resting on the bench, Camidge stepped up as the junior slashed to the hole for points on the break. Clayton McGee got into the action with a basket off a steal and Gathwright hit a baseline floater as the Eagles were able to overcome the early third quarter turnovers and go on a 10-0 run.
Heading into the final eight minutes with Ashley up 11, Clarida was there once again for West Brunswick as he put down a big slam off the fast break. Cheers followed with his second shot from three-point land and Trojans had some life.
Following two free throws for Ashley, Cheers hit another three as West Brunswick trailed by five. At that point, Gathwright used his speed and ball handling skills to put in two quick baskets. The Eagles were then able to break West Brunswick’s full-court press, which led to an alley-oop from Camidge to Williams to secure the win.
Camidge had a game-high 20 points. Gathwright added 15 points, and Williams finished with 14 points.
“Every night we have someone else step up. T.J. has been real solid for us so far this season. He’s being very patient and had six big buckets for us down the stretch. I was really impressed tonight with Tyre and Ridell’s physical play in the backcourt.
“We’re still trying to figure out some of our rotations, but this group doesn’t get rattled. They’re able to understand on the floor how the game is playing out and I’ve been happy with how our guys respond when put in those tough situations,” McSwain said.
The Eagles (3-1) play host to Jacksonville tonight. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., immediately following the girls basketball game.
Box score-
W. Brunswick 4-16-11-22-53
Ashley 11-13-18-25=67
Player stats: Ashley– Ridell Camidge, 20 points, 5 rebounds; T.J. Williams 14 points, six rebounds, three blocks; Tyre Gathwright, 15 points, three rebounds; Trey Eller, eight points, two steals; Clayton McGee, five points; Tony Mack, two points; Quincy Rhodes, two points, three rebounds; Nick Greynd, one point.
W. Brunswick-Gray Cheers, 15 points; Tony Clarida, 12 points, two rebounds; Zarie Hankins, seven points; Markel Jones, five points; Quentin Ash, five points, nine rebounds; Phil Gause, four points; OJ Hill, four points, Saadiq Johnson, one point.
Girls basketball
WILMINGTON-The Lady Eagles snapped a two-game losing streak Thursday night in a 68-28 rout over West Brunswick. Ashley was able to score in transition early and often off Trojan turnovers in their first win at home this season.
West Brunswick turned the ball over four times to start the game as the Eagles jumped out to an early 10-point lead. Ingrid Jackson used her vision at point guard to guide the offense for Ashley. She found Breanna Edwards, who sank a 12-footer from the baseline to extend Ashley’s lead to 12 in the first quarter. Jackson finished with six assists on the night.
“Ingrid has done a great job over the last two nights distributing the ball to Felecity [Havens] down low and to our shooters on the outside,” said Ashley coach Adrienne Gale. “We were able to do a number of things early on to get out in front.”
Brie Hill provided a spark for the Lady Trojans in the first few minutes of the second quarter with back-to-back treys, but Jackson’s ability to run the floor and find the open player led to quick points for the Eagles. Havens’ hard work under the glass continued to pay dividends as Ashley extended its lead to 20 at halftime.
Edwards got back into the mix to open the final 16 minutes of play with two straight baskets. She had 10 points in the win. Jackson stole the ball on West Brunswick’s ensuing possession and found Havens on the break for an easy lay-in. Ashley continued to pound the ball inside as the Eagles’ size and athleticism proved to be too much for the Lady Trojans.
“I’m happy anytime we can get the ball in the paint and score. When we work down low, it gives us more opportunities to let our playmakers do their jobs,” Gale said.
The Eagles took 35 shots from inside the paint with Havens scoring a majority of her game-high 19 points from down low. Jada Bacchus also used her aggressive play to pull down five rebounds. Kianna Pigott and Dazia Gause scored six points apiece for West Brunswick.
“A win is nice, but there is still work to do. Our bench players definitely put in quality minutes for us tonight. Our guards played well, but I would still like to see us be smarter with the ball, and pick up our defensive play. We’re building on defense and trying to get better every day,” Gale said.
Ashley (2-2) plays at home again tonight as the Eagles entertain Jacksonville.
Box score
W. Brunswick 6-10-4-8=28
Ashley 22-14-15-19=68
Player stats: Ashley– Felecity Havens, 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal; Breanna Edwards, 10 points, four rebounds, two blocks; Brittany Butts, eight points, three rebounds, two steals; Jada Bacchus, eight points, five rebounds; Jasmine Corbett, six points; Braelyn Little, six points; Chyna Cotton, four points, three rebounds; Heather Talton, four points; Ingrid Jackson, three points, six assists, two steals.
W. Brunswick– Kianna Pigott, six points, two steals; Brie Hill, six points; Dazia Gause, six points, two rebounds; Yana Bland, four points, three steals; Leilani Emile, three points; Allison Brown, two points, two rebounds; Bre Small, one point.
