WILMINGTON- New Hanover played one of its best halves of basketball all season Thursday as the Wildcats allowed just nine points in the last 16 minutes in a 45-29 rout over Pine Forest. Nigel Holley and Trevon Brown scored a combined 30 points in the win.
With the Trojans jumping out to an early 10-4 lead off an Avery Redden three-pointer, the Wildcats were unable to get good looks to fall until Holley started to pick up his game with a 12-footer from the baseline. New Hanover turnovers, however, did allow Pine Forest to run the floor, which resulted in two consecutive long-range shots and an eight-point lead midway through the second quarter.
Following a timeout, Darrius Doughty picked up a steal and rushed down court to assist Brown, who put down the slam. Brown and Holley were then able to run the break after a Trojan turnover to get within two points at the break.
Coach Chris Angel’s halftime chat put New Hanover on alert as they came out with a different presence on the court to start the second half. Tyree Johnson knocked down the first of his two shots from behind the arc, and following a Holley block, Brown sank a his only trey of the night to put the Wildcats up one 24-23 with three minutes to go on the third quarter.
Pine Forest continued to struggle to get the ball down low and had to settle for contested shots from outside. That led to easy rebounds for the Wildcats, which resulted in transition points. After a Brown steal, Holley came up with a high percentage shot off a missed layup. Brad Hitchman then found Brown open for an easy basket off another Trojan miss.
Holley opened the fourth quarter with a nice look to Brown in the paint as New Hanover took a seven-point lead and never looked back. Hitchman picked up another assist as Johnson drilled a three-pointer from the wing, then Johnson hit Brown on a pass in transition to extend the Wildcats lead to 12 points with two minutes to go.
The Trojans made one last effort to get back into the game off a Redden three, but Brown rushed the ball down court on the next possession and found Holley who came up with a big dunk to put the dagger in the visitors’ hopes.
“We definitely brought more intensity into the second half and that showed on both ends, especially as a unit on defense. When we have all five guys playing tough on the defensive side of the floor, we can be pretty good. It’s a daily process and we’re going to keep at it as we get ready next week,” New Hanover Coach Kirk Angel said.
New Hanover finished up a grueling early season schedule with a win last night as the defending 4A state champions get ready for the annual Leon Brogden Christmas Tournament next week. The annual event gets started Thursday, Dec. 27, on the campus of UNCW. New Hanover plays North Myrtle Beach, S.C., in the opening round.
“I’ll put our non-conference schedule up against any public high school in the state, and I did that for a reason. We needed this win tonight from a momentum standpoint. There’s going to be a lot of good teams at the tournament. I’ll be able to get a good look at our entire squad with three games in three days and hopefully we’ll have a good showing,” Angel said.
Box score
Pine Forest 10-10-4-5=29
New Hanover 8-10-11-16=45
Player stats: New Hanover– Nigel Holley, 16 points, eight rebounds, four blocks; Trevon Brown 14 points, three assists; Tyree Johnson, eight points; Brad Hitchman, three points, two steals, two assists; Nakhiema Walker, two points; Ramone Simpson, two points.
Pine Forest– Avery Redden, 11 points; Travis McEachern, eight points; Josh Simpson, six points; Vince Ray, two points; Donald Jamison, two points.
