Springwood gets monumental win over Lee-Scott
Published 10:32 pm Thursday, January 18, 2024
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Springwood came away with a season-defining win on Thursday as the Wildcats topped no. 2 ranked Lee-Scott Academy 61-50.
The win over Lee-Scott was the first in Springwood coach Lisa Sampson’s long tenure with the team, but more importantly, it was a big area win for the Wildcats and could set the team up to take the top seed in the area tournament.
“It’s not about me, it’s all for the players,” Sampson said. “Just a testament to these kids that worked so hard and a testament to our crowd that was just amazing. Our students, they’re the real deal.”
It was a game of adjustments for Springwood. Early in the game, the Warriors were on fire from behind the arc. Then, Springwood shut Lee-Scott down and allowed just one three-pointer in the second half.
“We were too extended in that defense in the first half,” Sampson said. “We were getting out of position and giving up easy threes. We packed it in a little bit more and our guys bought in.”
Greg Johnson was not the leading scorer in the game, but his performance was likely the most important. Johnson dominated the glass, finishing with 13 rebounds to go along with 12 points and one steal.
“Ever since Crawford Fuller went down, Greg has stepped up,” Sampson said. “He’s been the guy, and I’m so proud of him. He just works his tail off, and he’ll do all the dirty work.”
The Wildcats got scoring from all over the court on Thursday. Micah Thomas led the way with 18 points, five steals, two blocks and two rebounds.
Daniel Westbrook followed with 14 points, two rebounds and two steals. CJ Johnson added 11 points and Panos Pananis finished with six points.
“It’s just a team thing for us,” Sampson said.
The game was back and forth in the first half, with eight lead changes and two ties. The Wildcats took the lead early on in the third period and held that lead for the remainder of the contest.
The win pushed Springwood’s record to 17-5 on the season and 6-1 in area play. Up next for the Wildcats is a matchup with Glenwood at home on Jan. 23.
