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By Brian Smith

Utilizing a 2-2-1 full-court press and feeding Greg Johnson the basketball helped Springwood overwhelm visiting Trinity Christian from the outset of Wednesday night’s contest. The Wildcats were in control from start to finish and won 70 to 51.

The press was probably the biggest factor beyond Johnson. Trinity Christian struggled to get into its half-court offensive sets as Springwood’s athleticism, length, and team defense bothered the visiting Eagles almost every time they faced it during the first half. For instance, it was 12 to 3 with 3:18 to play in the first quarter and Trinity Christian was fortunate the score was that close.

Springwood missed a number of good looks at the rim and still had total control of the basketball game. When Johnson was not overpowering defenders with his broad shoulders, point guard Clarence Moore was dishing to an open teammate for a shot or creating his own scoring opportunity. Overall, the Wildcats played unselfish basketball and made Trinity Christian’s defense work.

To that end, one play worked over and over. The Wildcats swung the ball to the left wing, Johnson dove to the left block, caught the pass, and went to work. Trinity Christian absolutely had no answer for a player utilized over 10 times just in the first half.

With the score 34 to 23 at halftime, Johnson accounted for 16 of his team’s points. The third quarter is when Johnson and Springwood sealed the deal.

Scoring the first 14 points of the quarter to go up 48-23, once again the press caused issues. Turnovers led to the Wildcats getting good shots in the open-court. Springwood’s half-court offense also found another weapon as well.

Back-to-back-and-one buckets and free throws made by Jiovanni Rowe took the wind out of the Eagles. Adding to the lead, Moore immediately buried a 3-point shot to bring the score to 46 to 23 with 4:30 to play in the third quarter. The final play of the quarter was the theme song of the game, too.

Johnson finished the quarter with a power move for a basket along the left baseline just before the buzzer went off. By outsourcing their opponents 21 to 11 in the third quarter, Springwood led 55 to 34.

Springwood’s defensive effort did not let up. The beginning of the fourth quarter saw excellent on-ball defense and made Trinity Christian work for any points they could muster. The offense didn’t stop attacking either. CJ Johnson drilled a left-corner 3-ball to make it 67-48 with 2:00 minutes to play and that’s about the time the benches began to clear.

G. Johnson led all scorers with 23, Moore had 19, CJ Johnson with 11, Kori Key had 9, Rowe finished with 6, and Tucker Sides scored 2.