Date: Dec. 13
Opponent: Cornerstone Christian
Location: Destiny Christian Church
Result: Country Day won 56-53 to improve to 3-3.
Country Day scoring: Junior Ted Zhou 21, junior Jackson Crawford 16, junior Aaron Graves 6, sophomore Martin Cao 5, junior Chris Wilson 4, sophomore Max Wu 2, points unaccounted for 2.
Inside info from shooting guard Crawford: “We played (Cornerstone Christian) last week, so we knew what to expect. We played much better than them in the first half.
“They left the middle pretty open, so we got pretty much anything we wanted on offense.
“They went on a run in the third (quarter), and we were cold on offense.
“With 2:29 left, we were down 53-46. But we had some timely scoring. (Wilson) got the game-tying (points) with less than a minute left, and (then we had) a 3-(pointer) from (Zhou) for the win with a second left. As soon as I passed to (Zhou), I had a feeling it was going in. We ended up finishing the game on a 10-0 run, winning 56-53.
“(The team) is gradually improving, and our ball movement has been much better the last few games. I think (we’re) finally starting to settle in (as a team).”
Inside info from power forward Cao: “We got the defensive rebounds; we improved a lot in terms of rebounding and defensive rotation.
“The last minutes of the game when we were down by two, (Wilson) got the offensive rebound and tied the game.
“We need to be more consistent on making layups, and we also have to work on our free throws.”
Comment by coach David Ancrum: “It was a tight game, (but) we kept our composure. The other team was big and started making tough shots down the stretch.
“(We) didn’t panic; we rebounded down the stretch and (won the game).”
Next game: Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 7:30 p.m., at home against Valley Christian.
—By Arijit Trivedi
