High Point Christian Academy 91 (11-0)
Christ School 84
pre>HPCA 21 23 24 23
Christ 25 15 21 23/pre>
HPCA
Diante Baldwin 11, 8 assists
Jackson Kent 19
Isiah Gill 14
Chuck Ogbodo 10
Michael Obacha 15, 9 rebounds
Stevie Williams 10
Joey McLean 12
Christ School
Jerome Hairston 4
Jaylen Allen 11
Zach Korkowski 2
Eric Johnson 17
Josh Level 10
Shannon Hale 21
Will Weeks 7
Spenser Dalton 12
HPCA will play at the Sheetz Holiday Classic starting on December 27th.
Great game tonight. As several of us have been telling you GDS marks, the Cougars are a legit team. Had HPCA hit their free throws down the stretch, they would have won by 13. However, in fairness to Christ School, had the Greenies hit theirs thoughout the game, they would have been right in it at the end.
Gill carried the Cougars in the first half – pretty sure he didn’t miss a shot. And Stevie WIlliams hit some big shots in the 2nd when Gill cooled off. Jackson Kent was consistent throughout. When Christ School cut HPCA’s 11 point lead to 3 early into the 4th, Coach Clifford put Michael Obacha back in (he had 4 fouls) and within 2 minutes he scored 5 points and drew a charge. He had an (old fashioned) 3 point play down the stretch, too.
Will Weeks struggled all game, but Sannon Hale is an excellent player and kept the Greenies in it in the 2nd. He hit 2 3 pointers to start the 2nd and turn a 4 point halftime deficiet into a 46-44 Christ School lead. Clifford put in a zone defense a few times which seemed to confuse the Greenies..
Congrats to the Cougars for beating the then #1 ranked 3A team. Games in conference with GDS and Wesleyan should all be real good. We are fortunate to have 3 of the best private school teams in the state here in the Triad. Would expect HPCA to vault up to #1 ranking, but as others have correctly pointed out on this site before, it’s the team that plays best the last week of February that will be celebrating all summer. Should be a great season of hoops.
Congrats to HPCA in beating Christ School. In my opinion, it was their first tough test and they prevailed. The top five teams in the NCISAA 3A division all have the talent to win the tournament come February. All the big games are starting up and it is already looking like an interesting season is ahead.
Also in fairness, Christ School’s starting PG was out for the majority of the second half with a concussion. Not an excuse, HPCA deserved to win, but if we are going to be fair, that must be pointed out. Nonetheless, it was a great game and good win for HPCA and the entire area.
also to be fair, Obacha picked up 2 terrible fouls on bad block/charge calls and hardly got to play. Since we are being fair, you gotta point that out too.
Not a valid comparison. A kid with 2 fouls, terrible or not, can still play in the game. Even with 4 fouls he can still play in the game. And he did. A kid with a concussion cannot play in the game. And he didn’t.
Yes, it was a great game but the starting pg not being available made a huge difference. Christ School wins by 10 plus @ home. Coach Johnson will be the difference in a close game between the Bengals and HPCA if it is close.
Editor’s note:
*****We’ll just keep the foucus on the GDS-HPCA game and let the players decide that one on the court….The players seem to be having a good time and that is the most important thing, that they enjoy what they are doing and learn something at the same time…..*****
What an a– dale fulton is. Were you at the game? Why do you rip kent and his dad for no reason? He just helped his team beat the number one team in the state and led them in scoring and you say he is over rated. Do you feel that bad now that the bengals are no longer top cat around here that you have to belittle people? You have no business judging players or coaches. You are obviously clueless and a ass.
The PACIS is a very tough conference this year with GDS, Wesleyan, and HP Christian. The Triad is lucky to have 3 very good teams.
I know we have said this many times before but it is worth repeating for those that may be new to this site. “Dale Fulton” which is a code name for “delete message” or “don’t take anything that I am saying serious” is not a representative of GDS for anything. Think of Dale Fulton as that crazy uncle that we all have that sits in the corner by himself drinking too much and just waiting for that one passer by to be stupid enough to sit down and start a conversation wtih him. Just do what we and others already know – avoid the crazy uncle, don’t invite him to any of the parties and for GOD sakes do not feed him or let him drink anything other than water and milk. Go GDS and any team in the area that adds to all of us enjoying the game that we love on the court. Good luck to HPC and others! It should be a great for basketball in the triad !
the kid had 4 points before getting hurt and he wasn’t their PG. HPCA was winning the game at the time anyways. You guys are terrible. A team does something GDS did not and you still can’t give them any credit at all. Someone posted in another thread that GDS could’ve easily beaten Christ School….buuuut they didn’t even when they apparently shot the lights out. Then to stoop so low as to insult a kid and his dad? If he had went to GDS he would be the second coming.
Obacha had 4 fouls midway through the 3rd, considering what he brings, it is a very valid comparison. HPCA played most of the 3rd with 5 guards and built the lead. Thought they were going to get killed on the inside but it didn’t happen.
HPCA’s basketball team is almost as good as their soccer and football teams combined
I’m just glad they aren’t terrible at every sport. They might actually have a winning season in something! Go COUGARS!!
also, I heard they just broke a record for total wins in a season with 11! Congrats to HPCA! I’m surprised they aren’t the #1 team in the nation. Move over Oak Hill, there’s a new sheriff in town!
No offense to Coach Johnson but Coach Clifford is a better coach and he will show that through his career …..Coach J has a lot of wins and a lot of those wins are against nobody good but he does have some very good wins also so i give him that.. but Coach Clifford will be the biggest coach ever to come out of this area because he will win at any level and not just private school basketball….best of luck to GDS player because I know Coach J has seen the game so i be he has his players watching film everyday but also best of luck to HPCA and Coach Clifford this whole area is rooting you to take GDS and Christ School empire down
No reason to make this about Clifford vs Johnson. For one, they don’t play the game and two they are good friends. Even think Coach Johnson recommended Clifford for getting that job so there is no reason to make it about those 2. It is fun to sit back and watch the bantering about HPCA. They are winning, they have improved each of the last 2 years and now they have a relevant program. Let them have their moment. It will all be settled in the state tourney anyways.
Don’t be suprised if the soccer and football teams are winners next. I watched two football games and they had several players that could play anywhere, they were just missing bigs on the line. They had a small quick back that played both ways and was a tough kid. If they pick up some lineman it will be a different program.
It looks like both programs will be very good this year. How can you guys say with confidence that someone that has less than 50 wins is a better coach than someone with over 800? Both teams are good and I personally like both coaches but to compare them at this stage in their careers is ridiculous. Coach Johnson has had some teams that would destroy this HPCA and current GDS team. Neither one of these coaches want to be compared to each other and they both respect each other. They are both good for our game of basketball so why can’t we just leave it at that? Some of you guys have too much free time trying to stir up a rivalry that doesn’t exist yet. The rivalry will establish itself if you guys let it.
Where in the world does some of this stuff come from? There are no bad feelings between the coaches. Also, Coach Johnson has been and continues to be the very best this area has seen. His teams are good and well coached and his young men know how to conduct themselves on and off the court. GDS has set an example of the student-athlete for a generation. Teams will come and go, there is an ebb and flow but GDs will remain at the top over the long term.
Why are you scared to challenge Coach Johnson. He had the deck stacked in his favor for years, now play ball when the field is a little more even. I am not afraid to say he had everything, including the officiating under control. Level the playing field and see how great he is.
It’s ironic that we expect kids to play hard and challenge their opponent at all times, even if it is a best friend or brother. But when it comes to certain coaches or players “some” feel that respect should come first. If I was the coach I would tell myteam “gentleman it starts with me–I am going to do everything in my power to kick that coaches a!#, just like I expect you to do on the floor. Now I don’t give a da%! who they think they are and personally I don’t care. What happened 10, 20 years ago has nothing to do with today, now lets go out there and beat them like they stole something trom us!
You have no idea how little you know about how things work. Coach Johnson develops good young men and he and his staff teach them to be good ball players. Maybe you should spend the next thirty years walking in his shoes and see how easy it is. The other schools come and go. They all have their ups and downs. But GDS is a cut above. They have earned it.
I thought I had heard it all. But the stuff about officials is really funny, I mean REALLY funny!
something I really didn’t notice was HPCA having 7 guys in double figures against Christ School. Checked the stats on maxpreps and they have their season stats posted as well. Average almost 85ppg and no one averages over 14ppg. If anyone wants to know why they are 11-0 and only going to get better look at that. That is an unselfish group. Take note young players, it isn’t about your stats.
To talking scared – you stated “level the playing field and see how great he is”. That is the most stupid comment or the greatest sign of envy that I have read in years. I bet you are one of those people that will say that Roy at UNC and K at Duke would not be that great of coaches if they had to coach at UNCG, A&T, Wingate or wherever other than Duke or Carolina. Those coaches including Coach Johnson have built their programs over the years. If HPC and other programs can build a program that brings in the players and support year after year, then that will be a credit to them and it will benefit the triad as a whole. In the mean time, don’t throw rocks at GDS and Coach Johnson for building a proven winner both on the court and in the classroom. Yes – the standard is GDS and will be for some time to come. Other cities such as Raleigh and Charlotte have multiple high performing private schools both in the classroom and court/field of play. With so many kids leaving the public schools and the areas population still growing, there will be more than enough kids coming to the private school setting for all to benefit.
These are gonna be very big games this year….
HPCA at GDS in January 24 and GDS at HPCA on Feb. 10……Two very good teams and these are gonna be BIG ONES…..Both programs very strong….GDS has had a very strong program for a long long time and HPCA has put one together and they are ready to play at the highest level….Two strong teams, but only one can win, unless of course they split the two games…..Gonna be some great competition here and there and just wish they played a little sooner….
Actually, that would be impressive if a coach turned UNCG, A&T or Wingate into a national power. No argument here about Coach K and his coaching abilities. UNC and Duke play under the same rules as every one else and still dominate the basketball landscape.