Both boys basketball teams at Evans and Harlem began their preseason workouts with conditioning drills to keep up their endurance for a long regular season schedule.
In Tuesday night's 73-56 Evans win at Harlem, the teams put that conditioning to the test with a sloppy, fast-paced game that saw 44 fouls called. Both teams were shooting the one-and-one bonus with 1:43 left in the first quarter.
"It was very scrappy," Evans senior Wes Wuchte said. "There were so many fouls. It got me out of my rhythm."
Evans came into the game looking to exploit an obvious height advantage. Six Knights stand at 6-foot-4 or taller while Harlem boasts only 6-3 center Wesley Gower on the starting lineup.
The Knights went inside early and overcame 17 first-half fouls to take a 20-4 lead after one quarter. Harlem climbed back in the second quarter, but Evans still led, 35-24, at halftime.
"We knew we were bigger and wanted to go inside," Evans coach Kevin Kenney said. "The fouls took us out of our rhythm, but we've got kids who can score."
Harlem, plagued by fouls in the second half, put Evans in the shooting bonus early. The Knights converted on only 5 of 15 second half free throw attempts and lost the second half, 34-38, but Evans' nine-point halftime lead was enough to make the difference.
"I felt like we played a heck of a ball game," Harlem coach Kim Chambers said. "We hung with them. If we hadn't gotten those questionable calls underneath the basket in the second half it might have been different."
Wuchte's 14 point performance under the basket for the Knights led the way, while junior Brandon Durr and senior Glenn Miller added 14 each.
"It does helps that we have so many big guys," Wuchte said. "I look around, and I've got 6-7 (Matt Clark) over here and 270 pounds (Carter Turner) over there. I know I can rely on my teammates."
Harlem's Sean Hackshaw led the Bulldogs with 15 points.
Harlem beat Evans, 45-30, in the girls game.
Harlem's April Woodward scored a game high 14 points despite coming out of the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. Woodard returned later to sink two free throws.
Janay Moore led the Lady Knights with 10 points in the loss.
Reach Billy Byler at (706) 863-6165 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com
EVANS 73, HARLEM 56
EVANS (73)-BRANDON DURR 14, JOSH MCDANIEL 3, JEROME MANUEL 6, GLENN MILLER 14, DANIEL HUNTER 2, WES W. 13, JOSH BRODHECKER 2, CARTER TURNER 5, MATT CLARK 3, C.J. PLUMMER 2. TOTALS: 25 14-24 73.
HARLEM (56)-DEMARCUS MORRIS 13, TYRELL DYSON 2, ERIC BEARD 6, WESLEY GOWER 10, SEAN HACKSHAW 10, AJAY MILLER 13, LORENZO BANKS 4. TOTALS: 21 11-22 56.
EVANS 20 15 19 19 - 73
HARLEM 4 20 18 14 - 56
3-POINT GOALS: EVANS 6 (DURR 2, MCDANIEL, MANUEL, MILLER 2); HARLEM 3 (HACKSHAW 2, MILLER).
RECORDS: HARLEM 2-2. NEXT: HARLEM VS. HEPHZIBAH, 8:30 P.M., FRIDAY.
HARLEM GIRLS 45, EVANS 30
EVANS (30)-JANAY MOORE 10, TYNISHA BUTLER 8, LAUREN MIDDLETON 8, TIPHANI GRIMES 2, DENISHA LYNCH 2. TOTALS: 11 3-10 30.
HARLEM (45)-BELINDA SMITH 1, CASEY CAMP 6, TAMIKA TANKESLY 3, APRIL WOODARD 16, KELLY HAMILTON 2, CHRISTINA ALFRED 2, LAQUITA BURROW 6, SHONTALE WELLS 9, JESSICA GRAY 2. TOTALS: 18 9-23 45.
EVANS 6 7 13 4 - 30
HARLEM 12 17 8 8 - 45
RECORDS: HARLEM 3-1. NEXT: HARLEM VS. HEPHZIBAH, 7 P.M., FRIDAY.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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