Wayne Country Day Rallies to capture thrilling win over Davidson Day

1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter
Wayne Country Day 18 32 42 66
Davidson Day 17 31 51 64

 

Phenom Hoop Report travelled to Davidson, North Carolina to cover the NCISAA 2A quarterfinal matchup between visiting Wayne Country Day and home team Davidson Day. Wayne Country Day came into the contest with a 18-11 record while Davidson Day sported a 19–4 record. After a evenly balanced first half, Wayne Country Day took a slim one point lead head into the second half. . Davidson Day came out in the third quarter and went on a 20 to 10 run to take a 51-42 lead heading into the final quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter, Davidson Day looked like the team in total control, they started the fourh quarter and extended their lead to 11 (64-53) at the 4:21 mark of the game. After that, it was all Wayne Country Day as they put together a come from behind win that will long be remembered by both teams.

At the 4:21 mark, 6’1 sophomore guard went on a scoring frenzy. He alone scored 13 points in the fourth quarter including two timely 3-pointers while Davidson Day failed to score again in the game. Davidson Day went stone cold from the perimeter missing three wide open 3-pointers, not to mention two front end of one and one opportunities. While Davidson Day struggled to score, Wayne Country Day proved to be resilient and possessed a “never quit” attitude. Some how, some way, Wayne Country Day battled back and eventually tied the score at 64-64 with less then one minute remaining plus possession of the ball. Playing on the road, Coach David Flowers decided to hold the ball for the last shot. Patiently holding the ball, 5’8 point guard Trey Whitfield utilized his speed, quickness and dribble penetration to score the winning basket with four seconds remaining. Davidson Day had one last chance to launch a long distance 3-pointer, but the shot was off mark and Wayne Country Day captured the right to advance to the NCISAA Final Four in Raleigh.

Leading the way for Wayne Country Day was 6’2 sophomore sensation Jaden Cooper. Cooper finished with a game high 27 points, but was dialed in from the 3-point line as he connected on five 3-pointers. This past summer we got a chance to watch Jaden Cooper and we stated, “Cooper indulges in crunch time moments,” and his performance against Davidson Day was simply outstanding. Trailing by 11 with 4:21 remaining, many teams and players would have given up and thrown in the towel, but Cooper once again proved big time players make big time plays in big time games. 6’4 junior Linwood Grandy also enjoyed a solid all around performance as he tallied 12 points and rebounded his position extremely well as did 6’2 senior Javon Outlaw who scored 10 points. However, the difference maker for Wayne Country Day was the fearless playmaking ability of 5’8 senior point guard Tracy Whitfield who finished with six points including the go ahead drive to the rim with four seconds remaining. Wayne Country Day moves to 19-11 and plays Freedom Academy for the chance to play for the NCISAA 2A state championship. One thing is for sure, Wayne Country Day is a scrappy, competitive group of young men who will be riding a boatload of confidence into Raleigh next weekend.

For Davidson Day, they finish the season 19-5 but have a lot to look forward too. They are relatively young and return their entire starting lineup. Four players scored in double digits. 'Davidson Day was led by 6’5 junior Jackson Threadgill who finished with 18 points including four 3-pointers, 6’3 sophomore guard Brynce Alfino scored 13 points, 6’6 junior Mark Breunig had 11, while 6’9 junior CJ Huntley tallied 10 points. For Davidson Day, the loss will sting for some time, but rest assured they will be a heavy favorite next year for the NCISAA 2A championship.