The atmosphere was intense and the energy was big in this inner city battle between two proud hoops programs. For the first time in eight years the Pride of Greensboro College edged out The Quakers of Guilford College 73-72 in an absolute dog fight.
Guilford County, North Carolina- Fans packed the Campus of Guilford College for the annual matchup between the two schools and the players didn’t disappoint. I want to highlight a few points that really stood out, it’s still early in the season but a highly competitive game like this reveals a lot
- Point Guard Play set the tone for both sides
Junior KJ Langley really managed the game for his side he showed nice balance, Lanlgey was aggressive offensively he kept the defense honest, and he controlled the tempo making sure everyone got into the right position. Langley has been around the program and he’s seen the up’s and downs, this year the Pride started with a bang and a statement win.
Langley knocked down a clutch three when given space, he also operated well in pick N roll sets taking whatever the defense offered up. Langley is creative in the lane he continuously drew pressure towards him, Langley earned trips to the line and found the open man at the last moment. Langley also came up with some big plays defensively, including a late rebound which led him to the line for two clutch free throws, Langley knocked down both to help seal the deal late.
On the other side Jaylen Gore was pivotal for Guilford he looks healthy after overcoming two torn labrum’s last season, Gore looks healthy he moved around well with the ball and utilized the entire floor. Gore scored the ball within the offense and contributed on both ends; he finished with 13 points, three assists, and four rebounds. Gore is a high I.Q. guard who values each possession, Gore really picked his spots and came up with some crucial buckets for the Quakers.
There were times this group went cold and Gore had to provide the spark, Gore was good in transition running the break and he impressed converting forced turnovers into points on the other end. Gore as the floor general orchestrated this high octane Quakers offense, a stat that can’t be overlooked is Gore’s rebounding effort, at the point guard position he crashed the boards exceptionally well. Defensively Gore is a tenacious on ball defender, when matched up against Langley these two really pushed one another.
2. Pride end eight year losing streak to Quakers
This win was big for a number of reasons but the biggest is overcoming a hurdle the program hadn
