Day 1 got underway with a very intriguing matchup between Westminster Catawba vs. Winston Salem Christian, both teams with very intriguing talent. The game got underway and it was WS Christian that started to find some early success but Westminster Catawba made a few plays late to give themselves the three-point lead at the end of the first. Westminster came out strong in the second quarter, expanding their lead to nearly double-digits as Winston Salem Christian struggled to find much of an offense behind Rasean McMiller. Westminster’s strong play and ability to slow down the game helped them out to a 25-18 halftime lead.
Heading into the second half, Winston Salem Christian started to find their rhythm offensively, chipping away at the lead and eventually regaining the lead late in the third quarter. Only a three-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, this one looked to go down to the wire. And that is what we got, with team teams trading baskets and getting to the line, it remained either a tie game or a one-possession game for much of the quarter.
Winston Salem was able to make a late run with some easy baskets out in transition to expand their lead just out of reach, as Winston Salem Christian secured the 61-53 victory on Day 1.
Final: Winston Salem Christian 61 – Westminster Catawba 53
Stats:
Winston Salem: Lewis Walker 16 points/ Quante Berry `12/ Rasean McMiller 12/ Camian Shell 11
Westminster: MJ Collins 23 points/ Richard Black III 14/ Derek Bradley 9