Though the game was played on the hardwood instead of the gridiron, you could still see the desire in the Greenwaves eyes to beat Coalfield and avenge the loss to the Jackets in the 2nd round of the football playoffs. The game was back and forth for 4 quarters and the Greenwaves managed to hold on to a 55-54 win in a thriller.
The Greenwaves jumped out to an early lead and managed to hold the lead for the entire first half. Jason “Bam Bam” Devries played exceptionally well in the first half and appeared to be Midway’s only post battling on the boards. Jason had only 6 points on the night but all 6 came during crucial times, including a 3 point play that ended a Coalfield run.
The Greenwaves would go into half-time with a 25-21 lead.
Spencer “Brick” Myers was coming off a career high 34 point game and was again Midway’s primary source for offense and “hustle plays” on Monday night. Myers drove the ball well however, the free-throw line is Spencer’s Achilles heel. Thanks to Spencer’s “bricks”, Midway now has a 30,000 seat gym as well as an enclosed football field. The school will probably have to bill Cindy, Spencer’s mom, for all the red paint they’re going to need to repaint the rims. Spencer, let me help: take your time, bend your knees, breathe in – exhale, elbow in, follow through, good rotation, arch on the ball……
Actually, Myer’s was not alone. The entire team shot very poorly from the charity strip, 17 of 40, and is the only reason Coalfield managed to stay close.
The 3rd and 4th quarters remained tight. Jeremy “Gump” Woody had a quiet game for 3 quarters but came alive when it mattered. Woody secured several key rebounds with only minutes remaining and then, with the game tied and less than 60 seconds remaining, Woody hit 1 of 2 from the line, giving Midway the 1 point lead. Coalfield had the ball with less than 10 seconds on the clock, plenty of time to score and walk out with a win. But it was then when Woody heard that magical word….”CHARGE”!!! As Coalfield’s guard took his man off the dribble and raced down the paint, Woody stepped in, got his feet set, and took the charge, clinching the win for the Green and White.
The Greenwaves were lead by Myers with 19, followed by Woody with 14.