The moods of South Iredell and West Iredell after the game could not have been more different on Tuesday. The Vikings beat the Warriors 48-28 on the first day of the R&L/WSIC Holiday Classic for their first victory of the season.
“It feels great,” South Iredell head coach Jim Blackwell said. “When the losses build up, you start feeling the weight of the world, and you have to start taking it one step at a time.”
South Iredell took several large steps forward. This was the Vikings’ first win over the Warriors in three tries this season.
“This is the most selfish, unmotivated group of individuals I have ever been around all of my life,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “Till we start executing what we work on in practice, they’ll have to get used to this feeling.
“That is all I can say.”
After settling for outside shots early, the Vikings were able to work the ball inside to LaChaston Smith and Colby Hall.
Hall scored 10 points in the second half, eight in the fourth quarter after two in the third, and pulled down six rebounds. Hall scored an easy layup in the fourth after Nate Dixon hit him on a 20-foot, no-look from the left wing.
He said the Vikings’ success down low came from the ability to work off ball screens.
“We’ve been working hard to get this win, and we worked as a team finally,” Hall said.
Smith hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter, but West Iredell led 15-14 after the end of the period. Smith scored eight second-half points, 16 for the game, as the Vikings started to pull away to the easy win.
South Iredell went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter to open up a 34-24 lead. That carried over to the fourth quarter as the Vikings went on an 8-0 run at the start of the period.
West Iredell had a hard time getting anything going after the first quarter. The Warriors combined for a dozen turnovers in the second and third quarters. They scored only six points in the second half, which includes one in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Gray had a team-high 11 points.
BOX SCORE
South Iredell 48
West Iredell 28
South Iredell 14 7 13 14 — 48
West Iredell 15 7 5 1 — 28
SOUTH IREDELL (48): LaChaston Smith 16, Colby Hall 10, Fisher 7, Whitener 1, J. Hall 5, Stockton 5, Dixon 4, Bowe, King, Rutledge, Little, Armstrong, Altham.
WEST IREDELL (28): Jalen Gray 12, Phifer 9, DJ Gray 3, Davidson 2, Summers 2, Borders, Ellis, Boggs, Desmond
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