by William Trakas
Both the Wolverine and Cardinal JV basketball teams were looking to gain early season momentum by upending their archrivals on the court Friday, Dec. 2.
The Lady Wolverines’ squad did just that. As the game got underway the Wolverines took a big early lead. Sophomore guard Lyric Flood was pulled down from the varsity ranks just prior to game time. Coach Michelle Fagan’s decision proved to be a smart one as Flood led the team with 12 points.
“We got a lot of production from Lyric,” coach Fagan said after the game. “We just played awesome.”
Defense proved to be a bright spot for the team. Shut down defensive play from Flood and sophomore Shea Wheeler forced eight Landrum turnovers in the opening period, leading to multiple fast break opportunities and a big first quarter lead for the Wolverines.
Landrum struggled even more in the fourth as the Lady Wolverines added 14 points while giving up a goose egg. Polk girls won easily, 45-11.
Leading the limited scoring for Landrum was Taylor Hedgepath and Haley Turley, both with 3 points each.
JV men’s basketball
When the men took the court, Landrum took the upper hand.
Landrum opened the first quarter on a 12-0 run and never looked back, as Cardinal Jonah Corn grabbed 21 points and Trevor Walker, 20.
The Wolverines meanwhile struggled to get anything going offensively and this proved deadly against a three-point assault from the Cardinals in the first half. Landrum led 39-17 after two quarters.
The second half proved to be a small confidence builder for the Brian Taylor coached Wolverines. An improved defense from Polk in the third quarter only allowed the Cardinals 11 points, but the Wolverines’ offensive woes continued as they scored only 10 points in the third.
Despite solid production from sophomore Will Ballard and freshman Jordan Smith in the final period, the 50-27 third quarter deficit proved to be too much to overcome.