Varnado won a scrimmage 39-18 over Franklinton at home Wednesday afternoon.
The teams played two 16-minute halves. Baskets were counted for shooting fouls and players were given a free throw after for a point.
One of the key spots in the game was a Wildcats’ 8-0 run at the end of the first half and into the second half.
Varnado had a 19-12 lead with 1:37 left in the opening half, but the Wildcats scored the half’s final seven points and then the opening four points of the second half.
The run began when Jaheim Williams grabbed an offensive rebound and made the putback with 27 seconds to go. Zantonio Peters hit a layup after a Varnado steal just 12 seconds later and it was 23-12 at halftime.
Kim McGowan Jr. opened the second half’s points by hitting a fastbreak layup 32 seconds into the period. McGowan made another fastbreak layup at the 14:55 mark and Varnado was up 27-12.
Franklinton’s Avant Monnie hit for two, trimming the lead to 13, but that as close as the Demons got in Varnado’s 39-18 win.
McGowan was Varnado’s leading scorer with 12 points. He also had three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Hooks posted 11 points, seven boards, two steals and two assists.
Trevin Haynes had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go with three steals.
Peters posted six points, two rebounds and a pair of steals.
“Still gotta work on defense,” Varnado coach DW Trosclair said. “Even though the point spread was where it was at, my expectations, just as I told the crowd, are pretty high. We came from a summer game that we played last week where we shutdown one team 20-2 and we played a team similar to them today and we couldn’t get the stops like we were last week. I think we came out a little flat, we came out a little overhyped and when that happens, that usually be the results. But overall, I liked some things, I liked my JV (junior varsity) team (Varnado won the JV game 22-9), as you guys saw earlier, but I love my varsity team and their expectations and their goals this year is district. I told them the only way to get there is to get better as a team, focus as a team because our focus was a little off today.”
Jaheim Jefferson led Franklinton with five points.
Albert Browhaw tallied four while Cameron Stewart had three and Javan Hart, Monnie, Cornelius Laurant.
“We’re a very inexperienced team, but I wouldn’t call us a team right now. We played as five individuals, and until we learn how to play as a team, we won’t be very good,” Franklinton coach Brad Oestriecher said.
Oestriecher talked about the good points, but also talked about playing as a team.
“I saw a couple of kids come off the bench that hustled and played really hard (De-Airreous Magee and Jaheim Jefferson). Other than that, I didn’t see much good. We’re played as five individuals and until we learn to play as a team, we’re not going to win many basketball games.” Oestriecher said.