Suwannee Democrat - Warriors victorious over Defenders

Sat, May 17 2008

Published: February 27, 2008 03:24 pm

Warriors victorious over Defenders

By Tom Parks

Old Plank Christian School’s bus broke down while traveling to Lee Gym to take on the Corinth Christian Academy (CCA) in basketball on Friday night, Jan. 25. Then came the games. By the end of the evening, the ladies’ and men’s teams from Corinth had improved their district record to 2-0 after impressive victories over the Defenders from Jacksonville.

The lady Warriors played first and quickly demonstrated that they were on top of their game. A 21-2 run early in the contest allowed Coach Boatwright to substitute freely, and all the players saw lots of playing time. The lady Warriors have played excellent defense all year, and continued to do so in this game, keeping Old Plank from driving to the basket. Although they played their best throughout the game, the lady Defenders were defeated 63-17.

The lady Warriors were led by Andrea Abbott, who scored 18 points on 9-15 shooting, and also contributed 4 steals and 2 assists. Sophomore Alayna Abbott scored 13 points, while Tiffany Phillips, Sharon Bontrager and Miranda Mulkey each scored 10 points. Both Mulkey and Phillips reached double figures in rebounds, with Mulkey grabbing 11 and Phillips getting 10. Phillips also led the team with 7 assists.

The men’s team played next, with Corinth breaking out on top with a 12-0 run. Substituting frequently, the Warriors maintained their advantage at the half, with a score of 41-18. The Defenders never quit, and chipped into Corinth’s big lead. However, time ran out on the Defender effort, and Old Plank was defeated 59-44.

Sophomore Aaron Goyette continued his stellar play, scoring 28 points, including 8 for 8 from the charity stripe. He also distributed 6 assists, while snaring 11 rebounds. Sophomore Jared Nichols pumped in 16 points, shooting 4 of 5 from the line, and grabbed a team high 13 rebounds. Sophomore Zac Rye grabbed 10 boards, and freshman Mike Rye picked the Defenders for 6 steals and four points playing in place of injured point guard John Barrs Jr. Jeff Taylor and Austin Leslein also contributed 4 points to the total team effort.