CONCORD, N.C. - In just the third game of his high school basketball career, Cox Mill freshman Wendell Moore played liked a seasoned veteran Tuesday night.
Despite continued taunts of being overrated, Moore silenced the masses by scoring a career-high 29 points in a 73-55 victory over Hickory Ridge in a fierce South Piedmont 3A conference matchup.
“All the seniors on this team just keep telling me that I need to be a leader (on the court), and that’s what I’m trying to do,” Moore said. “There was a lot of hype coming into this game, and I just blocked it all out of my head and my teammates got me through it.”
The Cream of Cabarrus No. 3-ranked Chargers remain undefeated at 3-0 overall and 2-0 in South Piedmont 3A conference action.
The Ragin’ Bulls, meanwhile, had their two-game winning streak snapped and dipped to 2-1, 0-1.
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The 6-foot-5 Moore was a commanding presence the entire game for the Chargers, while senior guard Messiah Baptiste was the other Cox Mill player in double figures with 19 points.
While Moore was deadly from the free-throw line 15-17 (at one point he was a perfect 14-14 late in the game), Baptiste made three clutch 3-point shots.
Ahead by a point at halftime, Moore took command of the floor at the start of the third quarter by making four free throws and a basket. Then Baptiste nailed his second 3-pointer, giving the Chargers a 44-32 lead.
Cox Mill coach Jody Barbee said his squad became too complacent and too passive in the first half. But in the second half, the Chargers came out swinging against the Cream of Cabarrus No. 4-ranked Bulls.
“We weren’t playing tough and not playing physical in the first half,” Barbee said. “We had a talk at halftime, and they played completely different basketball in the third and fourth quarter.”
Senior guard Javon Smith led the Bulls with 18 points, including two 3 pointers, while Avery Metcalf finished with 13 points.
“We just got outplayed, that’s for sure,” said Hickory Ridge coach Robert Machado. “Things didn’t go well for us the second half, especially at the start of the third quarter. They extended their defense to half court. We gave up a ton of offensive rebounds, and we need to fix that.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Wendell Moore, Cox Mill
Besides his game-high 29 points, the talented freshman grabbed nine rebounds and made two blocks.
SCENE AND HEARD
-- Talk about a LOUD environment. The Cox Mill gym was rocking during introductions and throughout the game. Both student sections were boisterous, and the gym was near capacity.
-- After Avery Metcalf scored an impressive layup with seconds remaining in the third quarter, Barbee was visibly upset because the senior guard wasn’t given a technical foul for taunting the Cox Mill defense.
WHAT’S UP NEXT
Hickory Ridge plays host to Concord next Monday, while Cox Mill travels to Kannapolis to take on A.L. Brown on Thursday.
JV GAME
In junior varsity action, Cox Mill remained undefeated by edging Hickory Ridge, 42-39. The Chargers (3-0, 1-0 South Piedmont 3A) held off a threat in the final seconds by the Bulls (2-1, 0-1) to escape with the victory.
SCORING SUMMARY
Hickory Ridge 15 17 8 15 - 55
Cox Mill 11 22 18 22 - 73
Hickory Ridge - Javon Smith 18, Avery Metcalf 13, Andrew Metcalf 4, Wimbish 5, Cottingham 4, Leary 4, Carlton 4, Ruggiero 3
Cox Mill - Wendell Moore 29, Messiah Baptiste 19, Earl 9, Sio 6, Goude 4, Cline 2, Malit 2, Redfern 2