North Moore sophomore Colby Pennington puts up a layup against Jordan-Matthews at home Friday night. He finished with 34 points in the win for the Mustangs.
North Moore sophomore Colby Pennington puts up a layup against Jordan-Matthews at home Friday night. He finished with 34 points in the win for the Mustangs.
Held to his quietest game of the season due to foul trouble on Wednesday, North Moore sophomore Colby Pennington went back to work in the gym to make sure he was better prepared for his offensive chances the next time he stepped on the floor for a game.
Almost immediately on Friday night, Pennington made it known he had moved on by knocking down shots from deep, attacking the rim and transitioning the team into offense in its Mid-Carolina Conference matchup with Jordan-Matthews.
“It was just putting in the work at practice. I went to practice and got some shots up and worked on my handles,” the 6-foot-5 sophomore said after the 64-48 win. “If shots aren’t falling, I can still play defense, get rebounds and get steals, doing the best I can to help my team score the ball. Most of the time someone else on the team has a hot hand.”
On Friday, his hand was the hottest of any player in the gym. Knocking down five 3-pointers, Pennington finished with 34 points to lead North Moore (6-4, 2-3 Mid-Carolina). A big change from his three points against Seaforth in Wednesday’s loss.
“He was in foul trouble and didn’t play,” North Moore coach Chris Coble said. “For him to rebound after not seeing a lot of action on Wednesday because he was on the bench most of the time, and to set the tone for offensively was big.”
Scoring eight of the first 10 points for North Moore to open a 10-0 lead over the Jets (1-13, 1-5 Mid-Carolina), Pennington hit a 3-pointer in each quarter, including a pair in the fourth quarter when the Mustangs blew the game open.
“The ball was just falling for me tonight. I had a hot hand,” Pennington said.
Pennington’s hot night opened up scoring chances for teammates against the Jets’ man-to-man defense.
North Moore's Gabe Purvis puts up a fadeaway shot in the paint against Jordan-Matthews.
Lynn Pennington/Special to The Pilot
Gabe Purvis finished with 11 points, Kamren Clark scored seven points and Austin Patterson had six points.
The Mustangs’ lead was challenged coming out of halftime when Jordan-Matthews closed the lead to 31-27 with less than six minutes left in the third quarter. Purvis and Pennington provided buckets to close
“At halftime we went into the locker room after we didn’t play well in the second quarter, and Coble gave us a talk and everybody picked it up and started playing North Moore basketball toward the end,” Pennington said.
While the game against Seaforth was the third straight loss for the Mustangs, Coble saw momentum built by his team against the conference leaders that carried over two nights later against the Jets.
“Tuesday against Chatham we didn’t play well. We didn’t do what we wanted and we didn’t execute,” Coble said. “Against Seaforth, we played great. I was so proud of these guys after playing against (five-star prospect Jarin Stevenson) and they’re the best team in the conference. We battled them the whole entire game.
“We had to play well Wednesday to transfer into a winnable game on Friday.”
The game started a six-game stretch midway through conference play where the Mustangs can’t afford a trip up if they hope to claim a playoff spot this year.
“The next five games are going to determine our season. Period,” Coble said. “All we’re doing is worrying about one game at a time.”
North Moore Girls Hold Off Jets
With the North Moore girls basketball team developing their game this season with new players in new roles, the team is also having to gain new experience playing in certain situations.
Playing with the lead in a tight game was Friday’s learning lesson for the Mustangs when hosting Jordan-Matthews.
Building a lead entering the fourth quarter, North Moore held on for a 37-22 Mid-Carolina Conference win at home.
Zee Young goes up for two in transition on Friday against Jordan-Matthews.
Lynn Pennington/Special to The Pilot
“One thing I told them was once we have a good little cushion, we’ve got to learn how to dial it back a little bit and work the ball around,” North Moore coach Crystal Leenheer said. “They definitely had moments at the end where we were passing the ball more, and they kind of saw that we don’t have to force shots until we have something absolutely open to shoot.”
North Moore (4-6, 1-4 Mid-Carolina) took a 26-15 lead going into the fourth quarter, and the Mustangs’ deliberate offensive possessions helped to grow the lead to its 15-point final spread.
Helping to eat time and convert on the offensive end were offensive rebounds from Hannah Early and Calissa Clendenin.
Zee Young scored all nine of her points in the second half, and Early scored her six points after halftime.
North Moore's Jordan Brewer locks in on defense against Jordan-Matthews.
Lynn Pennington/Special to The Pilot
Aiding in the team’s growth, Leenheer said, is the team utilizing film study to see where changes could be made.
“I really think they’re starting to focus on things, like the bigs, I really harp on them for going out to get me boards; just knowing their role and where they need to be and what they need to do. Individually when they do their role, it comes together as a team,” she said.
Young and Hannah Hunt have split time handling the ball for the Mustangs this season, to provide a steady presence at the point guard position.
“We’ve struggled in the past with somebody handling the ball, and we’ve still got a lot to work on. Hannah Hunt and Zee Young, they take care of the ball and do what they need to do most of the time,” Leenheer said. “If we don’t have a fast break, we are sitting back and running our plays how we should.”
Clendenin scored eight points, and Ella Fields added seven points, all of which were at the line.
North Moore hosts Graham Tuesday for a varsity doubleheader.
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