We got things underway to start a great day of basketball, as Covenant Day and Lake Norman went to battle to kick off the day. Both teams started out a little slow, getting a feel for themselves early on a Saturday but it was a late run 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter for Covenant Day to get the early 16-8 lead. Second quarter, Covenant Day was able to expand their lead, as the bigs of 2022 Ifeanyi Ufochukwu and 2024 Michael Marcus Jr. were strong in the paint while 2023 Jahmir Brown was carving up the zone defense. 2022 Davis Wagner was doing all he could do for Lake Norman to keep his team within striking distance early with 11 first-half points but Covenant Day found themselves up 35-19 at halftime.
In the second half, Covenant Day was able to increase their lead to 20+ but Lake Norman continued to battle. 2023 Cole Callaway started to get in on the action for Lake Norman but Covenant Day continued to answer right back. 2022 Daniel Nelson started to catch fire from deep in the third, scoring 12 points and knocking down three 3-pointers to help Covenant Day maintain their lead. In the end, Covenant Day was just too much inside and out, as they secured the 67-45 victory.
Stats:
Covenant Day:
Daniel Nelson 14pts, 3rebs, 2asts
Ifeanyi Ufochukwu 10pts, 8rebs, 3blks
Jahmir Brown 10pts, 4asts, 3stls
Lake Norman:
Davis Wagner 16pts, 3rebs, 2blks, 2stls
Cole Callaway 13pts, 3stls
Tre McKinnon 7pts, 4rebs, 3stls
POB’s Eye Catchers:
Covenant Day:
2023 Jahmir Brown: Brown is such a tough guard on both ends of the court. He has been known for his defensive mentality, getting up into defenders and creating turnovers (which he did in this one as well) but also gave us a show offensively, carving through the defense, getting into the paint, and finishing strong.
2022 Ifeanyi Ufochukwu: The Boston commit has improved so much over the years since first watching him in Rock Hill. He is big at 6’11 but also plays big (have seen many that don’t do this). He makes himself as a wall on defense and on the boards, keeping the ball high, showing touch, and being a rim-protector. He continues to develop his overall feel and is really coming into his game in his senior year.
Lake Norman:
2022 Davis Wagner: Wagner left it all out there on the court, as the senior really competed all throughout the game. He was relentless in helping get on the boards, played strong around the basket, and even showed that he can stretch the floor with his perimeter game. Wagner has been strong for much of the year for Lake Norman and you have to love his tough, hard work mentality on the court.
