Combine 71 Leesville Road 46
Combine Academy Captures 5th Place in the TJ Warren Bracket
Playing for 5th place in the TJ Warren Bracket of the John Wall Holiday Invitational, we have Combine Academy going against Leesville Road. Combine Academy loss a heartbreaker to nationally ranked Hillcrest Prep on opening night. Then proceeded to beat a very good NCHSAA 2A power Kinston to advance to the 5th place game. On the other hand, Leesville Road loss to Callaway (MS), and then beat Holly Springs.
First Half
It was a typical first quarter for Combine Academy where they exerted their defensive presence from the very first possession. They had four steals and created six turnovers, but the biggest storyline was their hot shooting. Combine went 8-12 from the floor, 2-3 from the 3-point line and dished out seven assists, all in the first quarter. Combine Academy set the tone early and never looked back. They were moving the ball extremely well and was making the extra pass. Unfortunately, playing without the services of Carter Whitt, it's just too much of an uphill struggle as they trailed 36-20 at the half. For Combine, nine players got in the scoring column and they had 11 team assists which further illustrates our point about the ball movement, passing and team play exhibited by Combine.
Second Half
It was more of the same for Combine in the second half. They simply had too much depth, firepower for Leesville Road. They extended their lead to 52-27 to start the fourth quarter and cruised to a 71-46 win.
Summary
Overall, it was a very efficient day offensively for Combine Academy. They went 30-51 from the floor for 58.8%, 6-12 from the 3-point line for 50%, and 5-7 from the free throw line. That being said, the biggest takeaway was the 18 team assists. 11 Combine players got in the scoring column with 6'0 freshman Robert Dillingham leading the way with 20 points. He went 8-11 from the floor, 3-4 from the 3-point line, dished out three assists and even recorded three steals. In addition, 6'8 freshman Mekhi Grant was also in double digit scoring with 11 points. Leading the way for Leesville Road was 5'9 junior Chase Hakerem with 19 points.