By Leonard McNair
Five players scored in double figures in Northwood’s 71-59 win against Cedar Ridge Friday Jan. 27.
“We all played well, we played good team defense, we stopped the ball and we all shot the ball well,” Pappas said after the game.
Mark Goods led the team with 18 points, Aumad Walker scored 16, Cam Pappas added 14, Ti Pinnix scored 12 and John Wieland added 10.
“We are not a one man band, this isn’t a solo act,” coach Russ Frazier said. “We have always had success with multiple people contributing.”
While the well-rounded offensive attack was impressive, for the players and coaches, rebounding was the key. Wieland led the team with 13 boards while Pappas grabbed eight.
“The key was for us to hit the boards,” Goods said.
Throughout the game Cedar Ridge attacked in small spurts endangering Northwood’s lead, however, due to a continuous span of rebounding, the Chargers received multiple opportunities for second chance points and limited the Red Wolves in this category.
“We did great [on the boards], better than we normally do, and that’s the reason why we won,” Goods said.
Frazier also praised his team’s rebounding effort.
“We missed some shots, but we picked each other up and we had different people make different play.
“Anybody who went in the ball game tonight went to the boards.”
This was the second meeting between the teams. The Chargers won 53-49 in the first matchup.
Pappas attended Cedar Ridge and played on their basketball team in his previous years of high school. He had to face the pressure of playing his former school.
“I had some mixed feelings about it,” Pappas said. “I definitely miss those guys and I like playing against them, but I’m on a new team now and it’s good to get the W.”
Frazier noted his senior’s performance as well.
“Cam Pappas handled the pressure better this time around,” Frazier said.
With the win, Northwood improves to 15-5. Tuesday night the Chargers host Carrboro at 7:30.