Chapelgate coach Frick Frierson is putting his guys through a war of attrition this holiday season with a pair of tournaments that feature a combined four games in five days.
So far, the Yellowjackets appear up to the challenge.
On Monday night, in the opening round of the Panther Invitational, Chapelgate (7-8) used a big first half on its way to a 71-62 victory over host Paint Branch. The victory secures the team a meeting in the championship game on Tuesday against Long Reach, which defeated Damascus, 56-52, in the other semifinal.
"We joked with the guys that we would give them Thanksgiving off in exchange for this stretch," said Chapelgate head coach Frick Frierson, whose team split games at the Spartans Holiday Classic at Laurel High School on Friday and Saturday.
"It's tough, no question, and it doesn't help that we have a couple guys sick with flu-like symptoms. But it's also been nice because we're getting to play all 10 guys and they're all contributing. I think in some ways our guys like stuff like this, playing a lot of games against tough teams to see where we stand."
Matthew Frierson (24 points) and Malik Grandy (19) did the majority of the damage for Chapelgate, but there were key contributions from several other guys —Seth Madden (10 points), Earl Mitchell (6) and LeRome Ball (5).
In the first half, as Chapelgate built itself a double-digit advantage of 36-23 by intermission, the outside shots were falling and Paint Branch seemed a step slow on rotations.
Frierson ended up hitting four of his seven 3-pointers in the first half, while Mitchell added a deep ball of his own. Throw in a couple tough finishes around the rim by Grandy and the Yellowjackets were flying high.
"When you're hitting shots that seems to make up for any mistakes you may be making … and everybody was hitting tonight," coach Frierson said.
Paint Branch made several mini runs in the second half to keep things interesting, as the combination of Macie Jones (20 points) and George Burns (17) provided a nice mix of inside-outside scoring.
But Chapelgate answered every push with a big shot or a couple converted foul shots.
In the final stages, as Paint Branch closed within 7 on a three by Burns with 1:29 left — the closest the team had been since the first half — Chapelgate came right back down and responded with a three from Frierson to seal the deal.
Paint Branch will face Damascus in the consolation game of the tournament at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
For Long Reach (5-3), which has now won five straight games, it was an inconsistent effort in the win over the Hornets. But, when push came to shove, the team made big plays.
The duo of Terrell Lamar (17 points) and Dakwonte Avery (12 points and 12 rebounds) were the leaders for the team.
"We definitely didn't play our best tonight, but we got the win so we'll take it considering the long break," Long Reach coach Al Moraz Jr. said. "We were just really up and down. There were two times we had leads up over 10 points before letting them back in it. Luckily, we were able to pull it out in the end and that's all that counts."
Box scores:
Chapelgate 71, Paint Branch 62
CCA: Frierson 24, Grandy 19, Madden 10, Mitchell 6, Ball 5, Hughes 3, Tringali 2.
PB: Jones 20, Burns 17, Morton 8, Nya 8, Adebesin 4, Remy 3, Conrad 2, Kidwiler 2.
Half: 36-23 CCA.
Long Reach 56, Damascus 52
LR (5-3): Lamar 17, Avery 12, Carter 9, Brodnax 6, Duckett 4, Briscoe 4, Menusan 2, Stamatiades 2.
D: Davis 17, Michael 12, Salisbury 7, Prandy 6, Larson 5, Gibson 5.
Half: 25-23 LR.
Other scores:
River Hill 61, Magruder 54 (Magruder Tournament)
The Hawks won their third straight game, as Charlie Thomas delivered 22 points to lead the way in the opening game of the Magruder Tournament.
"I think it's a mentality right now, where they are believing in each other," River Hill coach Matt Graves said. "People are falling into positions and we are running the stuff we are supposed to run. You can see the difference when the team is playing together. We know Charlie is our big guy, but we have to be using every body on the floor to be at our best."
RH (4-4): Thomas 22, Sandler 12, DeSimone 11, Gable 5, Borucki 4, Mentle 4, Martin 2.
M: Hugley 17, Grayhill-Bland 12, Hammond 8, Boehlert 5, Garey 5, Wilkerson 4, Triau 3.
Half: 29-24 RH.
Glenelg Country 46, Davidson Day 33 (WNC Holiday Classic)
GC (5-5): Williams 20, Longpre 9, Hightower 7, Tverijonas 4, Bernetti 2, Wilson 2.
DD: Scheman 12, Caldwell 5, Blackmon 5, MacGregor 4, Hairston 3, Meadows 2.
Half: 18-17 DD.
Springbrook 63, Marriotts Ridge 52
S: Walker 20, Brown 10, Burton 10, Seck 10, Ado 3, Balanc 2, Briscoe 2, Dyson 2, Escobar 2, Flood 2.
MR (4-3): Koller 11, Clipp 10, Speelman 10, Caffes 8, Talentino 5, Skogmo 4, Maroth 2, Whitacre 2.
Half: 35-26 S.
Mt. Hebron 43, McDonough 31
La Plata 98, Hammond 60