Newton County High School overcame a cold start to top the Utica Striped Kittens on Friday night.
The Steelworkers opened their first home game of the season with a case of the jitters, especially the coach. Under the errant suggestion that missed shots counted for more points than made ones, the team successfully avoiding scoring on seven of their first eight attempts, including an unguarded breakaway layup and several wholesome air balls.
By the end of the first quarter, the team had hoisted seventeen tries and connected on three. At half time, just seven of twenty-eight shots had found their mark.
Fortunately NCHS had done two things particularly well, the way that tough teams do. First, they took care of the ball by surrendering just one first quarter turnover. Second, their defense frightened the Kittens into a barrage of turnovers and limited them to one shot at a time led by Reed Morbooks' ten rebounds. By the half, they found themselves down only four points.
Once the coaching staff amended its instructions, the offense found its stroke. During one stretch the Workers drilled three consecutive three-pointers, pushing them into a lead they would never relinquish.
Key to sustaining victory was free throw shooting at a laser-sighted 88% (14 of 16).
"I guess we should have run more plays with free throw line jumpers," assistant coach Joe McDonald quipped.
When the final horn sounded, the home team had connected on 37% of its shots, enough to eke out a victory and shoo Utica out of town.
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