Region 1-A: High Point Academy vs. St. Joseph’s Catholic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday evening's get-together between these two region combatants was the second of the two matchups they had played this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While both teams entered Friday's game with around the same number of wins, the Knights were in better position in terms of the region standings. The Knights had compiled three wins in region – including one at High Point Academy earlier in the month – to the only one region win for the Grizzlies.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Joseph's Catholic needed a victory to keep pace with Southside Christian – who earned its fourth region win earlier in the week against Christ Church. Mission accomplished as the Knights scored an emphatic 52-32 prevailing over the Grizzlies.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Remember What Happened Last Time</em></strong>?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>About that Jan. 10 matchup at High Point Academy – it was a bit closer than Friday evening's tilt was. It resulted in another Knights win, but the margin was much closer than this contest. The win for St. Joseph's on that occasion was only by a 50-46 margin.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“A lot more confidence this time,” Knights coach Natalie Satterfield says on the difference between Friday's contest and the Jan. 10 meeting. “The girls have been just gelling more, trying to peak. Our whole goal at the beginning of the season is we want to be playing our best basketball in February and I think we're moving towards that goal.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarter-By-Quarter</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Joseph's looked to establish that this game would be very different from the Jan. 10 affair. At one point, High Point did assume a 3-2 lead before a 7-0 run from the Knights. With one frame in the books, the home team was ahead 12-2.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was in the second quarter where the contest appeared to reach “laugher” territory. The Knights outscored the Grizzlies by a margin of 15-4 and were in firm control. At the half, the St. Joseph's lead was 27-6.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High Point Academy found some success with the 3-point shot – and managed to make things a bit interesting in the third quarter. The Grizzlies' deficit was 21 at halftime and it was trimmed to 16 (36-20) with one quarter to play.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Their shooters got hot and our girls, kind of, had some mental breakdowns and left some people open on defense,” Satterfield says on the third quarter. “So, we had to make some quick adjustments and thankfully it worked.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If High Point Academy was to complete a miraculous comeback, it needed to continue the momentum that was established in the previous frame. That did not happen and the Knights put a lid on their 20-point victory.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Our saying this year to our girls is to weather the storm,” Satterfield says. “So, we've been trying to really work in practice when teams go on runs, which they usually do in every game – everybody's going to make a run – is just to weather through it, put your head down, not give up and just find a way to punch back and get the lead back.”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":845401,"width":"504px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_8998.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-845401" style="width:504px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Knights were once again paced by its eighth-grade sensation <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='831267' first='Evie' last='Adams']</strong>. Her 17-point performance made all the difference for St. Joseph's Catholic. Included in those 17 were a pair of 3-pointers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":845403,"width":"504px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_8993-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-845403" style="width:504px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also aiding the Knights' efforts were the nine points that were placed on the board courtesy of senior power forward <strong>Harper Greer</strong>. She is a two-sport athlete who also plays volleyball alongside her basketball exploits. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":845404,"width":"512px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_8995.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-845404" style="width:512px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With eight points, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='380650' first='Tiffany' last='Helmer']</strong> was another key cog in the well-oiled machine that was St. Joseph's Catholic. Along with also being a volleyball player, Helmer has played at the varsity level since she was a seventh grader. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":845407,"width":"521px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_8989.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-845407" style="width:521px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A youngster and a veteran keyed the efforts on Friday night for High Point Academy. The youngster was freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='833028' first='Cherri' last='Yates']</strong>, a guard who is listed at 5-foot-7 on the Grizzlies' roster. She finished with 10 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":845408,"width":"517px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_8992.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-845408" style="width:517px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another guard also was instrumental in what the Grizzlies hoped to accomplish on Friday evening. That was senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251766' first='Chantel' last='Lyles']</strong>. She finished with eight points and had two of the six 3-pointers High Point Academy connected on this game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Up Next…</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Interesting enough, both teams' next contest will be against Christ Church. High Point Academy will travel to the home of the Cavaliers on Tuesday while St. Joseph's Catholic will host Christ Church next Friday.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also interestingly enough, both teams' remaining three games are against the same three opponents – Christ Church, Southside Christian and Brashier Middle College. All of the Grizzlies' final three games will be on the road while the upcoming contest with the Cavaliers is the lone road contest on the Knights' remaining regular season slate.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->