NaFo boys break it open in 3rd to surge past Chester

The Nation Ford Falcons boys' basketball team surged past the Chester Cyclones on the way to a 66-53 win Friday night.

Nation Ford used a strong third quarter to help propel itself past Chester. Head coach Jared Adamson said his team, now 5-2 on the season, is still looking for consistency.

“We are still so up and down right now,” Adamson said. “ e have got to get more consistent on both ends of the floor. We are still trying to figure stuff out.”

Chester's came out in a 1-2-2 defense and forced Nation Ford to work the ball around while not allowing them into the paint. Lucky for Nation Ford, its outside jumpers were working early on. The Falcons took a 6-2 lead and sophomore Khydarius Smith was just as strong defensively in the first quarter blocking two Chester shots to get the Nation Ford crowd involved. Nation Ford's defense trapped the ball at half-court and started forcing the Cyclones into turnovers as the Falcons refused to give up easy baskets while taking a 13-2 lead.

Chester opened the second quarter with two straight steals and converted them for five points, the second one on an old fashioned three-point play. Another Nation Ford turnover eventually led to Chester to tying the game at 13-13. Nation Ford then put together a run of its own, scoring nine straight to go up 22-13 with the help of five points from Zeb Graham before a Chester time out.

Nation Ford started to pull away after the surge, but Chester stayed within a 10-point striking distance for much of the second quarter. Chester cut down on the turnovers in the second quarter and the hot hand of Malik Williams for the Cyclones allowed them to trail by only eight. The Falcons hit seven of nine shots in the second quarter as Graham scored nine points with the team hitting mostly short range jumpers.

In the third quarter, both teams came out and match each other point for point, which put Chester at a disadvantage. Nation Ford slowed down its offense and looked for the high percentage shot. That allowed the Falcons to go on a run and open a lead big enough that they never had to worry about the Cyclones catching up.

Turning point

Nation Ford went on a 5-0 run midway through the third quarter and went from an eight-point lead to a 13-point lead. While not much, the methodical style of Nation Ford allowed the Falcons to use the clock to their advantage for the rest of the quarter as they closed the third quarter leading by 16 points.

Critical

The Falcons matching Chester hoop for hoop to start the third quarter was critical because it helped hold the Cyclones at bay until they could get the run they needed to pull away. The play of junior Eric Moulds was critical in the third quarter as he scored eight points to lead Nation Ford.

Star contributions

Nation Ford was led in scoring by Graham, who had 18 points, while the Falcons had four players in double figures. Smith added 14 points and Moulds scored 13 points. Sophomore Malik Bryant had 12.

On deck

The Falcons will travel to Forest Hills and Chester next week before heading to play in the Berkeley High tournament over three days after Christmas.

Box score

Nation Ford 66, Chester 53

Chester 4;19;14;16;-;53

Nation Ford 13;18;22;13;-66

Scoring Summary

Chester-Malik Williams 15, Troy Minter 9, Quay Hardin 7, Leon Goldsborough 6, TJ Hollis 5, Phalek Brown 5, Dorrian Bagley 3, Niquaurium Coleman 2, Keith Mobley 1.

Nation Ford-Zeb Graham 18, Khydarius Smith 14, Eric Moulds 13, Malik Bryant 12, Travell Crosby 4, Cade Chatman 3, Drew Wilke 2.

3-pointers: Nation Ford 5 (Moulds 2, Graham 2, Chatman), Chester 4 (Williams, Hollis, Bagley, Brown). Team fouls: Chester 17, Nation Ford 11.

Records

Chester 0-4, Nation Ford 5-2.

This story was originally published December 19, 2016 at 12:52 PM with the headline "NaFo boys break it open in 3rd to surge past Chester."