Wildcats hang tough, remain undefeated
The Wildcats knew they had a big day ahead of them, and they were greeted with an early christmas present first thing in the morning. MaxPreps.com ranked them as the top team in the state of North Carolina in their first set of state rankings.
Millbrook took the floor as the nightcap of a quadruple header and they to put their reputation as one of NC's finest to the test against Cap-8 rival Broughton who also entered the game 8-0.
The Caps got off to a quick start as they held the Wildcats scoreless through the game's first 4 minutes before Jordan Sterrett downed a wide open three pointer which was followed by a Faison Brock three point play.
Both teams kept pace with each other throughout the first 14 minutes of the game before Chris Clemons would contribute with six of his twelve first half points in the final two minutes of the half. In front of many of his future Campbell teammates who were in attendance, Clemons stepped back and hit two long threes which sent the 'Cats into the break with a 10 point lead.
That lead wouldn't last long as Boston College commit, Jerome Robinson would quickly swing momentum in favor of the purple and gold by slamming in an alley oop to propel Broughton to a 23-8 3rd Quarter. What was a 10 point lead for Millbrook was now a 5 point deficit.
Clemons along with Andrew Evans rose to the occasion in the final stanza. The two senior guards managed to weather the storm from the Capitals and cut their lead to one point with 2:54 to play in the game. After a Broughton basket which made the game 63-60 in favor of the visitors, Evans stole a pass and took it straight to the rim where he would finish with the slam, Austin Burnette of Broughton would answer with a basket but on the other end, Evans would find himself at the free throw line where he would cut the score to 65-64.
The final 93 seconds of the game would become the “Chris Clemons Show”. Broughton came out of a timeout up by one point and after inbounding from midcourt, the 5'9 guard rose high to tip away a pass from the outstretched arms of Broughton's Roy McMillan, Clemons would promptly slam the ball home to give the Wildcats the 66-65 lead, and from there they would not look back as on the ensuing Capital possession, Clemons stole another pass and weaved his way through the lane to lay it in with 44.7 seconds to go. Millbrook clung to the three point lead which would once again get cut to one on a Burnette basket. Following another timeout from Broughton coach Jeff Ferrell, the Wildcats broke the Broughton press with a length of the court pass to Clemons. McMillan would end up getting a hand on the pass but it was Clemons who won the battle to the ball as he added two points in favor of the home team to push the score to 70-67. Jerome Robinson would step out of bounds on the next play, and Clemons would cap off his 23 point effort by icing the game with a pair of free throws. His 8 points in the final 1:33 of the game would lead the #1 ranked Wildcats to the 72-67 win over the Capitals.
Wildcat Recap with Lindsey Cirillo
Millbrook returns to the court on Monday afternoon as the Hoggard Vikings pay visit in a game that was previously scheduled for Friday, December 5th. JV will take the court at 1:00, followed by Varsity at 2:30 pm.
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