The Silverdale Seahawks are off to the best start ever for their boys basketball team as they have really played well and beaten everyone in their path so far this season.
Win number 13 came at home in the spacious Silverdale Center Friday night against non-region foe Soddy Daisy. The visiting Trojans came in with nothing to lose and everything to gain. They didn’t win as they dropped a close 61-56 decision, but those Trojans headed home with their heads held high after giving the Seahawks everything they wanted and more.
Silverdale coach Slater Belew was just happy that his team got off to another fast start and that they were able to withstand a second half where the Trojans were within shouting distance of a big upset.
“We came out of the gates strong, but we knew that Soddy Daisy has a good basketball team and they would fight us every step of the way,” Belew said after the latest victory.
“I think the key was just how we stuck together in the second half. We were able to weather the storm and it was nice to pull out a win in a close game. We made some big shots when we needed to and I’m proud of how we fought from start to finish. We still have a lot of things to clean up, but tonight, it was just a matter of finding a way to win,” he added.
Soddy Daisy coach Bill Eller had said long before the opening tip that his kids were prepared to give everything they had and to hope for the best. They did exactly that and more. It was a physical game from the start as Soddy Daisy was whistled for 23 fouls while Silverdale had 17 calls against them. Neither team took advantage of their free throws as Silverdale made just 19 of 28 while Soddy Daisy sank 17 of 29.
“We just dug ourselves too deep a hole in the first half,” Eller said after exiting the Soddy Daisy dressing room.
“I don’t think we were as aggressive in the first half as we needed to be, but I told our guys that we have absolutely nothing to hang our heads about. We gave them all we had and made it close, so I’m really pleased with our effort,” Eller added.
Brett Wright and Houston Holland scored the first two buckets of the game as Silverdale had an early 4-0 lead and never trailed in the game. A layup from Nathan Landtroop with 3:15 left in the first cut Silverdale’s lead to 7-5 before Holland and Kennedy Okpara scored buckets in the final minute to put the Seahawks up 11-5 at the first break.
A 15-8 Seahawk lead was cut to 15-14 when Jonathan Love scored on a left-handed layup midway through the second period, but Silverdale was able to score 12 of the next 14 points for a seemingly-comfortable 27-16 lead at intermission.
Holland swished a 3 from the wing some 19 seconds into the second half to give Silverdale its biggest lead at 30-16, but the Trojans again had a 6-0 run to make it 30-22 and it was a battle the rest of the way.
Soddy Daisy made 10 of 18 free throws in the third quarter and Silverdale 8 of 12 that allowed Silverdale to still be in front 45-36 with one quarter remaining.
The Trojans kept getting closer and closer, cutting the lead to five points twice early in the fourth. It was still anyone’s game after a three-point play by Love with 21.2 seconds to play made it 58-55, but Judah Richardson sank the first of two free throws with 18 seconds left before Okpara scored on a putback following the miss to put Silverdale up 61-55 with 14 seconds left.
Love added a free throw with less than a second to play, but that last stretch by the Seahawks was more than enough to preserve the victory.
Wright scored 19 points to lead Silverdale while Okpara had 16 and Holland 14.
Aidan Haile only scored four points in the first half, but finished with 28 to lead the Trojans, including 15 in the third quarter alone. Love was also in double figures with 15.
Silverdale also had an unofficial 27-22 edge in rebounds as Okpara and Holland both grabbed nine for the Seahawks. Love had six for Soddy Daisy while Jackson Mull snagged five.
Silverdale will face another tough test Saturday afternoon when they entertain Ezell Harding. Soddy Daisy returns to action on Wednesday when they face Chattooga in the Gordon Lee Christmas Tournament.
SILVERDALE GIRLS 53; SODDY DAISY 34: This game was close early as the score was knotted at 7-7 before Silverdale scored 15 straight points. The Lady Trojans spent the rest of the game playing catch and they were never able to do so as the Lady Seahawks improved to 10-3 with the win.
Braylee Raby and Kelsie Johnson both scored 14 points to lead the Lady Seahawks while Kinsley Owen was also in double figures with 11. Alivia Hall was tops for Soddy Daisy with 14 points while Hannah Patterson followed with a dozen.
GIRLS SUMMARY
SODDY DAISY 7 5 14 8 -- 34
SILVERDALE 13 13 19 8 -- 53
SODDY DAISY (34) – Edmondson 3, Alivia Hall 14, Faires, Mull, Pourfarzib, Jenkins 2, Renfro 1, Stewart 2, Hannah Patterson 12, Spencer.
SILVERDALE (53) – Canter 9, Bledsoe 2, Braylee Raby 14, Rogers, Kinsley Owen 11, Inman, Littrell 3, Kelsie Johnson 14, Cline, McFarland, Hensley.
3-Point Goals: Soddy Daisy 2 (Edmondson, Hall); Silverdale 6 (Canter 3, Littrell, Johnson 2).
BOYS SUMMARY
SODDY DAISY 5 11 20 20 -- 56
SILVERDALE 11 16 18 16 -- 61
SODDY DAISY (56) – Bowman, Aidan Haile 28, Mull, Patterson, Jonathan Love 15, Landtroop 5, Angel 8, Williams, Hughes, Gravley.
SILVERDALE (61) – Burger 1, J. Richardson 3, Kennedy Okpara 16, Keith 2, Hoewischer, Brett Wright 19,
Houston Holland 14, McGraw, E. Richardson 6.
3-Point Goals: Soddy Daisy 5 (Haile 2, Landtroop, Angel 2); Silverdale 6 (Okpara, Wright 2, Holland, E. Richardson 2).
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)