WC splits final scrimmage with Coastal

October 26, 2011

In the final scrimmage of the preseason, Waycross College’s men’s basketball team earned a split against the College of Coastal Georgia Mariners. The Mariners won the first half, 38-20, while the Swamp Foxes won the second half, 41-36.

Darius Tookes had 15 points and nine rebounds, while Stan Maxwell also had 15 points and grabbed five rebounds. Obie Foreman finished with ten points and four rebounds.

The Swamp Foxes stayed close to the Mariners through most of the first half until Coastal utilized a 17-4 run to pull away. The run was bolstered by a strong shooting performance by the Mariners, which included 57 percent from the three-point line.

“You have to give Coastal credit. They shot the ball well in the first half,” said head coach Cory Baldwin.

The Swamp Fox defense appeared to tighten in the second half, holding the Mariners to 37 percent shooting and only 2-of-11 from the three-point line.

“We didn’t give them a lot of good looks in the second half, which was good,” said Baldwin.

With attention now focused on the Nov. 3 season opener against the Martinique National Team, Baldwin said he has been thankful for the preseason and quickly pointed to three areas in which he hopes to see improvement from his team.

“This is what scrimmages are for. You want to get better for when the games do count,” he said. “We need to work on our transition defense and overall pressure. We’re also turning the ball over too much. That has been our Achilles’ heel the entire preseason.”

Tip for the Nov. 3 game is set for 7 p.m. Admission is five dollars with children five and under admitted free.

Waycross College has been a proud member of the University System of Georgia since the college’s founding in 1976.