In the early going against Hendersonville on Friday, Polk County mounted a furious charge.
Down 10-9 with three minutes to play in the first quarter, Aaron Jackson scored six of the game’s next eight points, including back-to-back dunks, sparking the Wolverines to a 15-12 advantage.
Polk just couldn’t keep up the furious pace. They went cold from the field over a couple of stretches, and combined with a frantic Hendersonville defense, that spelled an 80-57 defeat.
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“Their trap and the athleticism they play with, it’s tough,” Polk County coach Josh Money said. “We tried to replicate it in practice and you just can’t do it.
“They’re so good at the trap they have, that second level guy coming off and trapping you and taking away that next pass, we really struggled with that tonight. That was really the difference in the game. I don’t even want to know how many turnovers we had tonight.”
The Bearcats’ defense did force a bunch of easy opportunities on the offensive end. But Polk County’s offense was just as opportunistic, which was a bright spot for Money. He was happy with the way the Wolverines attacked the basket and got some easy points inside.
“We were able to get to the rim just about any time we wanted to,” he said. “There were some calls we didn’t get, but that’s how the game goes. Attacking the basket the way we did will benefit us in the long run. Not settling for the 3-pointer just because nothing else is going on. Being able to get to the rim, you’re going to get those calls on a normal night.”
Jackson scored 18 points to lead the Wolverines (3-12, 0-5), including 10 in the first quarter. Khristian Littlejohn added 16, and Khalil Austin scored all 11 of his points in the fourth. Ross Dow added six while Nate Fagan, Blake Anderson and Chase Stansbury each scored two.
Jaron Ward and Jaylon Wynn scored 17 each for Hendersonville (12-5, 5-1) to lead four scorers in double figures. Jordan Wynn added 14 and Mateo Archer had 10.
