By Bre Singleton (@bre_singleton_)
Wesleyan is hosting a batch of Varsity summer games this week and next as teams gear up for camps and various leagues. Walnut Grove and Johns Creek both made the drive to Wesleyan for Tuesday night’s games. Here’s what happened:
Wesleyan and Walnut Grove faced off in the first matchup of the afternoon. At first glance, Wesleyan won the depth war, coming in with over twice the players the Warriors brought. After summer cuts, Head Coach Adam Griffin would like to have a 12 to 13-man roster. But for now, the depth was surely an advantage in the 30-9 lead the Wolves built at the half. Grant Summers and Micah Smith both pushed the ball in transition from the point guard spot for the Wolves.
The lead wouldn’t last though, as Walnut Grove started the second half with a 16-0 run to get back into the action. Rising senior, RJ Selman led the way for the Warriors, putting up 13 points and adding four rebounds. Six-foot sophomore Ryan Landers got to the basket for a few nice finishes. He managed eight points in the game.
Despite several defensive lapses in the second half, Wesleyan was able to hold on to win by a slim margin, 47-40. Grant Summers finished with nine points and six assists. He’s running with Atlanta Xpress 2019 on the AAU circuit this summer. Christian McLean of Inspire Atlanta had seven points and six rebounds.
The 5:30 p.m. Varsity matchup between Walnut Grove and Johns Creek was a tough one. No one in the gym could tell that the Warriors had just finished playing the way they shot out to an early 19-6 lead. What was obvious, however, was that Walnut Grove was the faster and more athletic of the two teams. RJ Selman picked up where he left off in the previous game, pouring in 10 of his 12 points in the first half. Ryan Landers and Nick Jones helped out with 10 points each, both controlling the boards and slashing to the rim. Walnut Grove big man Jailen Robinson had command over the boards on both ends and dropped in seven points to give Walnut Grove a 34-19 lead at the half.
Johns Creek shot the ball extremely well in this one. Nathan Gauthreaux had it going from beyond the arc, knocking in five threes for all of his 15 points. Standing at 6’2, Gauthreaux doesn’t need much space to get his shot off. Neil Ilenrey, a bigger guard and rising junior, was a tough matchup for any defender. Ilenrey punished smaller defenders with his back-to-the-basket game and hit a few threes as well. Full court pressure from Johns Creek forced the Warriors to turn the ball over a few times late in the game. The Gladiators would capitalize off of this to seal a 57-52 win. Jack Greenslit and Will Penland added 10 and 11 points respectively. Greenslit did his damage in the paint while Penland hit three threes.
Johns Creek played their back-to-back game against Wesleyan for the final tilt of the night. The host team found its rhythm early. Warner Peaks had very little trouble getting to the rim. With a lanky frame, Peaks snagged rebounds and took it the distance on several occasions on his way to 10 points. One of the more impressive players of the day was rising sophomore Micah Smith. Smith showed poise in handling the Johns Creek pressure and let the Wesleyan offense work for him. He also put up ten points, helping the Wolves take a 27-19 lead into the half.
The scoring and shooting slowed down for Johns Creek in this game. The eye test would blame fatigue. Neil Ilenrey was the only Gladiator in double digits with 10 points. Will Penland and Micah Chadwick both managed five points. Wesleyan cracked down on the defensive mistakes made in their first game and took home the 57-41 win.
