Neighborhood Academy defeats ECC
By JO WANKEL
Era Sports Writer
Neighborhood Academy’s Courtney Wallace surpassed 2,000 career points during Tuesday’s game against ECC leading the Bulldogs to a 63-44 victory. Neighborhood Academy will advance to play La Academia Charter, which defeated Cameron County 62-55 in overtime Tuesday. The game will take place on Friday.
Neighborhood Academy’s Courtney Wallace had 19 points to key the Bulldogs to the victory.
One particular basket made with a little less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter, put Wallace over that 2,000point career milestone.
ECC started off strong as Lance O’Neill sank a basket at the seven minute mark in the first, which was immediately answered by Wallace, tying the score at 2 with 6:54 to go.
Will Wortman battled to the basket next, giving ECC a 4-2 lead. However, a three from Wallace turned the tide, giving Neighborhood Academy a 5-4 lead.
With 4:21 left, O’Neill sank a three to put ECC ahead 7-5, but NA’s Syncere Nicholson drained a three to give NA the 8-7 lead once again.
Nicholson and Wallace sank baskets back-to-back to extend the NA lead to five with 3:09 to go in the first. Wortman sank a basket to cut the lead to three. However, Wallace went in for a dunk to make it a five-point lead again at 14-9.
The turning point came as NA went on a nine-point scoring run at the end of the second quarter. This gave the Bulldogs a 29-20 lead at the half.
Returning to play in the third quarter, NA’s Derek Hartman sank one of two free throws and Wallace added two free throws as well to give the bulldogs a 12-point lead, 32-20.
O’Neill hit a three with 5:50 left in the third to cut that lead to nine. However, Wallace and Kendran Gilmore each sank baskets to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 14 with 37-23 on the scoreboard. Wortman drained a free throw and put up a shot that sank through the net, reducing the lead to 11. However, Neighborhood Academy outscored ECC 12-2 for the remainder of the quarter to extend its lead to 52-31 at the end of the third.
As mentioned, Wallace achieved his milestone in the fourth quarter, and Neighborhood Academy held a 63-44 lead at the buzzer.
