ND boys basketball comes out with win against Delta Academy

By Will Dickins
The North Delta boys’ basketball teams won both games over Delta Academy Tuesday night.  The Junior High team won 34-24, and the High School team won 40-29.
ND 40, Delta 29
Both teams challenged each other with a 2-3 zone with neither backing off. The Green Wave edged Delta Academy by a small margin in each quarter to build a lead late in the game. North Delta came out on top of the defensive affair 40-29.
Offense was a struggle to start the game with four out of five possessions starting with a turnover.  One minute into the game Cole Devazier hit Alex Greenlee with a baseline bounce pass for an easy layup to show a glimpse of what could come.
Avery Rowland then hit a three.  Each team then hit a wall.  North Delta went scoreless for 4:73 before Luke Daniels hit a layup with 1:52 remaining.  Delta Academy went scoreless from the 5:34 mark and on.  The quarter ended at 7-5 North Delta.
The second quarter was more consistent.  It started off with Rowland hitting a three.  Ely Bryant then seven points before Nelson Howell flexed his muscles in the paint for four more points.
The Green Wave zone kept the Raiders at 10 points.  The half came to a close with North Delta leading 21-15.
Devazier had a team leading nine points on the night with eight of those points coming in the crucial third quarter.  His eight points paced the Green Wave attack in the third that ended with 10 points total compared to Delta Academy’s 8.
With 1:00 left to go, Delta Academy cut the lead down to five looking to gain momentum for the final quarter.  Devazier had other plans as he hit a much-needed three pointer to end the quarter.
North Delta outscored Delta Academy by two in the first, four in the second, two in the third, and three in the fourth.  It was a close game from start to finish that saw many big defensive plays.  With the zone play, North Delta managed 12 steals.  hey average at least one three-pointer each quarter to go with a steady and patient attack.
At one moment in the second half, North Delta had the ball for 1:40 and forced the Raiders to change to a man-to-man defense to pressure the Green Wave.  It was not enough in the end as North Delta held on for the 11-point victory in an even matched game.
The final score was 40-29.
Leading the scoring was Devazier with nine.  He also had four rebounds, one steal and four assists.
Rowland was right behind him with eight points, four rebounds, one steal, and three assists.
Other contributors were: Bryant, seven points, three rebounds, two steals, one block; Daniels, two points, one steal, two assists; Howell, four points, six rebounds, one steal; Alex Greenlee, four points, six rebounds, one assist; Joseph Cox, four points, three rebounds, seven steals, one assist; and Luke Lewis, two rebounds, one steal, one assist.
ND JH boys 34, Delta 24
The Green Wave Junior High team kept Delta Academy scoreless in the first quarter while scoring 11 to jump out in front of the Raiders early.
Collin Hartman led the Green Wave offense and started with seven points.  After the first quarter ended, Delta Academy stormed back with a 7-2 advantage over North Delta to bring the score to 13-7 at the half.
The Green Wave fought back in the third with a quarter like the first scoring 14 points. Hartman had six and Walt Miller had four of those points.
With it being 27-11, Delta Academy tried to come back, but did not have enough as North Delta held on 34-24 with Hartman ending with 20 points.  Other scorers were: Ryan Gibson (5), Miller (4), and Drake Barton (6).