Will Dabbs (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record)
MT. HERMON – Providence Grove recorded its first victory under new boys’ basketball coach Shane Worth last week and it came in dramatic fashion.
Andrew Thomas scored on a putback with 14 seconds remaining to defeat host Southern Alamance 57-55. Will Dabbs took the shot on the transition sequence.
“If he’s going to miss, I’m going to put it back up,” Thomas said of his thoughts.
Worth, also the baseball coach, said the basketball players have been through quite a bit.
“In fairness to these guys, they’ve had three coaches in three years,” he said. “It’s crazy kind to learn different styles. I’m proud of them how they’ve handled that adversity.”
The outcome came against a team coached by former Providence Grove girls’ coach Dylan Eppley, who had been on the football coaching staff and so he holds connections with many of the boys’ basketball team’s players.
“It was good to meet up with some of them,” Eppley said.
Providence Grove lost its opener to Chatham Central (and later last week fell to Asheboro), so picking up a positive result was special.
“For everybody,” Worth said. “That’s the hard work they put into the summer and the fall.”
Dabbs hit seven 3-point shots and finished with a career-high 28 points.
“I was feeling it,” said Dabbs, a senior. “That’s my No. 1 thing is shooting.”
Thomas posted 15 of his 20 points in the second half.
Providence Grove led 49-35, but the margin was down to 55-51 with more than two minutes left and then tied with a minute remaining.
“We stayed together even when it didn’t look good,” Thomas said. “They were all over us.”
The Patriots are coming off a pair of seven-win seasons, so a confidence boost is nice.
“We needed this,” Dabbs said.
It all worked out.
“I’ll tell anybody, an ugly win is better than a pretty loss any day,” Worth said. “It’s hard to win on the road, especially with the crowd like they had.”
Southern Alamance’s Chris Epps had 18 points and Kolby Kronbergs added 14.
There’s a rematch Jan. 9 at Providence Grove.
Girls’ game
Providence Grove’s girls won 59-18 at Southern Alamance as Jada Nixon had 20 points and Laurel Bernhardt added 13.
It was the second lopsided victory in as many games for first-year coach Steven Cheek’s team. He’s the third coach in three seasons for the team.
“First road win,” he said. “The players stick together whenever there is. a coaching change.”
