The Sophomores Step Up

Friday nights game against Holy Cross was a much tighter game than it really should have been. The score was tied at 25 at halftime after Holy Cross went on a 13-2 run to close out the first half. A lackluster performance by the 'Heels in the first 4 minutes of the second half saw them fall behind 30-27. That was when Sophomores Marcus Paige (22 points) and Brice Johnson (12 points) brought some highly needed energy and enthusiasm to the court and allowed the 'Heels to pull out a hard fought 62-54 win. The 'Heels had a poor shooting game, were outrebounded by the smaller Holy Cross team 39-38, and the 'Heels did not take care of the ball. One of the announcer desribed the Tarheels as a very mediocre team without P.J. Hairston and by the end of the game, they were in the process of proving him right. James Michael McAdoo only had 11 points and had a hard time fitting into the flow of the game. The 'Heels had no inside game to speak of and the crisp passing among the interior players from the first game was missing in this game. The 'Heels will be a work in progress until they start getting some of their major players back. James Michael McAdoo and Marcus paige are the only two players on this team that logged major minutes last season.