Cameron Cooper floats into the lane for a layup Monday. (Photo/Martha Ladd)
WINNSBORO- Cameron Cooper’s hot shooting led the Eagles of Richard Winn Academy to an impressive 68-51 round one victory Monday over the Falcons of Fountain Inn in the Booster Club Christmas Tournament at RWA.
Cooper came out on fire in the early minutes of the game as the Eagles came out on a scoring tear. This time around Cooper had help from teammate Mitchell Gibbons to jump out to an early lead over the Falcons. Fountain Inn’s offense held the deficit to single digits early into the first half. The beginning stages of the game were based on scoring runs which the Eagles dominated as their transition offense continued to strike at the heart of the Falcon defense. The Eagles shot magnificently from 3-point land, led by Cooper’s great range, and continued to increase their lead through the second quarter. The Falcons kept things close, however, going on a late first-half charge behind the hot hand of Tre Lee, which cut the Eagle lead to 36-29 at the half.
The Eagles pushed the lead to double digits in the early stages of the second half as the shooting of Lee and the Falcons began to cool. Cooper’s hot shooting, meanwhile, continued into the third quarter. Fountain Inn ended their drought, going on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to a manageable point to give them a chance going into the fourth. But Gibbons and Cooper led the Eagles on a 12-0 tear to put the game away.
“Cameron and Mitchell helped us keep the charge going against a good team,” Eagles head coach Eric Johnson said after the game. “Their composure is what we need at times to help us break out in the game.”
The Eagles play in the championship game on Tuesday following the girls’ 5 p.m. start.
