NEW MARKET — Southmont’s boys basketball team is looking at a fresh start, and a lopsided 85-56 loss to Danville on Friday can’t change that.
“It was a fresh start and I just told (the players) to believe in me, and believe in the coaching staff, and believe in each other,” Jake Turner said following his first game as interim head coach following Tuesday’s sudden resignation by Jon Sparks.
“This was a really tough week for all of us, the coaching staff, players, community, and I was proud of the way the kids stuck together and that they played hard and showed a lot of toughness,” Turner said. “We had a really good week of practice. We just played a tough team tonight. I was proud of the way the kids played together. Shots didn’t fall in the first half. Offense was a little better in the second half. I was proud of the way that they didn’t give up.”
It was Danville’s Sagamore Conference opener, and the Warriors (3-1, 1-0 SAC) jumped out to a 19-2 lead late in the first quarter. Southmont made back-to-back 3-pointers, one from Cam Chadd and another from Will Glancy, and the Mounties (4-3, 1-1) trailed 21-8 after the first quarter.