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| Stefan Jankovic |
The Express got the message loud and clear in time for Saturday night's contest where they earned a hard-fought 78-67 win over Upper Room Christian (N.C.) in the Tri-State Hoops Classic.
"The point was proven by sitting them out yesterday," Fulford said. "They came out with a different mindset and got things accomplished tonight."
Huntington Prep's Andrew Wiggins did his normal damage against the smaller Upper Room lineup, finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds to counteract Upper Room Christian leader Rodney Purvis, the heralded North Carolina State signee who finished with 25 points.
The difference was in the play of Stefan Jankovic and Negus Webster-Chan, who made up for their sluggish outings on Friday.
Jankovic was replaced in the lineup by Herve Aholode on Saturday, but came off the bench ready to play. The 6-10 sharpshooter scored 11 of his 13 points in the second quarter while hitting three 3-pointers to help the Express push the lead to 41-28 at the break.
"He's our best shooter and he has to shoot the ball," Fulford said. "He hit some big threes and gave us a shot of energy."
While Jankovic got his offense back in gear, Webster-Chan took it upon himself to slow down Purvis in the second half. Webster-Chan's defense was exceptional on the evening. In addition to contributing nine points and several steals, he had a sequence in the first half in which he blocked two straight offensive opportunities at the rim before switching his focus to Purvis and not allowing Upper Room's leader any open looks.
"Negus is a stat-filler, and he did a good job of picking back up where he left off over the last few games," Fulford said. "His defense was exceptional and he got in there and rebounded the ball. That's what he does when he's playing well."
With a decided height advantage, Huntington Prep used its size advantage to go to work down low against the Eagles.
Wiggins scored many of his 26 points at the rim while Elijah Macon added 15 points.
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