ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta basketball hosted the boys and girls Denmark teams Dec. 5 for a double header.
The Lady Raiders lost to the Danes, but the boys came out on top.
The girls fought an uphill battle against Denmark. Both the girls and boys basketball teams had enjoyed an extended break in play since Thanksgiving.
The Danes, however, resumed play a few days earlier against West Forsyth Dec. 5. Both girls teams came into the matchup seeking their first win of the season.
Denmark point guard Jadyn Shepard led the team with 18 points and three 3-pointers. The sophomore was described by head coach Erik Siuta as a gym rat and a leader on the team.
“We’re a really young team, so we struggled to start out, but we’re playing with great energy and great effort,” he said. “My two seniors have really stepped up. They’ve been leading this young group all year long, and they’ve done it the right way, great energy and keeping a positive atmosphere.”
The Danes secured their first win of the season with the 59-26 victory.
Alpharetta’s boys basketball team is now 6-1 after posting a 56-47 win over Denmark. Less than one month into the season, the Raiders have reached their win total from last year when they finished 6-20.
The Denmark and Raiders high school girls basketball captains meet with the officiating team before the matchup at Alpharetta High School Dec. 9. The Danes went on to beat Alpharetta 59-26.
ANNABELLE REITER/APPEN MEDIA
The Raiders only loss so far came in a close game, 48-42, to Marietta High Nov. 22. Statement wins over Cambridge, Chattahoochee and Blessed Trinity have cemented Alpharetta turning around the program after a down year.
Coaches and players have credited the improvement to the maturity the team has undergone since last year.
Sophomore Miles Cromwell led the charge against the Danes, posting a monster double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. The forward was a force defensively in the paint, sending a Denmark lay-up nearly out of the gym.
“This year, we’re showing up even though we’re young, and we’re still getting wins,” he said. “We’ve been playing really good defense at the end of games.”
Junior Colin Hennessy was another dominant presence in the restricted area, posting two blocks alongside his 6 points, five rebounds and two steals.
Alpharetta’s starting backcourt didn’t reach double digits scoring, but Christian Rivera and Adam Bahhur showed consistent playmaking with a combined 13 assists. The pair also logged six rebounds.
Head coach Clay Crump said the team has been building on its growth from last year.
“We did a good job at attacking inside and getting their primary big defenders out,” he said. “Late in the game, that opened up the rim for us. We talk about being tougher together all the time, so we saw some defensive toughness tonight and some togetherness with sharing the ball for some big 3 [pointers] late.”
Alpharetta has several region games and tougher opponents on the schedule before their first tournament at Sequoyah High School Dec. 29-30.
