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| West point guard Brittani McQueen will lead the Titans into the Flow tournament. |
As a first-year head coach for the West Forsyth girls junior varsity basketball team, McIntosh — an assistant coach for the West varsity baseball team — has quietly guided the Titans to a 7-0 start.
One of those wins was last week’s nervewracking 47-46 triumph over the North Davidson Black Knights. The conference-opening, one-point victory gave the Titans a solid start in their pursuit of a CPC championship. It also increased the team confidence level going into this week’s Flow Automotive Invitational Tournament at Mount Tabor High School.
“You learn from adversity,” McIntosh noted following the win at North. “Winning a close game against a team that beat us twice last year shows us what we’re capable of.
“We gave away a 14-point lead but made the key defensive stops when we had to. Experiencing a win like this will help us this week.”
An assistant to Jared Eure last season, McIntosh inherited a Titan roster that did not include a regular returning starter. Returning sophomores Brittani McQueen, Erin Wellborn and Karissa Preudhomme all saw significant minutes last winter but started only on occasion. This season they form the core of the starting lineup.
“Their experience has been a major plus for us,” McIntosh said. “And Amber Nelson, Christina Dingwall and Katie Cason (the team’s other 10th graders) have also had an impact.”
Of the freshmen on the team, Lauren Urban and Jourdan Miller have already worked their way into the starting lineup. Tiffani Griffin, Brittany Jones, Austyn French, Ginna Tindall and Morgan Barfield have also been consistent contributors.
So far West has outscored opponents by an average of 14 points per game. McIntosh pointed to outstanding defensive play as the source of their success.
“No matter which five we have out there, I have complete confidence in our ability to defend an opponent,” he mentioned. “From top to bottom, all of these girls know how to play defense.”
Offensively, Miller leads the Titans with an average of 11 points per game. She hit four three-point baskets and finished with 18 points to lead West against the Black Knights. In a recent 55-37 win over Glenn, Miller, Urban and Wellborn paced West with 10 points each. Tindall and Nelson added six each.
West will open up Flow tournament play against Atkins on Thursday, December 28th at 10:30 a.m. The Titans downed yjr East Forsyth Eagles to win last year’s crown. But with a field that has increased in size from eight teams to 16 (including two varsity squads), defending that title won’t be easy.
“Atkins does not have a junior varsity team so their varsity will play us in round one,” added McIntosh. “Reynolds (another school without a junior varsity) will also have their varsity out there. North Davidson will also be in the mix so defending the championship will definitely be a challenge.”
• In boys junior varsity play, West raised its win total to six last week with victories over North Davidson and the Winston-Salem Prep Academy. The Titans are currently 2-0 in Central Piedmont Conference play.
The Titans, coached by Tommy Whitt, have lost only two games thus far. Both were last-minute setbacks to Parkland.
This week West will look to defend their title in the annual David Lash tournament at Carver High School. The Titans finished fourth in last year’s event.