Top college recruits lead Camden to bracket win at John Wall Holiday Invitational
Northwood stayed with Camden (NJ) — ranked No. 5 in the U.S. (per MaxPreps) for nearly the first half of Wednesday’s Coby White Bracket final in the John Wall Holiday Invitational. Pittsboro’s Chargers, though, were outscored 6-0 to conclude the second quarter, and never pulled even on the way to a 60-35 shortfall.
The victorious Panthers, unbeaten in seven starts, prepared for a postgame bus ride back to Camden with championship hardware in tow. D.J. Wagner, a 6-foot-5 Kentucky commit, scored a game-high 22 points en route to bracket MVP honors.
“Being out here with my brothers,” Wagner said, “everyday is a memorable moment for me, just playing with them.”
Northwood (10-2), which led 9-7 after the first quarter, produced its share of memories for fans most fortunate to be inside a packed Holiday Gymnasium while dozens more waited outside the historic venue’s glass enclosed lobby.
Chargers 6-5 junior guard Drake Powell — a North Carolina commit — showed his defensive prowess by gaining inside position at the top of the key and drawing a second-quarter foul on 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw, a Kentucky recruit, who sought to corral an inbound pass. Powell drew a player control foul on Wagner in the third quarter.
“I think our guys competed for three quarters. We kind of showed what Northwood is about,” Chargers coach Matt Brown said. “We didn’t back down. Our guys fought hard. I’m super proud of my guys.”
Powell, named bracket Most Outstanding Player, finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Northwood managed just 25 team rebounds to the Panthers’ 46 (19 offensive).
Wagner scored the first basket in the separating six-points spurt within the second quarter’s last 90 seconds to set his team’s halftime lead at 23-17. The Chargers were outscored 11-2 in a third quarter run that set Camden’s lead at 10 (36-26) with 1:41 remaining in the period.
Wagner followed the latter run with a pair of three-pointers, the latter before the third quarter’s buzzer, and helped set a 42-29 Camden lead entering the final stanza. Billy Richmond, Wagner’s teammate, concluded the game with 14 points.
Northwood, which scored a game low six points in the fourth quarter, was hindered by 1-for-15 from three-point range.
“We want to be the toughest team. We want to be the best defensive team,” Camden coach Maalik Wayns said.
“We’ve got great defensive versatility, great size, great length. We really take pride on defense.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 11:55 PM.