Before a single second came off the clock in Tuesday night’s Carroll County-Frederick County matchup, Century coach George Wunder made one thing abundantly clear: he trusts Peyton Conrad.
After selecting the senior to shoot two technical foul shots to open the game, the ball was in Conrad’s hands early and often as he led the way for the Knights in their first home win of the new season, defeating the Titans, 73-65.
“Coach put me in position to have the ball because he trusts me a lot,” Conrad said. “We’ve been working on it since the offseason and it’s up to me to put my teammates in the best position to succeed.”
Conrad did just that in a first quarter in which he had a hand in everything. The point guard was in complete control, often serving as a calming force for an offense put to the test with the defensive pressure of the Titans.
“He’s a great ball-handler and an even better decision-maker,” Wunder said. “We trust in him. He runs our offense and gets us to where we want to be. He did a great job tonight.”
With Conrad leading the charge, the ball found varsity newcomers Nick Baron and Dan Riley, who knocked down shots off Conrad assists. Conrad finished with 12 points and six assists in what was a good night for him and his new running mates. Baron finished with 15 points and Riley added 12.
“We’ve got a couple of juniors who may not have a lot of varsity experience,” Wunder said, “but they provide huge roles for us in terms of what they can do offensively and defensively and they both stepped up tonight.”
As the second quarter hit, however, the pair got cold. Tuscarora was able to adjust and take control of the game as Century’s open looks suddenly became scarce.
Pressuring Conrad proved to be effective. The Knights (2-0) went on a scoring drought that cost them the lead heading into halftime. Down 36-31, Wunder didn’t panic.
“We weren’t moving the ball as well,” Wunder said. “We turned into more of a one-on-one type offense. So just wanted to get back to who we are.”
With Conrad and Titans guard Breylon Lewis (23 points) battling, the game’s turning point came when the Knights went inside, using All-County big man Ben Chenoweth. Chenoweth finished the game with 23 points, scoring at all three levels and hitting key free throws as the Knights pulled away for the win.
“He’s a solid scorer for us,” Wunder said. “He can score inside, outside and off the dribble. We needed him to step up and make big plays for us down the stretch and helped us pull out a big win tonight.”
With the team set to travel to South Carroll on Thursday for their first county matchup, Chenoweth knows the importance of a gritty win this early into the campaign.
“It was a great team win,” he said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the season. We’re having so much fun and looking ahead for the future.”