Petree also lead the team in assists with 5
  
 
Tar Heels Hold Off Sinclair C.C., 86-74
 
Terrence Petree led the Tar Heels in scoring with 16 points

Nov. 20, 2007

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By Ben Baden

CHAPEL HILL - Sinclair Community College (Dayton, Ohio) held the lead the majority of the second half of Tuesday night's junior varsity game, but the Tar Heels were able to pull away in the final minutes to stay undefeated (5-0), thanks to the clutch plays made by Terrence Petree and Marcus Wilson.

This is Sinclair's second trip to Chapel Hill in four years. Sinclair came to Chapel Hill in December 2004 and defeated the junior varsity Tar Heels 83-61.

The Tar Heels were in noticeably better condition Tuesday night as they were able to outlast Sinclair, just as they did in their other relatively close game against Laurinburg Prep earlier this year.

"We were in much better condition," said Wilson, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds. "We used that to our advantage."

Sinclair gave the Tar Heels a run for their money as this was the Tar Heels' closest contest of the season. The Tar Heels led by only 2 at half, and they struggled with Sinclair's athleticism most of the second half.

Head coach Jerod Haase was a little more animated than usual in this game as he seemed to be frustrated early on with his team's play.

"He told us to leave it all out on the floor," said leading scorer Petree.

The Tar Heels took the led 71-70 with 4:25 to go in the game and outscored Sinclair 15-4 in the last four minutes of the game.

Leading scorers Petree and Wilson stepped up their play in the second half. Petree scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half shooting 5-7 from the field, while Wilson shot 7 of 10 from the field scoring all 14 of his points when it mattered most for his team.

"This team made plays," said head coach Jerod Haase. "They didn't just allow for the win, they made it happen."

With each game that passes the Tar Heels seem to be playing much smarter as they only committed 14 turnovers against Sinclair, a season-low.

James Gallagher and Thomas Thornton both finished the game with 12 points, while Gallagher added 7 rebounds.

"I tried to emphasize we have a chance to be really good," said Haase.

The Tar Heels have almost a month and a half break before their next game. They don't play again until Wednesday, January 9 at 4 p.m. against Central Carolina Community College.