The former Wildcat had an impressive outing against the Deacons.
The North Carolina Tar Heels survived a home scare against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons as the team in blue stayed undefeated in home games with their three-point win over the team from Winston Salem.
The game looked to be over a little over halfway through the second half when North Carolina took a 15-point lead at 72-57. However, the Demon Deacons responded with a 17-3 run to get within one point with just 4 minutes to go. The Tar Heels went over 8 minutes without a field goal but did hit seven of their final nine free throws as they held on to win after Nate Calmese’s 11th three, he hit seven of them as he and Juke Harris co-lead Wake Forest with 28 points apiece, bounced off the back of the rim as time expired.
So who deserves player of the game after a game like that?
First a shoutout to Jadon Young who probably had his biggest game since joining the Tar Heels this season. Young played a season high 19 minutes while scoring a season-high 12 points, hitting 3 of his three-point attempts, both marks also season highs. He was one of four Tar Heels with double digits in scoring and gave North Carolina a real boost off the bench in place of Jarin Stevenson who returned to the starting lineup.
If this game was only the first half the answer to the player of the game question would’ve easily been Caleb Wilson, who took over the first half against Wake Forest with 17 points and nine rebounds while going 7-7 from the field with four dunks. The only thing Wilson missed in the first half was a late free throw. However in the second half, the Demon Deacons made adjustments and Wilson only had five points and three boards on two shot attempts to finish with 22 points and 12 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season. If not for that late swoon, he would’ve gotten it, but instead it goes to Henri Veesaar.
Though Veesaar did not have a half as dominant as Wilson did in the first, the 7-footer played a much more even game finishing with a team high 25 points and grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out four assists. He also had two steals and a block. Veesaar went 9-10 from the field, that’s 90% for those doing math at home, and 2-3 from behind the arc. He also made the Tar Heels final field goal of the game on a two handed backwards dunk with a minute to go. Without his steady production, UNC might just have lost their first home game of the season.
Category: General Sports
