Teams play hard at King Cotton’s end
Stephon Castle had the ball and the game in his hands, and he didn’t shirk one bit.
Castle drove the length of the court after a Jabez Jenkins rebound, drew a foul and made the two winning free throws with 6.4 seconds left Thursday as Newton (Covington, Ga.) scored a 44-42 victory over 18 th -nationally ranked Sidwell Friends School (Washington, D.C.) on the final day of the King Cotton Holiday Classic.
Castle scored 27 points, 4 blocks and totaled 8 rebounds, and the Rams (85) needed his big performance to win their second straight in Pine Bluff. Newton lost to Jonesboro on Tuesday and beat Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) on Wednesday.
Sidwell (9-3) called timeout with 0.4 second to get out of a trap in the frontcourt. The Quakers turned to Selden Pickens for a game-winning 3, but the shot bounced twice on the rim and off as the horn sounded.
Jalen Rougier-Roane scored 14 points and Cameron Gillus had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Quakers, who led 24-15 at halftime. Newton outscored Sidwell 18-8 in the third quarter.
Sidwell lost to Beaumont (Texas) United on Tuesday and beat Fort Bend (Texas) Elkins on Wednesday.
BISHOP O’CONNELL 66, FORT BEND ELKINS 58
Sophomore Quincy Wadley scored 20 points in 19 minutes of action, leading O’Connell past Elkins.
The win evened O’Connell’s King Cotton record at 1-1, capping an adventurous week of travel from the suburb of the nation’s capital to Pine Bluff. Only about half of O’Connell’s roster was available for its scheduled game Tuesday, as harsh winter weather hampered travel for Joe Wootten’s team.
That game was canceled, and O’Connell (4-5) lost Wednesday to Newton (Ga.) 63-55.
Wadley shot 6 of 10 from the floor, making all 4 3-point attempts, and was 4 for 4 at the free-throw line. David Rochester scored 11 points and Jadyn Harris had 10 for Wootten’s Knights.
Todd Woods scored 17 points and Christopher Barnett had 14 for the Elkins Knights (11-8), of Missouri City in Fort Bend County, Texas. Elkins went winless at King Cotton, losing to Pine Bluff High School on Tuesday and Sidwell on Wednesday.
GRISSOM (ALA.) 50, GREENFOREST-MCCALEP (GA.) 43
Two teams that played White Hall at King Cotton faced off to open Thursday’s action, and Huntsville-based Grissom picked up its first win at the tournament.
Izzy Miles continued his strong shooting for the winning Tigers, making 6 of 8 from the floor and finishing with a game-high 16 points, 3 assists and 8 rebounds. Justin McCall scored 14 points and D.J. Thompson had 10 for Grissom.
D.K. Manyiel scored 12 points and pulled down 8 rebounds for Greenforest (5-6), which earned its lone King Cotton win Wednesday over White Hall.
CLARENDON LIONS CLASSIC DOLLARWAY 75, AUGUSTA 39
In Clarendon, the Cardinals (7-3) went on a 3-point assault and forced more than 30 Red Devil turnovers to pick up a win in a consolation bracket game.
Takylan Pace scored 18 points, Terriek Hayes had 15, Aidan Filhiol totaled 12 and Mark Davis made 11 for the Cardinals, who made 9 3-point baskets. Dollarway will play Barton at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
SHERIDAN INVITATIONAL BENTON 69, WATSON CHAPEL 64
Four double-digit scorers for Watson Chapel were not enough to get the Wildcats into the championship game of the Sheridan Invitational.
Khamani Cooper scored 17 points, KeShun Brown had 15, and Jai’Kori Phillips and Joseph Dockett each had 11 for the Wildcats (96), who had won 5 of their previous 6. Watson Chapel will take on either Sheridan or Mayflower for third place at 4:30 p.m. today.
KING COTTON HOLIDAY CLASSIC THURSDAY’S SCORES
Grissom (Ala.) 50, Greenforest-McCalep (Ga.) 43
Bishop O’Connell (Va.) 66, Fort Bend (Texas) Elkins 58
Windermere (Fla.) 75, Mills 31
Newton (Ga.) 44, Sidwell Friends (D.C.) 42
Silsbee (Texas) 84, White Hall 80 (Silsbee wins Creed Bracket) McEachern (Ga.) 36, Jonesboro 49
King Bracket final: Pine Bluff 52, Beaumont (Texas) United 53