Santaluces opens D-Hop tourney with win
WEST PALM BEACH — Santaluces got off to a good start at the D-Hop Holiday Tournament Tuesday, getting 13 points from sophomore Tylor Miller on the way to a 52-48 victory against South Plantation at Palm Beach Lakes High School.
Darius Dixon added nine points for the Chiefs (7-4), who advanced to play Palm Beach Lakes or Miami-Jackson in a winner’s bracket game today.
“We p l aye d h a rd , a n d shared the basketball,” Santaluces coach Reggie Dixon said. “I’m stressing defense. We have to play defense in order to win.”
Santaluces jumped out to an early 15-9 lead, helped by a strong inside game and a handful of fast-break baskets.
But the Paladins (5-6) came back to tie it at 15 with 1:55 remaining in the first quarter. The Chiefs went back in front on a Jean Frejuste 3-pointer, and ended the quarter with an 18-17 lead.
The game stayed tight in the second quarter, with neither team able to put together a run.
Santaluces, which had a big rebounding advantage in the quarter, struggled with its shooting and turnovers.
But the Chiefs held a fivepoint lead midway through the quarter, and went into halftime with a 30-26 lead after Chance Dixon hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Chiefs built an eightpoint lead to open the second half, with Miller playing a key role.
He had eight points in the third quarter, and pulled d o w n a h a n d f u l o f k e y rebounds.
Santaluces led 42-36 going into the final quarter, but the Paladins chipped away, pulling within 44-41 with 4:14 remaining and then cutting the lead to 51-48 with 12.4 seconds left.
The Chiefs struggled from the free-throw line down the stretch, but Chance Dixon hit 1-of-2 foul shots with 12 seconds remaining to stretch the lead to four points, and South Plantation missed a 3-point attempt with seconds remaining to end the game.
“We ’ v e g o t t o m a k e some free throws down the stretch,” Reggie Dixon said. “We do that, we put the game away. But the kids fought hard.”
Chance Dixon scored eight points for Santaluces, while Edwin Ross added seven.
Vandaryle Spells led South Plantation with 13 points.