Lions ride rout to another state championship shot
HUNTSVILLE — At Yates, success is measured by state championships. Winning regional titles is a stepping stone.
The Lions secured another appearance at the state basketball tournament on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Coliseum, dismantling Life Waxahachie 117-80 for the Class 4A Region III title.
After facing a semifinal opponent that had little interest in shooting the ball a day earlier, Yates was back to playing Yates basketball. Running the court, applying defensive pressure, and putting up an enormous amount of points. The Lions hit the 100-point mark for the 22nd time in their past 23 games.
“It feels good when a team isn’t holding the ball and is actually playing against us,” said Lions 6-5 senior guard Rubin Jones, named the tournament Most Valuable Player after hitting the Cougars up for 33 points, eight steals, five rebounds and three blocks.
There was little Life could do to keep the Lions (26-4) from earning a return appearance at the state tournament. But last year’s trip to the Alamodome ended with a semifinal loss, 80-74 to Oak Cliff Family Academy.
“This is all we’ve been thinking about at the beginning of the year. Making it back to state,” said senior guard Elijah Elliott, who was selected to the all-tournament team as well. Against Life, Elliott connected on three 3-pointers en route to 23 points.
Junior reserve guard Latrell Moore excelled against the Cougars (31-10), with an outstanding overall performance which included 19 points, six rebounds and six assists.
“It (reaching state) means everything to me and the team,” Moore said. “Last year we came up short. We embrace (the victory), but when we get back in the gym, we got to play ten times harder and get better.”
Senior guard Antwon Norman chipped in 15 points for the Lions, who led 111-63 early in the fourth quarter before coach Greg Wise inserted the third string.
“I knew we would be ready to play. We were a little sluggish (Friday),” Wise said.
Yates’ constant pressure defense contributed to the Cougars’ 32 turnovers. It starts with the defense for Yates, and that ignites its powerful transition game. And the Lions also rotate a trio of big men, who are all 6-7 or taller.
“This year’s team has a stronger presence on the inside,” Elliott said. “Last year, we didn’t have as many bigs. This year, we got better bench players as well. We’re going to win it all.”
Yates has four basketball state championships on its resume, and is hungry for a fifth. The state tournament semifinals are on Friday.
“That’s why it’s been easy to get them to practice hard, stay focused and watch film and want to play unselfish,” Wise said. “Everybody wants to win, but it’s even more because of us not getting that win last year.”