Southwind, East win at Penny Hardaway Hoopfest
When you're sharing the ball, the shots are falling and you're having fun, chances are it's a good day the office. And when Southwind clocked out Saturday, the Jaguars could point to a job well done.
Led by red-hot junior Quentin Williams, Southwind took command in the second quarter and breezed to a 76-50 victory over Lausanne at the ARS Rescue Rooter Networks Penny Hardaway National Hoopfest Saturday at Arlington.
Fresh off a fourth-place finish at the prestigious Iolani Classic in Hawaii over the holidays, the Jaguars (15-4) connected on 10 of 25 3-pointers and eventually wore down the Lynx. Williams was the primary sniper; he hit all five of his shots from behind the arc and was 9 of 11 overall to finish with a game-high 23 points.
Not bad for his second game of the season. And the first one wasn't bad either; he scored 22 against Collierville last Tuesday after becoming eligible for the second semester. His presence alongside Mark Freeman and Christian Jones gives Southwind one of the better shooting backcourts in town and makes the Jaguars dangerous going forward.
Not that coach Paul Edwards is getting caught up in the good vibes.
"We're young," he said. "We've only got one senior . ... We're taking baby steps. This time, though, reminds me of my middle school teams. They're small and quick and they play for each other. We just have to keep growing."
Said Williams, "I've just been in the gym ... working hard to keep improving. Every single game, I want to come out with energy."
Freeman contributed 20 points and — perhaps most impressively — committed just one turnover. Jones hit half of his six 3-point attempts to finish with 11 as Southwind outscored Lausanne 27-13 in the second quarter to take the wind out of the contest.
"We're playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back," said Freeman.
Added Jones, "Pass the ball, play hard and don't be selfish. Just have fun."
Schyler Forrest — the back-up quarterback on Lausanne's state championship football team — paced his team with 20 on 7 of 13 shooting. Lausanne was playing Saturday when Southwind's scheduled opponent, Pebblebrook (Ga.), couldn't make the trip due to bad weather.
The feature match-up between prep school power Montverde (Fla.) Academy and Dandy Dozen No. 1 East didn't disappoint as standout sophomore Chandler Lawson got free for a dunk in the closing seconds to give the Mustangs (12-2) a 75-73 victory.
The victory avenges a loss to Montverde in the championship game of the City of Palms tournament in Fort Myers, Fla. last month. The teams could meet again in this week's Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo.
Chicago Simeon, ranked fourth in the nation according to MaxPreps, pulled after a close first half to defeat Cordova, 80-61. Texas-El Paso signee Evan Gilyard showed why he's one of Illinois' top seniors with a 32-point afternoon. Blake Williams scored 23 to lead the Wolves (12-4) while Tyler Harris chipped in with 17.
"We've got a long way to go," said Cordova coach Terrance Scales, whose team lost to East in the AAA championship game last season.
"I don't think we're anywhere near a state championship team right now. We've struggled all year closing out games; games that we should have won going away have been a lot closer than they should be. We're a front-running team; when we're ahead and playing well we keep the pedal to the metal.
"But when things start to go awry, we start looking for someone to bail us out. And we as coaches have to do a better job."
Isaac McBride's 14 points led Little Rock Baptist to a 50-45 victory over Ridgeway (16-3) in the first game of the day. Jalen Crutcher scored a game-high 15 for the Roadrunners but was scoreless in the second half.
Sunrise Christian from Florida held Houston to just 32 percent shooting and won going away, 68-51. Bruce Guy (22) and Ryan Boyce (20) combined for 42 to lead the Mustangs (10-7).
Arlington, which featured only two players taller than 6-4, lost to a huge Chattanooga Hamilton Heights team, 67-49. Virginia Tech signee Nickeil Alexander scored 18 while his cousin, Kentucky signee Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, added 11.