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C1D1 semifinals decided
CLARKTON – The opening games of the Class 1 District 1 Basketball Tournament here Tuesday resulted in three teams advancing to Thursday's semifinals.
No.1-seeded Cooter (16-10) takes on challengers No.4-seeded Delta C-7 (Deering) at 6 p.m. and host team, No.3-seeded Clarkton (8-18) resurrects a three-mile rivalry with No.2-seeded Gideon (8-18) following.
Delta C-7 Tuesday defeated No.5-seeded Naylor (6-19) 71-62 to earn the right to play Cooter and Clarkton took out No.6-seeded Southland (4-22) 77-63 to secure its spot against Gideon.
Head coach Keenan Buchanan's Gideon Bulldogs were victorious over No.7-seeded North Pemiscot (1-21) 81-50.
North Pem v Gideon
Although the contest's outcome was somewhat predictable when the Gideon Bulldogs laid waste to the North Pem Mustangs by nearly 30 points, subjectively speaking the Mustangs showed up to C1D1 quarterfinals and played like a team.
North Pem head coach Matt Babb has done a remarkable job reinforcing fundamentals and encouraging a squad of one-time novices to play as one unit during perhaps their rookie high-school seasons.
The Mustangs' won-loss ratio playing against other well-coached teams like Gideon might be a bit spiritually painful. Some say and most believe overcoming those slings and arrows creates character, strength and more well-rounded athletes.
Babb seems to have tapped into that philosophy and his players perform on the court with increased awareness, communication and vigor.
So while it came as no surprise that North Pem would fall to Gideon, the Mustangs posted a threepeat by scoring at least 50 points in a single game.
The Mustang's Timmy Lahman was responsible for nearly half of his team's total, and dropped 25 points including four, three-point conversions.
Lahman and teammate Carson Luye were the Lone Ranger and Tonto of double digits for North Pem with Luye scoring 13 while acing three trips.
Gideon's Hayden Lacewell scored 17 for the Bulldogs including three treys. Drake Montgomery and Alex Deprow dropped 14 each with one three-point goal from Montgomery. The game's opening scorer, Bulldog Landon Weaver reached 12.
Buchanan started Lacewell, Brayden Knapp, Weaver, Deprow and Montgomery.
Babb started Miles Brown, Blake Hamm, River Garner, Luye and Lahman.
Naylor v Delta C-7 (Deering)
Delta C-7 (Deering) Chargers players had their hands full with Naylor Eagles' center Sam Rose, a powerhouse of a sophomore.
Rose was good for 23 points, 20 of those running fire in the paint.
Paired with teammate and classmate Colby Sullivan, the duo were responsible for 45 of the Eagles' 62 points.
Although the Chargers' well-respected , high-scoring guard Carlos “C.J.” Wallace broke loose for 14 total points including two trips, Delta's standout quarterfinals scorer was Devon Stewart, who contributed 22 total points with two trips. The Chargers' Garrett Lewis scored 19.
Naylor led by a bucket at the first-period buzzer 16-14 but fell behind by 10 points at the half, 38-28. The Chargers managed to stay on top by 10, 58-48 at the end of three, only to be outscored by Naylor 13-12 during the game's final period. That wasn't enough to tip the scales and Delta C-7 claimed victory, 71-62.
Chargers head coach Chris Dye said his strategy to push the ball and force transitions was helpful against the Eagles.
“We still struggle with inside defense,” Dye said postgame. “It's something we're gonna have to be aware of and work on going against Cooter.
“Our second half rebounding was strong,” he continued. “Stronger than our first half.”
Dye said his squad was fraught with frayed nerves Tuesday.
“First game jitters,” he said of the quarterfinal contest. “Hopefully we overcame that and the game against Cooter will be a different story.”
Southland v Clarkton
Tuesday's quarterfinal matchup between Southland and Clarkton featured seven players who scored in the double digits with 12 three-point conversions, and the 77-63 final was testament to their athleticism.
Clarkton's shooting ace and recent 1,000-point Reindeer Amauri Gorman dropped 33 points to lead the pack of C1D1 tourney contestants.
The Reindeers' Clayton Godsey converted six-of-seven foul shots and totaled 20 points, while teammate James Johnson was three-for-four from the foul line and scored 13 points.
Southland's Knoah Beal led the Rebels in scoring with 19 including three, three-point buckets; Jeremiah McMinn was four-for-five from the foul line and scored 15 points, six of those from two, three-point nuggets; Camden Washington scored 13 for Southland with three treys and 100 percent accuracy from his two trips to the foul line; and Elijah Finkbeiner dropped three, three-point bombs and scored two buckets to contribute 10 points to the Rebels' total.
“I just want to congratulate Southland,” said Reindeer head coach Cole McBroom. “They's REALLY improved throughout the year.
“We played them, their first game of the year, our second,” he explained. “We beat 'em down pretty good.”
The Reindeer whipped the Rebels 71-38 during that meeting.
“I really gotta compliment their growth throughout the season,” McBroom emphasized. “Knoah Bell has gotten a lot better.
“Camden Washington has gotten a lot better,” he added. “They have a LOT of guys who have REALLY improved this season. Southland has a lot to look forward to next year.”
McBroom said he thought the Reindeer were on point guarding the Rebels in the first and fourth periods.
Sometimes that was enough.
Sometimes though, it wasn't.
“They just hit some shots,” McBroom said of the Rebels. “They hit some of those shots you just really gotta tip your hat to.”
And the game came down, again, to action off the boards, McBroom noted
“Rebounding has been a strength for us all year long,” he said. “There's been games when we couldn't necessarily put it in the hole all the time.
“There's been games when we couldn't keep them out of the lane all the time,” he continued. “But I feel like all year long we've done a really good job rebounding. That's just a testament to our kids. They play hard. They get after it. They see the ball? They go get the ball.”
Indeed.
Semifinal contests continue at 6 p.m. Thursday at Clarkton.
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