Arriving at Mater Dei High School for the eighth game of the two-day high school basketball event, I will be bringing you periodic updates live from the Meruelo Athletic Center. For full schedule, scroll to bottom.
St. Patrick (Elizabeth, NJ) 91, Taft (Woodland Hills, CA) 64
The game turned into a blowout when Taft junior playmaker DeAndre Daniels was whistled for his fourth foul halfway through the fourth quarter. Taft had been trailing by seven but hanging close. By the end of the third quarter, they were down by 24.
USC-bound Bryce Jones was Taft's only double-digit scorer with 19 points, including 14 in the first half.
Junior Michael Gilchrist scored 22 points and grabbed 14 boards for St. Patrick. He only missed one shot from the floor.
Player of the Year candidate Kyrie Irving showed why he will be playing for Coach K at Duke next year scoring a game-high 24 points and dishing out 6 assists.
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) 82, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)76
UCLA commit Tyler Lamb led Mater Dei with 26 points shooting 11 for 19.
Mater Dei's Keala King and Gary Patterson each had 11 free throw attempts, but Bishop Gorman's Anson Winder was the ultimate charity recipient shooting 15 free throws.
Bishop Gorman sophomore Shabazz Muhammed led all scorers with 29 points making 10 of 16 shots and 8 of his 9 free throw attempts.
Stars of the Game: Jelan Kendrick and Phil Taylor (Wheeler) - Kendrick is a legit five-star recruit, who plays taller than his 6-foot-6 height because of his length. With Taylor and Kendrick, Wheeler has a formidable backcourt that few teams can match up with.
Taylor, who is signed to play for Isiah Thomas at Florida Internation, is a shooter, unafraid to pull the trigger at any time or at any spot on the floor. He only shot 3 of 8 from deep in this game, but he showed his sniper ability when he gunned a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half. He had 15 points -- 13 coming in the first half. A thick 5-foot-10, Taylor is also capable of driving into the lane and absorbing contact.
At 6-foot-6, Kendrick has good ball-handling skills and can shoot the outside shot. He scored 9 points on only five shot attempts in the first half and finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Like Ocean View's Anthony Brown, Kendrick has a frame that will allow him to add extra muscle.
Recap: Wheeler dominated throughout the game as Fairfax did not get back on defense and turned the ball over too much in the backcourt. Fairfax also struggled to match up with the size of Wheeler. Besides Taylor's three triples, most of Wheeler's points came in the paint. Sophomore big man Chuck Mitchell had 10 points shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor.
In contrast, Fairfax leading scorer, Jordan Weathers, missed 12 shots, including eight three-point attempts. Wheeler shot 20 percent better from the field (56.4 to 36.4) and also won the rebounding margin by 11.
Ocean View (Huntington Beach, CA) 83, Orange Lutheran (CA) 67
Stars of the Game: Anthony Brown and Avery Johnson (Ocean View) - Stanford bound Anthony Brown led all scorers with 32 points for Ocean View. Teammate Avery Johnson nearly caught him at the end of the fourth quarter finishing with 30. The duo could pass for brothers with the way they play so well together. It's almost as if they know where the other is at all times, and with their ability to finish at the rim, they often make the difficult look easy.
Brown is a long and lean 6-foot-7. His versatility is his greatest attribute as he can do it all on the court. He has great court vision, especially in traffic. He's capable of scoring off the dribble or as a jump shooter. He gets great lift for his jumper allowing him to shoot the pull-up well, and he isn't afraid to attack the basket. At Stanford, he will be able to add muscle to his frame and has the potential to be a future professional player.
For Johnson, he still has yet to decide on where he will play his college ball at. He has been getting looks from a number of programs, including Pac-10 and WAC schools. He has been offered a scholarship by Arizona and said he will be visiting Portland next weekend. Johnson is a athletic point guard, who like good friend Brown, is very versatile -- capable of rebounding, dishing, and scoring. He has a great first step, especially going to his right.
Recap: Ocean View opened up the game in the second half behind the play of Brown and Johnson. After only scoring 27 points and shooting 36 percent in the first half, they averaged 28 points in the final two quarters and shot 68 percent. Leading by five at halftime the Seahawks outscored Orange Lutheran 26-11 in the third quarter.
Behind the play of junior James Douglas and sophomore Gabe York, Orange Lutheran closed down the lead to start the fourth quarter, but essentially gave up down the stretch allowing Ocean View to surge the lead back to 16 points by the end of the game. Douglas finished with 17 points, including 12 on fast breaks. York had 15 points; Tyler Funk added 17.
Brown and Avery were the only Seahawks in double figures.
This photo of the night comes from Thursday night's USC/Cal game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. Marcus Johnson of USC goes up and tells Cal's Max Zhang to "Get that ssshhhhh...shot out of here!" Zhang, a redshirt sophomore reserve, is the tallest player in Cal basketball history at 7-foot-3. Johnson is only 6-foot-6.
ORLANDO, FL – The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in five games Thursday night, winning 99-86 and putting an end to last season’s nine-month playoff drama just in time for this season’s All-Star break.
“It feels good to be champs,” said Laker star Kobe Bryant. “But now we have to focus on this season, which started months ago.”
The Lakers narrowly defeated the Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday night to improve their current season record to 38-12, and were still able to turn around the next day and play for last season’s championship – many of the players without any rest.
“It’s tough,” said the Lakers and Rockets’ small forward, Trevor Ariza. “Some nights I’m not sure if we’re playing in the playoffs of the previous season – playing to win or go home – or if we are playing a current regular season game that doesn’t matter. You have to keep the energy level up no matter what. You just have to stay positive and give it all you got, give 40 percent, maybe 42, and hope your opponent is more hung-over and has more turnovers.”
Ariza, who left the Lakers to play for the Houston Rockets, like so many players who are traded or released, could only differentiate if he was playing in last season’s playoffs or this season’s regular season by the color jersey he wore each night. In fact, in Game 3 against the Magic, Ariza played the whole first half in a Rockets jersey.
“The two teams that don’t make the playoffs don’t know how lucky they are,” said Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson. “They can then take a week off and then start the next regular season without having to worry about playing in the playoffs too.”
Jackson added, “But I’m still glad we’re in it every year. Beats watching the playoffs from the locker-room during halftime of your less significant regular season games.”
The Lakers returned to Los Angeles for the city-wide celebration, but the parade did not last long – the champs suit up and play Denver later tonight. Plus, practices have already started to prepare for next season’s preseason, which is only 2 months away.
This year’s All-Star Game looks to be an exciting one, with a horse making the starting roster due to fan-based voting, but networks are concerned that the timing might not be the greatest this year. Due to a scheduling snafu, the All-Star events fall on the same weekend as the NHL finals from three seasons ago.
Contributor Peter Alan Herbert – “Writer Dude” – is a master of flapdoodle and rigmarole. You can catch more of his Fake (Sports) News, Real Funny, short stories, rants, and other musings at www.peteralanherbert.com. Stay tuned to The Blue Workhorse for more from the Writer Dude.
Kevin McKeethan, a Kent State graduate football assistant and friend of The Blue Workhorse, recounts the Golden Flashes' mens basketball team's dramatic 74-73 victory over Western Michigan Saturday night.
This finish is like nothing I have ever seen before.
There have been any number of last-second winners in the past, but I have never seen a guy finish like this as time runs out. When I think of game-winners, what comes to mind are 15- to 18-foot fadeaway jumpers, spot up long-ball threes, or even full-court drives where guards flail a lay-up up that prayerfully drops ala Tyus Edney's NCAA tourney drive against Missouri to keep the Bruins' season alive. But this was different.
With his team trailing by two with just over seven seconds remaining Saturday night, Kent State's Rodriguez Sherman decided to win the game. But instead of a game-winning three pointer, Sherman downed Western Michigan with the old-fashioned three-point play on an untraditional game-winner:
An unbelievable finish to a highly competitive and spirited game.
“When I went to the basket, I knew I had to dunk it because he might block it. When I got past the guard, I saw a little bit of lane and my eyes got real big. I still can’t believe it right now.” - Rodriguez Sherman, post-game press conference
What is lost in the reaction to the outstanding finish is the second-half scoring battle between Western Michigan's David Kool and the Golden Flashes' Chris Singletary. Kool posted 38 points, including a bucket with eight seconds remaining that had given the Broncos a 73-71 lead prior to Rodriguez's slam. Singletary had 24 points on 60 percent shooting.
Also overlooked is the comeback Kent State executed with solid defensive stops and rebounding in the final three minutes.
What should also be noted is that Sherman made a mistake in essentially the same situation at the end of the first half. Receiving the inbounds pass with about nine seconds to go, he drove to about half-court and threw up a 50-footer with about 4.5 seconds to go -- clearly plenty of time to drive and dish or finish much closer to the rim.
He was obviously coached up on the situation and certainly came through at the end. The dunk was sensational. Coast-to-coast with about seven seconds left, the crowd was gasping for air quietly like any other last-second shot opportunity for the home team, but the transition from anticipation to fruition came so much more quickly and explosively than anyone expected when Sherman dropped the hammer. Plus, the whistle gave him a chance to win the game.
Again, it was unlike anything I have ever seen or been a part of. Congrats to coach Geno Ford and the Flashes. They have the ball rolling in the right direction going into the meat of their MAC schedule after winning their last four games.
Editor Shotgun Spratling contributed to this story.
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Taylor Lilley caught fire from downtown making a career-high nine three-point field goals to lead the Oregon Ducks (13-8, 4-5) to a 85-77 victory over the Women of Troy (13-7, 7-2) at the Galen Center Saturday afternoon.
Lilley finished with 36 points, another career high, and Oregon's constant pressure led to 18 USC turnovers as the Ducks won for the first time in almost four weeks snapping a five-game losing streak.
After a tight first half, the Ducks pulled away in the second half using a 10-0 run that began with a Victoria Kenyon offensive putback with just under 15 minutes remaining and ended with a Lilley three-point shot from near-NBA range.
The Trojans' Kari LaPlante had a career day with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Despite shooting only 4 of 11, she was a force down low getting to the free throw line a career-high 10 times making all 10 of her free throws.
Oregon led 38-35 at the half after shooting 50 percent from behind the three-point line led by Lilley, who made six of seven from long distance after having her first shot blocked by Briana Gilbreath.
Lilley finished the first half with 21 points while Micaela Cocks scored 13 of her 24 points during the first 20 minutes. For USC, Ashley Corral finished with 22 points and Gilbreath added a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Picked to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason, the USC women (13-6, 7-1) kept pace in the race just one game behind the nation's No. 2 team, Stanford, with a dominating 61-34 victory over Oregon State.
The sophomore duo of Ashley Corral and Briana Gilbreath nearly outscored the Beavers (9-9, 1-7) themselves combining for 32 points to lead the USC Trojans to the win at the Galen Center.
Using a suffocating combination of an extended 1-3-1 zone trap and a packed in 2-3 zone, the Women of Troy held Oregon State to a 24.5 field goal percentage and forced 17 turnovers.
Keeping the Pac-10's third leading scorer, Talisa Rhea, from getting solid looks, USC opened up a 26-19 lead at halftime and never looked back. Rhea finished with 16 points on five-of-17 shooting.
After the Women of Troy opened the second half with an 8-2 run, the Beavers cut the lead down to 10 with 12:54 remaining following a Rhea layup, but it was all USC after that as they finished the game on a 24-7 run.
Corral led all scorers with 19 points. She also had seven assists and five rebounds. Gilbreath added 13 points, nine in the first half, and Hailey Dunham also reached double figures with 10 points.
USC running back Stafon Johnson has had a long road back from a neck injury that almost ended not only his career but also his life. However, he'll take a step in the direction of a full return this Saturday when he plays in the Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. It will be his first football game since a weightlifting accident in the middle of the season crushed his larynx.
Yesterday, Johnson received a letter yesterday from an inspired Under Armour's CEO, Kevin Plank in a team meeting, according to Jill Painter on the Daily News' Inside USC blog:
Dear Stafon,
On behalf of the entire Under Armour family, I would like to personally congratulate you on your participation in the Under Armour Senior Bowl. Your presence on the field will not only elevate the level of play, but also will serve as a powerful reminder of the tremendous courage, determination and strength you continue to display in the face of adversity.
Thank you for inspiring football fans around the world, and allowing us to share in your remarkable recovery. More importantly, thank you for showing us how a true champion is built.
At Under Armour, we challenge each other to ``protect this house, I will,'' which we loosely define as fighting with all your energy for that which is most important. to you. In the 13-plus years since I founded the company, I would be hard-pressed to find an athlete who has fought more honorably, or diligently than you. While we cannot begin to imagine the physical pain and trauma you have endured, we do understand and appreciate the magnitude of your efforts to return to the game.
I remain proud of your accomplishments and humbled by your journey, which has only just begun.
Humble and hungry, Kevin Plank Founder and CEO Under Armour
Having met Johnson, I have to say that I am rooting for him to make a full recovery and a successful career in the NFL. He has shown he is a resilient and hard worker, who has always been friendly and curteous, so best of luck Stafon.
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