BRISTOL, Tenn. – The gameplan was simple for Southwind High School head coach Paul Edwards.
“Keep the pedal on, keep the pedal, keep the pedal and hopefully, they’ll wear down before we did,” Edwards said.
His team followed the strategy to perfection.
Led by sophomore sensation Jonathan Williams, the fast-paced team from Memphis, Tenn., rolled to a 77-63 victory over Science Hill on Tuesday night in the first round of the Arby’s Classic at Viking Hall.
Southwind (10-1) will play Hunter Huss of North Carolina in a quarterfinal game tonight at 9:30 p.m.
Southwind just outhustled, outrebounded and outran Science Hill. The Jaguars led by as many as 14 points in the opening half as 6-foot-7 senior Kedorian Sullivan scored 16 of his 18 points in the first 16 minutes.
“They were good, but I think in the first half we froze up,” said Science Hill junior Jaylen Allen. “We weren’t ready to play like we were supposed to do.”
Science Hill’s last glimmer of hope came after the Toppers cut Southwind’s lead to seven points with 7:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars responded with a 10-0 run and Science Hill went nearly three minutes without hitting a shot.
“I looked down and it looked like they got worn out,” Edwards said. “I played 12 guys, kept rotating, keeping kids fresh. During the fourth quarter, their legs got tired and maybe that had a little bit to do with it. … Composure. I always try to preach composure.”
Meanwhile, the individual battle between Williams and Science Hill’s Shannon Hale – two of the top sophomores in the state of Tennessee – ended in one-sided fashion.
The 6-foot-9 Williams had 20 points, hitting 9-of-16 shots from the field and also hauled down 15 rebounds and blocked seven shots.
The 6-foot-7 Hale had 15 points on just a 4-of-12 showing from the field.
“We’re good friends,” Williams said. “I’ve got keep on working hard. I have great expectations and put my goals [high].”
Southwind point guard Darious Paige knows the importance of Williams to the Jaguars’ attack.
“Most of our boards come from him,” Paige said.
Allen led Science Hill with 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals. The Hilltoppers were just 3-of-13 from 3-point range.
Meanwhile, Southwind will look to become the second straight Arby’s Classic champions from Memphis. Melrose won the event last year.
The Jaguars are used to seeing nightly battles in the Memphis area with the intensity that Tuesday’s showdown With Science Hill had.
“Every night,” Edwards said. “We just came up here and are trying to get better.”
Urspring (Germany) 47, Tabernacle Baptist (Bahamas) 30
Sophomore Malik Muller gunned in 23 points as Urspring dominated Tabernacle Baptist and earned a spot in tonight’s quarterfinals.
“Malik played great,” said Urspring coach Felix Czerny. “He made the good shots. He’s got a big body, but he’s got some shooting technique too.”
The lone negative for Urspring was the fact that point guard Mario Blessing went down with a sprained ankle late in the third quarter and didn’t return. Czerny said he should be fine for tonight’s matchup with Clear Creek (Texas).
Astin Lewis scored 10 points to lead Tabernacle Baptist.
thayes@bristolnews.com | Twitter:@Hayes_BHCSports | (276) 645-2570
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