Cordova & East should hope to avoid Blackman

[UCSportsFan]

we'll see friday

Yes we will it will be a great game. Cordova has some nice bigs down low and solid guards. Station Camp's #11 is a beast as is #20. SC shoots it extremely well from the perimeter Codova not so much.

[kwc]

East survives Burros’ 3-point barrage to advance to state semifinals

 

East High teammates Alex Lomax (left) and T.J. Moss

 

 

Hillsboro's Thomas Smith (35) goes up for a shot as Memphis East's Teddrick McGhee (5) guards him during the State Tournament Quarterfinal game , on Wednesday March 16, 2016, at MTSU.

 

Memphis East's assistant Coach Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway former NBA player coaches on the sidelines during the State Tournament Quarterfinal game against Hillsboro, on Wednesday March 16, 2016, at MTSU.

 

Hillsboro's Darius Ferguson (1) goes up for a shot as Memphis East's Nikcolauz Merriweaher guards him during the State Tournament Quarterfinal game, on Wednesday March 16, 2016, at MTSU.

 

By John Varlas of The Commercial Appeal

 

East 70, Hillsboro 61

 

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — As the final seconds wound down in their team's TSSAA BlueCross AAA state quarterfinal game, the East fans who made the trip to the Murphy Center started an emphatic "We Want Blackman" chant.

 

They'll get it.

 

East overcame a near-record 3-point shooting performance from Hillsboro, pulling away in the fourth quarter to win 70-61. The victory puts the Mustangs (30-2) in Friday's 11:30 a.m. semifinals against the Blaze, the only undefeated team in the state.

 

"What matters is how you finish," said East assistant coach Robert Jackson. "We'll take a 50-point win or a one-point win. We'll take a half-point win; just as long as we move on, we're glad."

 

For long stretches of the game, it looked like that wouldn't happen.

Hillsboro wore it out from 3-point range, finishing 14 of 25 from behind the arc. The 14 3-pointers were two off the record for a state tournament game, set by Chattanooga Christian in 1994.

 

The Burros, who were 11 of 13 from the free-throw line, didn't make a 2-point shot until there were three minutes gone in the second half. It was a display that certainly caught the Mustangs off guard.

 

"Hats off to them; they made it real tough," said Jackson, who attended the postgame press conference in place of coach Penny Hardaway. "We didn't see this (coming) on film."

 

Added Mr. Basketball winner Alex Lomax, "They drove and kicked it out and made their shots. It was a good experience for us because we know we're going to get everybody's best game."

 

The Burros, who finished 21-8, led 49-48 after three quarters before the Mustangs' superior depth finally started to show.

 

Radarious Washington, who finished with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, scored on a pair of layups to give East a 54-49 lead. A 3-pointer by T.J. Moss pushed the margin to 60-52 with 3:18 to go before 6-9 freshman Chandler Lawson provided the game's "wow" moment as he grabbed a rebound and took it coast to coast to make it 64-53.

 

"(Hardaway) told us that their shots weren't going to keep going down,"

said Moss. "They started missing and we capitalized."

 

Burros coach Rodney Thweatt said the seemingly bottomless East bench was the key.

 

"They wore us down," he said. "It took a lot of effort for us to deal with their depth, strength and athleticism. They press the whole game and when you only have one or two ballhandlers, they tend to wear down."

 

East's balance was reflected in the scoring totals. Washington and Lomax finished with 12 each, followed by Lawson and Moss with 11. Courtney Carter added eight on 4-of-4 shooting as the Mustangs finished at 52 percent for the game (25 of 48).

 

Thomas Smith had game-highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead Hillsboro, and Collin Heron added 15 points on 5-of-9 3-point shooting.

 

"This (victory) is a confidence booster," said Lomax, who also had three rebounds, three assists and three steals. "We feel like we can do anything."

Edited March 17, 2016 by kwc

[kwc]

If you want to be the best ... you have to beat the best. I hope this game Friday between Blackman and East meets the hype.

[wingman10]

As always, Go East

[kwc]

Next up! Memphis East vs Blackman!

[Norman Dale]

Good grief East, play basketball don't hold the ball!!!

[TonyG]

this reeves kid has bunnies!

[kwc]

this reeves kid has bunnies!

 

What do you think about the East tactics so far?

[Norman Dale]

Not Tony G, but face guarding and not helping off Wilson is a pretty good strategy but holding the ball for 90 seconds at end of quarter is not a good strategy.

[big_mike0307]

Good grief East, play basketball don't hold the ball!!!

Why not hold it

[Norman Dale]

Why not hold it

Mainly because they are the more talented team.They are showing in 2nd quarter they can attack zone just fine.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Norman Dale

[kwc]

Not Tony G, but face guarding and not helping off Wilson is a pretty good strategy but holding the ball for 90 seconds at end of quarter is not a good strategy.

 

I think a low scoring game favors East. East has already played 10 players. If Blackman is not going to engage on 'D' ... it will be a LONG game for Blackman. I think it is a VERY good, well though out strategy.