Olive Branch slides by Center Hill, 72-63
Center Hill came with the perfect game plan, which was to slow the game down and force Olive Branch to come out to the top of the key and play defense. That game plan was intact from the start and…
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Continue ReadingCenter Hill came with the perfect game plan, which was to slow the game down and force Olive Branch to come out to the top of the key and play defense.
That game plan was intact from the start and had the ‘Quistors off-balanced and on the ropes. Down 54-52 in the fourth quarter, Olive Branch (20-7) needed an answer.
Senior point guard Joe Cooper’s 3 over two defenders was needed and was huge for the ‘Quistors as they were able to hold off the Mustangs by the final score of 72-63 on Senior Night.
Center Hill senior point guard Calvin Temple scored seven points in the third quarter to help the Mustangs grab a 50-47 lead. But, Temple picked up his second foul, which sent Cooper to the free throw line as he made 1 of 2 shots.
D.J. Jeffries and Cameron Matthews scored the team’s final four points of the third quarter to tie the game 52-all.
Temple kept attacking the lane at the start of the final eight minutes, giving his team a two-point lead. Center Hill didn’t allow Jeffries and Matthews to catch the alley-oop dunks they’re so accustomed to catching. In the first meeting on Jan. 25, Matthews and Jeffries were able to get out in transition and score in multiple ways.
But for most of the night, Olive Branch had to run half-court sets and rely on the backcourt to make some crucial baskets. After Cooper made the 3 from the corner, Wes Taylor knocked down one of his own.
Senior guard C.J. Owens made a wide-open 3 from the right wing to give the ‘Quistors a 63-59 lead. From there, Olive Branch built its lead to as many as 11 points.
“Joe Cooper pulling up making a 3 in the corner, we didn’t expect that,” Mustangs head coach Newton Mealer said. “He’s been driving the ball, driving the ball, and driving the ball. We doubled down like we were supposed to, and he hits a crucial 3.”
After a score by Jeffries that made it 65-59, sophomore forward Kaeden Laws and senior point guard Josh Stephenson got into a skirmish and had to be separated by teammates, coaches, and police officers. Some fans were escorted out of the building for coming onto the court.
Players from both benches jumped onto the floor, but no technical fouls were called. Apparently, Laws bumped up against Stephenson, then Stephenson retaliated by getting into Laws’ face. Laws picked up an intentional foul. Owens made 1 of 2 foul shots to put the ‘Quistors up 66-59.
Jeffries, who was honored at halftime of the girls’ game for reaching 2,500 points in his high school basketball career, led Olive Branch with 23 points. Stephenson finished with 14. Cooper had 12 points and 11 assists. Taylor provided 11.
The ‘Quistors had to fight for this one and had to do it with their best players in foul trouble. Matthews played the entire second half with three fouls and finally fouled out when the game was about over. Both Taylor and Jeffries played with three fouls during pivotal moments of the game.
Olive Branch head coach Eric Rambough was infuriated by the foul trouble of the guys he depends on the most to win games.
“We didn’t play good,” Rambough said. “They pulled us outside and went right by us. The help side was trash. We played awful.”
Temple led Center Hill (24-3) with 21 points. Kenneth Lewis had 17. Decorian Payton added 11.
3 takeaways
- Olive Branch took too many 3s. The ‘Quistors had the advantage plenty of times in the post with Jeffries and Matthews.
- Center Hill needs offensive production from more than Temple and Lewis. Kevin Henry or Laws scoring in double figures would have helped a lot.
- Expect these two teams to battle it out for the district championship. They’re the two best team in the Region 1-5A.