3 takeaways from the Mustangs’ win over Bartlett
Memphis East head coach Javonte Holmes was without two key players in Tuesday night’s home game against Bartlett. The Mustangs were missing junior guard Jelani Willis and sophomore forward Markese Washington (flu), forcing coach Holmes to go with a seven-player…
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Continue ReadingMemphis East head coach Javonte Holmes was without two key players in Tuesday night’s home game against Bartlett. The Mustangs were missing junior guard Jelani Willis and sophomore forward Markese Washington (flu), forcing coach Holmes to go with a seven-player lineup.
On Tuesday night, it worked.
Despite foul trouble early on that bled into the second half, Memphis East (3-1) was able to defeat the Panthers (4-3) 74-62 behind balanced scoring. This was a much-needed win for the Mustangs as they have to prepare for the Wooddale Cardinals, who are led by junior guard/forward Johnathan Lawson, Friday night.
This was the first matchup between both schools and there’s a chance both schools could meet up at some point in the postseason.
This was my first time watching both schools in the 2019 season.
Here are 3 takeaways from the Mustangs’ win over Bartlett:
Balanced scoring helped Holmes’ team
Holmes mentioned to me after the win that he really likes his team. I can see why if he’s talking about how well Memphis East scored the basketball. As a team, the Mustangs made 28 of 50 shots. Seven different players scored for Memphis East, with five of the seven scoring in double figures. Senior forward Duane Posey led the Mustangs with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Senior guard Isaiah Cathey had 15. Sophomore point guard Terrance Jacobs Jr. added 13. Junior guard Tadarius Jacobs finished with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists. Senior forward Kylan Haywood added 10 points. Memphis East had this offensive balance without Washington and Willis in the fold.
Holmes couldn’t help but smile after seeing these numbers.
Free throw shooting was a plus for the Mustangs
Midway through the fourth quarter, Memphis East built a 64-53 lead off a score from Posey, then the Mustangs were able to maintain a double-digit lead thanks to their free throw shooting. Memphis East made 9 of 12 from the free throw line to close out the game. For the game, the Mustangs went 14 for 17 from the charity stripe.
Bartlett missed too many close-ups
The Panthers were in striking distance early in the third quarter. A 3 from senior guard Ricky Lofties and a score from freshman guard Regale Moore had Bartlett within 40-38. Then, the Panthers got within two once more off two made foul shots by senior Rodney Mason Jr. It was 42-40 at that point, and Bartlett wouldn’t get any closer.
The Panthers dug itself a hole by missing shots at the rim. It was almost like some of the players for Bartlett couldn’t see where the basketball needed to go. It was a bad shooting night for the Panthers. As a team, Bartlett made 19 of 49 shots from the field.
Mason Jr. led the team with 19 points. Lofties added 13 and junior guard Will Farris had 10.