City of Palms - Day 4

Dick Vitale was not in attendance on Day 4 of the City of Palms tournament, but that didn’t stop a capacity crowd coming out for the night’s semi-final match-ups. With a birth to the 40^th annual City of Palms championship on the line the top teams in the nation battled for the coveted final game on Saturday.

Game of the Day:

(67) Lone Peak vs. (52) Southwind

On Thursday night, Lone Peak jumped out to an early lead against Chester and never looked back while snapping their 61 game win streak. On Friday night, Lone Peak needed until the 3^rd quarter to pull away. The athleticism of Southwind created some problems early on for Lone Peak as the game started out with Southwind’s center, 6’10” Jonathon Williams III hitting a 3-point attempt over Eric Mika. Williams followed up his first offensive possession with a blocked shot on the first defensive possession setting the stage for the first half. Senior guard, Jujuan Johnson came off the bench and quickly scored 7 points in a matter of minutes. With Lone Peak miss-firing on deep three pointers, Southwind had a 19-14 lead after the 1^st quarter. Future BYU guards Nick Emery and TJ Haws brought Lone Peak back in the 2^nd quarter with their shooting and Lone Peak trailed 31-30 at the half. TJ Haws and Lone Peak came out blazing in the 3^rd quarter. Haws went for 13 points in the quarter and turned a 1 point deficit into an 11 point lead. Haws was getting to the basket for mid-range jumpers and lay-ups while also connecting on a three pointer plus the foul. After this scoring explosion, Lone Peak held on in the 4^th quarter despite Southwind’s pressure and won 67-52. TJ Haws led the way for Lone Peak with 24 points (four 3’s) and Nick Emery added in 16 points. Big man Eric Mika added in a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as well. Southwind cooled off in the second half, but Jonathon Williams III still had a fine performance and finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds. 

Performance of the Day:

Malik Newman – 21 points

In one of the early afternoon games, sophomore guard Malik Newman led his team to a 59-43 victory over Tift County 59-43. This game was tied at 21 a piece at halftime before Newman took over. Despite facing a box and one defense all game Newman started the half off with a quick 3-pointer. Newman then added another corner three before going to work off the dribble. Tift tried to make it hard for Newman to catch the ball, but when he did they were in trouble. Routinely catching the ball at half-court, Newman drove to the left and right at will and went 4-4 in the lane on contested finishes. Newman shot 6-8 in the 2^nd half for 14 points and helped turn a tie game into a 16 point victory. Along with his offensive foray, his mere presence on the court led to easier shots for his teammates such as TreShawn Bolden. Newman also added in 10 rebounds and 3 steals. Despite having a future Kansas commit on Tift in Brannen Greene, Malik Newman was far and away the best player on the court.

Other Notes:

Whitney Young (#17) won a close game with Omaha Central (#15) 60-57 behind Jahlil Okafor’s 23 points and 11 rebounds. Okafor dominated down low and shot 6-8 in the first half and 5-6 in the 2^nd half despite constant double teams. Okafor showed off a great set of hands and even hit a deep jumper to lead the Dolphins. Omaha was led by a well-balanced attack and had 4 players in double figures. A Louisville assistant coach was in the stands to watch a future Cardinal in Akoy Agau. Agau had 14 points and 8 rebounds while going 3-3 from behind the arc in the first quarter.

Junior Whitney Young guard Miles Reynolds had another solid effort in the tournament with 15 points on 5-6 shooting. Despite not getting the publicity of the other top three juniors on his team, Reynolds is rapidly gaining recognition. Reynolds went 3-3 from behind the line including the biggest shot of the game as he gave the Dolphins a two point lead with under 2 minutes to go. LSU offered Reynolds a scholarship after watching his game on Thursday night. More offers will be coming shortly.

Montverde Academy (#4) easily defeated Long Beach Poly (#9) in the 2^nd semi-final 76-51. Montverde was just too big for the Jackrabbits of Westchester and jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Big men Dakari Johnson and Devin Williams led with 17 a piece. Senior forward Roschon Prince led the way for Poly with 22 points but it wasn’t enough.

After having their 61 game win streak snapped on Thursday, Chester (#3) took their aggression out on Lake Wales with a 78-64 victory which was not as close as the score suggests. Senior forward Rondae Jefferson (Arizona) led the way with 27 points and 14 rebounds and attached the rim with several highlight reel dunks in the first half. Jefferson went 11-13 from the field. Despite the loss, Douglas Brooks scored a tournament high 32 points with 8 three pointers.

Sophomore forward Marcus Derrickson of Paul VI scored 17 points in an easy win over Lake Highland Prep. Derrickson mixed in several outside jump shots with his brute strength down low to dominate.

One day after Nick Emery won the 3-point shootout for Lone Peak, Erik Mika won the slam dunk contest.

Championship Preview:

In what could be the most anticipated game of the high school season, Lone Peak faces off against Montverde in the City of Palms championship. Montverde has the size and all of the five star recruits, but nobody shoots the ball or moves the ball around like Lone Peak. Here are several keys to the game:

Size – Future Mountaineer, Devin Williams is the X-Factor. While Dakari Johnson and Eric Mika will square off, Lone Peak does not have anyone to guard Williams in the post. He made Long Beach Poly pay; can he do it again tonight?

Pressure – Lone Peak has feasted on the full court pressure shown to them by Chester and Southwind. Montverde does not press full-court but will instead apply half-court pressure led by guards Kasey Hill and DeAngelo Russell. Lone Peak has been used to getting numerous open looks after breaking the pressure. How will they fare in a half-court game?

Shooting – Lone Peak relies on outside shooting, which certainly isn’t a secret. Will Russell and Hill be able to slow down the future BYU back court of TJ Haws and Nick Emery? Conner Toolson and Talon Shumway are more than capable of hitting from the outside as well, but they will have to be ready to play to keep in Lone Peak in the game.