Knights turn out lights on Grand Blanc
Smith, Bracy and Company dismantle 'Cats in second half
By Andrew Bolton
29 February 2008
greatlakeshoops.com
Grand Blanc-- For one half, Southwestern Academy looked nothing like the team that had been playing so well for the last couple of weeks. They came in on a serious roll, having played Saginaw tough in a loss a couple games prior to rolling over their first two opponents in districts by a combined 54 points.
Then they ran up against Grand Blanc. The Bobcats were playing very well in their own right, winning their two previous games handily while playing excellent team ball.
This continued, at least at the beginning.
The Bobcats twice held 10-point leads in the first half. Southwestern was doing just enough to keep it competitive.
Then the second half started.
Derrick Smith and Demarkus Bracy sparked the Knights from the beginning of the third period throughout the rest of the game, as SWA jumped out on top in the third and never looked back. The Knights win this one going away by a final score of 69-49.
As mentioned before, this game was all GB at the beginning. The Bobcats were hitting on all cylinders, firing shots from all over the floor and forcing numerous turnovers from the Knights.
However, once the lead got to double digits, the Bobcats could not come up with a stop or another basket to distance themselves further from SWA. A slough of turnovers towards the end of the half allowed SWA to cut the deficit to just five, 28-23, going into halftime.
Now comes the aforementioned monstrous second half, and let me tell you, not even the most die-hard Knights fan could have predicted it. It was a combination of things that came together all at once to make this half of basketball arguably the best of the season for the Knights.
Their energy level coming out of halftime was incredibly high, as demonstrated by forcing 10 Bobcat turnovers.
Demarkus Bracy was hit with two early fouls in the first quarter; he came back with a vengeance in the third.
Derrick Smith was nonexistent in the first half; he caught fire in the third and carried it over into the fourth. When the dust settled at the end of the third, Grand Blanc was down nine and heading even further south.
SWA’s lockdown 'D' was on display in the fourth, never letting the Bobcats get a clean look, and a series of unselfish plays for the Knights on the offensive end buried Grand Blanc in a hole they couldn’t escape from.
Game and Player Notes
Stat of the Game: Second-Half Scoring: GB–21 points, SWA–46 points
–WOW! I don’t think I’ve seen a half quite like that this year. SWA dominated all phases of the game. It wasn’t like GB forgot how to play; rather, Southwestern raised their level of play to a level that Grand Blanc was physically incapable of matching. We finally may be seeing SWA hitting their stride and fulfilling the potential that they have always had.
–After scoring nothing and having zero impact in the first half, Derrick Smith exploded in the second half for 20 points, which made him the high scorer in the ballgame. He, Demarkus Bracy, and Brandon Thompson completely reversed the course of the game. Bracy, after having just one field goal in the first half, wound up with nine points and five rebounds. Thompson scored just five, but he added four rebounds, five assists, and four steals for an excellent all-around game. Tyrone Ward added 10 points and five boards off the bench. Kortez Odom-Ross locked down Adrian Hunter in the second half while managing to score nine points and grabbing four rebounds. It was a total team effort for the Knights tonight.
–I mentioned that unselfish basketball was the key to breaking open the game and holding the Bobcats down. It’s not that the Knights were selfish in the first half, it’s just that in the second they put on a passing clinic, making the extra pass time and again for easy shots. The highlight was a sweet behind-the-back dish from Thompson to Smith on the break that brought the visiting crowd to its feet.
–This, I’m sure, is not the way Adrian Hunter wanted to go out. After a brilliant first half, he got completely shut down in the second. He grabbed one rebound, which was the limit of his statistical contribution in the second half. He finished the last game of his high school career with nine points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Congratulations on a great season, Adrian, and good luck with your college career at CMU.
–The Bobcats’ youth was really exposed tonight. The Knights’ guards really stepped up the defense in the second half and the young guns for the Bobcats got rattled. Will Sams in particular had trouble with the pressure, committing several turnovers in the third period, leading to easy transition baskets for SWA. Tony Jones played a good game, scoring 17, but those came from the line in the first half or in garbage time late in the fourth. No one else did anything of note, which was the problem. The balance that had been the hallmark of the Bobcats down the stretch suddenly was gone. It didn’t help that they couldn’t make anything from the field, either. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to come up with a better season than the one the ‘Cats had, given their roster, the competition and a new coach. They acquitted themselves very well throughout the season. Tonight’s loss against a clearly superior foe should in no way diminish that.