PREP CHAMPIONSHIPS: Cowboys regain control, down Clark in Bronze title game
After giving up 25 points to Clark in a fast-paced third quarter, Chaparral coach Ennis Wesley gave his team some advice: stay calm.
The Cowboys listened and played with poise down the stretch to overcome the Chargers, 59-56, in the Bronze Bracket championship game Wednesday morning at Las Vegas High.
“(I told them) to continue to play hard and keep their heads in the game,” Wesley said. “Sometimes we have a tendency to get down on ourselves.”
Clark held a two-point edge on Chaparral heading into the final period, but the Cowboys erased the deficit in the first three minutes of the quarter. Chris Goodloe dropped a put-back layup to give the Cowboys a 53-50 lead with 4:02 to play, and later extended the Cowboys’ edge to 57-52 with a steal and a free throw with 42 seconds left.
Clark nearly tied the game at 57 with 21 seconds left, but a Chargers 3-pointer rattled out and Chaparral made two more free throws to ice the Chargers for the win.
Goodloe led Chaparral with 22 points and earned MVP honors in the Bronze Division. Kevin Morgan added 13 points for the Cowboys.
Steven Dancy paced Clark with 23 points.
SILVER DIVISION
Liberty 56, Mission Prep (Calif.) 53 – The Patriots used an eight-point halftime to hold on and beat the Royals in the final minute.
“We’re really proud of the way the guys came together over the last two weeks,” Liberty coach Pat Welby said. “That’s the purpose of these tournaments.”
Tim Rambo led a balanced Liberty scoring attack with 12 points, while Silver Division MVP Ashante Ross scored 10 points. Ross scored on a strong driving layup to extend the Patriots’ lead to 53-47 with 2:11 to play, but Mission Prep continued to chip away at the lead before closing in at 54-53 with five seconds left.
Thomas Lauguico was fouled and hit two free throws to push Liberty’s edge to three points and the Royals threw away the ensuing inbounds pass to give the Patriots the victory.
Aaron Navitsky and Harly Tagab both scored eight points for Liberty.
Kevin Laird paced Mission Prep with 16 points and Art Lana scored 15 points.
GOLD BRACKET
Metairie Park (La.) 78, Western 70 — Western’s Kentrell Washington hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send the game into overtime, but the Warriors couldn’t overcome Metairie Park.
Metairie Park’s Matt Derenbecker proved to be too much for Western to handle, scoring 39 points, including eight in the extra period after Metairie Park had blown a 10-point halftime advantage.
Western drilled three 3-pointers in the final minute, capped by Washington’s big shot. He took a pass in the left corner and hoisted a high shot that fell through the net with 1.3 seconds on the clock. Washington finished with a team-high 25 points.
Kenyon Washington added 14 points for Western.
