In my Stephen A. Smith voice, Last night was a magnanimous night of mystifying amazing high school hoops in the city of Memphis. I don’t know what else to say but if last night was any indication, we are in for a treat the rest of the way.
I have to break this down Play by Play:
- Central went up 9 points mid-way through the 3rd quarter.
- Bartlett rallied back and eventually went up on a 3 ball with 2:45 left in the quarter.
- The two teams traded punches the rest of the way. Christian Alston, lay up
- Dedrick Miles, who was really good in the game, 3 ball to answer, 42-40. He hit a pull up from the free throw line as well.
- R’chaun King scored right after
- Central tied it with a Damion Cox runner off glass 46-46.
- Central would go up on an Alan King floater with 2:30 left
- Miles got a steal for the Central Warriors and was fouled. He hit 2 free throws and Central went up 4 with 2:11 left. They could have gone up 6 if not for a contest at the rim on a dunk but it just didn’t go down.
Central had chances, the opportunities were there. A missed free throw by Bartlett and the Warriors gained possession but lost the ball, giving the Panthers the rock with 1.9 seconds left in the game. Here is the ending:
This shot was heard all over the city. Central the right thing by clogging up the lane to prevent the lay-up opportunity, but Jack Shackleford slipped to the corner and hit the shot of his life to give Bartlett a berth in the regional title game.
Central played really well. No one expected them to be right there to the end which speaks volumes about the talent the squad will be bringing back. I don’t see why they can’t be back in a similar situation next season. Damion Cox is a junior and I think Miles is a sophomore. This is a team to watch for in the future and if they add a piece, they can really be dangerous next year.
Bartlett seems destined to get back to the state even when it looked like it was slipping away. Central missed a dunk, if they make that dunk, Bartlett is down 5-6 points and maybe it’s a different outcome. It takes a little bit of luck and things to go your way at the end of the season to win. That’s exactly what happened in this game and the Panthers took advantage of miscues by Central late. Jack Shackelford will have a memory for the rest of his life, a shot that sent his team to the region championship, but Bartlett is seeking more heading into a 4th meeting with Cordova on the year.
Thoughts
- Dedrick Miles or “D2” as he’s known by was solid. He impacts games with his drives to the basket, hits the pull up consistently and defends at a high level. He’s always in the right place at the right time and never takes plays off. He has to be in the conversation as one of the better guards in the city next year in 4A basketball.
- Bartlett’s resiliency, down 9 in a big game where it’s win or go home and how they dug deep in the 3rd quarter to go up at the end of it speaks volumes about their ability to overcome playing to the level of the competition. With a scare like that they will probably play harder than ever. Fighting to get back into it late in the game, down 4, Christian Alston who had the ball stolen from him, came right back and scored a huge bucket at the rim. The desire to leave it on the floor is unquestionable.
- Central will be back, I’m letting you know now. Good guard play rules in Memphis and they have that. Damion Cox is pretty good, overall district player of the year in a tough league and Miles will be back next year. Outside of Whitehaven’s guards for next season, that tandem will do work next year, no question.
