BOYS' BASKETBALL: Trojans' shooting too much for Bulldogs

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 20, 2016 9:59 AM

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PRINCETON -- Jeff Davis watched as South Johnston's DeParis Patterson knifed through the lane and dished off to Javonte Smith for an "and-one" play.

"How does that happen?" Davis said.

It's a question he asked himself throughout the Bulldogs' 73-60 loss to the Trojans in opening-round play of the inaugural QuickShirt.com Christmas Tournament on Monday evening. Princeton faces C.B. Aycock in the third-place game at 4:30 p.m. today.

South meets Midway for the title at 7:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs looked sluggish from the opening tip.

With Patterson at the helm, the Trojans (6-3 overall) searched for open seams against a diamond-and-one defensive scheme. At times, the paths were blocked and Patterson kicked the ball outside to wide-open, dead-eye shooters Jacob Thornton and JK Hines.

The duo hit with accuracy, combining for 11 triples - eight in the second half.

And the sharp shooting allowed Patterson to score inside.

"Number one, they shouldn't be dribbling through the zone," Davis said. "Number two, the guys on the wing in that diamond are perimeter defenders. I didn't want us sinking down in the post. We lost track (of their shooters)."

Princeton grabbed its first lead, 15-14, on Garrett Klein's 3-pointer early in the second quarter. The trifecta started an 8-4 surge that gave the Bulldogs a 23-22 lead at the break.

The teams traded baskets before South pulled away in the third.

Deadlocked at 29-29, Patterson ignited a 7-0 run with a drive to the basket through three white-shirted Bulldogs. Klein momentarily halted the offensive surge with a basket inside before Hines drained back-to-back 3s to make it 42-31 with 2:50 left in the third quarter.

"We had a lapse in the third quarter where we didn't focus," Davis said.

Princeton (3-4) answered with 3s of its own from Klein, Landon Futrelle, Earl Gibson Jr. and Colby Sullivan. But South's lead slowly swelled and became insurmountable, 60-43, with 4 minutes left in regulation.

"The second half, we shot it well, but we didn't stop them," Davis said. "Our head won't in the game. That's the worst we've played defensively. They're a little better than us, but that's a winnable game for us."

Colby Sullivan emerged as the Bulldogs' top scorer with 15 points. Klein added 10 in a reserve role, followed by Rahjai McPhatter with nine. Futrelle chipped in seven points.