HENDERSONVILLE The Pope John Paul II and Westmoreland boys prep basketball teams combined for 61 fouls and shot a total of 78 free throws on Thursday afternoon.
The Knights managed to sink just enough of their charity tosses in the final seconds, emerging with a 70-66 victory in the two teams’ Post Brands Cereal Tournament opener at Hendersonville Christian Academy.
“We’re still filling our roles,” PJP II sophomore guard Jayson Brown said. “We’re a young team. We’re playing a lot of sophomores.
“When we get a lead, we have to push it (out) more and not let them come back in the game.”
Pope John Paul II High sophomore forward Devan Cambridge elevates for a second-quarter layin. Cambridge scored three points.
The Knights were whistled for 32 fouls, and each team had two starters to foul out.
The Eagles did a better job of cashing in on the ensuing free-throw opportunities, making 28 of 35 as opposed to 27 of 43 for the Knights.
“We talked at halftime about having to play smarter, adjusting to how the game was being called, moving our feet and trying to beat them to spots,” PJP II head coach Kip Brown said. “We did a little better job of it in the second half.
“We have to play smarter and have more intensity on the court. We want to play aggressive but be smart about it.”
Jayson Brown added, “I had two fouls (in the first half). I didn’t want to have to sit down (due to foul trouble). We just tried to stop putting our hands on them and play straight up.”
The Knights built a seven-point lead after sophomore guard Justin McMurry made a free throw with 3:08 remaining in the first half, but Westmoreland junior forward Lucas Garrison converted a pair of three-point plays during the ensuing 10-0 run.
The Eagles led 32-31 at halftime.
“We were down in the first half and were in foul trouble, and we ended up taking the lead at halftime,” Westmoreland head coach Jason Graves said. “We were in foul trouble, and Colton (Pippen, the team’s junior forward) was hurt. But we made a run.”
Westmoreland High junior forward Colton Pippen elevates to shoot a third-quarter shot in the lane as senior teammates Griffin Garrison (21) and Caleb Graves (13) defend. Pippen scored two points.
PJP II (5-1) responded by scoring nine consecutive points in the third period, with senior Nick Nixon and junior Jalon Cambridge converting on interior opportunities.
The lead swelled to 12 points when sophomore Mitchell Sorenson made a 3-pointer 14 seconds into the final period.
“We were trying to feed the post more,” Jayson Brown said. “We couldn’t do that against La Vergne (in a 57-48 loss on Tuesday).
“Our two posts fouled out, so the guards felt like they had to do more. We just kept taking it to the basket. We just had to make our free throws.”
Eagle senior guard Zeke Webb made a 3-pointer seconds later, and free-throwing shooting helped Westmoreland (2-3) gradually chip away at the lead, pulling back to within two points three times (lastly when senior guard Dalton Leath produced an interior basket with 40 seconds remaining).
Westmoreland High senior guard Dalton Leath elevates for a third-quarter shot as Pope John Paul II senior Nick Nixon defends. Leath scored a game-high 21 points.
“They were hurting us at the post,” Jason Graves said. “I went to a smaller lineup, and we spread the floor. They were calling picky fouls.”
However, Jayson Brown made two free throws, and Cambridge made another in the final seconds to seal the win.
“We’re going to take wins,” Jayson Brown said. “We can improve and not have these close games to the end. It’s just (a matter of) working harder in practice and being in better shape.”
Kip Brown added, “It’s another step in the process. Winning close games is good for you. You have to learn how to win those close games. At some time, you have to put the game away. We were up by 11 or 12. It’s getting stops and making free throws. We haven’t done that consistently.”
Brown finished with a career-high 16 points, and Cambridge and junior forward Matt Galvin scored 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Pope John Paul II High junior forward Matt Galvin elevates for an interior shot as Westmoreland junior Lucas Garrison defends. Galvin scored 12 points in the Knights’ 70-66 victory on Thursday evening.
Ten different Knights scored.
“We have a lot of depth,” Kip Brown – whose squad has been utilizing a 12-man rotation – said. “We just have to get productive minutes off the bench. It’s certainly good to have the depth.”
Leath scored 10 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter, and both Garrison and senior guard Caleb Graves provided 13 points.
“We’re still having too many careless turnovers,” Jason Graves said. “Dylan Duffer came off the bench and gave us good minutes. Lucas had a good game and Landon (Dunigan). There’s not a lot of drop-off with our subs (substitutes), and that’s a good thing.”
Reach Craig Harris at charris@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7138. Follow him on Twitter @HarrisGNESports.
WESTMORELAND (66) – Dalton Leath 21, Lucas Garrison 13, Caleb Graves 13, Dylan Duffer 7, Zeke Webb 7, Landon Dunigan 3, Colton Pippen 2.
POPE JOHN PAUL II (70) – Jayson Brown 16, Jalon Cambridge 15, Matt Galvin 12, Ryan Hatten 8, Avishai Lowery 4, Nick Nixon 4, Devan Cambridge 3, Grayson Lang 3, Mitchell Sorenson 3, Justin McMurry 2.
Half: 32-31, Westmoreland. Three-point goals: Westmoreland 3 (Leath 2, Webb 1), Pope John Paul II 3 (Brown 1, J. Cambridge 1, Sorenson 1). Records: Westmoreland 2-3, Pope John Paul II 5-1.