HENDERSONVILLE The Pope John Paul II High boys basketball team blew open a tight game in the second quarter to down Kenwood, 80-57, on Saturday evening in the championship game of the 12th annual Post Brand Cereal Tournament at Hendersonville Christian Academy.
It was the second year in a row that PJP II has won the tournament championship.
The two teams were locked in a tight battle early in the game. Baskets by sophomores Mitchell Sorenson and Justin McMurry late in the first quarter gave the Knights a 16-15 lead entering the second period.
In the second stanza, PJP II (7-1) came out in a 1-2-2, full-court press that helped the Knights outscore Kenwood by a 23-10 margin in the quarter, building a 39-25 lead by halftime.
“We picked up our intensity,” PJP II head coach Kip Brown said. “We forced a number of turnovers. We picked up our intensity like we haven’t (done) all year.”
Brown pointed out that it started the night before, at halftime of PJP II’s 65-44 win over Smyrna in Friday’s semifinal victory. That contest was tied at halftime before pulling away.
“The last three halves of basketball, we’ve played really well,” Brown said.
Kenwood and PJP II were tied at 25 midway through the second quarter, but the Knights scored the next 14 points, with junior guard Jalon Cambridge and senior forward Ryan Hatten combining for 10 points during that stretch.
Pope John Paul II High senior Ryan Hatten dribbles maneuvers along the baseline during second-quarter action.
“We played hard and moved the ball around and got open shots,” Hatten – the tournament’s most valuable player – said. “We were putting the pressure on them with the press. We were getting layups and open shots.”
In the third quarter, Kenwood battled back to cut the lead to eight points at 46-38, but PJP II answered with a 7-0 run, finishing the quarter with a 54-42 lead.
Kenwood (5-2) cut the lead to 70-57 in the fourth, but the Knights scored the final 10 points.
“We wanted to be aggressive without being undisciplined,” said Brown, who noted that Kenwood returns most of the players from a team defeated PJP II in triple overtime last season.
Hatten added, “We handled their pressure.”
Hatten shared high-scoring honors with junior forward Matthew Galvin, with both producing 14 points.
Pope John Paul II High junior point guard Jalon Cambridge elevates for a second-quarter jump shot.
“He’s our anchor,” Brown said of Hatten. “He cleans up a lot of our mistakes.”
Brown also had praise for Galvin.
“This was his best game of the year,” Brown said. “He played really well tonight.”
Jalon Cambridge chipped in 12 points and his step-brother – sophomore forward Devan Cambridge – provided nine points.
“Devan, the last two games, has changed into the player we hoped he would be,” Brown said. “We knew it was going to happen. It was just a question of when. He was rebounding (well) and playing defense.”
Galvin, Jalon Cambridge and sophomore guard Jayson Brown joined Hatten on the all-tournament team.
Pope John Paul II High’s members of the Post Cereals Boys All-Tournament Team include: (L to R) junior guard Jalon Cambridge, sophomore guard Jayson Brown, senior forward Ryan Hatten and junior forward Matt Galvin.
Kenwood’s Matthew Norl led all scorers with 23, making three 3-pointers, and teammate Keith Dowlen provided 14 points.
PJP II plays at Goodpasture on Tuesday and then will host Franklin Road Academy on Friday.
KENWOOD (57) – Matthew Norl 23, Keith Dowlen 14, Andre Clifton, 6, Tariq James 5, D’andre Raddcliffe 4, Cameron Boykin 2, Lorico Hill 2, Shawric Martin 2.
PJP II (80) – Ryan Hatten 14, Matthew Galvin 14, Jalon Cambridge 12, Devan Cambridge 9, Jayson Brown 7, Justin McMurry 7, Mitchell Sorenson 6, Grayson Lang 4, Avishai Lowery 3, Trent Griffin 2, C.J. Laws 2.
Half: 39-25, PJP II. Three-point goals: Kenwood 4 (Norl 3, Dowlen 1), PJP II 2 (J. Cambridge 1, Galvin 1). Records: Kenwood 5-2, PJP II 7-1.