The second day of the expanded two-day and second-annual Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Basketball Classic trekked from Norcross to McEachern for a four-game schedule highlighted by Class 1A-3A Private No. 2 St. Francis ousting Class 2A No. 1 Josey 75-67.
St. Francis led 23-19 at the end of the first quarter in the battle of the undefeated girls powerhouses.
“We just settled down and played defense,” head coach Aisha Kennedy told Score Atlanta’s Najeh Wilkins after pulling away in the second half against Josey. “We didn’t shoot the ball that great in the first half and so I told them to settle down, shoot the ball well.”
Against Josey, Amelia Basit scored 19 points, 12 rebounds and two assists, earning MVP honors.
“Amelia is a force on the inside,” Kennedy said. “She rebounds super well and finishes around the rim. So, when we get here going, we can go.”
Basit’s defense against Josey’s 6-foot-2 junior center Za’Miyah Jenkins was key in stopping the previously undefeated Eagles (7-1).
“I just had to be able to get good position and box out,” Basit said. “I had to make sure she was behind me and not pushing or anything like that. And when you have good guards it’s just easy. And (our guards) and the team are so close, it’s just easy to be on the same page.”
Junior guard Cam Golston and sophomore guard Giaunni Rogers played a large role in protecting the team’s undefeated record.
“Cam is our point guard,” Kennedy said. “And she leads our team. She puts them in the right place to be successful. She is a true, natural floor general. That helps us be better. And Giaunni shoots the ball really well. She can go off the dribble, she can drive and shoot really well.”
Rogers scored 22 points with three rebounds and two assists and senior guard Desi Taylor scored 12 points with seven rebounds and eight assists.
“Getting them both to settle down in the second half was good to be able to play their game,” Kennedy said.
St. Francis is undefeated at 9-0, not skipping a beat since winning Class A Division I in back-to-back seasons. The Knights have won five championships under Kennedy, who coached St. Francis to titles in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
“We have girls that love playing basketball,” Kennedy said of the formula for success at St. Francis. “These girls listen, they are super committed to what we are trying to do. It’s a family atmosphere and that makes us successful.”
In a high-classed boys’ game, Newton (8-4) moved past West Forsyth (5-8) 77-53 and to rite the ship following the Rams’ 68-65 loss to North Carolina’s North Mecklenburg last week.
Newton, which is ranked No. 4 in the state’s highest class, was paced by senior Davin Neal, a 6-foot-6 wing player, who scored 22 points with 10 rebounds. Bryce Jackson, the Rams’ 6-4 junior shooting guard, added 18 points with three steals and four rebounds and 6-7 junior shooting forward Jordan Green scored 10 points with five rebounds.
The penultimate game saw Class 6A McEachern upend West Forsyth 54-28 to move to 3-7 on the season after regaining key players from McEachern’s state championship-winning flag football team.
“I was so impressed,” said McEachern head coach Phyllis Arthur, who won titles in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. “Girls coming back in from flag football really sped things up and made the other girls play even harder. The girls looked like a total different team today.”
The Indians led 17-6 after the first quarter, 32-11 at the half and 38-17 entering the fourth quarter.
“We have a lot of cracks we need to fix,” Arthur laughed. “But I was impressed that we were able to draw some plays up and they were able to execute it. And so that helped us. The win makes us more positive and gives us some hope and makes us feel more positive about ourselves.”
Freshman guard Angel Hurst tallied 17 points, junior point guard Deija Ferguson scored 14 points and sophomore power forward Summer Edwards scored 12 points for McEachern.
In the nightcap game, the Class 6A No. 5-McEachern boys outlasted Class 5A No. 9 Riverwood 75-61 after leading 17-12 entering the second quarter and 29-23 at the break. The victory moved the Indians to 10-2 while Riverwood fell to 8-5.
“I was very pleased with this win today,” said McEachern head coach Tremayne Anchrum. “We were kind of wore out and we got a chance to play some good defense against a great player and kid over there (Riverwood’s JR Leonard) and we had a good game plan today.”
Leonard paced Riverwood with finished with a game-high 33 points while Clinton McCants scored 12 points and Myles Nobles had 20 points for Riverwood.
McEachern’s sophomore shooting guard Chase Lumpkin had 20 points, senior shooting forward Jayden Bynes scored 16 points, senior guard Christrian Curl scored 16 points and 6-foot-5 junior shooting guard Ogo Ekweozor scored 11 points for the Indians.
Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Basketball Classic results from Saturday
Class 6A No. 4 Newton 77, West Forsyth 53 (Boys)
Class 1A-3A Private No. 2 St. Francis 75, Class 2A No. 1 Josey 67 (G)
Class 6A McEachern 54, West Forsyth 28 (G)
Class 6A No. 5 McEachern 75, Class 5A No. 9 Riverwood 61 (B)
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