BOYS 4A SOUTH FINALS: Catholic punches ticket to B'ham with OT win
Catholic’s LJ Green shoots over BTW’s Jaquavious Miles in the Knights win on Wednesday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
With a little more than three minutes remaining, Catholic trailed area rival Booker T. Washington by six points in the South Regional championship game at Garrett Coliseum on Thursday.
Josh Palmer had few touches and no one other than LJ Green was scoring with any consistency, a primary reason why the Knights trailed the Golden Eagles late in the game.
“I pray to God, tell God that whatever I’ve got to do, I’ve got to do,” Green said.
The senior showed why he is one of the most dynamic players in the state, scoring on three consecutive Catholic possessions and then adding a pair of free throws in an 8-2 run to force overtime to help the Knights pull out a 51-47 victory that sent them to the state tournament for the third time in the last four years.
Catholic (19-6) will play the winner of Thursday morning’s game between Westminster Christian and Deshler in the 4A state semifinals on Tuesday at Legacy Arena at 4:30 p.m. Booker T. Washington ends the season at 19-8.
“The job’s not done yet,” Green said. “I’m not that excited.”
The previous three games between the Area 4 rivals has produced a combined margin of 13 points and Wednesday’s game was no different. The Knights never trailed until Jaquavious Miles sank a free throw to break a 32-32 tie with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
Over the next four minutes, BTW went on a 9-4 run as the Knights hit just one of their nine field goal attempts, along with a pair of turnovers.
“This year, it’s been typical like that, always close,” Green said. “We should have had them early. We let them pull away. We came out lacking.”
Defensively, the Golden Eagles were denying Palmer the ball in the paint, taking away a large part of the Catholic offense. Offensively, Elijah Hall hit five 3-pointers on his way to a 23-point performance that gave BTW the spark it needed.
“He was killing us from the 3,” Green said. “We put No. 30 (Rickie Williams) on him and put an end to that.”
Actually, Catholic coach Mike Curry said, the Knights never really contained Hall, one of several factors that kept him pacing the sideline.
“We were supposed to run him off the line,” Curry said. “Never once did he put it on the floor and have to get a shot off. Everything was pretty much catch and shoot. We didn’t make him work hard enough to get a shot off.”
The Knights weren’t hitting from the 3-point arc and Palmer wasn’t getting the ball in the paint, leading to some anxious moments before Green took charge in the final three minutes of regulation.
“I had to calm myself down,” Curry said. “I tell them all the time, just play the game for what it’s worth but I was getting upset with some of the costly turnovers and plays we were making. But the guys keep fighting. I’m proud of the way they step up and compete every night. We’re not perfect, but we’ve been finding a way to win.”
In overtime, the Knights scored the first points from an unlikely source. Jayden Phifer, who had struggled all game and missed all seven of his shots, buried a 3-pointer when it counted most.
“He didn’t play too well, but I trusted in him,” Green said. “I passed it to him and he knocked down the shot.”
Phifer finished with three points, three turnovers, five rebounds and no assists and the Knights struggled mightily in the absence of his typical offensive production.
“I was so frustrated with him,” Curry said. “But late in the game we needed a bucket and he’s one of the ones you’ve got to rattle his chain a little bit and him sitting on that bench stewing, he knew he had to make amends. For us to play better, he’s got to play better. He’s a big part of what we do.”
Green finished with 22 points, including 8 of 9 at the free throw line, three assists and a pair of steals, followed by Binns with 12 points and Palmer with seven points and 13 rebounds. All three made the all-tournament team, with Green earning most valuable player honors.
“This is his third Final Four, second regional MVP,” Curry said. “He’s been the constant with these teams going to Birmingham. There’s been a lot of guys coming and going, but he’s been the constant.”
Hall, Elijah McCray and Marquez Daniel earned all-tournament honors for BTW.
“This scenario has played out every time that we played,” BTW coach Steve Rogers said. “It has come down to one or two possessions in the game and it comes down to experience, guys understanding what time of the game it is and what plays need to be made at that particular time. Our inexperience shows in that area. Give all the credit to Catholic. They have some senior guys that have been there before and I hope this is a learning lesson for our guys.”