CENTRE – Cherokee County High School boys basketball coach Caleb Hays said his game plan against fourth-ranked Jacksonville centered on neutralizing the Golden Eagles’ size advantage. He just didn’t anticipate them shooting almost 54 percent from the 3-point arc.
Jacksonville sank 14-of-26 of its 3-point attempts to help sink the Warriors by the final of 87-57.
The Golden Eagles (11-4, 4-0) drained five treys in the first quarter to set the tempo and build a 21-13 advantage. Three more treys before halftime gave Jacksonville a 45-30 edge.
“The last time we played them, 73 of their (93) points came from inside the paint and the free-throw line,” Hays said. “We were obviously worried about their size, trying to take that out, trying to force them to the perimeter and close out. They shoot the ball and get to the rim, and they finish well. They’re probably the most talented team I’ve seen top to bottom. They’re really, really good. You have to play unbelievable to beat that team. That’s a very, very talented team.
“When they shoot the ball like that, it makes it very difficult to coach. You can come out on them, but they can go by you too. It’s hard. You can go either way, but the great teams can go to the rim and they can hit from the outside too.”
Julian Hill led the Golden Eagles in the 3-point shooting contest. He hit on 5-of-9 shots from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points.
“He played well,” Jacksonville first-year coach Shane Morrow said. “He’s capable of doing that at any moment. Everybody’s got a role on this team and that’s his role, shooting. He can drive and do all those other things, but he’s come a long way on the defensive end. I know he hit a bunch of threes tonight, but I’m probably more proud of the effort he’s started putting in on the defensive end.
“He’s taken several charges this year. He’s playing help side. He’s playing with a lot of energy, always wanting to guard one of their better players. He’s always been able to shoot, but (defensively) has been a big turnaround.”
Jacksonville’s John Broom topped all scorers with 23 points. He also had eight rebounds, five steals, four assists and a block. Cade Phillips finished with 13 points, 10 boards and four blocks. Caden Johnson, Devin Barksdale and Camren Johnson rang for nine, eight and seven points respectively.
“When we came in, I wanted to establish the up-tempo, get the ball out,” Morrow said. “That’s what modern basketball is going to. You see it every day on TV. The kids enjoy it, and we work at it. We shoot a ton during PE and practice. I hate to say we live and die by it. We were 14-of-26, so that’s not bad.
“Like I said, they work at it. Give the kids credit. It’s not like this is coming just out of the blue. We just got hot. They put the work in, and I’m glad it’s paying off for them.”
But Jacksonville didn’t have all the outside sharpshooters.
Jack Amos led the Warriors (8-8, 1-2) with 17 points, including five treys of his own. Malachi Horton had 11 points. Landon Caldwell connected on three treys for nine points. CJ Gresham finished with five points.
“I thought we needed to finish better to stay in the game early,” Hays said. “I thought we had a lot of opportunities, some open shots we needed to hit, some things we could’ve finished. We changed our shot, but a lot of that was because of what their defensive presence is.
“They do a good job of not fouling you, but deflecting your shots and making you change the way you shoot. If you do just go into them, they’re a good shot-blocking team. They’re just extremely talented.”