It is always great to highlight a Select Nation's student athlete. Spencer Turner, number 24 on the Richards Middle School basketball team and, a member of the Mighty Select Nation 14U COLLEGE Bound team with Head Coach Michael Johnson, played a key role in his school winning the Gwinnett County Middle School Eastern Division championship.
Richards Middle overcomes 30-footer to force OT, tops Bay Creek for Eastern Division title
Story by Will Hammock of the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
LOGANVILLE — Nearly derailed by a miraculous 30-foot heave by Bay Creek's Kenyon Jackson to force overtime, the Richards Middle boys basketball team regained its composure quickly.
The Black Knights, playing in front of a large and loud Bay Creek-heavy crowd at Grayson, regained control in the extra period and held on for a 69-66 win for the Eastern Division title in the Gwinnett County Middle School Basketball Tournament. They advance to play the winner of Saturday's Western Division final, either Dacula or Osborne, for the overall county championship Thursday at approximately 7 p.m. at North Gwinnett.
"That's what I've been most impressed with the whole year, especially recently, to they do not let themselves get rattled, they keep their eyes on what they're trying to accomplish," longtime Richards boys coach Ron Hickman said. "They do a good job persevering and not letting little things bother them. When they got to the bench at first (after Jackson's shot), they were obviously a little upset because that was unbelievable and personally I thought it was after the buzzer. That made it even worse. But it was big for them to keep their composure. We've been able to keep relaxed and play when we're under pressure."
Bay Creek, fresh off an upset of top seed Shiloh, jumped out to a quick 11-1 lead, but Richards quickly reeled it back in and the game was tied at halftime. It stayed close until the fourth quarter, when the Black Knights took a 12-point lead with less than a minute to play.
Looking like the victory was forthcoming, Hickman pulled his starters. However, four quick points from the Rams forced the Richards regulars back in. But they couldn't stop hard-charging Bay Creek, which finished the game on a 12-0 run behind Justin Fleming, who had a game-high 29 points along with six rebounds and three assists.
The last play was a stunner, a scramble just across midcourt that was nearly a turnover. But the 6-foot-4 Johnson, who had 21 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots, grabbed it, spun and banked in a 30-footer off glass as time expired that sent the game into overtime and the Bay Creek student section running onto the floor.
Point guard Jalen Alexander made Richards' biggest play of overtime, converting a three-point play with 1:03 left for a 67-64 edge. Alexander finished with 17 points and a game-high five assists.
Two Bay Creek free throws got the margin back to one, but Spencer Turner's layup pushed the Richards lead back to 69-66. That score held for the Central Gwinnett feeder school as a Bay Creek 3-pointer was off the mark as the clock expired. Turner led his team with 21 points and added six rebounds.
"Being here, (Bay Creek) definitely had the crowd advantage, but our kids persevered and made it happen," said Hickman, whose program won its sixth all-time championship.
Richards also got important contributions from Kameron King (nine points, six rebounds, three steals), Brendon Woods (seven points, four rebounds), Demont Davis (five points, eight rebounds, five assists, four steals) and Skylar Adams (eight points).
"I love this group of guys," Hickman said. "That makes it nice. They're quality kids, so I'm enjoying it even more. … They've worked extremely hard. It was a total team effort. All of them came together and played well together."
Just Go Select!!!
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