Hawks bad match for Westview

By KEVIN WEAKS
Press Sports
Westview did not match up well with Jackson South Side. Ultimately, the Chargers could not keep up with the Hawks, either.
Using their size and athleticism to cause Westview all kinds of problems in the open court, South Side closed the first half with a flurry of transition points to open up a double-digit lead and then ran away with a 93-60 win in their Region 7A Tournament quarterfinal showdown Saturday night at Jackson.
“Their size is their asset,” Westview head coach J.B. Suiter said. “It was against us anyway. This was just a bad match-up for us in the first round against a team I feel has a great chance to go to state.”
A.J. Merriweather, who had several thunderous dunks, was joined by Jaylen Barford and Malik Hicks in scoring a game-high 19 points to lead the balanced, high-scoring South Side attack.
The Hawks hit 38 field goals and connected on 13-of-20 free throws, playing the game at a pace that eventually wore down Westview.
“They’re athletic and quick, and they have some kids who have the potential to play D-I college ball,” Suiter said. “They play well together, and they’re young. They played terrific tonight.”
While the final score shows the game got out of hand, Westview was very much in it for the first quarter and through much of the second.
Three-pointers by Jordan Davis and Antonio Hogard helped stake the Chargers to a 6-5 lead three minutes into the game, and then Tyquis Johnson drove the baseline for a basket to stop a 5-0 JSS run and get the Chargers within 11-8 at 4:10.
South Side’s zone trap began to give Westview fits late in the first period, but the Chargers were down only 23-16 at the break as Hogard hit two triples and trailed 26-21 at 7:14 of the second period on a pair of drives by Jazell Baker, the second resulting in a three-point play.
Hicks scored inside and followed with a free throw for a 31-21 Hawks’ lead at 5:35, and soon after JSS began to pull away with their defensive pressure.
Merriweather took a steal in for a dunk, and Barford grabbed another steal and went for a layup. Merriweather connected twice at the line following a Charger turnover, and Merriweather dunked again off yet another steal to push South side’s lead to 44-28 at the half.
“They’re two or three inches taller than us at every spot, and we knew we’d have to win the game in the perimeter, hit some shots early,” Westview head coach J.B. Suiter said. “We had it at about a six-point margin, but then just we had a poor series of events where we had three turnovers in a row, and they capitalized.”
Hogard had nine points in three triples in the opening quarter, and then Baker scored seven points in the second frame for the Chargers. Meanwhile, Hicks had 14 points in the first half, and Merriweather scored eight points in the second period.
After South Side quickly grabbed a 20-point lead, 48-28, early in the third quarter, Javier Gordon blocked a dunk attempt on the defensive end and then scored twice in the paint on the other side to help Westview get within 15 points at 56-41.
The Hawks then went on a 17-5 run before Hogard closed the quarter with a trey for a 73-50 difference.
Hogard finished with 18 points, and both Baker and Gordon scored 10 for the Chargers.

Published in The WCP 2.26.13

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