Richland knocks off No. 1, but loses late to Wisconsin squad

By Matthew Reagan

Star-Telegram

HALTOM CITY — What started off as one of the better days in the history of the Richland basketball program ended in frustration.

Hours after knocking off two-time defending Whataburger Orange champion and Class 5A No. 1 Flower Mound Marcus on Thursday afternoon, the No. 9 Rebels fell 77-67 to Milwaukee King in the tournament semifinals Thursday night.

Richland (14-2) was outscored 46-35 in the second half and the Rebels surrendered 16 second-half points to 6-foot-5 King senior forward Arroyo Edwards.

King (6-0) went on a 6-0 run to end the third to tie it at 53 and the Generals continued their hot streak, extending the run to 16-3 midway through the fourth quarter. The Rebels cut the lead to 70-65 with two minutes remaining but the potential comeback was thwarted by fouls that put King at the line.

"I think we were uncharacteristically soft with the ball," Richland coach Richard Bacon said. "I think we got a little tired and that affects your shots."

Rebels junior forward Leyton Hammonds was a one-man defensive wrecking crew in the first half, posting three blocks, four rebounds and two steals. But the 6-foot-7 swingman got into foul trouble early in the third quarter and was forced to sit for much of the second half.

"That hurt us because he was a big defensive presence in the middle," Bacon said.

Richland post Kris Brown took over in the final two periods, recording 17 of Richland's 35 second-half points. The rest of the Rebels' offensive weapons went cold. After posting 14 points in the first half, Richland senior guard Ricky Roberts managed just two in the final two quarters.

Rebels point guard Tony Mayfield Jr. was 4 for 5 from behind the arc and Brown finished 22 points and 15 rebounds, going 8 for 9 from the free-throw line.

King, ranked No. 3 in Wisconsin, meets Little Rock Parkview in the Orange Division finals at 8:15 p.m. Friday. Richland, which hadn't lost since dropping its season opener to Class 4A No. 4 Dallas Wilson, plays Plano West for third place at 6:30 p.m. Friday

Richland 58, Marcus 55

Richland has put the state on notice.

The No. 9 Rebels took down two-time defending Whataburger Tournament Orange Division champion Marcus 58-55 in the second round at Thomas Coliseum on Thursday afternoo,, and in doing so sent a message to Class 5A's elite.

"We can play with the best and we can beat the best," said Richland 6-foot-7 junior forward Leyton Hammonds, who had nine points and was 2 for 2 from behind the arc.

With the victory, the Rebels (14-1) have defeated Class 5A's No. 1 ranked squad and defending state champion Marcus, No. 2 DeSoto and two other state-ranked teams.

"It's a big win but it's still December," Richland coach Richard Bacon said. "But we should be mentioned in the conversation now. You talk about high school basketball in Class 5A and I think you have to mention Richland."

The win was an emotional one for senior guard Ricky Roberts, a transfer from Marcus who led the Rebels with 27 points.

"There's no hard feelings or anything. Me and their coaches get along great and me and their players get along great too," Roberts said. "We've got talent but we've still got a lot of work to do."

Roberts scored nine of Richland's 20 fourth-quarter points and was 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in the final quarter.

Tony Mayfield Jr., a transfer from Milwaukee, and the Rebels' leading scorer, added 12 points, seven of which came in the fourth.

Marcus Smart, one of the top recruits in the nation and who is headed to Oklahoma State, led the Marauders with 19 and fellow Oklahoma State commit Phil Forte III added 12.

Down 30-28 at the half, the Rebels held Marcus to just eight third-quarter points.

"One thing I've said is that we've got to do better is close and we were able to close it out today," Bacon said.

Roberts' 3-pointer with 2:20 remaining in the fourth gave the Rebels a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Hammonds and Roberts each hit two free thows with under 30 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Smart missed two 3-pointers on Marcus' final possession.

Richland 6-7 post Kris Brown picked up five second-half rebounds and helped limit Marcus' Nick Banyard, a 6-8 post committed to New Mexico, to just five points.

After losing its season-opener to No. 4 Dallas Wilson, Richland has won 14 straight. The Rebels face Milwaukee King, which defeated No. 12 Richardson Berkner 54-43 in the second round, at 8 p.m. tonight in the Orange Division semifinals.

Marcus (16-2) will face Berkner in the consolation bracket at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.

Duncanville 79, Arlington Martin 52

Duncanville outscored Arlington Martin by 13 in the second half to cruise to a 79-52 victory in a Whataburger Orange consolation matchup. Senior guard Brian Hampton and junior guard Jerami Grace had 19 points each for the Panthers. Martin was led by senior guard Myles Johnson (12 points) and sophomore huard Nick Babb (11 points). TCU football commitment Devonte Fields posted seven points for the Warriors and Cameron Ashton had nine. The Panthers meet Justin Northwest in a consolation semifinal at 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Little Rock Parkview 49, North Crowley 44 North Crowley just couldn't get in a rhythm against Little Rock Parkview in the quarterfinals of the Whataburger Orange Division. Down five after the third quarter, the No. 6 Panthers got to within one in the final minute but couldn't overcome untimely turnovers and several late missed shots in a 49-44 loss to Little Rock Parkview, Arkansas' No. 1 ranked team. "In a game that comes down to one or two possessions, it doesn't really matter where the mental lapses come," Panthers coach Tommy Brakel said. "One thing was the transition baskets we gave up in the first half," Panthers coach Tommy Brakel said. North Crowley gave up 12 fast-break points in the first two quarters but rebounded in the second half, holding Parkview to just six total field goals in the third and fourth quarters. Taylor Luster and Torrence Neal each scored 10 for North Crowley. Neal had eight in the final quarter. Parkview was led by junior guard Imara Ready, who posted 14 points, and sophomore guard Anton Bears, who had 17. "Losses can be a great thing for your team. It's all about how they handle it," Brakel said. "A lot of times, it's a whole lot easier for them to learn from their mistakes in a loss than it is after a win." The loss meant Class 5A Nos. 1, 2 and 6 all lost in consecutive games in the Orange Division on Thursday. No. 1 Marcus fell to No. 9 Richland and No. 2 DeSoto fell to No. 13 Plano West earlier in the day. North Crowley will face DeSoto at 2 p.m. Friday for a chance to play for fifth place.

Justin Northwest 59, Garland Naaman Forest 57 OT

Peri James notched 12 points and Parrish Smith scored the game's only overtime points as Justin Northwest defeated Garland Naaman Forest, 59-57 in overtime, in a Whataburger Orange consolation matchup at Thomas Coliseum on Thursday. Northwest limited 6-foot-11 Texas commitment Prince Ibeh to seven points, a day after he scored just seven against Richland. The Texans will play the winner of the Martin and Duncanville in the consolation semifinal at 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Coppell 54, FW Arlington Heights 51

Coppell outscored Fort Worth Arlington Heights by 12 in the second half to grab a 54-51 victory in the consolation bracket of the Whataburger Tournament Orange Division on Thursday. Down 34-25 at the half, the No. 11 Cowboys were led by 6-foot-8 senior post Jett Raines, who finished with 18 points. Austin Mankin, a 6-7 post, added 16 for the Cowboys, including nine in the second half. Yellow Jackets post A'Shawn Robinson, one of the top junior football recruits in the state, had 11 points for No. 13 Heights in the loss and guard Harrison Wagner, who posted 31 in the Yellow Jackets' three overtime loss to Plano West on Wednesday, also had 11.

Plano West 63, DeSoto 46

Second-ranked DeSoto fell to No. 13 Plano West, 63-46, in second-round action at Whataburger Orange. Six-foot-8 senior post T.J. Cline led the Wolves with 17 and 6-8 senior forward Holt Harmon added 13. Eagles junior guard and Duke commitment Matt Jones was limited to four points and 6-6 sophomore post Terry Maston paced DeSoto with 16.

FW Coca-Cola Classic

Crowley claims crown Crowley collected a championship trophy Thursday after downing Killeen, 53-31, in the finals of the Coca Cola Classic at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center. Letron Manning paced the Eagles with 17 points in the win. Sophomore guard Byron Cooke chipped in with 14 points, and tournament MVP Deondre Ray added 13 points and three steals. The Crowley defense stifled Killeen, causing turnovers in the backcourt and holding the 'Roos to nine total points in the first half.

Byron Nelson Classic

Norman (OK) 49, Euless Trinity 41 A four-minute scoring drought to open the fourth quarter ended a comeback bid for Euless Trinity in the title game as the Trojans fell, 49-41 to Norman (Oklahoma). Trinity (8-10), which had opened the game in an 8-0 hole, trimmed the Tiger lead down to two (36-34) with 11 seconds left in the third period. The Trojans, though, tallied just one free throw over the next four minutes as state-ranked Norman (8-3) moved back out to a late comfortable lead. “That stretch there just killed us,” said Trinity coach Mark Villines afterwards. “We just didn’t execute down the stretch, and you can’t do that against a sound team like them.” The Tigers scored nine of their final 13 points at the free throw line.

Trophy Club Nelson 52, Wylie East 51 Conor Mullis and Keyunta Watkins led a late fourth-quarter run to rally Nelson from a seven-point deficit to a dramatic 52-51 victory over Wylie East in the third-place game. Nelson (12-5), which trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half, trailed 49-42 with 2:26 remaining before Mullis scored five quick points on a pair of layups. Watkins then tied the score at 51-51 with a three-pointer and a free throw. Mullis then was fouled rebounding a final Wylie (5-10) shot and sank his second free throw to give the Bobcats their first lead of the game. “I’m proud of our guys for being resilient and fighting back,” Byron Nelson coach Scott Curran said. “Our guys have good character and we didn’t back down.” Watkins led Nelson with 28 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter.

Denton Guyer 55, Frisco Liberty 28 Denton Guyer (7-9) held Frisco Liberty (6-12) to just 10 points in the first half, and raced away with a 55-28 win in the fifth-place Consolation Final Game. Miles Crawford and Andrew Williams combined for 37 points.

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