Northwest pours it on late to deny Birdville

It was still a close boys Class 5A regional quarterfinal late in the third quarter Tuesday when Justin Northwest guard Avery Anderson took over.

A pair of 3-pointers by Anderson extended a five-point lead to double digits, and the Texans cruised to a 76-58 win over the Birdville Hawks at Coppell High School.

Northwest (31-5) meets El Paso Andress (26-6) in a Region I semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday at Western Texas College in Snyder.

Julian Smith had 15 and Justin Keys added 13 for the Texans, but it was Anderson, a sophomore, who carried Northwest for much of the night. He finished with 34 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Anderson scored 20 in the second half.

“[Anderson] really made some big-time plays, and [Smith] then Julian hit some big-time shots,” Northwest coach Mike Hatch said. “When you make shots you give yourself a chance to put some distance between you and the other team.”

Birdville’s shot-makers kept them in the game for three quarters as well. Jalen Adams led the Hawks with 18 points, including a buzzer-beating jumper that put Birdvile up 15-12 at the end of the first, and Noah Wheeless finished with 16, on four 3-pointers.

Matthew Martinez; 817-390-7760; @MCTinez817

This story was originally published February 28, 2017 at 11:43 PM with the headline "Northwest pours it on late to deny Birdville."