By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Showing a lot of balance, LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) pulled away in the second half to defeat South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.), 78-66, in a nationally-televised battle of elite high school basketball teams Thursday night at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
LeFlore, ranked No. 12 in MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25, raised its record to 19-2 while dropping No. 10 South Atlanta to a 14-2 mark. Both LeFlore and South Atlanta have lost only to other teams ranked among the nation’s top 25.
The Rattlers led only 36-31 at halftime, but pulled away for good with a 20-9 third quarter. They were sparked by 6-10, 270-pound senior DeMarcus Cousins, who not only scored (21 points) and rebounded (11), but also handled the ball well and made some outstanding passes (eight assists). He had at least two spectacular dunks and even took a pair of charges. D.J. Woods, a 6-5 senior, came up big in the scoring column with 23 points.
LeFlore coach Otis Hughley told MaxPreps that Cousins played “probably his most well-rounded” game. “He was talking, encouraging and willed his guys to win. And he did it at his home (he grew up in Birmingham). He loves Mike Davis (UAB head coach) and he even calls him daddy.”
In the battle of bigmen, South Atlanta superstar Derrick Favors more than held his own, but he didn’t get enough help to turn the tide. The 6-9, 234-pound senior took game honors with 39 points and also grabbed 16 rebounds.
The Hornets arrived by bus just 45 minutes before the game and coach Michael Reddick conceded, “We were a step slow all the time. I had hoped we would have legs by the second half, but we never got on track.
“It’s frustrating that we didn’t get him (Favors) the ball. We had to kind of abandon things and let him go one-on-one. I saw him get really winded for the first time tonight, but like the warrior he is, he just kept plugging.”
