FORT MYERS, Fla. – Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.) squaring off against Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) would be a dream championship game matchup for most high school basketball tournaments.
But not at the 38th annual State Farm City of Palms Classic, where Tennessee's defending Class AAA state champions met Illinois' 4A runner-up in the first round Friday night. Thomas Hamilton, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound sophomore, hit two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining to give Whitney Young a 38-37 victory.
Thomas Hamilton's late free throws were the difference for Whitney Young Friday night.
Photo by Jim Redman
The game didn't turn out quite as pretty as it looked on paper as Whitney Young's zone defense and the absence of a shot clock turned the contest into a grinder. Melrose struggled to find openings as the Dolphins shuffled seven players 6-foot-6 or taller in and out of the lineup.
"That's our advantage," Whitney Young head coach Tyrone Slaughter said. "We have a lot of size and aren't as deep at the guard positions as we have been in the past."
Fans at Bishop Verot voiced their displeasure with boos when Melrose ran off the final two minutes of the first half dribbling the ball at halfcourt while Whitney Young waited patiently for the action inside the 3-point arc. But those in attendance were treated to an exciting finish.
Melrose senior forward Telvin Wilkerson scored on a set play out of a timeout with a little under a minute to go to give the Golden Wildcats a 37-36 lead. After a missed shot on Whitney Young's end, Davonte Hampton had a chance to put the Chicago powerhouse away at the line, but missed the front end of a one-and-one.
The Dolphins went to Hamilton on the low block, who went strong to the basket and was fouled by Melrose star Adonis Thomas. That sent the sophomore to the line for the game-tying and game-winning free throws.
"That's what big time players do," Slaughter said of Hamilton's shots under pressure.
A last-second shot by Melrose missed the mark and the Dolphins advanced to face national No. 2 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) on Saturday in quarterfinal action.
Luke Hager, a 6-7 senior, led Whitney Young in the scoring column with 16 points.
"When Luke plays like that, there aren't a lot of teams on our schedule that will be able to beat us," Slaughter said. "They did some things to take away from Sam (Ohio State signee Samuel Thompson), and Luke stepped up like Robin alongside of Batman."
Jermaine Morgan also made a major contribution for the Dolphins with 16 rebounds.
Thomas led the way for Melrose with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. The loss continues a disappointing start for the Golden Wildcats, who drop to 8-4 after being ranked No. 1 nationally in the preseason by multiple media outlets.
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 62, North Port (Fla.) 48
Rosco Allen and Shabazz Muhammad helped defending Nevada 4A state champion Bishop Gorman shake off a slow start and advance with a win over upset-minded North Port.
Allen, a 6-9 junior wing, scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Muhammad – rated the No. 4 player nationally in MaxPreps.com's 2012 Top 100 – added 19 points.
Thanks to the play of Kasey Wilson (game-high 32 points, nine rebounds) and Dauntae Johnson, North Port led 16-12 after the first quarter.
"I think it's pretty safe to say we struggled," Bishop Gorman head coach Grant Rice said. "We had to make some adjustments with our rebounding. We were trying to run out and get some dunks early on and that gave them some momentum."
Bishop Gorman began to take control of things in the second quarter and led by five points at the half. A pair of big 3-pointers by Allen helped expand the lead to 11 after three.
Muhammad's dunk at 6:14 of the final quarter stretched Bishop Gorman's lead to 52-39 and unofficially signaled the end of North Port's upset bid.
Despite a long day of travel Thursday that included stops in St. Louis and Orlando, Rice refused to attribute his team's sluggish start to road-weary legs.
"It was a long day but we got in around 7 p.m., had some pizza and watched the Findlay Prep game," Rice said. "It was nice to see our Nevada boys come out on top (against Yates of Houston, Texas, in an ESPN-televised game)."
Norfolk Christian (Norfolk, Va.) 62, Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.) 60
In the tournament opener, North Carolina signee James McAdoo scored 18 points and grabbed 10 boards to push Norfolk Christian past Dr. Krop.
McAdoo was one of four Ambassadors in double figures, joining Michael Murray (15 points), Dontrell Silver (15) and Mario Nixon (10 points, 10 rebounds).
Kansas State signee Angel Rodriguez led the Miami school with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Thomasville (Ga.) 80, Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.) 53
Junior forwards Robert Carter and Willie Clayton combined for 44 points and 12 rebounds as Thomasville opened non-tournament showcase action in impressive fashion with a 27-point win over event host Bishop Verot.
Carter, a 6-8, 245-pounder, led all scorers with 24 points.
Nate Howard scored 14 points to pace the Vikings in a losing effort.
Saturday's schedule
Noon – North Port vs. Dr. Krop
1:45 p.m. – Fort Myers (Fla.) vs. Milton (Ga.)
3:30 p.m. – Christ School (Arden, N.C.) vs. Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.)
5:15 p.m. – Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.)
7 p.m. – Whitney Young vs. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.)
8:45 p.m. – Winter Park (Fla.) vs. Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.)
10:30 p.m. – Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) vs. Bishop Gorman
