After trailing by two at halftime in a showdown of high school basketball's top-ranked teams, No. 2
Duncanville (Texas) erupted in the third quarter Friday night to hammer No. 1
Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 73-58 as part of the Hoopfest in Paradise event in Nassau, Bahamas.
Ronald Holland was huge once again for Duncanville, scoring a game-high 18 points and putting the exclamation mark on things with a monster dunk in the final minute. The University of Texas signee and top 10 national prospect scored all of this points in the final 19 minutes of the contest.
Duncanville (10-0) outscored Roselle Catholic (0-1) 29-14 in the pivotal third quarter. Back-to-back threes by Holland and
Bugg Edwards gave the Panthers a 37-32 lead that they would continue to build on. Another three by
Jackson Prince gave the Texas powerhouse its biggest advantage at 55-38.
In the first half, Roselle Catholic stifled Duncanville with 2-1-2 zone and used a 9-1 run midway through the second quarter to
grab a 23-17 lead. The Lions carried a 28-26 lead into the half.
Ronald Holland sparked a second-half runaway for No. 2 Duncanville over No. 1 Roselle Catholic on Friday night. (File Photo: Keith Owens)
led Roselle Catholic with 14 points while Duke-bound
MacKenzie Mgbako grabbed 13 rebounds.
It's worth noting that Duncanville was playing its 10th game of the season already with wins over teams from five states while the showdown in paradise served as the season-opener for Roselle Catholic. The victorious Panthers face
Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) on Saturday in Nassau while Roselle Catholic meets
Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.).
Duncanville's success so far this season has come despite the program being embroiled in an eligibility controversy that goes back to last winter. The Panthers were forced to vacate their 2022 Class 6A state title, head coach David Peavy was suspended for one year and this year's team is banned from the state playoffs.
