By Steve Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
LEWES, Del. - Before the game, Woodbridge (Del.) fans wore homemade t-shirts that read "Xavier Henry Who?" By the time the final buzzer had sounded, they had gotten to know the Oklahoma phenom much more than they would've liked.
Henry poured in a game high 29 points, powering Putnam City (Okla.) to a 66-54 victory in front of a packed house at the Bay Ball Classic.
"When he steps on the floor he's going to bring his best game and give all that he's got," Putnam City head coach A.D. Burtschi said. "Tonight, he did just that."
Displaying a versatile offensive arsenal that has driven him to No. 4 in Van Coleman's rankings of the class of 2009, Henry shot 10-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-7 from the three-point line, and hit several big fourth quarter shots to ice the come from behind win for the Pirates.
"It was a tough game through and through," Henry said. "We just played through it and do what we needed to do."
Trailing by three heading into the fourth quarter, Putnam City turned to Henry, who turned to teammate Tyler Earls. Henry was swarmed whenever he touched the ball, and alertly looked to distribute the ball rather than force bad shots.
In turn, Earls received several open looks, and knocked down two big threes to help close the gap. He finished with 16 points.
The Putnam City win overshadowed the play of the game by Woodbridge. Early in the third quarter, Blue Raiders senior star K'yan Andrews soared through the air with an incredibly powerful tomahawk dunk directly in the face of a Putnam City defender.
Andrews even drew a foul on the play, but also drew extreme applause from the overwhelmingly pro-Woodbridge home crowd. Some fans poured onto the court and celebrated before play was able to resume.
It was as much a psychological blow to Putnam City as it was a blow to the scoreboard, but the Pirates were able to overcome.
"I think any good team has to weather storms," Burtschi said. "There was the storm combined of the outstanding play of the other team, dealing with our many violations, and not being obstacles ourselves. We were our own worst enemy for awhile, but in the end, we were fortunate to pull it out."
Putnam City definitely settled down. After shooting 29 percent from the field in the first half, they came out and shot 68 percent in the second half, including 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Andrews finished with 17 points for Woodbridge in defeat. Vashad Whidbee added 15 points for the Blue Raiders.
Putnam City advances to play in a Saturday contest against Hogsdon (Del.), who knocked off St. Mary (Md.) ,57-45.
For complete results from all of the Bay Ball Classic games, click here.
