Four first-quarter 3-pointers set the tone for the Boyd-Buchanan boys’ basketball team on Friday night, and the Bucs never looked back against District 5-A rival Grace Academy.
Two of those came from Justus McMillian, who went on to score a game-high 18 points as the Bucs improved to 3-0 in district play with a convincing 73-48 home victory.
“We were able to get stops, and then get quickly to the offensive end and convert,” Boyd-Buchanan coach Cole Rose said of his team’s performance during its 21-point first quarter.
“It was about making the open pass and hitting a couple 3s. Justus came out hot, which was really good to see, and Hall Allen hit a couple, too, which was also really good to see. I think our chemistry is finally starting to come together, and that’s promising.”
The Bucs, who opened the season on a 12-game winning streak and now stand at 16-2, led by as much as 12 in the first quarter and took a 21-11 advantage into the second period. A 3-pointer from Chet Matheny two minutes into the quarter got Grace within eight at 25-17, but the Golden Eagles would come no closer the rest of the way.
After a basket from the Bucs’ Zach Jenkins to extend his team’s lead back to double digits, McMillian scored night straight to help them take a 47-25 lead into the break. A dunk from Jenkins punctuated the third quarter, which ended with Boyd-Buchanan leading 61-36, and with 6:23 remaining in the fourth, the Bucs’ starters left the game for good.
Jenkins finished with 12 points for Boyd-Buchanan, while Allen and Jeremiah Nason totaled 10 apiece. McMillan and Austin Walker each contributed five assists, with Q.D. Cox adding three as part of a team total of 20.
“Offensively, we were very unselfish tonight, and that was a big key,” Rose said. “I don’t really have a lot of complaints about our offense, especially with how Justus and Austin shared the ball. When we can do that, I feel like we’re pretty good.”
The Bucs must follow Friday’s 5-A rivalry game with another on Saturday night at Arts & Sciences. The Patriots will bring a 2-0 district record into that matchup, which will give one team the early advantage in the district standings.
“It’s going to be a tough game over there,” Rose said. “We scheduled it this way, having two of our biggest rivalry games on back-to-back nights, on purpose to prepare us for the postseason. That’s what it takes to win our district tournament, and we wanted to be prepared for that. We’re halfway there right now, and hopefully tomorrow we can finish it out. But we know it’s going to be tough.”
(E-mail Jaime Barrett at jaimenbarrett@gmail.com)
BOYD-BUCHANAN 73, GRACE ACADEMY 48
Grace Academy 11 14 11 12 -- 48
Boyd-Buchanan 21 26 14 12 -- 73
Grace (48) -- Slack 9, Roberts 4, Lyons 2, Savard 7, Russell 4, Hughes 3, Godsey 9, McQueen 6, Matheny 3, Cooke 1.
Boyd-Buchanan (73) -- Hall Allen 10, Justus McMillan 18, Cox 6, Walker 5, Zach Jenkins 12, Arendale 2, Jeremiah Nason 10, Evans 4, Covington, Macon 4, Hodge, Clarke 2, Walker, Jackson.
3-point goals: Grace 3 (Russell, McQueen, Matheny); Boyd-Buchanan 6 (McMillan 4, Allen 2).