Brooke McCurdy Sparkles For GPS In Jamboree

Boyd-Buchanan, Hixson, Tyner Also Victorious

  • Tuesday, November 11, 2014
  • John Hunt

High school basketball coaches really can't get a handle on what their teams can do in an eight-minute quarter, but at least it's a chance to play in a game situation with a live crowd on hand to make it feel somewhat like the real thing.

Such was the case at GPS on Tuesday night as the second evening of jamboree action concluded with five quarters of play.

The GPS Bruisers were winners in two quarters while the Boyd-Buchanan girls also claimed a win.  Other winners included the Hixson and Tyner boys.

GPS opened play with a 19-8 win over Howard before the Lady Bucs of Boyd-Buchanan stopped Hixson, 13-6.  The Hixson boys doubled Boyd-Buchanan by an 8-4 final before GPS won for the second time with a 24-8 verdict over Tyner.  Then in the final stanza, Tyner boys pulled out a 21-15 win over McCallie.

GPS 19, HOWARD 8: It didn't take long for GPS freshman Brooke McCurdy to make a strong impression as she scored the first seven points in the opening 90 seconds as the Bruisers raced to a 12-0 lead before Howard called timeout.

Deyshala Rice drilled a 3 from the key at the 4:35 mark to make it 12-3, but another 3 by McCurdy, a free throw from Gabria Hubbard and a layup following a steal by Akia Harris extended the Bruiser lead to 18-3.

Avery Campbell's free throw with 2:15 to play gave GPS its biggest lead at 19-3 before Rice scored five points in the final minute to make it just a little bit more respectable.

McCurdy had the hot hand with three 3s and finished with 13 points while Harris was next with four.  Rice scored all of Howard's eight points.

BOYD-BUCHANAN GIRLS 13, HIXSON 6: The Lady Bucs bolted to a 5-0 lead in the first minute and never looked back.

Free throws by T.T. Staten and Jameliah Dortch drew Hixson to within two at 6-4 with just over three minutes remaining, but Marisa McCalla scored five of her six points in the last 100 seconds to secure the win for the Lady Bucs.

McCalla was tops for the Lady Bucs with six points while Dortch had three to lead Hixson.

HIXSON BOYS 8, BOYD-BUCHANAN 4: There were more free throws attempted in this one than field goals, but the Buccaneers got two free throws and a layup from Parris Clarke for a 4-0 lead in the first two minutes.

Unfortunately for Boyd-Buchanan, they never scored again.

Meanwhile Hixson chipped away before taking the lead at the 4:52 mark on a 3 by Justice Alameda from the key.  Teammate Quay King canned a 3 from the wing two minutes later and that was it as far as the scoring was concerned.

Clarke had all four points for the Bucs while King and Alameda both had three each for Hixson.

GPS 24, TYNER 8:  If the Bruisers were the least bit tired from that first quarter, they certainly didn't look it as they dominated the Lady Rams.

GPS did its scoring in bunches as the Bruisers were up 8-0 before Tyner called a timeout. 

Jai'Mesia Parks broke the drought for Tyner with two free throws, but Alyshia Smith's field goal was the only points for the Lady Rams as that 8-2 stretched to 21-4.

LeAundra Melton sank the first of two free throws and then a 3 from the key as time wound down, but it never got any closer.

"It's always good to have an opportunity like this to work the jitters out," said GPS coach Jennifer "Curly" Williams.

"Timing is everything in this game as we aren't there yet, but I hope it comes sooner than later.  But for it to be so early in the season, I'm pleased with what I saw," she added.

"Brooke is just a freshman, but she's special and she's somebody to keep an eye on.  She and Akia were both here at 7 this morning shooting when I got to school, so they're both really hard workers," Williams praised.

Harris had 11 points to lead GPS while Hubbard followed with seven and McCurdy with five.

Melton was the leader for Tyner with four points while Parks and Smith both finished with two each.

TYNER BOYS 21, McCALLIE 15:  They saved the best for last in this one as it was by far the most competitive quarter for both nights.

There were seven lead changes before sophomore Kevin Cameron sank two free throws at the 1:38 mark to put the Rams up, 15-14.  Cameron converted a three-point play the old fashion way 11 seconds later to make it 19-15 before Daaron Mastin concluded the scoring with a layup at the 25-second mark for the final six-point margin.

McCallie could have gotten closer in the last 18 seconds, but the Blue Tornado missed four straight free throws at the end.

"You can't learn anything from one quarter," Tyner coach Gerald Harris joked afterward.

"I was pleased with our intensity and effort and I thought our defensive pressure was good, but it seems like the defense is always ahead of the offense at this point in the season.  We lost eight seniors last year and have a lot of new faces, but it should be another fun season," he added.

Cameron topped all scorers with eight points while Maston followed with four.

Adrian Thomas was the scoring leader for McCallie with four points.  The Blue Tornado still have at least nine players involved in football, so first-year coach John Shulman got a chance to play everyone on his bench.

(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@Comcast.net)

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