Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were overwhelmingly hard to handle Friday night as Hamilton Heights routed East St. Louis 87-63 in the Penny Hardaway Hoopfest at Bartlett High School in Memphis.
Alexander poured in a game-high 30 points and Walker added 22 as the Hawks improved to 13-4 on the season.
Alexander was brilliant, hitting 13-of-17 shots, 2-of-3 free throws and 2-of-3 3-pointers. He proved virtually unstoppable inside the long-distance arc, knocking down 11-of-13 attempts. Alexander also had five assists and four rebounds.
Walker was 7 of 14 from the field and hit 5-of-10 3-pointers.
Therren Shelton-Szmidt added 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and matched Alexander with five assists.
Mahamadou Diawara contributed six points and nine rebounds, seven on the defensive boards.
The hot-shooting Hawks, who will play Arlington on Saturday night, hit 34-of-59 shots for 57.6 percent. With a 41-24 halftime lead Hamilton Heights shot 66.7 percent (18 of 27) in the second half and turned the game into a blowout.
Coach Zach Ferrell’s Hawks started and finished strong – 28 points in the first quarter and 27 in the fourth.
Jeremiah Tilmon, a five-star post who signed with Illinois, paced East St. Louis with 17 points and eight rebounds. He also had offers from Michigan State and North Carolina and 10 other schools.
Arthur Carter added 16 points for East St. Louis.
Tillman and Carter combined to hit 14-of-22 shots, including 14 of 22 on two-point attempts.
East St. Louis shot 48.1 percent from the floor, but connected on just 1-of-10 3-pointers.
LINESCORE
East St. Louis 12 12 18 21 -- 63
Hamilton Heights 28 13 19 27 -- 87
East St. Louis (63) – Jefferson, K.Chairs 5, Estes 5, M.Chairs, Vickers 1, Forest, Arthur Carter 16, Leflore, Scales, Jeremiah Tilmon 17, Collins, Jones, Terrence Hargrove 19, McClendon, Hill.
Hamilton Heights (87) – Nickeil Alexander-Walker 22, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 30, Rawls, Massengill, Edwards 5, Samake 9, Therren Shelton-Szmidt 11, Ddiawara 6, Panzo 2, Jitoboh, Ezeagu 2.
3-Point Goals – East St. Louis 1 (K.Chairs 1), Hamilton Heights 9 (Walker 5, Alexander 2, Edwards 1, Szmidt 1).
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)