3rd place worthy of Westview’s ‘A’ game

Posted: Wednesday, January 2, 2013 12:00 pm

By RANDY CAVIN
Press Sports
It was not the game Westview boys’ basketball envisioned being in, but the Chargers put up a solid effort against Station Camp to take third place in the 48th Annual Lions Club Christmas Tournament.
The Chargers (14-3) were strong at the free throw line by hitting 12 of 15 shots in the final period to hold off the Bison 72-66 and come out with the third place finish. Dyer County won the tournament for the fifth time in the last six years by beating Clarksville Kenwood 75-47.
The Choctaws Robert Hubbs III, a Tennessee signee, was named tournament MVP.
The Chargers failed to make it to the finals after losing to Kenwood in the semifinals 49-37. Westview made into the winners’ bracket by beating Jackson Central-Merry 72-44 in the quarterfinals.
Westview will return to District 13AA action on Friday when both Charger boys’ and girls’ teams play host to Obion Central.
WV 72, Station Camp 66
Westview head coach J.B. Suiter had a game plan to wear down the bigger Bison players by playing a more aggressive game than the Chargers had against Kenwood.
It worked as the Bison relied on fouling in the fourth period in an attempt to slow down the much faster Chargers. Westview responded by going 7-of-8 from the foul line down the stretch.
“We wanted to pressure,” Suiter said. “We wanted to get up and down the court and definitely make their big kids run and wear them down. I thought that worked. I thought our kids played three and a half very aggressive quarters.”
And aggressive the Chargers were as they forced the Bison into nine first half turnovers to Westview’s three.
The Bison hung tough in the first half and led by two at the break, 33-31. Bison post player Kyle Anderton, a 6-4 sophomore, scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the opening half.
Westview countered Station Camp’s inside game by hitting five 3-pointers — two by Jordan Davis and two by Tyquis Johnson in the first half. That caused the Bison to extend their defense to protect the perimeter, which resulted in the Chargers scoring 12 points in the paint.
The Bison extended their lead to 37-33 on Anderton’s basket under the rim in the third period. Then Antonio Hogard made it a one-point game on his 3-pointer.
The Chargers took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Javier Gordon with 2:15 to play in the third to make it a 42-41 game. Hogard’s second 3-pointer of the period gave Westview a six-point lead before the Bison closed the gap on a basket to end the third.
The fourth period came with Westview’s legs still looking fresh. Hogard was perfect on his five free throws in the fourth and led the Chargers with 19 points. Gordon went 4-of-6 at the line and scored 16 for Westview. Johnson was second in scoring for the Chargers with 17 points.
Westview went 16-of-24 at the line and hit eight 3-pointers.
“We struggled from the line against a good team in Kenwood, and it hurt us quite a bit,” Suiter said. “We are going to have to make free throws to win tough games like this. We are going to have to make them to advance in the postseason.”
Kenwood 49, WV 37
It was not a good night for the Chargers as first half turnovers and 50 percent free throw shooting for the game kept them from making it to the finals against Dyer County.
Sloppy play led to 16 first half turnovers, and the Knights took full advantage by leading 27-16 at the half.
Westview attempted to make up some ground in the third period by having its best period offensively with 16 points. But, Kenwood kept up with Westview’s pace by scoring 14 points.
Neither team could mount any offense in the final period as both teams tightened up on defense. The Chargers could only manage to put four points on the scoreboard, and the Knights only scored seven.
Gordon led Westview with 10 points to be the only Charger in double figures. Johnson and Hogard scored eight points each.
Westview 72, JCM 44
When the Chargers do not turn the ball over and force their opponents into making mistakes, then Westview usually comes out on top even when its shooting is slightly off the mark.
That’s what happened against the Cougars in the quarterfinals. The Chargers only turned the ball over 11 times, while JCM suffered 21 turnovers.
The Chargers shot 45 percent from the field on 27-of-60 attempts. It was the defensive play and offensive boards that set up so many shots for Westview.
Westview led 20-11 after one and maintained its nine-point lead at the break with a 33-24 score.
Then, the Chargers turned the tempo of the game up in the third period by forcing the Cougars into eight turnovers and eight missed shots. All of that led to the Chargers putting 25 points on the scoreboard in the third period while holding JCM to seven.
Gordon led four Chargers in double figures with 15. Hogard added 11, while Jazell Baker and Davis each pitched in 10. Published in The WCP 1.1.13