By Martin Barrett
The Highline Pirates came out hot, scoring their first four times down the court and jumping to a 7-0 lead. They never looked back and racked up a 59 to 44 win over the Lindbergh Eagles in round one of the KingCo Tournament.
Coach Rick Frazier leads his team next Wednesday into round 2. The venue and opponent will be announced Sunday.
Charles Brown Presses in for a Rebound
Rebounding was the backbone of their victory. Senior Rubin Humbert pulled down 8 from the offensive boards and converted 4 of those into scores. Humbert also grabbed 6 on the defensive side and blocked 2 shots. His presence in the center of the key shut down much of Lindbergh’s ability to drive to the hoop.
Sophomore Corey Crosby, injured early in the season, also made a significant contribution. Crosby played 29 minutes, scoring 12 points and snatching ten rebounds. Crosby also went 4 for 4 from the charity stripe. Free throws have been a bain during this season for the Pirates. In this game, the team went 16 of 27 attempts for only 59%, leaving 11 potential points off the scoreboard.
Junior Marquawn McCraney and Senior Charles Brown, who just signed to play football for Western Oregon University, took 9 and 8 rebounds, respectively. McCrany also added 12 points to help the team.
At the end of the first half, the Eagles began to creep up on the Pirates and gather momentum; but Junior Ebrima Hren took the air out of Lindbergh with a silky 3-point shoot at the buzzer that seemed to lift the Pirates. The half ended with a 30 to 21 Pirate lead.
Senior Marcus Moss continued his intense defensive pressure. Moss disrupted everything from inbounds to upcourt passes, and he had two steals that led to layups.
Junior Jaylen Simpson also had a good game. Simpson led the team in floor time, diving for loose balls. His aggressive play and the scrappy defense stopped the Eagles when they were gaining stride.
“I think the boys came out and played really well. They responded, we had a great practice yesterday, but the focus on the bus was different today. Everybody from 1 to 10 played really well. I can’t take credit for it; the boys came out and played hard,” said coach Frazier.
Watch the next game this Wednesday at 6pm at Franklin Pierce!
Watch an interview with Coach Frazier below:
