For those in the DFW area(Cam Clark/TJ Taylor related)

[Sam]

Nice write up on TJ from the Sherman/Dennison newspaper.

McKINNEY -- It came down to the end because that's what happens when Denison steps on the basketball court.

And the recent history says that when the Jackets do so in the first round of the postseason, they find a way to win as well.

An early surge in the third quarter gave Denison the momentum it needed on both sides of the ball as the Yellow Jackets defeated Richardson Pearce, 57-51, in a Class 4A Region II bi-district game at McKinney Boyd on Tuesday night.

"I thought our defense was the reason we won," Denison head coach Jody Bass said. "Our defense created opportunities for us."

Denison (16-15) will face Dallas Kimball in the area round at 7 p.m. at R.L. Turner on Friday night as part of a double-header with Sherman. Kimball knocked the Jackets out of the playoffs last season on the way to finishing as the state runner-up.

"We're going to have to pick it up offensively if we're going to play with Kimball," Bass said.

It is the fourth straight year Denison advanced to the second round, all of them coming down the final minutes or overtime. The Jackets will try to reach the third round for first time in school history.

Taylor, who scored the 2,600th of his career on a put-back with 2:36 left in the second quarter, had a game-high 20 points while Aaron Morrison had 16 points and James Smith provided a spark with seven points.

"We got a huge game out of Aaron Morrison," Bass said. "I thought James did a really nice job for us. He hit that really big three to tie it. And I thought he did a really good job defensively for us."

The trio of Kenny Slocum, Cole Holland and Darius Revel helped Richardson Pearce (21-12) overcome an early deficit, combining to score all 25 of the Mustangs' first-half points.

"I'm thinking we can stop everybody," Bass said. "We went to some different looks and then when we went back to man that disrupted them a little bit."

While all three finished in double figures, Holland and Revel only scored one basket apiece in the second half. Slocum led Pearce with 19 points.

"We went to our half-court trap and that really helped us," Bass said. "Of course it helps when T.J. banks a three from 28, 29 feet."

Taylor had back-to-back threes as part of a 12-0 run in the middle of the third quarter, which turned a six-point deficit into a 35-29 lead on Smith's floater with 3:36 showing on the clock.

Pearce went scoreless for more than four minutes but managed to hang around and Connor O'Reilly scored his only basket of the game with 15 seconds left in the third for a 39-all tie.

But the fourth quarter has belonged to the Jackets for the past six weeks and this one was no different. Denison has now won nine of its last 10 games and none of the victories have been by more than six points. Although there was a little breathing room against the Mustangs, it took some key plays down the stretch to gain it.

After Slocum scored on Pearce's first possession of the fourth to give the Mustangs the lead, Denison never trailed again when Taylor converted a three-point play with just over seven minutes left in the game.

Each team's respective stars -- Taylor and Slocum -- exchanged shots as Pearce pulled within a point three times but the Jackets had an answer. Taylor scored with 2:27 left to give Denison a 51-46 lead before Coleman Furst, who chipped in six points, four rebounds and four assists, blocked Revel in transition and then Morrison and Smith scored on put-backs, the last with under a minute left.

The teams opened the game with a quick pace that favored Denison, which jumped in front before Revel scored five quick points late in the first and then Holland hit his second three-pointer with just under a minutes left to give Pearce a six-point lead.

Denison scored the first two baskets of the second quarter to take a slim lead before Pearce jumped back in front. Smith made a three-pointer from the wing with 57 seconds left in the frame to tie it at 23 but Slocum scored underneath 20 seconds later as the Mustangs held a two-point half-time lead.

 

[Sam]

Write up on Cameron.

McKINNEY -- Sherman had the game won. Then it didn't. Then it did again.

The final 30 seconds concluded in wild fashion but the Bearcats were able to survive the frantic finish, thanks to free throws by Cameron Clark and Stewart Counts, and escape with a 57-54 victory over Highland Park in a Class 4A Region II bi-district game at McKinney Boyd on Tuesday night.

"We've got some guys who have been here before," Sherman head coach Jeff McCullough said. "That stuff pays off and seniors do what they're supposed to in those situations."

Sherman (21-13) will face either Woodrow Wilson or South Oak Cliff in the area round later this week. The Bearcats knocked out Woodrow Wilson in the same round last season.

Highland Park (17-14) took a one-point lead on two Luke Turpin free throws with 23.7 seconds remaining but Clark put the Bearcats ahead when he sank a pair 10 seconds later.

David Allen drove the lane for the Scots and ran into a wall of defenders. Counts came away with the ball, was immediately fouled and hit his two free throws with 4.3 ticks on the clock to assure no worse than overtime.

That's when things got a little crazier. Ryan Massad drove the length off the floor and his 3-pointer near the top of the key was short of its mark, sending the Bearcat bench into a frenzy. But as the celebration began, the officials ruled Highland Park called a time-out from its bench after Massad passed mid-court with a whistle not many heard as play continued.

"I didn't but (the official) said he got it the whole way," McCullough said. "If it was a one-point lead I would have been a little more adamant.

"I'll take being the guy ahead by three anytime."

Two seconds were put on the clock and Sherman had to wait until Rex Huddleston's attempt banked off the rim at the buzzer to secure its fifth straight appearance in the second round.

Clark finished with 18 points to lead the Bearcats while Counts added 13 points and Trey Jones scored 10 points.

Sherman, which defeated Highland Park by 21 in the region quarterfinals last season, had a much tougher go-round with the Scots this year. The Bearcats trailed until late in the third quarter, when Qualin Hayden was intentionally fouled after a steal. The sophomore, who finished with 12 points and four steals, hit both free throws with 1:09 remaining to break a tie at 40.

"One of our biggest keys was getting out to an early lead and set the tempo. We got down 11. I'm not going to lie. We were worried," McCullough said. "The first playoff game is always the toughest one."

After having clawed its way back into the contest after trailing by double-digits early, Sherman looked like it might take control early in the fourth.

But the Scots jumped back in front and the see-saw battled continued until the conclusion. Highland Park actually took a three-point lead midway through the frame before Clark nailed back-to-back foul-line jumpers to put Sherman ahead.

The teams traded baskets but missed on a pair of chances over the next two minutes to change the score, which set up the dramatic ending.

Highland Park raced out to a 7-0 lead and kept a comfortable advantage throughout the first quarter as Sherman struggled to find its offense.

"We knew they weren't necessarily a team that would blow you out," McCullough said. "They weren't going to run out and get ahead by 20."

Daniel Edwards, the Scots' 6-9 center, took control of the paint in the first eight minutes by scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds. He finished with 19 points and 16 boards.

"The tempo really picked up and we were able to speed him up and that affected him," McCullough said.

In the second quarter both teams exchanged pockets of offensive activity. Sherman started strong with three quick baskets, the last a swooping steal and lay-in by Hayden, but then went into a nearly three-minute funk.

Both teams started trading baskets as halftime approached. Counts, who hit three 3-pointers in the first half, answered a deep shot by David Allen with just under two minutes left to make it a six-point game.

The Scots could have taken even stronger command but the Bearcats forced 12 turnovers in the first half, allowing them to chip away at the lead. Clark hit two free throws to get Sherman as close as four but when the chance arose again with 2.7 seconds left in the half he missed the front end of a one-and-one.

The Bearcats missed more than half their free throws and Counts was the only one to make a 3-pointer as Sherman went 3-of-13 from behind the arc in the opening 16 minutes.

"They got real up for it, especially after what happened last year," McCullough said. "I thought they had some good things going for them early, a real good game plan."

 

[MNsooner]

Thanks for the great video 4fcd and the articles sam.