Friday night’s high school basketball game at Arts & Sciences was a battle for first place in District 5-A, and for three quarters, it looked like one.
But in the final period, CSAS held Boyd-Buchanan scoreless for more than six minutes and pulled away for a 55-34 victory that gives the Patriots sole possession of the top spot in the district.
Coach Mark Dragoo said it was defense, specifically the 3-2 zone suggested by assistant coach Zach Dragoo, that turned the tide for his team.
“Zach said let’s look at a 3-2, and that really made the difference,” Dragoo said.
“We’ve practiced every other defense, but we hadn’t really practiced a 3-2. I really think the defensive philosophy benefitted us tonight. We were talking on defense, working as a team, covering their shooters, those kinds of things, but I also think it was just our desire to really lock down on them.”
The younger Dragoo also led the Arts & Sciences girls into first place Friday night after a 50-45 victory over the Lady Bucs. The Lady Patriots had to rally from a first-half deficit in their game, but used 18 points from Lennex Walker and 14 from Keturah Billen to secure the win.
In the boys’ game, Boyd-Buchanan held a 10-9 lead in the final minutes of the first period before Shunn Moorer’s 3-pointer put CSAS ahead to end the quarter. Demarcus Macon tied it for the Bucs to open the second, but the Patriots hit three of their seven 3s to build a 29-22 halftime lead.
Their margin was just 38-32 heading into the final period, but the Bucs struggled to withstand the pressure from Arts & Sciences in the fourth. Boyd-Buchanan’s first basket of the quarter came with less than two minutes left to play, and by that point, the Patriots had built a 20-point lead.
“In the first half, I thought we played well,” Boyd-Buchanan coach Zach Roddenberry said. “I think their pressure got to us in the fourth quarter, and we just had a lack of focus. Arts & Sciences is way too disciplined and well coached for us to let the easy stuff go.”
Moorer led all scorers with 23 points, and his performance helped CSAS improve to 15-5 overall and 5-1 in district play.
“He has struggled some this year,” Dragoo said of the junior. “We kept saying, ‘When’s the old Shunn going to show up?’ Well, the old Shunn showed up tonight. He’s been our most consistent player the past few years, and I hope that’s what we continue to see.”
With the loss, Boyd-Buchanan drops to 8-16 overall and 3-2 in 5-A, with district games remaining against Silverdale, Copper Basin, and Grace Academy.
“I told them that I hope this game hurts,” Roddenberry said. “Going into this, we were both at the top of the district. We came here tonight to make a statement, and obviously they were the ones who made a statement. If we’re going to get to where we want to be, we have to play well against teams like this.”
(E-mail Jaime Barrett at jaimenbarrett@gmail.com)
ARTS & SCIENCES GIRLS 50, BOYD-BUCHANAN 45
Boyd-Buchanan 13 11 10 11 -- 45
Arts & Sciences 4 18 15 13 -- 50
Boyd-Buchanan (45) -- Highfield 4, Hiland 6, Abed, Balthrop 4, Marisa McCalla 17, Madison Wright 14.
Arts & Sciences (50) -- Little 5, Keturah Billen 14, McElvain 5, Lennex Walker 18, Randolph, Justice 2, Ealey 5.
3-point goals: CSAS 2 (Walker 2).
ARTS & SCIENCES 55, BOYD-BUCHANAN 34
Boyd-Buchanan 10 12 10 2 -- 34
Arts & Sciences 12 17 9 17 -- 55
Boyd-Buchanan (34) -- Walker, Evans 4, Antwine 2, Hodge 5, Corington, Rogers, Jackson 5, Macon 6, Keebler, Parris Clarke 12.
Arts & Sciences (55) -- Carter 8, Shunn Moorer 23, Alford, Brown 8, Graves 6, Dodds 5, Johnson, Lansden 2, Hubbard, Fuller, Short, House, Clark 3.
3-point goals: Boyd-Buchanan 1 (Hodge); CSAS 7 (Moorer 3, Carter 2, Brown, Clark).