By Paul Gotham
ROCHESTER, NY – TJ Davis (Liverpool, NY/ Liverpool) paced a balanced attack as the Monroe Community College Men’s Basketball team (13-5/2-0) never trailed in a victory over the Jamestown-Olean Jaguars (2-8/01), 106-62 in Western New York Athletic Conference action on George Monagan Court Tuesday night.
Davis scored 10 of his team-high 19 as the Tribunes turned a 19-point lead at half into a blowout.
“We never play at the other team’s level,” Davis said. “We got high expectations, and we want to keep them.”
Usually the team’s defensive stopper, the 6-3 sophomore guard hit 6 of 10 shots on the night including 3 of 4 behind the arc. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second stanza to stretch the lead to 30 at 59-29.
“We shoot hard every day,” Davis stated. “It’s just keeping it going from practice to the game and keep our momentum high and never let it fall down.”
Nick Curry (Piffard,NY/York) paced Monroe from beyond the three-point arc. The freshman guard connected on 6 of 9 attempts from long range. He scored 12 points after the break in his first start of the season.
“I was really happy for Nick,” said Monroe coach Jerry Burns. “It was good for Nick. He looked great tonight.”
The Tribunes shot 15 of 34 (44.1 percent) behind the arc and have hit 35.8 percent for the year.
Dykweil Bryan (Brooklyn, NY/Queens Academy) powered the Tribune motor. The 5-10 freshman point guard pushed the pace early and often.
“I was just trying to find the open spots and create,” Bryan explained. “It was open, and I am trying to get my teammates better shots and put them in a situation where they can score.”
James Brown (St. Louis, Mo.) led the Jaguars with a game-high 26 points. The sophomore guard hit 9 of 25 from the floor including 6 of 17 from long range. He dished out five assists.
Brown scored five straight midway through the first half. His three-ball from the left corner trimmed the Tribune advantage to five at 23-18. Jamestown-Olean never came any closer.
From there, Isaiah Davis (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) netted 10 as the Tribunes outscored Jamestown, 14-6 to gain separation.
The Tribunes leading scorer drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to start the spurt. He converted a rebound and putback on the next trip. The Tribunes used crisp ball movement on the next possession, and Anthony Hemingway (Brooklyn, NY/ NIA School) fed Davis for another trey. T.J. Davis used an upfake a drive to score on a layup, and Isaiah Davis chased down his own miss and finished at the rim for a 35-21 lead.
Hemingway hit three of four free throws. Damon Miraud (Elizabeth, NJ/ Elizabeth) stepped in a passing lane for a steal and combined with Bryan for a two-on-one situation finishing with an alley for a dunk, and a 47-28 Monroe advantage at half.
Isaiah Davis finished with 12 points.
Marcus Gooding (Brooklyn, NY/Franklin Delano Roosevelt) added 14 on 5 of 10 shooting including 4 of 9 from the 3-point line.
Kamal Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Prospect Heights) played just 14 minutes but led the Tribunes with seven rebounds.
Tashawn Desir (Brooklyn, NY/NIA School) scored four, dished out four assists and corralled four boards.
The win was the six straight for Monroe who will host Jamestown Community College on Thursday night. Tip time at Monagan Court is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Paul Gotham is the founder, owner, editor and lead writer at Pickin’ Splinters. Paul is the Communications and Media Director of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He is a contributor at USA Today and member of the USBWA. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PickinSplinters.
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