Pickin' Splinters

Rochester's Independent Sports Source

Williams and UPrep run past Aquinas

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Jeenathan Williams (23) scored 31 points on 15 of 22 shooting from the floor. Photo: RON KALASINKAS.

By PAUL GOTHAM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Extra time spent in the gym paid immediate dividends for UPrep’s Jeenathan Williams. The junior forward extended his pre-game routine in preparation for Thursday’s showdown between state-ranked teams. He received the desired result.

Williams poured in a game-high 31 points, and No. 23 (AA) UPrep knocked off the No. 13 (AA) Aquinas Li’l Irish, 62-48 at the Voller Athletic Center on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan College.

“I worked out before the game at school,” Williams said. “I worked out real hard and took about 300 shots getting the mid-range up and just was focusing. That was my game plan. I knew since I worked on that before the game I was going to use it in the game. I followed through on that.”

Flashing a vast array of pull-up jumpers inside the three-point arc, Williams connected on 15 of 22 shots. The 6-foot-6 guard/forward scored 10 in  the second quarter when UPrep erased a deficit and took a five-point advantage into the locker room at halftime. They did not trail again.

“I usually put up 150 to 200 shots,” Williams continued. “But this was an important one, so I had to go extra.”

After closing the first quarter with a bucket, Williams had a steal and layup to open the second. His rebound and putback gave the Griffins their first lead of the game at 14-13. He scored again to make it 16-15.

The next time Williams connected, he took an outlet from Jabez Thomas and went the length of the floor for a layup and a 23-17 UPrep advantage. He knocked down a baseline jumper off an inbound to close the quarter with a 25-20 lead.

“If you don’t know by now, Jeenathan is a special player,” said UPrep coach James Reaves. “He’s learning the game. He already has the talent. He’s learning to be a leader. Usually he doesn’t score 30 points. We’ve been keeping him around 20 points, but it’s a big game. Big players step up in big games. That’s what he did.”

 

Thomas and Williams combined to push the lead to double-digits early in the fourth quarter. Williams started the stanza with a jumper from the free throw line. Thomas grabbed a loose ball and finished underneath for a 44-33 UPrep lead. The sophomore forward collected 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

 

“We don’t have to run plays to get him the ball,” Reaves explained. “His best shot is the second shot. He’s so big and athletic he’ll go get it.”

 

Williams netted the next six. His drive and bucket, which he set up with a head fake at the top of the key, gave UPrep its largest lead of the game 57-39. At the other end, UPrep’s defense held Aquinas to one field goal in its first seven trips down the floor in the fourth quarter.

“I was just taking it one possessions at a time,” Williams said. “Get stops on defense. Our goal is to get four stops in a row. Once we get those we’re a good offensive team. Our thing was to get in the middle. Shoot the mid-range in the gap. If we miss, get the rebound. Coach said ‘second shot is the best shot’ because of our rebounds.”

Williams collected seven rebounds, three assists, four blocks and and two steals.

VIEW MORE RON KALASINKAS PHOTOS HERE. 

Aquinas scored the first six points of the game and eventually took a seven-point advantage early in the first quarter. Jalen Pickett found the twine twice in the paint. Jason Hawkes converted a rebound and putback.

At the other end, the Li’l Irish defense forced turnovers on UPrep’s first three possessions. Pickett’s pull-up three from the top of the arc gave Aquinas its biggest lead of the night at 11-4.

 


“We knew they were going to come out with their first punch,” Reaves said.  “They’re a good team. I mean there’s no doubt about it. But we have learned to relax when they throw pressure on us. You attack pressure with pressure. That’s what happened.”

UPrep opened a nine-point lead early in the third quarter, but the Li’l Irish made it a one-possession game at 34-31 when Pickett connected from long range.

“They gave us a little problem with the press, but once we got into the right spots and we attacked it, our guys were more comfortable,” Reaves noted. “We were getting shots. Usually in the past, we would passive when we’re up. Now we have a mentality where we are going to attack it.”

The Griffins outscored AQ 6-2 to close the third and take a 40-33 advantage into the fourth.

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Elroy Clark and Kassius Williams scored seven apiece to pace the UPrep bench which outscored its opponents, 16-2. The Griffins outscored Aquinas in the paint, 30-18.

The Griffins out rebounded Aquinas 43-25 including 17-10 on the offensive glass which they converted to a 20-12 advantage in second-chance points.

UPrep improved to 10-2 with the win. UPrep plays at Northstar Christian on January 14th.

Pickett led Aquinas with 23 points – a touch over his season average of 22.3. He grabbed eight rebounds.

Hawkes tallied 12 points, corralled three rebounds and took two charges.

 

Aquinas fell to 5-2. The loss was the first for Aquinas to a fellow Section Five team since falling to Webster Schroeder in the 2014 Class AA sectionals. Emmitt Holt led Schroeder that season. Holt currently averages 13.2 points and 5.9 per game for the Providence Friars.

The Li’l Irish host Niagara Falls (VI) this Saturday.

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