By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Chris Reed wants to see his Rush-Henrietta Royal Comets play consistently over 32 minutes. For now, the 19th-year coach will have to settle for a quick start and stretches of solid play.
Jevonte Williams connected four times behind the 3-point arc and finished with a season-high 20 points to lead R-H past the Edison Tech Inventors, 64-58 in the opening round of the 2018 R-H Boys’ Holiday Tournament.
Williams was one of four Royal Comets to score in the opening moments as R-H jumped to a 12-0 lead and did not allow Edison to make it a one-possession game for the remainder of the contest.
“The start was absolutely the key to game,” Reed said. “We were able to always be comfortably ahead even when we stopped playing as well.”
Nyles Goodwin started the scoring with a bucket inside. Charles Bowden III followed with a drive and basket. Williams got ahead of the defense for two. Shamire Broyld converted a rebound and putback before Bowden got in the lane again for another layup.
Edison called a time out less than four minutes into the contest.
Broyld hit a pull-up jumper to make it 12-0.
Williams scored on back-to-back possessions to start the second quarter, and Tim Jackson, Jr. connected on one of two free throws to give the Royal Comets their largest lead of the first half at 25-9 with 6:32 remaining in the second quarter.
1 of 8 turnovers @rh_hoops forced in the first quarter, Eddie Beverly converts at the other end with an assist from Charles Bowden III. Royal Comets lead Edison, 19-6. pic.twitter.com/UteT1zPXZV
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 27, 2018
R-H, though, took a 35-24 advantage into halftime.
“The way the game went is kinda how we’ve been,” Reed said. “We have potential. We have shown it at times. The challenge is obviously can we be consistent throughout a game. When we are, we’re pretty good. We lost a little focus.”
Broyld and Goodwin scored eight apiece, all from 15 feet in, to balance out the effort Williams had from long range.
“That’s when we’re at our best when we’re flowing like that,” Reed said of the balanced point production. “Sometimes we flow really well. You probably saw a little bit of everything tonight. That’s the challenge. It’s never always easy.”
The win was the fifth straight for R-H (5-2) and sets up a meeting with Pittsford Sutherland (4-3) in Friday’s tournament final.
“We are (finding our stride) and we’re going to have to because the schedule is now going to get very challenging,” Reed said referring to the contest with Sutherland as well as future games against Irondequoit, Leadership Academy, Fairport and Pittsford-Mendon. “It’s important that we get going. Not necessarily winning every one of these games, but our play has to become more consistent because our competition is going to get better.”
Bowden and Tyshawn Searight scored nine apiece for the Royal Comets. Searight converted a rebound and putback and connected from behind the arc as R-H matched its largest lead of the game at 61-43 with 3:49 remaining in the game.
Jackson finished with six points. Eddie Beverly had four.
Natrell Colbert scored 11 points to pace Edison (1-8). Jawaun Holt added 10. Kevin Heard and Alton Knight added nine apiece. Torrean Lewis (6) and Kevin Jackson (5) rounded out the scoring for Edison.
Kevis Heard takes the Jawaun Holt lead and finishes on the break. 4:09 to go @rh_hoops 58 Edison 43 pic.twitter.com/8aWCf8cDxy
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 28, 2018
“They might only have one win, but you look who they’ve played,” Reed said. “They’ve played McQuaid. They’ve played Kearney. We knew going into the game that they were going to come at us. That they were going to play hard like they always do.”
R-H and Sutherland will tip off at 6:15 PM, Friday. Edison will meet Gates-Chili in the consolation game. A 4:30 PM start time is slated.
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