City of Palms Day 1: Wheeler uses second-half surge to avoid first-round upset
A roundup of the action from the first day of the 2022 City of Palms Classic at Suncoast Arena.
Wheeler (GA), 69, Tampa Catholic 63
Thanks to a strong second-half performance by senior stars Isaiah Collier and Arrinten Page, Wheeler (Ga.) avoided the first major upset of this year’s City of Palms Classic by knocking off Tampa Catholic 69-63.
The duo, who are both committed to USC, combined for 32 points, 18 of which came in the second half and helped lead a defensive effort that limited the Crusaders to 30% shooting in the final two quarters.
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Tampa Catholic (3-4) led by as many as 10 points in the first half, on the strength of 8-for-19 shooting from the 3-point line. The Crusaders also got 16 first-half points from 6-foot-6 junior forward Karter Knox, the younger brother of Detroit Pistons forward Kevin Knox, a Tampa Catholic alum.
Wheeler (5-1), which entered the tournament ranked No. 9 in the MaxPreps Top 25, closed the third quarter on a 7-0 run to cut Tampa Catholic’s lead to 53-50 entering the fourth quarter. The Wildcats then scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to end the Crusaders’ upset bid.
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“Maybe the first City of Palms jitters for some of these guys but I think we need a better approach to start the basketball game,” Wheeler coach Larry Thompson said. “You can’t lose a game at the start of a basketball game but you can put yourself in a real big hole to the point that you can’t climb out of it. We were just fortunate to make a few stops in that third and fourth quarter to hang on and win a basketball game.”
Collier finished with 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds while the 6-foot-9 Page also dropped in 16 while pulling down 8 rebounds. Knox finished with a double-double, scoring a game-high 22 points while grabbing 10 rebounds.
North Laurel (Texas) 79, Charlotte 58
The Jaguars delivered a comprehensive victory in their debut at the City of Palms.
The Kentucky squad led from tipoff to the final buzzer against the slow-starting Tarpons.
“Super proud of them,” North Laurel head coach Nate Valentine said. “We shared the ball really well tonight, which is what we had to do.”
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Senior Reed Sheppard, a five-star guard committed to Kentucky, made his presence felt on the court, displaying elite court vision as he found open teammates to knock down shots.
Sheppard finished the game with 28 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Teammates Ryan Davidson and Brody Brock put up 22 and 20 points, respectively.
“Reed was tremendous tonight passing the ball – it’s what he’s done for us all year.” Valentine said. “Ryan Davidson was really good. Brody Brock was really good, and we kind of go as those three go.”
The Jaguars’ ball movement was key to overcoming their size disadvantage against Charlotte. The Tarpons have three players above 6-foot-4, including senior John Gamble, who led the team with 20 points.
“I told my guys, I can lose to teams that are better than us,” Charlotte head coach Mike Williams said. “I can’t take nothing away from them. I thought we played hard, and the morale in the locker room is still good.”
Charlotte will play Newton in a consolation game on Saturday morning, while North Laurel advances and will face Myers Park (NC) Saturday night.
“This is a great experience mainly for our guys,” Valentine said. “Getting invited is an honor but to come and try to win some games is even better.”
First Baptist 67, Gateway 44
The Lions (7-1) took home a sound win in the Hugh Thimlar Tribute Game over the Eagles (7-3) on Friday, thanks in part to a balanced team effort that saw three players in double-digit scoring.
“I’m very proud to represent the 239,” said head coach Scott Stewart. “I remember playing when Hugh Thimlar was a coach, so it's special to me for us to be able to represent, win, and take the trophy home.”
First Baptist shot 52% from the field despite going 6-of-20 from three-point land. Yohandry Ortiz led the Lions with 18 points and six rebounds. Latrell Davis added 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting while reeling in 10 rebounds. Adrian Rodriguez added 14 points and 8 rebounds to the winning effort.
The Eagles couldn’t seem to find a solution to First Baptist’s scoring barrage, switching from a man defense, to 3-2, and to 1-2-2, but just couldn’t contain the Lions’ efficient playmakers.
First Baptist, on the other hand, had no issues containing Gateway. They held the Eagles to just 13-of-53 shooting and 3-of-24 from deep, all while dominating the rebound battle 41-28. Tavian Cook led Gateway with 18 points and 6 rebounds.
Lake Highlands (Texas) 76, Newton 68 (Ga.)
Tre Johnson, the consensus No. 1 junior in the nation, led his squad past the Rams (3-4) in an overtime thriller during the opening round of the tournament.
The class of 2024 phenom tallied 27 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in the win. Johnson did it all for the Wildcats (10-1), holding UConn commit Stephon Castle to just 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting on the other side of the court
Johnson was not the only Wildcat to leave their fingerprints on the win. Jaylen Washington had 19 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals while Samson Aletan controlled the paint with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
“I was really proud of our team, the way we persevered through the end there,” said head coach Joe Duffield. “I thought our kids really executed defensively, and they did a really good job with Castle.”
After leading most of the contest, Lake Highlands had a series of miscues that allowed Newton to go on a 10-0 run in the final two minutes that knotted things up at 66-66. After being fouled with less than two seconds left, Castle missed both go-ahead free throws before the game headed into overtime.
In the extra period, the Wildcats’ defensive identity took root, allowing Newton to score just two points on 1-of-9 shooting in overtime.
Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) 52, Vashon (Mo.) 44
The Crusaders (4-1) used their one-two punch of Boogie Fland and Danny Carbuccia and an aggressive defense to knock off the Wolverines (2-4) in the first game of the tournament.
Fland started hot, shooting 5-of-9, including 4 3s, for 16 first-half points and opened the third quarter by draining a 3 on his way to a game-high 24 points.
As Vashon focused on shutting down the junior guard, Carbuccia picked up the scoring in the second half. The sophomore scored 10 of his 14 in the second half, routinely driving the lane and hitting both of his 3-point attempts.
"We told these two guys from the beginning they needed to be aggressive. They need to be, you know, facilitating, but also take over when you need to," Stepinac coach Patrick Massaroni said. "And when your two best players, you know, go for 24 and 14, in a game like that, that's what matters."
Vashon had a tough first-half shooting, hitting only 1of-14 3-point attempts, many of them open looks, and only 29% overall as the Wolverines trailed 26-17. The offense got a little better in the second half as Vashon hit 4-of-10 3s and finished shooting 30.8% from the field overall. The Wolverines were led by Kennard Davis Jr.'s 13 points and Jayden Nicholson added 10.
"I thought our guys defended at a high-level today," Massaroni said. "We knew going into it, they were physical, they were tough. You know, obviously, they got some high-level guys over there. Our team defense was elite, I mean to hold a team like that to 44 points."
Friday's Scores
Game 1: Archbishop Stepinac (New York) 52, Vashon (Missouri) 44
Game 2: Lake Highlands (Texas) 76, Newton (Georgia) 68
Game 3: HUGH THIMLAR TRIBUTE First Baptist 67, Gateway 44
Game 4: North Laurel (Kentucky) 79, Charlotte 58
Game 5: Wheeler (Georgia) 69, Tampa Catholic 63
Saturday's Schedule
10:15 a.m. - Game 6: Newton vs. Charotte
Noon - Game 7: SUNSHINE SERIES Providence School vs. The Villages
1:45 p.m. - Game 8: SUNSHINE SERIES IMG Academy Blue vs. Westminster Academy
3:30 p.m. - Game 9: Imhotep Charter (Pennsylvania) vs. Isidore Newman School (La.)
5:15 p.m. - Game 10: St. Paul VI HS (Va.) vs. Canterbury School
7 p.m. - Game 11: Centennial (Calif.) vs Winter Haven
8:45 p.m. - Game 12: North Laurel vs. Myers Park (North Carolina)
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: City of Palms: Wheeler, North Laurel, Stepinac among first round winners
