Statement season: How Johnson is setting itself up for a deep run in basketball playoffs
As the Region 3-3A basketball tournament and playoffs approach, it seems to be statement season for the Johnson boys basketball team.
The Atom Smashers made the state of Georgia take notice for the second week in a row as host Johnson, which entered the game ranked No. 3 among Class 3A teams in the state by Sandysspiel.com, dominated in a 76-50 win over No. 2 Beach.
Last week, Johnson avenged a previous loss to Calvary Day, then ranked No. 6, in an emphatic 70-42 home victory.
Johnson was No. 1 is the Class 3A state rankings released Sunday, with Beach at No. 4.
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Beach got a big dose of Johnson big-man Malachi Robinson, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound senior who is just as comfortable launching from the perimeter as he is banging down low. Robinson knocked down four 3-pointers among his career-high 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Junior guard Josh Quarterman had another big game with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals, while Cormari Jones added nine points, four steals, three rebounds and three assists.
Senior James Leach had an impressive night for Beach as the high-flying senior had a team-high 20 points, including four dunks, two of them coming on lobs from his classmate Shamarrie Hugie, who had 12 points. Sophomore point guard Chandler Reid added seven points.
"Our team has a great bond, we're like a brotherhood," said Robinson, who is averaging 9.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. "Coach Campbell knows we're a team built for the playoffs and this was a statement game for us."
Campbell's squad followed it up with a 75-34 blowout victory over visiting Long County on Saturday as Quarterman scored 25 points, with Favion Kirkwood adding 12 and Baker scoring nine.
"Our defense was the key tonight," Campbell said after the win over Beach Friday. "I told the guys this is another regular season game. When we lost to Beach (a 64-57 setback on Jan. 7), we missed six free throws in the fourth quarter and Malachi (Robinson) and Antonio (Baker) didn't play their best games. I knew that wasn't going to happen again -- and we're clicking now.
"I think I have one of the strongest starting five in the state of Georgia," said Campbell, who picked up his 50th career win in his three seasons at Johnson. "Cormari (Jones) is a spark plug at the point. He is our quarterback -- and I'm harder on him than I am on anyone else. We're just getting ready for the playoffs -- I keep telling them we just need five wins to win the state championship."
Johnson (19-4, 10-2 in Region 3-3A) closes out the regular season on the road Tuesday against Liberty County before facing Groves Friday.
Beach (20-3, 11-1) bounced back from the loss with a 56-46 win over Groves Saturday with Tyrese Bellamy leading the way with 20 points. Leach had 12 and Reid added 10. The Bulldogs close out the regular season at Long County Tuesday and at Savannah Country Day Friday.
Benedictine avenges loss to New Hampstead, sits atop region standings
Benedictine is playing a solid brand of basketball as the Cadets avenged an overtime loss to New Hampstead on Friday with a 62-51 win over the Phoenix on Friday.
The Cadets improved to 13-5 overall and sit atop the Region 3-4A standings with a 9-1 record, with Burke County (15-7, 7-3) sitting in second place.
Sophomore Caleb Jones led the way with 20 points, Stephan Frazier had 14 and Ladon Bryant scored 13 for the Cadets.
Jones leads the Cadets averaging 19.4 points per game. Frazier is averaging 10.2 points per game and Bryant 11.3 points per contest.
"Caleb is a high volume scorer, who can score in a variety of ways -- he's a great player, and just a sophomore," BC coach Frank Williams said. "Stephan (Frazier) has become our leader this year and I think he's one of the best two-way players in the area. He's not big, but he is strong and so hard to get by -- he makes a lot of steals and is a terrific passer with excellent court vision. He's the reason we're in first place in the region."
BC has clinched a berth in the Class 4A playoffs. The Cadets have a bye until the semifinals of the region tournament, which is being held at Wayne County, and are set to play on Feb. 13.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Prep roundup: Johnson boys make another statement; Benedictine wins again
