Creek Bridge outgunned by conference foe Hemingway

Head Coach Paul Hudacko and his Creek Bridge Warriors were prepared for a track meet against Hemingway at home Tuesday in prep basketball action. However, the team learned a lesson of when and when not to run against the Tigers “high octane” offense. Hemingway cruised to an 82-57 victory.
“You have to tip your hat when playing a team like Hemingway,” Hudacko said.
The Class A runner-up from the prior season staved off a third quarter rally from the Warriors, increasing a 12-point advantage to a 20-point deficit heading into the final quarter. Jalil Brown led the Tigers with 19 points.
“At some point you can run when it’s there, but I told the kids you have to play hard and play smart, picking your spots because you’re not going to run with them for four quarters,” he said. Coming together as a team and trusting teammates is another lesson Hudacko is teaching to a much-improved Warriors team.
Locked in an uptempo battle, Hemingway jumped out to a 13-6 lead at the 3:12 mark, after a three pointer from Quintin Brown. Forward Charles Green, reminiscent of Chris Webber, led his team back with a no look pass to Juwan McClellan for a bucket, followed with a coast-to-coast drive to the hoop, setting a 13-10 score. A gliding lay-up finish from Hemingway’s Tashon Fredrick, and a one-handed slam-dunk from junior swingman JazJuan Wilson highlighted a 23-14 advantage in the opening quarter. Wilson, who’s basketball career could last longer than the arms of Scottie Pippen, dazzled with eight points in the quarter.
“We just have to get a little more focused, but as the year goes along and we continue to play, we’ll get back into the rhythm,” Hemingway Head Coach Barry McFadden said, adding that four of his players were returning from the Christmas holiday. Participating in a holiday basketball tournament allowed his reserves to showcase their ability and makes practices more competitive, he said.
The Warriors found plenty of scoring opportunities thanks to the rebounding of Green, and ball handling of point guards Leroy Hemingway and Daquan Williams against the Tiger’s aggressive full court pressure defense. Small Forward Rakeem Williams nailed a three pointer to set a 27-17 score at the 5:43 mark of the second quarter. However, Hemingway built at 41-26 lead at halftime.
The “break neck pace” continued to work to the Tigers’ advantage in the second half, as the squad held a 61-41 lead heading into the final quarter.
Green led the Warriors with 18 points, followed by Zamario Cooper with 11 points. Rakeem Williams added seven points for Creek Bridge.
Fredrick and Wilson both scored 17 points for Hemingway in the win.

The trio of Destiny Brown, Jasmine Woodberry and Jamaca Williams led the Lady Tigers to a 42-28 victory over Creek Bridge. Brown led with 16 points, while forward Xai Xai Boatwright led the Lady Warriors with 11 points.
Hemingway’s trapping defense resulted in a 10-2 run in the opening quarter. However, Creek Bridge forced turnovers with their own brand of pressure defense, creating scoring opportunities.
“We just have to continue to play hard on the defensive end and cut down on our turnovers,” Creek Bridge Head Coach Harry Smith said, adding overall, he thought his team played hard.
Boatwright’s inside score, followed by a “nifty” assist from Beneshia Julious to Ashley Davis, and lay-up from Chana Graves trimmed the deficit to 12-8 midway through the second quarter.
The Lady Tigers used their 23-11 halftime advantage, controlling the tempo and cutting down on the Lady Warriors possessions in the second half.
Smith said teamwork and sharing the basketball is something he’s most proud of in his team as they move on towards the second half of the regular season.
Creek Bridge will travel to face Green Sea Floyds this Friday.