No. 2 Keenan boys basketball tramples Buford to open 2A playoffs
Keenan relied on a ferocious press to sink Buford 76-42 in the first round of the Class 2A boys basketball playoffs. Wednesday’s outcome looked more impressive after the final vestiges of the Raiders’ rotation and bench players scored 15 of the game’s final 19 points.
“We got a chance to play everybody,” Raiders coach Zachary Norris said. “I was glad about that. I though the guys played with a lot of intensity. The first round is always a tough round to get out of, but I thought they were real relaxed. They had two good days of practice, and hopefully we can continue on.”
The offensive explosion allowed Keenan (17-8) to put four in double-figure scoring. Tariq Simmons led the way with 13 points, while Ja’Quan Osborne contributed 12 and Rodriquez Marshall and Majerle Poole each added 11.
The Raiders shot 42.6 percent, but grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, recovering nearly half their misses. That, and forcing turnovers, gave them 17 more shot attempts.
Buford’s plan was to keep the hosts off with a zone and limit Poole and Simmons. Against a team as deep and athletic at Keenan, there’s a big gap between having a plan and seeing it realized.
“Coming into Columbia, it’s an athletic area,” said Buford coach Raheem Waller, who had recruited Keenan when he coached in the college ranks. “Up in the Buford area, we don’t have a lot of athleticism, and we struggle the whole year with teams that were more athletic than us.”
That was most apparent with how the Yellow Jackets struggled with pressure early. Keenan forced eight of Buford’s 20 turnovers in the opening quarter on the way to a 23-9 lead. Andruw Rollings led the visitors with 18 points, but his team shot only 34 percent.
The patient, dominant performance was just another step for an evolving Keenan squad with sights set on big things.
“At the beginning of the season, we were rushing shots, putting up shots,” Osborne said. “Now we’re being patient, swinging the ball and putting up better shots.”
B: Rollings 18, Joplin 10, Wallace 8, Nesbit 2, Wright 2, Hayden 2. K: Simmons 13, Osborne 12, Marshall 11, Poole 11, L. Johnson 8, Trapp 8, Sligh-Rodgers 4, Sinkler 3, D. Johnson 2, Corbitt 2, Haney 2.
This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 10:20 PM with the headline "No. 2 Keenan boys basketball tramples Buford to open 2A playoffs."