Airport soars past B-C
It didn’t take Airport coach Jimmy Kinard long to figure out his Eagles squad was going to be fine in the regular-season finale against Brookland-Cayce.
Airport shot the lights out in the first half, then delivered a knockout blow out of the locker room to coast to an 85-57 victory Thursday night. The victory ensures the Eagles the No. 2 seed out of Region 5-3A, and a home game in the Class 3A playoffs that begin on Tuesday.
“We’ve had a couple of tough games the last couple of weeks, and to finish the regular season at home against Brookland-Cayce and to win in the fashion we did, was good for our entire basketball program,” Kinard said.
It was a far cry from the first meeting between the rivals. The Eagles used a last-second 3-pointer from Josh Williamson to escape with a two-point victory. They wouldn’t need those type of heroics in the rematch.
Airport (17-8, 7-3) never trailed and jumped to a 16-11 lead after one quarter.
Williamson scored 10 of his 12 points in the first quarter, but he picked up his second foul with 6:30 remaining in the half. He was joined on the bench by starters Daniel Gillins and C.J. Wright. However, thanks to Jalon Cokley and Alphonso Tucker, the Eagles increased the lead.
Gillins had five of his 11 points to open the quarter as the lead grew to 25-11. That’s when Cokley and Tucker took control. Over the course of the last couple of minutes of the second quarter and the opening minutes of the third, Airport made 10 consecutive field goals on 10 possessions.
Cokley, who had a game-high 17 points, had three 3-pointers during the 24-5 run that increased the lead to 55-26 early in the third quarter. By the time the run ended, the Eagles were 22-of-34 from the field at that point.
“In practice, we shoot a lot of jump shots and go over the same routine to get jump shots up,” Cokley said. “We were just feeling it. The rotation and everything was just consistent.”
Kinard thought it was a situation where it was Airport’s night.
“We haven’t shot it like that all year,” he said. “You can contribute to maybe it was just our night. I’ve had nights when it wasn’t. The shots were falling and the guys shot the ball with confidence. Hopefully that is something we can continue into the playoffs.”
The Eagles had a hard time missing while Brookland-Cayce (13-11, 6-4) couldn’t find the range. They were 9-of-29 from the field and 2-of-11 from the free throw line in the first half. By the time the lead grew to 30 points, both teams played the reserves most of the rest of the way.
Donta Brown led the Bearcats with 10 points. Brookland-Cayce will open the playoffs on the road in the first round on Tuesday.
Cokley is excited for the postseason to begin.
“Winning this game was big because we have some momentum going into the playoffs,” Cokley said. “We will be playing home in the first round, so we don’t have to worry about going to someone’s house. It should be a great atmosphere here.”
BC: Donta Brown 10, Pough 9, K. Brown 9, Simmons 8, James 6, Cole 5, Anderson 4, Hemming 2, Teeter 2, Pringle 2. A: Jalon Cokley 17, Josh Williamson 12, Daniel Gillins 11, Alphonso Tucker 11, D. Tucker 8, Thomas 8, Wright 7, Ford 5, Singleton 4, Robinson 2.
Girls
Airport 45, Brookland-Cayce 40: Shakori Jennings-Shuler scored 19 points and the Eagles scored the final five points of the game to escape the upset bid.
Jennings-Shuler hit two free throws with 31 seconds remaining to seal it. The Bearcats couldn’t get off another shot and Airport (7-13, 6-4) will enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed from Region 5-3A.
Zaria Walker scored 12 points for Brookland-Cayce. The Bearcats (3-15, 2-8) season comes to a close.
BC: Zaria Walker 12, Keitt 9, Benn 7, Anderson 6, Gaston 4, Perry 2. A: Shakori Jennings-Shuler 19, Rhodes 8, Young 5, Jamison 4, Ellison 3, Washington 3, Jackson 3.
This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 11:32 PM with the headline "Airport soars past B-C."