Young at heart of Saks’ win
- Updated: December 9, 2014
UPDATED: Wildcats’ post comes alive in fourth quarter
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Monty Young was having a relatively quiet game for three quarters while the guards from both teams were harmonizing with string music from the outside, but when the fourth quarter arrived the Saks senior post came to life.
Young scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and helped the Wildcats pull away from a one-sided game that suddenly got close and beat Jacksonville 69-55 Tuesday night.
“He wanted the ball, he was calling for the ball,” Saks coach Jonathan Miller said. “We’ve got a few guards who can shoot the basketball and create and do some things, but at the same time you can’t forget about the big guy inside.
“He kind of put us on his back and got some easy buckets in the fourth quarter … and that may have been the difference in the game offensively for us. He got some easy baskets to go down and helped us build a lead.”
Getting a lead wasn’t so hard for the Wildcats (4-0) early. They led by as many as 18 points in the first half, but Jacksonville had it back within two late in the third quarter. The Golden Eagles (5-3) had four possessions in the final 2:30 of the quarter to get the tying or go-ahead basket, but came up empty.
Early on it was a shootout between the Wildcats and Jacksonville junior Cam Horton. Saks hit eight 3-pointers in the first half with Quen Williams getting three and Makel Taylor and Darion Coleman two each. Horton, meanwhile, scored Jacksonville’s first 19 points; it wasn’t until 4:17 remained in the first half someone other than Horton scored for the Eagles.
It was still a three-point game early in the fourth quarter when Young and Jaylon Britt combined for the next 12 points to put the Wildcats safely back ahead. Young had seven points in the run.
“I noticed they were always playing behind me so I was like if I could just get the ball I could make a move and get to the basket,” Young said. “I was kind of letting our guards play and me pick up the trash because that’s how their defense was.
“Coach (John) Wilson told me if I could get the ball inside they probably wouldn’t be able to hold me. We were up by a little but I knew we had to close the game up so I was thinking I had to hop on it and kind of like … step on their throats.”
Horton led all scorers with 31 points; he was 11 of 22 from the field, 7 of 11 from 3-point range. Sid Thurmond scored 10 of his 15 in the third quarter to help bring Jacksonville back.
“The thing about those two guys that makes it tough to defend them is they’re not just 3-point shooters; they can do stuff off the dribble,” Miller said. “They’ve got a variety of things they can do to score the ball. You can’t just take away the 3 or take away the drive. They’re more of a complete offensive player where you have a little bit of everything.”
Williams led the Wildcats with 20 points. Taylor had 12.
Saks 69, Jacksonville 55
JACKSONVILLE (5-3) – Cam Horton 11-22 2-2 31, Sid Thurmond 6-14 0-0 15, Tae Ackles 1-2 1-2 4, K.J. Satcher 1-1 1-4 3, Savon Parker 1-2 0-0 2, Casey Tull 0-0 0-0 0, Rivan Hill 0-1 0-0 0, Ben Jaskowski 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-43 4-8 55.
SAKS (4-0) – Quen Williams 7-17 3-4 20, Monty Young 5-8 3-6 13, Makel Taylor 5-9 0-1 12, Devin Harris 2-6 4-4 9, Darion Coleman 2-7 0-0 6, Jaylen Britt 2-3 0-0 5, Deviantae Booker 1-1 0-0 2, Demetrius Powell 1-4 0-0 2, Quoy Milord 0-0 0-0 0, Quin Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-55 10-15 69
Jacksonville 14 15 17 9 — 55
Saks 23 17 9 20 — 69
3-point goals: Jacksonville 11-17 (Horton 7-11, Thurmond 3-5, Ackles 1-1); Saks 9-27 (Williams 3-11, Taylor 2-5, Harris 1-3, Coleman 2-6, Britt 1-2, Powell 0-2). Rebounds: Jacksonville 24 (Ackles 5); Saks 37 (Williams 8, Young 7, Harris 7). Total fouls: Jacksonville 14, Saks 12.
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