In a game of contrasting styles, it was the low post presence of 6’10 Rice University commit Mylyjael Poteat and the last second bank in 3-pointer by 6’7 Wichita State commit JaDun Michael that sealed the exciting 57-54 walk-off win in the Kyran Bowman Championship at the John Wall Holiday Invitational.
First Half
The pressing and attacking defense of Garner enabled them to take a 29-24 halftime lead. They forced 11 turnovers while only committing six. In addition, the depth and balance were evident as eight Garner players got into the scoring column and the team also had nine steals. Leading the way was 6’6 senior Christopher Nobles with eight points and three steals while 6’1 senior Daveon Dunn tallied four points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals. JaDun Michael had nine points.
Second Half
The Burlington School scored six straight points at the beginning of the second half and took a 30-29 lead. The lead bounced back and forth as Garner maintained a 37-36 lead going into the fourth quarter as both teams struggled to find any offensive rhythm. The game between two high-power offensive units became a defensive battle. At the five-minute mark, with back to back turnovers by The Burlington School, Garner raced out to a 48-40 lead only to see Garner return the favor. For Garner, it was missed opportunities at the free-throw line but give The Burlington School credit, they utilized the mismatch with Poteat in the low post.
Tournament MVP JaDun Michael finished with 15 points including the “walk-off” 3-pointer. Michael went 6-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the 3-point line. However, the big story was the play of Poteat. Poteat finished with a game-high 19 points going a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Not to be outdone, 6’10 Kaluel Mading finished with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds and two huge steals in the final minutes of the game. Garner was led by Nobles and Dunn with 15 and 13 points respectively.
Final: The Burlington School 57 – Garner 54
