Blog

By Jim Wieners

In late December North Technical High School Girls Basketball coach George Merritt received a late entry for the St. Louis Martin Luther King Girls Basketball Showcase from the Memphis Home Education Association that a team of homeschoolers will be competing.

Merritt said the MHEA team is nationally ranked but where they are ranked and who ranks them were not available.

Nonetheless MHEA had seven girls competing in the North Tech Showcase. Tracy Rice, MHEA head coach said two other players could not make the trip and one of them was injured. MHEA went back to the southwestern Tennessee city with two dominating wins. What helped the MHEA seven is the fact that they stayed out of foul trouble, Rice said.

MHEA opened the Showcase Jan. 14 with a 66-29 blowout of Showcase host North Tech.

MHEA had North Tech shut out, 18-0 until the Golden Eagles finally got on the scoreboard with a basket at the end of the first quarter buzzer. MHEA increased the lead to 40-11 at halftime and 58-18 after three quarters then coasted in the fourth quarter which had a non-stop clock, required for games whose margins of 30 points or more in the final quarter.

The biggest reason for the MHEA rout of North Tech was the three-point shooting. Merritt said the shat 18 three-pointers but the official scorebook said MHEA hit 12 shots from three-point range. Two MHEA players scored in double figures as Torri Lewis scored 19 and Leah Lytle added 15.

“It’s hard to defend threes when everybody shoots them” said Merritt. However the North Tech coach said he “purposefully” scheduled the game against MHEA.

Defense also was the key as MHEA gave up no more than 11 points to North Tech in the fourth quarter. No Golden Eagle scored in double figures as Chaumora Henderson and Jalynn McCray led North Tech with eight points each.

About 24 hours later, Jan. 15, MHEA took on a first-time visitor to the Showcase, the Academy of the Visitation, a school with a championship history. However MHEA almost did the same to Viz as they did to N.T. as MHEA routed Viz, 55-22.

Visitation played even with MHEA from three-point range, two each, in the first quarter but the Vivettes led after one quarter 10-8. MHEA took charge from there outscoring the Vivettes 18-6 in the second quarter and 23-3 in the third. The non-stop clock was in effect in the fourth as MHEA outscored Viz 6-3.

MHEA won the three-point shooting contest making seven shots, four of them made in the second quarter, to four for Viz. While Sarah Lytle led MHEA with 11 points the most any Viz player scored was six points from Emily Stewart.

“This wasn’t our day,” said Visitation head coach and athletic director Paul Stoecklin. However MHEA “was the best team I’ve seen in a long time,” Stoecklin said.

NORTH TECH 49, BUTLERVILLE (OHIO) UNITED METHODIST CHURCH HIGH 44 — On Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 16 North Tech overcame a 14-6 first quarter deficit with a 21-15 second quarter to lead 27-21 at halftime then after being outscored 16-7 in the third quarter the Golden Eagles outscored the Wolves, 15-8 in the fourth quarter for the win. Henderson scored 23 points while Atlantis Sutton added 16.

“I’m in a teaching stage trying to get them to win,” said Merritt.

INCARNATE WORD ACADEMY 71, WESTBURY CHRISTIAN (HOUSTON, TEX.) 40 — The defending two time Class Five Champion took charge Jan. 16 over a Texas State Champion team in the second half as the Red Knights overcame a 14-10 first quarter and 24-23 halftime deficit with a 48-16 second half including a 27-5 blow-away fourth quarter. Nakiah Bell, who made five shots from three-point range and had four steals, and Cierra Young, who had five assists, each scored 16 points while Taylor Manuel scored 15 while blocking five shots.

“I think we started making shots,” said IWA coach Dan Rolfes about the second half. Then “it started steamrolling. Everybody feels comfortable.”