Central cruises past Columbus 75-36 in Shaw Christmas Tournament
Central boys coach Bobby Wright lamented on Monday the fact that so many of his starters joined the team late after finish a run to the state semifinals in football. The players are still just trying to find some semblance of chemistry, he said.
If the Red Devils can play like they did on Monday and not be at their best, though, Wright should be in good shape for the rest of the season.
Central cruised past Columbus 75-36 at Northside in the opening day of the William Henry Shaw Christmas Tournament, advancing to the winners bracket of the boys group A bracket. Central will face Northside at 6:30 p.m. today at Carver, while Columbus slips to the losers bracket and will play Carver at 4:30 p.m. at Columbus.
Monday's game was never in doubt for the Red Devils. Seniors Tre Todd and Jermond Williams made quick work of the Blue Devils in the first two quarters, combining for 29 of the team's 38 points at the break.
Todd scored once on a nifty reverse lay-in and again on a quick drive with his ride hand that lulled the defense to sleep before he raced past them. Todd, who is on the smaller side, even elevated for a dunk on a fast break to bring the crowd to its feet.
"He's the heart of the team," Wright said of Todd. "He can run past you or back off of you and shoot. He's just tough to defend. Tre right now is the nucleus of our offense and defense, along with Jermond
and Tionne (Williams)."
In all, Todd finished with 19 points, while Jermond Williams led all scorers with 24. Sophomore Justyn Ross got into the action in the second half, dunking three times and showing that he is on his way to recovery after suffering a knee injury in the playoffs of the Central football season.
"He was out of shape and just kind of discombobulated," Wright said with a laugh. "But I thought he got comfortable as the game went along."
Ross finished with 13 points in the game.
"It's important to get one of our key guys back," Todd said. "He came out and played pretty well. It's going to help us a lot, build up our momentum."
That's something Central has as it heads into the second day of the tournament.
At 11-1, the Red Devils have won eight straight games and are beginning to find that chemistry that Wright said he was searching for. Todd said the team has begun to play better together as a team, being patient and letting the game come to them.
Wright said it's coming at the right time.
"Once we clean some things up, we've got a chance to be pretty good," he said.
Monday at Northside
Columbus 6 10 10 10--36
Central 23 15 22 15--75
Columbus (36)
Lincoln Smith 12, Noah Hoff 4, JaQuan Mason 4, Elijah Gardner 4, Henry Houpt 3, Kendall Downell 3, Preston Daton 2, Joshua Howard 2, Terrance Dixon 1, Christian Mack 1
Central (75)
Jermond Williams 24, Tre Todd 19, Justyn Ross 13, Quan Weaver 7, Donald Jackson 6, Tionne Williams 4, Joel Culver 2, Adrian Jackson 2.
TODAY’S GAMES
GIRLS
at Carver
Hardaway vs. Sandy Creek, 11 a.m.
Shaw vs. Chestatee, 2 p.m.
Northside vs. Carver, 5 p.m.
at Columbus
Macon County vs. Spencer/Quitman winner, noon
Douglass vs. Lanett, 3 p.m.
Columbus vs. Central, 6 p.m.
at Kendrick
Marion County vs. Spencer/Quitman loser, 1:30 p.m.
Jordan vs. Central-Talbotton, 4:30 p.m.
BOYS
at Columbus
Hardaway vs. Lanett, 1:30 p.m.
Carver vs. Columbus, 4:30 p.m.
at Carver
Marion County vs. Macon County, 12:30 p.m.
Shaw vs. Douglass, 3:30 p.m.
Northside vs. Central, 6:30 p.m.
at Kendrick
Jordan vs. Quitman County, noon
Kendrick vs. Spencer/Russell loser, 3 p.m.
Central-Talbotton vs. Spencer/Russell winner, 6 p.m.
This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Central cruises past Columbus 75-36 in Shaw Christmas Tournament ."