4A-4 BOYS

Minix scores 18, Maumelle gets share of title

J.B. Minix suffered an injury to his right hand in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game, but prior to leaving, the Maumelle junior severed any chance Subiaco Academy had of earning a share of the 4A-4 Conference title.

Minix scored eight of his 18 points in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, helping the Hornets earn a 70-58 victory over the visiting Trojans.

Maumelle (16-8, 12-1) earned at least a share of the league title and secured a berth into the regional tournament in two weeks. The Hornets can claim the No. 1 seed to next week’s district tournament in Pottsville with a victory over Booneville today. Subiaco (15-9, 11-3) entered the game with a chance to tie Maumelle and Pottsville for the conference title, but instead the Trojans will be the No. 3 seed for the district tournament.

“I broke my finger,” Minix told Maumelle Coach Michael Shook as he walked off the court with 3:30 remaining.

Shook said Minix left to have his hand X-rayed at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.

“My assistant coach thinks the finger is broke, but one of the dads who helps us thinks it’s only dislocated,” Shook said.

Minix scored the game’s first four points but did not score again until his layup with 6:58 left in the third quarter. He entered the final eight minutes with eight points.

“He does a great job of pushing the tempo like I like,”Shook said of Minix, who also had four steals and three assists. “He attacks the basket and he can shoot it if they leave him open. I think he makes smart decisions.”

Subiaco Coach Tim Tencleve said his team did not make the smart decisions in the game’s key moments.

“Our failure to block out and silly turnovers,” Tencleve said when asked what he thought foiled his team’s chances. “You’re going to turn the ball over some against that type of quickness, but when you throw it to a guy who’s not moving, that just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

Subiaco was guilty of 17 turnovers, but many of them came in bunches.

With the score tied at 39 midway through the third quarter, Maumelle hit three consecutive layups - two by Tyshun Robinson and one byNick Cox - after turnovers. The Hornets outscored Subiaco 13-4 in the final 5:12 of the third quarter to take a 52-43 lead into the final quarter.

Minix scored 8 of his team’s first 9 points of the fourth quarter as the Hornets expanded their lead to 61-48. Subiaco got only as close as eight points, 61-53, before Maumelle pulled away in the final four minutes.

Subiaco scored the final nine points of the first half and led 31-30 at the break. The two teams traded leads twice more before the Hornets took the lead for good with 5:12 left in the third quarter.

Senior Chris Reed led the Trojans’ charge with 16 second-quarter points. Reed was limited to two field goals in the second half and finished with a team-high 23 points and six rebounds.

“I should have gotten us out of the press a little earlier than we did,” Shook said. “After the half, I wanted to keep pressing, but I didn’t want us to give up as many layups as we did in the first half.”

Ron McCuin came off the bench to add 12 points for Maumelle while Kendall Donnerson added 11 points and 10 rebounds, Tyshun Robinson 11 points and Cox with 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Cash Kruegor scored 13 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. Kamron Hurst added nine points.

Sports, Pages 24 on 02/15/2014

Upcoming Events