Baldwin boys crush the competition at home

Published 1:25 pm Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Karez Demory scored 27 points Saturday to put the finishing touch on the first Tasha Tough Classic held on the James A. Lunsford Court at Baldwin High School. Two other members of the Braves boys basketball roster, Deven Nelson and Trakeon Downing, proved too tough for the New Hampstead High School Phoenix squad from Chatham County as Baldwin rolled to a 75-60 victory.

Demory was 8-for-17 from the floor with four 3-point baskets and made 7 of 9 foul shot attempts. He also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and blocked three shots from New Hampstead.

Nelson was 5-for-9 from the floor in scoring 18 points for Baldwin and second-year head coach Ben Smith. He sank three 3-pointers and went 5-for-6 at the line while leading the team in assists with four.

Downing added 15 points and six boards.

Even though New Hampstead knocked down four 3-pointers in the opening eight-minute quarter, Baldwin was taking care of things on the offensive glass with Downing and Nelson combining for five points on second shots. Nelson went underneath the basket to score two more field goals while Demory sank a corner 3 helping put Baldwin up 20-14 after the first.

The Braves coasted through the second quarter holding the Phoenix to 11 points. Demory added two more 3s to his total, one on a third-chance shot for Baldwin and another with 35 seconds on the clock. It was 39-25 at the half.

From the end of the second period through the start of the third the Braves had a 12-0 run going. Nelson put his team up by 20, then Jaylen “Boom” King capped the run with second-chance points to make it 47-25. Zion Grant, who had a hot shooting game the night before against Harlem High, added three late in the third to bring the score to 57-42.

New Hampstead had a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter that Downing stopped with a 3-pointer to put the lead back to 20, 69-49.

• Baldwin handled Harlem High Friday in a Region 4-AAA tilt at home 84-48. Grant had 16 points on four 3-pointers, and Downing made all three of his shots from behind the arc in scoring 16 as well. Demory led the team with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and 5-for-5 shooting at the line.

Bouie Turner came off Smith’s bench and used a significant reach advantage to get nine rebounds.

Demory, Nelson and King showed a lot of early energy. Demory scored from a press steal by King, which was one of three Harlem turnovers in a row. Scoring was actually hard for the Braves as well as it was only 7-0 after four minutes, then Grant hit is first 3 for a 10-2 Baldwin lead.

Demory returned after a break on the bench and, at 1:40, penetrated to get a three-point play. Harlem, however, countered with a similar play to end the opening quarter but still trailed 14-10.

The visiting Bulldogs achieved a tie score early in the second but never took a lead. It was 21-20 Baldwin when Downing scored 3 the long way with two minutes remaining. Nelson’s penetration led to an open 3 for Grant. This was part of a 10-2 Braves run, and then Nelson blocked a shot and took part in a pick-and-roll with Demory out of a timeout. The resulting three-point play made it 34-22 at the half.

The Braves began the second half on a 10-2 run with hot 3-point shooting and a turnover slam by Demory. Baldwin poured it on with Downing’s 3-pointer, Bryan Goddard’s steal and assist to Downing and two more treys from Grant. The score after three quarters was 63-29.

The win put the Braves at 2-0 in Region 4-AAA, and at 4-1 overall the next game is also in region Friday at Cross Creek High.