High School Basketball: Milton Turns The Table On Lambert In Tournament

By Mike Blum

The first two times Milton faced Lambert this season, the Longhorns made a concerted effort to keep the ball out of the hands of senior Milton standout Alex O’Connell with some aggressive, full-court defensive play.

The strategy worked on both occasions, as the Longhorns held O’Connell to his two lowest scoring outputs of the season and won both games, giving them the regular season title in Region 5-AAAAAAA over the runner-up Eagles.

When the two teams met Feb. 10 for the third time in less than a month in the finals of the region tournament, the Longhorns again utilized the same defensive game plan.

But this time the Eagles had an answer for it.

“I told our two guards to make them pay for double teams,” Milton coach Sean Revels said after the Eagles scored an impressive 81-70 victory on their home floor Friday over the top-seeded Longhorns.

Freshman point guard Christian Wright enjoyed what Revels described as “a humongous game,” driving through the Lambert defense for 25 points and dishing out a number of assists to teammates after penetrating near the basket.

Sophomore guard Donaven Hairston drilled three straight 3-pointers late in the second period to enable Milton to hold off a Lambert challenge and lead 36-32 at the half, and scored three consecutive field goals late in the game as the Eagles maintained a safe lead through the entire fourth quarter. He finished with 20 points.

O’Connell did not respond well to Lambert’s constant bumping and grabbing in the first two games against the Longhorns, managing just 11 and 14 points, equal to his 25-point per game average this season. He scored a modest 16 points in the region title game, but most came at critical times, including several key baskets in the second half, when he scored 11 of his points.

Three times in the third quarter, Lambert cut Milton’s lead to either one or two points, but O’Connell responded with a score each time. He hit a 3-pointer early in the period to open up a 5-point lead, and scored on a breakaway dunk and baseline jumper late in the quarter after the Longhorns had twice closed within one.

“I told Alex it was a game of chess and to not them instigate you,” Revels said.

The Longhorns fouled O’Connell out of their most recent win over Eagles and the Duke commit had three fouls in the first half Friday, but went the rest of the way without picking up a fourth.

O’Connell also contributed some key rebounds, as the Eagles went most of the way with a lineup consisting of the 6-6 O’Connell, primarily a perimeter player, and four guards. Milton spread the floor and the Longhorns could not contain the quickness of the Eagles’ backcourt, particularly Milton’s goggle-wearing freshman point guard.

Wright went to the basket for a pair of scores to give Milton a 55-48 lead going to the fourth quarter, and the Longhorns never got any closer in the final period. The Eagles were 12 of 14 from the foul line in the second half after attempting only two free throws the first two quarters. Ulyric Linton, Jordan Yates and Jamel McGhee combined for the remaining 19 points, as Revels went with only six players until the closing seconds, in part due to illness to several team members.

Lambert came into the game unbeaten in region play and was 23-3 prior to the championship game. Milton had to struggle to reach the championship game, edging South Forsyth 64-61 in a game that was close the entire way. O’Connell scored 23 points and Wright 18 in the victory, with Linton and McGhee adding 10 points each.

The region title ensures Milton at least one home game in the state playoffs, with the Eagles scheduled to host Brookwood, the No. 4 team from Region 7, on Feb. 18. Both teams bring 14-13 records into the game, with the Broncos losing by one point to Meadowcreek in the consolation game of their tournament.

Meadowcreek, one of the area’s taller teams, defeated Milton by 20 points several weeks ago, and Revels was relieved he Eagles will not have to face them again. Including the two tournament wins, Milton went 10-2 against opponents in the Eagles’ region, but only 4-11 against teams from outside the region thanks to a rugged schedule that will benefit the team at state.

Image via Patch