State-ranked Summit subdues Midway in MT Rice final, 55-46
Midway’s Lawyer Jones scores on a 3-point shot over Mansfield Summit’s Franck Emmou in the first half.
As this season progresses, La Vega’s defense will keep the Lady Pirates in plenty of games. But in order to play winning basketball, they can’t leave the basket out of it.
Midway’s ascension back to the summit of the M.T. Rice Tournament will have to wait yet another year.
But it’s still pretty clear that the Panthers are going places.
Midway gave Mansfield Summit a tenacious tussle, but the 11th-ranked Jaguars survived for a physical 55-46 victory in the M.T. Rice boys’ championship game on Wednesday night.
Midway’s Braylen McDade attempts a shot over Mansfield Summit in the first half.
The Panthers (15-6) were playing in their first M.T. Rice final since 2014 and looking for their first title since 1983. But they couldn’t quite climb past Summit (13-4), an uber-athletic club that surrendered only 44 points per game in the tournament.
Midway trailed just 28-24 at the half, but the Jaguars used the 3-point bomb to push that gap to nine midway through the third quarter. The Panthers, though, have shown themselves to have some pretty sharp claws thus far this season.
They scratched their way back and got back to within four at 37-33 with just under two minutes to play in the quarter when Isaac Holmes faked a Jaguar defender and then sidestepped into an open space before knocking down a 3-pointer. Unfortunately for Midway, Summit answered right back with a 3-pointer seconds later on the other end.
Midway’s Isaac Holmes is pressured by Mansfield Summitt’s True Hardison, right, in the first half.
Summit guard David Terrell proved particularly adept and drawing contact, like a miniature high school version of James Harden. He hit 8 of 10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter alone.
Midway got within eight points on a Daron Washington runner with 24 seconds to go, but that’s as close as the Panthers would get.
Besides Terrell, the Jaguars have loads of weapons. Nicholas Schogbonyo banged in a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 18 points, while Jeffery Scott contributed 10.
Midway’s Caden Powell, right, battles Mansfield Summit’s Richard Lemboye for a loose ball in the second half of the MT Rice Holiday Tournament championship game Wednesday night. Summit won, 55-46.
For Midway, stud big man Caden Powell weathered foul trouble to scratch his way to 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. Powell’s resiliency throughout a physical game when he was constantly surrounded by multiple defenders should bode well for the Panthers going forward.
Lawyer Jones scored 10 points for Midway before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Holmes added nine points off the bench and Washington hit for eight.
Though Midway didn’t get the title it craved, it looks like a strong contender for the playoffs later in the year. It opened district play earlier in the month with a win over defending 11-6A champion Waxahachie. Next up will be a road game at the nation’s top-ranked Duncanville on Jan. 4.
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