Posted by By R. Lamar Brooks – Dallas South News Contributor
“Stay in the gym” was Kimball Knight High School’s David Kates’ answer to how he developed such a sweet shooting touch. The lanky forward helped lead his team in the torching of the Denison Yellowjackets by a score of 71-46 in a Class 4A area round playoff game. Kates scored 24 points and along with Austin Franklin, Jarion Henry and Shannon Lilly, gave Kimball four double-digit scorers on the night.
The game was played at Carrollton’s R. L. Turner which proved to be a great venue for basketball as the arena was rocking all night with a near capacity crowd.
Kimball’s persistent press defense helped limit OU commitment T J Taylor to 16 points and forced the Yellowjackets into a slew of turnovers throughout the game. Kimball went on a run with less than 3 minutes remaining in the first half, which coach Royce “Snoop” Johnson termed “the key” and catapulted Kimball to a 37-27 lead over the pesky Denison team.
Coach Johnson told his players at halftime that their opponent was “more aggressive” in the first half than his team and urged his troops to commit to inside baskets. Coming out for the 2nd half, Kimball did just as their coach requested and relied less on perimeter scoring and executed the inside game. Johnson’s club took more time with each possession to slow the clock, and snuffed out Denison’s chances at a comeback. The #11 state ranked Knights move on the regional quarterfinal round next week.
In the nightcap game at R. L. Turner, Woodrow Wilson (ranked #7 in state) relied on guard Don Wayne Mayberry’s 27 points to help defeat OU signee Cameron Clark and the Sherman Bearcats, 68-56. With great ball handling skills on display, the Woodrow guard tandem of Mayberry and Curtis Davis helped to wear down the Bearcats after what had been a game that could have gone either way.
Woodrow led at halftime by a score of 29-23 and at the end of the 3rd quarter by a score of 41-37. Stephon Smith and Curtis Davis (14 points and 10 points respectively) kept up the pressure along with Woodrow featuring a box and one defense to help control Sherman’s offensive output.
Woodrow’s win sets up an all-DISD showdown Monday night against the Kimball Knights. In other action involving local teams, Pinkston defeated Carrollton Newman-Smith 82-77; Lincoln outmanned Frisco by a score of 48-26; Lancaster got by Lindale 66-52 and Skyline was trimmed by DeSoto 72-69 in overtime while Madison trounced Whitesboro 124-50.
R. Lamar Brooks is a proud Dallas ISD alum and can be reached at lamar@dallasbaseball.net
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