McDonough (Ga.) junior Zion Green’s late jumper lifted the Warhawks past Benton 58-57 in the opening game of the King Cotton Holiday Classic on Wednesday.
The teams were tied at 45 after three quarters. The teams traded buckets before Benton took the lead with a 7-2 run. Elem Shelby hit a 3-pointer, and Terrion Burgess added a layup before giving Benton a 57-56 lead with 23 seconds remaining from the free throw line.
After a timeout, Green hit the winner with 7 seconds remaining. Benton’s Javarious Russell missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Burgess scored a game-high 24 points and collected 9 rebounds, while Shelby scored 15. Keenan Gray led McDonough with 22 points and nine rebounds.
SILSBEE (TEXAS) 78, PINSON VALLEY (ALA.) 68
Silsbee pulled away in the fourth quarter to knock off Pinson Valley.
The Tigers started strong and led 8-0 early, but Pinson Valley fought back. The teams traded the lead throughout the game before Silsbee pulled away in the final minutes. After hitting a couple of 3-pointers, Jared Harris stole the ball and slammed it with one hand. Jamarion Elam scored while drawing a foul. He missed the free throw, but the Tigers got the offensive rebound and saw out the game as the Indians had to foul.
Harris led Silsbee with 19 points.
WESTMINSTER (FLA.) 58, LR CHRISTIAN 43
Two Westminster juniors and one sophomore powered the Lions from Fort Lauderdale past Little Rock Christian Academy.
LRCA took an early 3-0 lead with a layup and free throw from J.J. Andrews, but Jeremiah Police gave Westminster the lead with a pair of layups, and the Lions led the rest of the day. Westminster opened the fourth quarter on a 12-0 run and led by as much as 52-32. LRCA cut into the lead down the stretch but never threatened.
Police scored a game-high 17 points, followed by Alex Lloyd and Alex Constanza with 15 points each. Con-stanza collected 9 rebounds, and Lloyd had 8. Andrews led LRCA with 14 points and 9 rebounds, while Landren Blocker had 10 points.
GONZAGA (D.C.) 68, ST. JOSEPH (CALIF.) 48
St. Joseph led at halftime, but Gonzaga dominated the second half to prevail in a West Coast vs. East Coast matchup.
Gonzaga led much of the first half, but St. Joseph, from Santa Maria, finished the second quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 29-28 lead into the locker room. Derek Dixon hit a pair of early shots to retake the lead for Gonzaga, but Tounde Yessoufou tied it for St. Joseph with a 3-pointer.
William Harper hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to give Gonzaga the lead back for good. Gonzaga scored 25 points in the third quarter and 15 in the fourth.
Yessoufou scored a game-high 23 points, and St. Joseph teammate Julius Price added
18. Gonzaga junior Christian Gurdak scored 20 points and collected 8 rebounds.
Dixon finished with 18 points, while Harper had 12. Nyk Lewis scored 7 points but added 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
ST. FRANCES (MD.) 83, BOOKER T. WASHINGTON (TEXAS) 78
Baltimore’s St. Frances pulled ahead in the third quarter and held on in the fourth to take down Houston’s Booker T. Washington.
Washington led 17-7 midway through the first quarter, but St. Frances finished the quarter and started the second with a 13-0 run to take the lead and never trailed again. The Panthers led by as much as 73-61 in the fourth quarter before the Eagles cut it to 77-75 with 1:45 to play. St. Frances closed out the game with a 6-3 run to deny Washington the comeback.
Washington’s Chris Mc-Dermott scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Odis Carter Jr. scored 20, and Abraham Kirksey Jr. scored 18. Josiah Legree led St. Frances with 19 points and eight assists. Cameren Fleming scored 17, and Jasiah Cannady added 10.
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL VS ARCHBISHOP WOOD (PENN.)
The final game of the opening day was ongoing at press time.
TODAY’S KING COTTON GAMES CREED BRACKET
10 a.m.: White Hall vs. Pinson Valley (Ala.) 11:30 a.m.: Silsbee (Texas) vs. Benton 1 p.m.: Washington (Houston) vs. Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 2:30 p.m.: McDonough (Ga.) vs. LRCA
KING BRACKET
4 p.m.: St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) vs. Duncanville (Texas) 5:30 p.m.: Sandy Creek (Ga.) vs. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) 7 p.m.: Pine Bluff vs. Gonzaga College High (D.C.) 8:30 p.m.: Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) vs. Little Rock Central