Sideline notes: Jackson EMC Tournament

Sideline notes: Jackson EMC Tournament

By Robert Alfonso Jr.

Jefferson, GA – Every year Jefferson High hosts its three-day Jackson EMC Tip-off Tournament just before everyone heads to Thanksgiving dinner. This is one of the longest consistently organized opening events of the year.

Teams from around the state and bordering states are eager to match wits and contrasting styles. They get to also see what their team looks like before December. At the end, teams have a better understanding of their team.

Here is what we learned from the tournament.

Lanier captures championship

The No. 2-ranked Lanier High won the boys title, 86-70, over county rival No. 6 Buford by shooting the ball exceptionally well. The Longhorns remained poised and under control the entire game.

This was also the unofficial title for the Battle of Buford Highway. The schools are separated by 4 miles. They are more than familiar with one another.

Lanier head coach Brandon Mayweather, who won his 200th career game on Saturday, watched his team grow up over the course of the tournament. In Monday’s game, DJ Bembery was the catalyst. The 6’3 lefty junior had a team-high 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. He was doing whatever the Longhorns (6-1) needed and helped keep things under control. The lefty was never rattled. He was named the tournament MVP after a week of averaging 14 points, eight rebounds, and five assists leaving his best performance for the title game.

The Longhorns, who are on a six-game winning streak, enter the Swish Scouting and BTS Report Top 25 because of the body of work the team has done. Since its opening-season loss to Brookwood, Lanier has learned to win some tight games. During the streak it has won three games under five points. The games has allowed this team to grow steadily because they are not rattled.

Lanier does not have a senior on the roster, which includes Reshard Slaughter and Cameron Blackmon. Slaughter, a sniper from deep, was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 15 points a game. His biggest scoring output this year was a 31 point performance. He is 6’3 with range and a smooth scorer. Blackmon, a true floor general, set things up for the Longhorns. The 5’11 guard played with good pace and showed how to set the team up and was named to the All-tournament team. Blackmon scored 20 points and had five assists with one turnover.

The future looks bright in Sugar Hill.

Williams stock is rising

Carmelo Williams is a name many college programs will begin hearing about more frequently.

The 6’2 sophomore guard is one of the more athletic players in the states class. He entered the championship game averaging 24.5 points. Williams finished the tournament averaging 22 points through three games, which included scoring 17 points and recording 12 rebounds in defeat. He was named to the All-tournamnent team with teammate Dillon Nixon, who recently committed to Newberry College.

Buford (2-1) has themselves a budding prospect.

All Tournament Team

DJ Bembery, Lanier High (MVP)

Reshard Slaughter, Lanier High

Cameron Blackmon, Lanier High

Carmelo Williams, Buford

Dillon Nixon, Buford

Falcons off to a great start

After eight games, Flowery Branch High has only lost one game. The Falcons (7-1) dropped its only game, thus far, in the opening round of the tournament to host Jefferson.

This team’s only misstep, however, did not clip the Branch’s confidence. They went on to win the next two games winning the fourth place game after a beating Apalachee 56-54.

Flowery Branch’s success has come from playing tenacious defense as it pressures its opponents on both ends of the floor. Whenever the Falcons are not turning teams over they spread them thin and nails jumpers from all over the floor. They are averaging 70 points a game and holding opponents to 55 points.

This is the programs best start since the 2016-2017 basketball season, where they finished the season 19-9. These Falcons are led by a group of players who have played together and built a chemistry.

Leading the way is senior Jack Huey, who is the team’s point guard. He is a hard nose player on both ends of the floor with the ability to knockdown shots. Senior Adam Sanders is a lefty forward with a jumper. He is a savvy defender drawing seven charges in the final two games, while have a breakout performance of 26 points in a win over Towers High. Remi Akins, a junior forward, has all the tools to be a consistent contributor for this team. He plays with plenty of energy on both ends of the floor.

The Falcons will be back on the floor December 5 at Johnson before Class 4A Region 8 play begins against Walnut Grove.