Rhythm and cruise
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Genesis Prep senior guard Max Reidt splits the Council defense during an opening round game in the state 1A Division II tournament on Thursday at Rocky Mountain High in Meridian. Genesis Prep beat Council 70-39 to advance to the semifinals against Dietrich in a rematch of the 2017 championship game, won by Genesis Prep.
MERIDIAN — Last week, Genesis Prep may have been shaking off a little rust, having had a 19-day break between the end of the regular season and the 1A Division II District 1 tournament.
On Thursday, playing for the third time in eight days, the Jaguars piled up 47 points in the first half and coasted to a 70-37 victory over the Council Lumberjacks in the first round f the state 1A Division II tournament at Rocky Mountain High.
“We’re starting to get our rhythm on the offensive end of the floor,” Genesis Prep coach Marsell Colbert said. “That’s what showed in the first half. Also, the flip side, our energy on defense allowed us to create a lot of easy looks. Our philosophy is, we go to work before we can eat. And we went to work in the first half.”
Jonny Hillman scored 20 points and Junior Williams added 14 for Genesis Prep, which feasted on Council with a 14-0 first-quarter run that turned a 5-4 deficit into an 18-5 lead. The Jaguars eased away to a 47-22 halftime lead.
Genesis Prep (20-4), the defending state champs, will face Dietrich (23-1) in a semifinal game today at 12:15 p.m. PST at Rocky Mountain. Dietrich defeated Mackay 49-39 on Thursday.
Council beat Genesis Prep in the state semifinals two years ago, but the Jaguars are a much deeper and stronger club since then. Hillman hit all seven of his first-half shots and scored 15 points.
“It was fun, we were just playing our game,” Genesis Prep senior guard Max Reidt said of the first half. “I think our offense was clicking. I think we did a good job mentally preparing for this game. We came out focused.”
Council fared pretty well against the Jaguars’ full-court press, but their half-court pressure got to the Lumberjacks, forcing many run outs.
Council wasn’t shy about jacking up 3s, many of them from Steph Curry range. The Lumberjacks took 15 of their 22 first-half shots from behind the arc, and 28 of their 49 shots for the game were from deep.
Lance Nichols led Council (18-5) with 12 points, and Brent Rosengrant hit three 3s and added 11 points.
“Hat’s off to them, because they attacked our press,” Colbert said of Council. “Not many teams have done that.”
Kon Ajang added nine points and eight rebounds for Genesis Prep. Williams had seven boards, Hillman six.
Genesis Prep beat Dietrich 68-62 in last year’s state title game, one of the few close games for the Jaguars.
“They’re a different team (from last year), and we’re a different team,” Colbert said. “We’ll be ready, and I’m sure they’ll be ready.”
Council 13 9 8 7 — 37
Genesis Prep 22 25 13 10 — 70
COUNCIL — Ivey 0, L. Nichols 12, Rosengrant 11, Snider 4, Warner 0, Stanford 0, B. Nichols 7, Mahon 3, Hoffman 0. Totals 15-49 2-6 37.
GENESIS PREP — Shelton 6, Mwinuka 4, Reidt 6, Neely 0, Williams 14, Schroeder 5, Hillman 20, Schultz 0, Ajang 9, Gonzales 4, Morillo Soto 0, Bohannan 2. Totals 29-60 9-13 70.