Tag Archives: McIntosh

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Will Washington Lifts No. 2 McIntosh Over IMG

5ANo. 2 McIntosh 61, IMG Academy (FL) 53

A game marred with questionable calls was eventually won by the play on the court. The fourth quarter belonged to Will Washington as the Chiefs rebounded from last night’s heartbreaking loss to down the internationally flavored Ascenders.

IMG Academy led 11-9 after one and rode star sophomore Emmitt Williams all game long. The big time athlete scored a game-high 24 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to keep the Ascenders in the game. He and guard Arseniy Andreev, who finished with 13 points, did most of the damage.

Emmitt Williams will only get better and that's scary
Emmitt Williams will only get better and that’s scary

The game was close throughout, but early in the third the momentum could have potentially swung all the way into IMG’s corner when Washington, for the second night in a row, ran into foul trouble as he picked up his third foul on a charge at the 7:17 mark of the third quarter. Just over two minutes later, he picked up his fourth foul on one of many controversial calls made by the officiating crew. On an inbounds, he and Andreev were jostling for position, not uncommon for guards, but for some reason the referee blew the whistle for a double foul and in the process saddled Washington with another foul causing him to sit at the 4:58 mark of the third and McIntosh up 33-32.

The Chiefs entered the fourth up 40-36 after Dishon Lowery cleaned up a miss and scored inside. The Wofford signee finished with five points and battled Williams inside all night and pulled down 15 rebounds of his own.

Minutes into the fourth with 5:08 left, Brendon Rowan took a big charge and Washington re-entered with the Chiefs trailing 43-42. From that point on, it was all Washington. He scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the final quarter, going 12-of-16 from the line. With both teams in the bonus from the 4:55 mark on, Washington knew what to do. He went on a personal 9-0 run to extend the lead to 51-43 before Williams hit a free throw to break the drought.

With 1:59 remaining in regulation, the Ascenders cut the lead to 53-49. Furman signee Jordan Lyons hit Cole Guenther inside who finished a huge layup inside over Williams to put the game out of reach.

My Take: Jordan Lyons got cooking in the second quarter and hit three three-pointers and played an all-around strong floor game. Will Washington’s performance proves just how valuable he is to Coach Jason Eisele’s team. He is always in control of the ball and rarely makes mistakes. When he turned it on in the fourth quarter, IMG had no answer. From my two games watching the Chiefs, it just solidifies my opinion of them being a major threat to challenge Miller Grove for the title. If they can establish their low post presences in Chase Walter and Dishon Lowery, they will be tough to beat.  Lowery gobbles up rebounds at a major rate and finished with 15 more after a 20-board night on Friday. Ulysses Brown only scored three points, but he did an outstanding job while Washington was on the bench. He played good defense and didn’t force anything on offense while keeping his head when the Ascenders tried to get physical. He, Brendon Rowan and Cole Guenther are nice role players off the bench that help the flow of the offense and defense stay intact while the starters sit. Emmitt Williams of IMG is still just a sophomore and that is scary. He’s an exceptional athlete who can hang and glide to the basket. He doesn’t have too much help around him, but that will just help him gain experience as being “the man” while he moves on to the college ranks.

Top Performers:

McIntosh
Will Washington – 18 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Jordan Lyons – 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Dishon Lowery – 5 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Chase Walter – 6 points, 6 rebounds

IMG
Emmitt Williams – 24 points, 16 rebounds
Arseniy Andreev – 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Brandon Robinson’s Big Day Enough to Hold Off No. 2 McIntosh

6A Douglas County 84, 5ANo. 2 McIntosh 81

Two looks at a three-pointer for Furman signee Jordan Lyons, who canned seven deep balls on the night, did not drop as Coach Hollis Bethea’s Douglas County Tigers survived in a thrilling afternoon tilt at Holiday Hoopsgiving. The game was played at a neck-break pace as the full court pressure of the Tigers bothered the Chiefs early on. Douglas County held a 24-18 lead at the end of one and foul trouble began to hurt the Chiefs. Will Washington, McIntosh’s floor general who finished with 17 points (9-of-10 FT) and seven assists, picked up a third foul with 4:46 to play in the second and had to sit the remainder of the half with McIntosh down 34-29.  The Chiefs fell behind by as many as 10 points, but would scrap their way back, using a 7-to-2 run to finish the half sparked by Brendon Rowan saving a ball underneath his basket to teammate Ben Bryant who laid it in to bring the game to single digits.

Jordan Lyons lining up one of his seven treys
Jordan Lyons lining up one of his seven treys

The two focal points of the game were Lyons and Douglas County’s Brandon Robinson, who is signed to play at UNC. Robinson scored 20 of his game-high 35 points in the first half and scored in a multitude of ways, drilling five threes and getting to basket and using pull ups in the lane. Lyons went for a team-high 34 for the Chiefs, as both stars were expected to get theirs, it was up to the supporting cast to be the difference makers. Coach Bethea got just that, as Devarion Davis scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Kalen Clifton added 14 points and five rebounds while Khayl Waters battled for 10 points and four rebounds.

McIntosh trailed for the majority of the game, struggling to get over the hump before they finally did so on a Braxton Shaw three-ball at the 6:05 mark of the third quarter which tied the game at 44. But every time the Chiefs would make a push, Robinson and the Tigers answered back to keep them at bay. The Chiefs took their first lead of the second half when Chase Walter grabbed one of his 12 rebounds and outletted the ball out to Lyons as time was expiring entering the fourth. All in one motion, Lyons caught the ball in midair and heaved it to the hoop, drilling a three from halfcourt to give the Chiefs a 61-60 lead entering the final frame.

McIntosh held onto a narrow lead until Douglas County recaptured the lead and led 77-75 with 2:30 to play. Clifton missed a pair of free throws with under 15 seconds to play, giving McIntosh an opportunity to tie. Lyons got two decent looks, albeit contested, but could not sink the game-tying long ball to send the game to overtime.

Dishon Lowery was a monster inside
Dishon Lowery was a monster inside

McIntosh, known for its balance, did not disappoint as Dishon Lowery scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 20 rebounds. He and Walter were both saddled with foul trouble at points in the game. Walter finished with eight points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in the loss.

My Take: Well that was fun, wasn’t it?! What a game. I said going in that Jordan Lyons and Brandon Robinson would negate each other with their points (34 & 35), and that it would be up to the rest of the gang. Devarion Davis impressed me greatly and stepped up big time. His 18 points came off active rebounding and a feathery touch. McIntosh just couldn’t take control of the game, but they were exciting to watch. Jordan Lyons has unlimited range, Dishon Lowery is an absolute beast on the boards, Will Washington is a true point guard and Chase Walter loves to bend the rim with his dunks. Coach Hollis Bethea’s defense was active all night long and harassed the Chiefs, but wasn’t wild. They took numerous charges and got Washington, Lowery and Walter all in foul trouble. It’s not even fair how good Region 3-AAAAAA is. A loss like this could be good for McIntosh to gain that laser focus as they strive for a state title, and a win like this for Douglas County solidifies them as one of the best teams in the state when they work as a group.

Top Perfomers:

Douglas County
Brandon Robinson – 35 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Devarion Davis – 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
Kalen Clifton – 14 points, 5 rebounds
Khayl Waters – 10 points, 4 rebounds

McIntosh
Jordan Lyons – 34 points
Dishon Lowery – 13 points, 20 rebounds
Will Washington – 17 points, 7 assists
Chase Walter – 8 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 blocks

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Holiday Hoopsgiving Primer: No. 2 McIntosh (1-0) vs. Douglas County (2-0)

5ANo. 2 McIntosh (1-0) vs. 6A Douglas County (2-0)

The balance of No. 2 McIntosh will try to slow down the star power of North Carolina signee Brandon Robinson and the Tigers at 6:15 PM at Holy Innocents’, a part of the great event, Holiday Hoopsgiving. The Chiefs don’t have an ACC signee on their roster but they do have as efficient and explosive of any scorer in the state, Furman signee Jordan Lyons and high-motor big man, Wofford signee Dishon Lowery.

Each player in Head Coach Jason Eisele’s system knows their role and plays it to a T. Will Washington might be the best passing point guard in the state and picked up where he left off a year ago, scoring 20 points and dishing out eight assists in his first regular season game back since breaking his wrist in the playoffs last year. Lyons averaged 24.7 points a game in 2014-15, and to no surprise, poured in 24 in the Chiefs’ 89-68 opening win over Morrow. Chase Walter and Lowery are big bodies inside that control the glass and work for buckets inside. Walter went for 14 points and 12 rebounds in the season opener after nearly averaging a double-double last year.CTjagXjWsAA-FN9

After averaging just 9.4 points per game as a junior, Brandon Robinson has silenced any doubters – if there were any – on why he is going to be a Tar Heel next year. Through two games he is averaging 28 points per contest and has paced an explosive Douglas County team averaging 88.5 points.

Brandon Robinson is UNC bound | Scout.com
Brandon Robinson is UNC bound | Scout.com

Fellow senior Kalen Clifton is pitching in 14 points after chipping in 8.9 per game in 2014-15. Jahorie Copeland is another guard who has enjoyed a hot start. KJ Houston, one of many Duluth transfers, brings versatility at 6-foot-6 and is a nice running mate alongside Robinson and the rest of the backcourt. Reece Anderson solidifies the guard spot and leads the team in rebounds (6.5), assists (5.5) and steals (4.0) in his first season with Douglas County after starring at Chapel Hill.

X-Factors: I expect Jordan Lyons and Brandon Robinson to get their points, but it will be who’s supporting cast steps up that will decide the winner. I look for the play down low to potentialy be the deciding factor. Dishon Lowery and Chase Walter is one of the best 1-2 punches in the state inside. Devarion Davis of Douglas County will need to be up to the task of banging inside with the non-stop effort of the two Chiefs. Khalyl Waters and KJ Houston might also see time inside battling with McIntosh’s workhorses.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Transfers

The GHSA Needs A Proper Ruling On McIntosh Transfer

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***UPDATED 5:23 PM, 11/19/15***

Class 5A No. 2 McIntosh tipped-off its season with a ho-hum 89-68 win over Morrow on Tuesday night. The usual suspects did their normal damage with Will Washington scoring 20 points and dishing out eight assists, Jordan Lyons scoring 24 points and Dishon Lowery and Chase Walter doing their expected yeoman’s work inside.

One new Chief however was unable to suit up. Make that, not allowed.

Isaac Kellum, a 6-foot-4 swingman that averaged 13.8 points per game, transferred over to McIntosh in the offseason for his senior season. This wasn’t a crazy out-of-state transfer or someone moving in from a school that is hours away, but a 13-minute transfer over from Fayette County High School. With over 60 known transfers and plenty of more that slipped through the cracks, you would think a simple move such as this would go unopposed, but for some reason the GHSA threw a red flag against little old McIntosh.

From all accounts, Kellum is a great student in the classroom (3.8 weighted GPA, ACT 24, SAT 1,580 and dual enrolled at Clayton State) and a good kid. So why out of all the transfers along the state, is one of the most logical transfers getting the kibosh? As of this week, the senior is still ineligible to play his final year of high school ball while seemingly every other transfer has already begun playing with their new team.

In July, Kellum and his parents moved to Peachtree City. Soon after moving, a rough patch occurred and his parents separated. Isaac, living in the McIntosh school district with his mother, was still set to play basketball until October 27 when he found out he would be ineligible. The family went to a hardship hearing in Thomaston, Ga. but was denied for some reason.

To make sure they had all the proper paperwork again, the parents even went to get official legal separation documents to soothe the GHSA if they had any inclination that something amiss was taking place. Charles Kellum, Isaac’s father, let me know that the family sat in the courthouse for six hours hoping to get the paperwork signed and have the issue eventually resolved. Upon the judge hearing the reasoning why they were there, to let their son play basketball, the judge said he had never heard of a governing body making a family go to such extreme lengths just to prove he is living in the district and has the correct custody.

When the verdict came down, the judge said he could not sign the document because Isaac is an 18-year-old adult and he can’t be signed over to a specific parent.

So the GHSA is now not letting an 18-year-old adult play basketball his senior year of high school  in the correct school district after dealing with a whirlwind of unfortunate events. The GHSA denied him on the initial hardship hearing and the appeal last Tuesday and will not give the Kellum’s a straight answer to why he can’t play, not listing a violation of the by-laws or any other potential hangup.

https://twitter.com/_Juiccee_/status/666814963747549184

Double Standards

I personally am not a huge fan of transfers, but I understand it is part of the game and it is not something I bemoan. Building super teams is good for the players to get exposure but of course bad for homegrown teams that have played together their entire life – like McIntosh. The Chiefs had a player fill out all the proper paperwork, but the GHSA won’t accept the simple move.

We can’t have double standards. If you are going to let almost every other school land their new move-ins, and ones that come from out of state, where is the reasoning behind a player who is 13 minutes away from his new school not getting the green light to play ball? And the worst thing about all this? It’s not that McIntosh has a realistic shot at a state title, but it’s the fact that basketball is being taken away from this 17/18 year-old, in his final season. Kellum will likely be able to find a home to play basketball at in college if he so chooses, but nothing will ever compare to going to school with your peers and lacing them up and playing in front of packed houses every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday as the team – or family – attempts to make their march to Macon and history.

https://twitter.com/DLowery_15/status/666465820944502784

What To Do?

Basketball fans and supporters of fair play can only hope that this issue gets resolved quickly and Kellum is cleared to play. There is too much player movement to single out one athlete and blow the whistle on them. It is either abolish transferring (too hard to do) or let everyone make the move as long as the proper paperwork is submitted. Right now, Kellum is devastated over the ruling and he, his family, friends and teammates are still trying to find an answer from the GHSA as to why he is unable to play.

We are in 2015, closing in on 2016. There is no place for a governing body to pick and choose who gets to play and who doesn’t. There needs to be one set guideline. There should be no foul play involved and everything should be on the up-and-up. No ‘Wizard of Oz’ act hiding behind the curtain and not answering why some players are allowed while others disallowed. Let’s hope for a New Year’s Resolution, the GHSA gets its act together and allows Kellum and every other properly filed transfer who got rejected a chance to play the game they love.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Player Feature

Team-First Mentality Expected to Lift Jordan Lyons and McIntosh to New Heights

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Entering the 2015-16 high school basketball season, there are many teams with dreams and aspirations of capturing a title. But there is one school that seems to be on a mission and has a hunger that has been growing since an unfortunate early ending a year ago after an unblemished 28-0 regular season.

The McIntosh Chiefs were in cruise control entering the second round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs before starting point guard Will Washington (12.7 ppg, 9.3 apg) went down with a broken wrist on a layup attempt against M.L. King. The Chiefs would fall 66-65, ending their shot at the dream season.

Photo By Jason Mussell | The Crescent Buzz
Photo By Jason Mussell | The Crescent Buzz

With a loaded senior class returning, the Chiefs have one last shot at making history. Jordan Lyons (24.7 ppg) is one of the stars on this balanced team. The guard has committed to Furman and thinks that fun things are in store for McIntosh fans and fans of basketball in general.

“This year fans can definitely expect to see a very mature and organized team, a team that executes well. A team that can get up and down but can also run plays in the half court. Very exciting. A team that is going to play good defense; a veteran team,” explained Lyons.

And Lyons ain’t lyin’. Eight seniors are all expected to contribute heavily and have the experience to do so. Lyons described Washington as “one of the best true point guards in the state.” He continued on to say, “He’s always looking to make the right pass. …He’s our floor general.”

A missing piece to last year’s puzzle might have been found in Isaac Kellum (13.8 ppg), a 6-foot-4 swingman who transferred over from Fayette County this summer.

“Isaac brings us the length and athleticism at the three spot that we never really had,” said Lyons.

Kellum will also help out rebounding on the interior alongside the likes of recent Wofford-commit Dishon Lowery (10.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 3.3 bpg) and Chase Walter (10.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg).

“They are both going to rebound. They both love contact, they both bang, they both block shots and alter shots and do things out of bigs that we need.”

As balanced as the starting five is, Lyons is quick to remind us not to forget about the depth on the bench. Braxton Shaw, who finished second on the team in three-pointers made last season as a junior, is back to bring a lethal deep threat. Lyons tabbed him as “one of the best sharpshooters out there.”

Ulysses Brown brings sticky defense on the perimeter and Brendon Rowan is the consummate glue-guy that helps Coach Jason Eisele’s team out in a plethora of different ways.

The Lead Lyon

With all the perfect components in place, there still has to be a centerpiece to complete the work of art that is the McIntosh Chiefs. That centerpiece is none other than Mr. Jordan Lyons himself. Efficiency is the name of the game for Lyons with his astronomical shooting numbers (66% 2PT, 87% FT, 45% 3PT). But by being the top-scoring option on one of the best teams in the state, does that bring an extra burden or pressure applied to Lyons’ shoulders? He doesn’t think so.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s pressure on me. Scoring is really just what I do. It’s my big time role and the team needs me to score points. I’ve been the leading scorer on the team since my freshman year so I think Coach Eisele has put a lot of confidence in me over these past four years which has really helped my play on the court because I know he believes in me.”

Even though Lyons might fill up the box score nightly, he knows he can’t do it alone.

“I can’t do it by myself. I need the help of my great teammates and I know I’ll get the help from them.”

Lyons mentioned Coach Eisele and the confidence he has instilled in him and touched on it further.

Photo By Fayette-News.com
Photo By Fayette-News.com

“I have a lot of respect for Coach Eisele, I love him to death. He brought me into the varsity program as a 14-year-old,” explained the senior shooting guard who has scored 1,737 points over his career and is now chasing Gabby Seiler’s all-time record of 2,003. “He gave me the confidence to be a very good player at the varsity level at 14 years old…He’s always believed in me. He’s stuck with me through everything.”

Steady Growth

It’s not only an exciting time for the players and fans, but for the coaching staff as well. Eisele has a loaded group and him and his staff have matured through the years along with the Class of 2016. Attention to detail has been more and more pronounced and a tight and clean style of play has been the result. Before this year’s senior class arrived at McIntosh, the Chiefs had been a middle of the road team, going 12-11, 16-12 and 12-12 before the program and culture changing class arrived for the 2012-13 season.

Year-one saw the Chiefs finish 17-8. Year-two, 19-10 before nearly putting it all together last season at 29-1. It has been a constant growing process and the fruits of McIntosh’s labor are finally ready to come to fruition, but for that to happen, there is only one fitting ending to this storybook tale: a state championship.

“The ring is really the most important thing to all of us,” stated Lyons. “Last year we won the first region championship in our school’s history. Our whole year that was our goal.”

McIntosh, Lyons, Lowery, Washington, Coach Eisele, the entire group, understands that it’s now or never.

“This year, there’s no second chance. We all understand there is no next year, no tomorrow. This is the last time, the last opportunity. We really got to go get it,” said Lyons. “We got to be focused day in and day out. We got to be on a straight line and eliminate everyone else that’s not in a straight line, so we can get to where we want to be. We just got to focus on what we have to do every day and just get better every day and we’ll know that we’ll be okay.”

Extra motivation to accomplish the dream of winning a state title stems from last year’s heartbreaking loss after the injury to Washington.

“It’s personal to him and it’s personal to all of us. We’ve been waiting for this for four years. We know this is our year; we got to go do it. We know we can. We all know we can.”

Final Destination

It is no doubt it’s state championship or bust, but when asked what this group of seniors and he personally would like to leave as a lasting legacy, Lyons said, “I definitely want people to remember that I always wanted to be a good teammate. I always wanted to lift my teammates up.”

“I just wanted to put McIntosh on the map. McIntosh has never been known for basketball and I know when Will, myself and Dishon came into the varsity program, especially when we told ourselves we wanted to make an impact on this program, we wanted to take this program to heights and levels that they’ve never seen before and we’ve just been doing great things since our freshmen year. We’ve been blessed with many opportunities, records broken, we’ve done many things in our career at McIntosh and we are very blessed and fortunate to have those opportunities. …We want to be known as great humble players that never took anything for granted.”

With one solitary goal in mind and a group of men with a respected leader in charge, Jordan Lyons and McIntosh should not have to worry about ever taking things for granted.

Featured Image Photo By Michael Clifton / www.kombatkamera.com