Adrian boys basketball makes statement in win at Tecumseh
TECUMSEH — When you think of big shots, they usually come in the game's closing moments.
On Friday, the biggest shot of the night might have been the first for Adrian as Solomon Hiatt hit a 3-pointer to give the Maples a 3-1 lead and they never looked back, beating rival Tecumseh, 65-43.
"Solomon Hiatt knocked down the first one tonight to really get us going," Adrian coach Jordan Kelly said.
The Maples and Tecumseh were both a game behind Chelsea in the SEC White standings as both lost to close games to the Bulldogs at home, but Adrian made a statement Friday.
The Maples showed if anyone was going to go catch Chelsea, it's them, behind a potent offense led by junior Stevie Elam and a much improved defense.
"We put a lot of hours into the game planning," Elam said. "We stuck to it and it worked."
Adrian (12-2, 3-1 SEC White) has had a strong offense all season long, but it has also given up points, including a 97-87 loss at home to Chelsea two weeks ago.
Friday night against Tecumseh (11-3, 2-2 SEC White), the Maples showed what it could do on defense. They didn't allow Tecumseh to get into any rhythm while the lead never dipped below 10 points in the second half.
"We've worked at (defense) the last week and a half," Kelly said. "Communicating and being in the right place, they did a great job of it tonight. We really showed some growth tonight from when we last played Chelsea."
While the defense showed growth, so did the depth on the offensive side.
At the start of the season, Elam and senior Sean Parker were doing the bulk of the scoring.
On Friday, Elam put up 21 points, well under his 30-plus points per game average, while Parker was held to five points and still Adrian beat a good Tecumseh team by 22 points on the road.
Sophomore Jaxson Francis had 13 points, including nine points off three, 3-pointers in the second quarter when the Maples pulled away.
"The great thing about our team is if you give them opportunities they are going to take it and run with it," Kelly said. "Antonio (Brown) has played great the last couple of weeks, Tristan Hayes has played well, Solomon Hiatt has knocked down shots ... Jaxson and Carson (DeKeyser), from top to bottom, it was nice to see those guys knocking down shots and play with that confidence we've been asking them to play with."
Tuesday Adrian will head into Chelsea with a chance for a bit of redemption with its newfound confidence.
Two weeks ago, the Maples found themselves in a steep, 36-13 hole after the first quarter against the Bulldogs. They outscored Chelsea 74-61 the rest of the way, getting within two points in the fourth quarter.
Adrian has a chance to get some revenge on the road and create a tie with the Bulldogs in the league standings.
"We got to keep the momentum," Kelly said. "We got to play defense, especially against Chelsea because they are a very good offensive team. We've got to play really good defense and keep this going."
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian boys basketball picks up big win at Tecumseh
