Davis sets aggressive tone as Shallowater downs LCHS
Shallowater's Jakari Davis was waiting to pounce Friday afternoon.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard kept his eyes down the court, anticipating any deflections or loose balls he could snag en route to easy points against Lubbock Christian High School.
He got plenty of chances, even throwing down a one-handed dunk, en route to pouring in a game-best 25 points and helping the Mustangs claim a 74-50 victory over the Eagles in the United Supermarkets Small School Boys bracket of the Caprock Classic.
”Coach (Jay Lusk) always tells us we have to be aggressive on the defensive side,” Davis said. “But, I just come out with that mindset that I have to play defense to score.
”And I felt like we came out strong as a team and kept the energy up the rest of the way.”
Davis, who finished with a pair of dunks and several steals, netted 15 points by the midway point thanks in part to his long arms and ability to telegraph passes on the perimeter for Shallowater (17-1).
His fastbreak layups and dunks meant his teammates were getting open looks, as well, since the backcourt ace was demanding a double team or an extra set of eyes when the Mustangs were on the offensive end.
”I’m always ready to go, anytime,” Davis said of his fast break opportunities. “And those dunks I had — it gets the team turned up and brings the energy.
”It also brings up the confidence of my teammates because they can see the ball in the go in the basket.”
Cooper Lusk was more than happy to oblige, draining five three-point shots en route to his 24-point outing in the victory over the Eagles (12-5).
”When there’s a big game, I like to turn it on a little bit band get after it,” Cooper Lusk said of his five triples. “We played as hard as we could and let it fly on offense.”
Trew Farris, who was face-guarded most of the contest, was able to break free and score 17 points for Lubbock Christian. He was the only player to break the double-digit mark as the Mustangs did not allow other players to get in rhythm.
“He’s real aggressive and gets us all open on the perimeter,” Cooper Lusk said of Davis’ fastbreak layups creating quick offense. “It breaks down defense and gets me open looks and him open looks — along with all the other guys.
”We really came together over the last couple of days and feel like we’re on a good role,” Cooper Lusk said. “We feel like we’re ready for district.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Jakari Davis sets an aggressive tone as Shallowater downs Lubbock Christian in small school boys title game in Caprock Classic
