Outside shooting helps Childress boys basketball escape region quarterfinal clash with Idalou
FLOYDADA — Wayne Parker wasn't sure of the exact damage his Childress boys basketball team did beyond the arc until all was said and done Monday night in Whirlwind Gym.
The Bobcats got one field goal from all-state scorer Aiden Allen and made four shots inside the 3-point line all night. Yet that combination, plus the team's stellar foul-shooting down the stretch, provided the cushion needed to fend off district foe Idalou 63-56 in the Region I-3A quarterfinals.
Idalou head coach Bryan Blackwell said the Wildcats (25-11) attempted to take Allen out of the equation as much as possible. Pressure on the lanky lefty, plus some foul trouble, forced the Bobcats (27-8) to look elsewhere.
They didn't have to look too far, because everybody else for Childress seemingly couldn't miss. In fact, neither team missed a shot until almost four minutes had passed.
Childress converted 9 of 12 attempts from 3 in the first half — including a buzzer-beating heave from Caleb Moore — to head into the break with a 35-26 advantage.
"I told them don't fall in love with it," Parker said of his team's hot shooting to start, "and in the second half we still hit a couple of big shots."
Jesus Jalomo was the biggest benefactor from Idalou's attention paid to Allen. With the defense collapsing on Allen, timely screens freed up Jalomo to hit four triples in the first half. His fifth came late in the fourth quarter after Idalou had cut a 14-point deficit down to two.
"(Jalomo's) been shooting well all year," Parker said. "I said before the game they're probably going to face-guard Aiden, try to take him out of what he does, so y'all are gonna have to step up and hit some shots."
The Bobcats cooled off from 3 in the second half, finishing the game with 11 triples, which allowed the Wildcats to get some traction on offense. Kutter Houchin (23 points) and Tate Hendley (16) provided the scoring push for Idalou before the Bobcats came up with some key offensive rebounds and Allen converted all 14 of his free-throw attempts.
"I think the experience kicked in a little bit," Blackwell said of Childress. "They've been here, and they just hit big shots when they needed them, made big plays when they needed them. Hit the glasses when they needed to. We battled. Probably not as good as we could have, but I thought we played them pretty well. They just were the better team."
Parker acknowledged the experience factor as well after four Bobcats hit double-digit scoring numbers, led by Allen's 16 and Jalomo's 15, all on 3s. Finishing as state runner-up a season ago, this year's team has been in crucial situations in big games.
"Every single one of these guys were part of that last year," Parker said. "I like to think it's nothing that I've done. They're just seasoned veteran players and they know how to close games and take care of the ball and make the right plays late. Proud of our guys for executing down the stretch."
Region I-3A Quarterfinal Boys Basketball
Childress 63, Idalou 56
Childress 18 17 10 18 — 63
Idalou 18 8 13 17 — 56
Childress (27-8): Caleb Moore 3, Cash Hightower 3, Aiden Allen 16, Isaiah Jalomo 10, Billy Moore 12, Scout Smith 2, Jesus Jalomo 16, Kobe Sims 2.
Idalou (25-11): Logan Mennel 5, Derek Cantu 2, Tate Hendley 16, Kutter Houchin 23, Lucas Jarnagin 2, Houston Stark 2.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Long ball helps Childress boys basketball escape with region quarterfinal win
