Sunday, March 07, 1999
Withrow wins second straight sectional
Withrow coach George Jackson won consecutive sectional titles for the first time in his 18 seasons. Saturday's performance was smooth enough to make you wonder if back-to-back state Final Fours could be in the cards.
The Tigers routed Sycamore 69-51 in a Division I upper bracket sectional at Shoemaker Center. Withrow, a state semifinalist last year, took care of the fine details in nailing down its seventh sectional title under Jackson and 12th straight win this season.
“We thought we'd be OK, with our defense and our free-throw shooting,” said defensive star B.T. Sherman. “As long as the other team isn't scoring, we're going to be OK.”
No.T1 seed Withrow opened the game's first double-digit lead when forward P.J. Sanders converted a three-point play five seconds into the second half. The lead grew to 39-23 as Withrow came up with second-chance points on five consecutive possessions by the time 4:55 was left in the third quarter.
But Sycamore didn't give up.
The Aviators, who upset No.2 seed Amelia 52-50 on Tuesday, went to a press with long-armed 6-4 junior Kwame Smith out front that had keyed the Amelia upset. It worked again, as Sycamore came up with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to a manageable 43-36 margin with 6:56 left in the game. Most importantly, Withrow had gone almost four minutes without scoring.
Then came the game's key sequences. Sherman stopped the bleeding by making a steal against Sycamore's half-court offense. He missed his three-pointer at the other end, but less than a minute later, he made another steal, setting up a tip-in basket by junior guard John Hollingsworth.
“His steals broke their backs,” Jackson said. “We worked on jump switching on defense. You jump in the passing lane and the ball comes right to you. That'a veteran for you.”
Hollingsworth then got going, breaking pressure and penetrating the middle at will in the game's closing minutes, scoring 11 of his game-high 21 points in the final 5:30, including six-of-seven at the foul line.
“Johnny has all the ability in the world,” Jackson said. “He's a player who has a chance to be the best point guard we've had at Withrow.”
“Hollingsworth is an outstanding point guard,” Sycamore coach Randy Lathrop said.
Withrow advances to meet Fairfield for the district title on March 13 at 7 p.m. at UD Arena.
SYCAMORE (51) — Pittman 2 0 4, Frystak 3 0 6, Smith 2 2 6, Saunders 7 0 16, Davenport 1 0 2, Hazen 2 0 4, Purdom 4 2 11. Totals: 21 4 51.
WITHROW (68) — Love 1 0 3, Washington 0 2 2, Hollingsworth 5 10 21, Sherman 3 0 8, Sanders 5 8 19, Hunter 7 2 16. Totals: 21 22 68.
Sycamore ....... 10 11 11 19 — 51
Withrow ....... 17 12 14 25 — 68
Three-point goals: S - Saunders 2, Purdom; W - Love, Hollingsworth, Sherman 2, Sanders. Records: S 7-16, W 17-4.
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