Southern Sports & Travel, By Brett Rutland
The Bowling Green Buccaneers overcame a sluggish start and a feisty team in Claiborne Academy in the quarterfinal round of the MAIS Overall Tournament Tuesday afternoon, ultimately cruising to an 80-55 victory over the Rebels. Senior guard Jaron Edwards scored a game high 23 points in the victory as the Bucs improved to 28-9 on the year and advance to meet the Madison-Ridgeland Academy Patriots Friday night.
“I was proud of my kids for the way they were able to finish the game after a disappointing loss Saturday.” said Bucs coach Pat King. “We started out slow and missed a lot of shots but they got it going, especially in the third quarter. We were able to build a little bit of a lead and get a couple of guys some rest before Friday.”
Claiborne jumped out to an 18-12 lead after one quarter, but Bowling Green responded with a steady determination, climbing back and taking a 35-33 lead into the locker rooms at halftime. They picked up right where they left off in the third quarter as Mac McElveen- 17 points, Shod Fortenberry -10 points and Colton Owens-12 points, aided the Bucs cause, pushing the lead to 53-42 lead after three quarters. The Bucs continued to pour it on in the fourth, outscoring the Rebels 27-13 in the final frame, resulting in the final 25 point victory.
When asked about facing Madison-Ridgeland, King said, “They’re tough. They haven’t lost to a private school team in over a year, so that should tell everyone how good they are. We’ll have our hands full, but there are no bad teams playing at this time of the year anyway. We’re just going to have to come out ready to play.”
Jaron Edwards led Bowling Green with 23 points. Mac McElveen followed with 17 points. Colton Owens registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Shod Fortenberry scored 10 points, Dylan Varnado 4, Drake Adams 4, Kevin Perry 4, Dean King 2, Russell Perry 2, and Alex Keaton 2.
Oliver Willis registered a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds to lead Claiborne, who ended their season with a 27-6 mark. Jadarius Willis followed with 13 points, Keaton Bush 5, Jason Tuggle 5, Cooper Suggs 4, Zach Odom 4, Slade Walser 3, Taylor Tuggle 2 and Dylan Perry 2.
“I was proud of my kids for the way they were able to finish the game after a disappointing loss Saturday.” said Bucs coach Pat King. “We started out slow and missed a lot of shots but they got it going, especially in the third quarter. We were able to build a little bit of a lead and get a couple of guys some rest before Friday.”
Claiborne jumped out to an 18-12 lead after one quarter, but Bowling Green responded with a steady determination, climbing back and taking a 35-33 lead into the locker rooms at halftime. They picked up right where they left off in the third quarter as Mac McElveen- 17 points, Shod Fortenberry -10 points and Colton Owens-12 points, aided the Bucs cause, pushing the lead to 53-42 lead after three quarters. The Bucs continued to pour it on in the fourth, outscoring the Rebels 27-13 in the final frame, resulting in the final 25 point victory.
When asked about facing Madison-Ridgeland, King said, “They’re tough. They haven’t lost to a private school team in over a year, so that should tell everyone how good they are. We’ll have our hands full, but there are no bad teams playing at this time of the year anyway. We’re just going to have to come out ready to play.”
Jaron Edwards led Bowling Green with 23 points. Mac McElveen followed with 17 points. Colton Owens registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Shod Fortenberry scored 10 points, Dylan Varnado 4, Drake Adams 4, Kevin Perry 4, Dean King 2, Russell Perry 2, and Alex Keaton 2.
Oliver Willis registered a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds to lead Claiborne, who ended their season with a 27-6 mark. Jadarius Willis followed with 13 points, Keaton Bush 5, Jason Tuggle 5, Cooper Suggs 4, Zach Odom 4, Slade Walser 3, Taylor Tuggle 2 and Dylan Perry 2.
BG...12...23...18...27...80
CA...18...15....9....13...55
(Photo above) Jaron Edwards, file photo
