Ferguson's breakout game warms Warren

PONTIAC This dreary winter winter is something anyone around here gets used to, but we all love it when the sun finally breaks through.

Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, a different kind of sun broke through for the Warren Blue Devils - Brandon Ferguson.

Warren (9-1) coasted to its second straight win at Pontiac with a 65-36 victory over United Township (7-4).

Ferguson emerged from the shadows with an effort that included 15 points, 6 rebounds, and perhaps most importantly, 5 steals.

"Brandon (Ferguson) made some big plays for us tonight," Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. "This was his best game yet of his career."

It wasn't quite a performance that came out of nowhere, but rather the culmination of an effort that has been building since Ferguson's freshman year.

"Brandon was a B player his freshman year and a JV player last year as a junior," Ramsey remembers. "He has worked hard every day to get to where he is today. He has been our hardest worker since Day 1 in practice and sets the tone there and in games and gets us focused. He just keeps getting better."

"I just go out and play hard," Ferguson explained. "I worked really hard in the off-season, but it's up to coach and what he wants to do with me."

With Warren up only 9 at halftime, Warren used its signature defense to blow the game wide open in the third quarter.

"We played a lot better defense on the ball," Ramsey said, "We got in the passing lanes and created all our offense with our defense."

One of Ferguson's 5 steals put an exclamation point on his phenomenal performance. With 5:20 left and the game well in hand, Brandon anticipated a United Township pass, stepped into the passing lane and went the other way for a fastbreak. What he did next was not expected.

"That was my first game dunk," Ferguson said. "I shocked my team. They weren't expecting it."

Brandon Ferguson's breakaway dunk made the Warren bench and traveling student section explode.

With Warren's second easy win, Brandon Ferguson likes what is going on with this Warren team.

"We all like each other and playing with each other," Ferguson said. "We have great team chemistry."

Darius Paul led Warren with 16 points and Tanner Erbach added 8 off the bench.

Warren will play in the tournament semifinals on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against Plainfield North, which upset third-seeded Peoria Manual 50-45.