Night cap suits Warren at Pontiac
PONTIAC — There are pros and cons to playing in certain holiday tournaments every year.
The negatives — travel distance and playing in the early game — can be a burden for a high school team accustomed to neither.
Warren (8-1) entered the 80th annual Pontiac Holiday Tournament as the No. 2 seed, and this time the Blue Devils got just the circumstances they desired.
Not only did the Blue Devils, who travel 140 miles every year, get an 8 p.m. game on Day 1, they drew the home team, the Pontiac Indians.
“I was happy with getting the night session,” Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. “Usually we get the morning or afternoon sessions and we don’t get as rested as we would like.”
They also got the result they desired, with a 73-34 trouncing of the hosts, who fell to 3-9.
“We played pretty well all-around,” Ramsey explained. “We have not played in 11 days and it was nice to get everyone in the game.”
When Ramsey says “everybody,” he really means it. All 14 players who were dressed played, and 13 of them scored.
Warren built a 21-5 lead after the first quarter behind five 3-pointers and never looked back. Jeremiah Jackson and Darius Paul were the leading scorers with 12 points. Jackson added 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Pontiac was led in scoring by Josh Wilson with 17 points. Wilson was the only Indian in double digits and as a team Pontiac did not reach double figures until there were 35 seconds left in the half.
The Warren victory was a perfect way to end a busy day. The schedule for the Blue Devils started at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
“We had the practice at school,” Ramsey said. “Then we went and ate together before getting on the bus and having another practice here at 3:30.”
A school bus full of high school basketball players and a 140-mile trip could scare some adults, but all was quiet on I-55.
“We like to keep all bus rides quiet,” Ramsey said. “But since we ate before we left, everyone slept. It worked out perfectly.”
Judging by the outcome, Warren was well rested and well prepared. The Blue Devils are in the championship bracket for the first time since 2008, when they won the whole tournament.
But first things first: Warren will play United Township, which knocked off Niles West 69-66, at 7:30 p.m. today.