Raleigh-Egypt uses hot 3rd quarter to pull away from Cordova

<p><strong>Quintavious Bailey</strong> doesn’t get much praise in the city of Memphis for his play on the court, but at 6-foot-4, the junior forward can put the ball on the floor and shoot the 3 ball.</p> <p>He did both things Wednesday night against Cordova.</p> <p>Bailey led Raleigh-Egypt with 22 points as the Pharaohs defeated the Wolfpack (8-4), 78-54 to improve to 11-3 of the season. Raleigh-Egypt held a 42-31 lead at halftime, but used a strong third quarter to put the game away.</p> <p>The Pharaohs started out with a 17-0 run to go up 59-32. Senior point guard <strong>Deovaunta Williams</strong> scored 10 points during the run, including an alley-oop dunk that he slammed home with one hand to ignite the home crowd. Williams also converted on a 3-point play to start the third quarter and knocked down a deep 3-pointer following a score from point guard <strong>Cory Griggs</strong>.</p> <p>Williams finished with 15 points and would’ve scored more if head coach Maurice Miller wouldn't have sat Williams in the final period. Griggs provided 13.</p> <p>Raleigh-Egypt outscored Cordova, 27-7, in the third quarter.</p> <p>Many people in the city of Memphis knows about Williams, but not Bailey. As a sophomore last season, Bailey averaged 15 points per game. Coach Miller isn’t surprised by the season Bailey is having.</p> <p>“I think it’s because it has been awhile since Raleigh has been relevant,” Miller said. “Even now, I think it’s taking people to settle in and realize we’re a good basketball team. With Bailey, he’s consistent. I truly feel like he’s the best junior in the state of Tennessee. The numbers back it up.</p> <p>“You can go pick games 1-14, and you’re going to see him with 25-plus. He’s not forcing it. He’s one of the very few players that can play inside out.”</p> <p>Bailey knocked down three 3-pointers in the third quarter before knocking down another one to start the fourth quarter. As a team, the Pharaohs converted on 11 3s.</p> <p>The Wolfpack kept the game close in the first quarter, trailing just 22-15, despite Raleigh-Egypt making 5 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of the game, but missed defensive assignments allowed the Pharaohs to start pulling away in the second quarter, which was the perfect setup for the offensive explosiveness in the third quarter.</p> <p>Senior forward Andrew Millen led Cordova with 17 points. Sophomore guard Calvin Jennings added 10. The Wolfpack’s leading scorer, <strong>Bruce Guy Jr.,</strong> finished with just seven points.</p> <p><strong>3 takeaways</strong></p> <ul> <li>Bailey had a great night for Raleigh-Egypt, the backcourt of Griggs and Kadran Boyce made smart decisions with the basketball. Boyce finished with six points, but was more of a facilitator throughout the night.</li> <li>Cordova ran into a veteran group, and its young guards made too many mistakes on both ends of the court, which led to the Wolfpack getting into a hole early.</li> <li>Cordova made only one 3, which came in the first quarter by sophomore wing Jordan Hamilton. The Wolfpack had great looks at the basket, but the shots weren’t falling.</li> </ul>