Walker blows past U-High, 63-56, with dominant second quarter

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>University Lab converted a second-chance opportunity Wednesday in the final moments of the first quarter into a go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But Walker responded with a dominant second quarter to claim a 15-point lead by halftime, the strength on which the Wildcats would coast to a 63-56 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/VQm262oIsjw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"embed-handler","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/VQm262oIsjw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='970138' first='Warren' last='Young'] Jr. (6'0" | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior guard was a catalyst with eight of his 20 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, coming in the second quarter. Young is always a confident driver to the lane, and found success Wednesday on a few baseline drives on which he was able to draw defenders and kick assists to spot-up shooters and cutters. He finished with six dimes, seven rebounds, a pair of steals and a blocked shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='970137' first='Kedric' last='Brown'] (6'1" | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown helped Young in leading the Wildcats' second-quarter surge with six of his 12 points coming in the period. The active, long-armed athlete is a standout on defense and the boards where he led all players with eight rebounds. He also snatched a steal and added a couple of assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ja'Cory Thomas (6'3" | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The springy forward finished with 12 points, four rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal despite battling through some foul trouble that brought him back to the bench more often than he'd like after a five-point first quarter. The multisport standout's leaping and overall athleticism allows him to play taller than his height at the high school level, and he also showcased a bit of his ball-handling and vision on the baseline to find a teammate for an assist.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Riley Small (6'0" | 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The multisport athlete wasn't in the lineup earlier in January when Prep Hoops Louisiana caught a pair of the Cubs' games in the Wayde Sims Foundation Invitational, but was a starter and integral piece Wednesday with a 15-points, five-rebound night. Small, who plays running back and linebacker for the football team, was one of the shorter athletes on the court, but used his thick frame and strength to his advantage to play bigger than his height in the lane as a driver, defender and rebounder. One of his boards was the aforementioned late in the first quarter to dish to [player_tooltip player_id='2408458' first='Trushaad' last='Bush'] for a go-ahead 3-pointer, and he was involved in a play on which he, Seth Mays and [player_tooltip player_id='1560441' first='Cooper' last='Coates'] all had their hands up in the lane to help contest and block a Wildcats' shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Seth Mays (6'4" | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior leader had an uncharacteristically quiet night for the first three quarters, but his persistence and explosion in the fourth quarter led the U-High charge back to within single digits that made the Wildcats sweat a bit down the stretch. May scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the final period, including a 3-pointer and 8-for-8 foul shooting, and was flying all over the court for loose balls and takeaways to finish with six rebounds and three steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->