4A District 15: Bartlett‘s in the catbird’s seat

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett took care of business Friday night on the road, defeating Houston 81-65 for its eighth-consecutive victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers are, once again, in the catbird's seat in the TSSAA 4A District 15. Bartlett is 8-0 in district play, with the No. 1 seed in the district tournament in reach.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's what happened Friday night:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Imposing its will</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Houston jumped out to an 8-2 lead, thanks to five quick points from senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1532545' first='Keron' last='Jackson']. The Mustangs held a lead until the halfway point of the second quarter. Senior Austin Howard got the strip at the top of the key before being rewarded with a layup. The Panthers had their first lead of the night at 23-22. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And Bartlett (17-7) never relinquished its lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, the Panthers were what they have been for most of the season: smothering, stingy, physical, and relentless. Bartlett altered or blocked shots at the rim all evening. The Panthers' big men ([player_tooltip player_id='2116626' first='Ethan' last='Gatewood'], [player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry'], and <strong>DJ</strong> <strong>Okoth</strong>) crashed the boards like their lives depended on it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett forced turnovers, got out in transition, and didn't let up once it grabbed the lead for good in the second quarter. This is the defensive intensity that has been the staple of the Panthers since head coach Dion Real has been at the helm. This isn't unfamiliar territory for Bartlett. In a meaningful district game when the Panthers are in a must-win situation, they seem to play like there's no tomorrow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers have four district games left against four programs they have already beaten (Cordova, Arlington, Germantown, and Collierville). It's still early to give Bartlett the district title, because crazy things can happen around this time of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But, one thing is certain: The district runs through the Panthers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“That was huge. Defensively, guys just, kind of, locked in,” Real said after the win. “It was a really, really good atmosphere tonight. I felt like we were, kind, of caught up in the atmosphere a little bit. We, kind of, calmed down, settled in, and just continued to get stops. I was proud of them.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hero of the night</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2307628' first='Sydney' last='Thompson'] was the hero of the night for Bartlett. The 5-10 Thompson gave the Panthers a much-needed spark in the second quarter. Scores by Perry and freshman point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams'] gave Bartlett a 27-22 lead. A 3 by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1672419' first='Kaleb' last='Jeffries'] made it a one-possession game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then, out of nowhere, a tsunami struck Houston (19-6, 7-2). Thompson drained three-consecutive 3s then scored a layup to give Bartlett a 38-28 lead. Thompson's scoring jabs ignited the road crowd, energized the Panthers' bench, and had the Mustangs looking for answers defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thompson finished the night with 15 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>”He's one that's low maintenance. Those are good basketball players,” Real said. “He shows up. He gets it. He goes, he plays hard. I was very, very excited for him tonight.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Constantly going</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Houston was still in the fight, down 38-31 at the break after Jeffries made a contested banked 3 as time expired. Sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2101889' first='Justin' last='Frison'] scored a 3 in the early minutes of the third to get within four. That was the closest the Mustangs would get. The Panthers went on a 10-0 run and a plethora of events occurred.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Okoth and Williams scored off back-to-back Houston's inbounds passes that were deflected and stolen. Williams made a deep 3. Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1330881' first='KJ' last='Neville'] converted on a 3-pointer from the right wing before striking a pose in front of Bartlett's rowdy bench and fan base.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers were constantly going for the kill despite holding the lead. The exclamation point was a dunk in transition by Jones, who picked up a technical foul for hanging on the rim. Williams led Bartlett with 19 points. Jones finished with 14. Neville added 11.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->