4A District 15 Tournament Semifinals: Quick notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top-seeded Bartlett put Germantown away early, cruising to a 61-34 win. Houston defeated Southwind, 55-49, in the second game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers and the Mustangs will battle one another for the 4A District 15 Tournament crown. Bartlett swept Houston in the regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The winner will get a No. 1 seed in the 4A Region 8 Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are 4 quick notes from Saturday:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>It can get ugly fast</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett held a 13-9 lead heading into the second quarter. That small lead quickly doubled when freshman point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams'] made back-to-back 3s that was followed by a 3 from sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2291122' first='Dylan' last='Jones']. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2307628' first='Sydney' last='Thompson'] got a layup, senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1330881' first='KJ' last='Neville'] drained a deep 3 from the top of the key then a 3 by Thompson capped off an impressive 18-0 run that extended the Panthers' halftime lead to 38-13. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That run not only was enough for Bartlett to stay on cruise control in the second half, but it was a clear sign of how ugly the Panthers can make a lopsided run look impossible to overcome. Bartlett got every key rebound, made every key stop and turned both into scores. The Panthers had 9 different players to score. Bartlett is at its best when a lot of guys are contributing. Williams and Jones each finished with 11 points. Freshman <strong>DJ Okoth</strong> added 10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers always seem to hit another gear off a turnover, a 3-point play, or a 3-pointer. If all three things happen for Bartlett, the contest will get ugly fast, and there's nothing that can be done about it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Great balance</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As I mentioned just a moment ago, the Panthers had 9 players to score in double figures. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry'] finished with 8 points and crashed the boards. Thompson added 7. Neville scored a quick 5 points. Bartlett gets consistent production from Jones and Williams, but the Panthers can have different guys, from game to game, lead the offense. That's what makes Bartlett tough to scout, tough to defend, and a safe bet to win this season's TSSAA Division I Class 4A Boys' State Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>When he feels like it</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Houston's senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1532545' first='Keron' last='Jackson'] Jr. imposed his will in the second half against the Jaguars. He scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the second half that helped the Mustangs propel themselves into Tuesday night's title game. Nine of those points came early in the fourth quarter, which included a 3-point play that gave Houston a 46-38 lead. That lead seemed too huge for Southwind to overcome since it couldn't get enough stops nor generate enough offense. When Jackson puts together an entire half, he can be the best player on the floor. Jackson could have finished with 30 point had he made his free throws. He went 6 for 12 from the charity stripe in the second half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Can't stay out of the lane</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mustangs' sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2101889' first='Justin' last='Frison'] got into the lane whenever he wanted to. The Jaguars couldn't keep him out of the paint. Trailing 23-15 late in the second quarter, Houston ended the quarter on a 6-0 run, with Frison scoring four of those points off layups in under a minute. He didn't settle for jumpers in this contest. Frison attacked each time he saw a slight crease in the paint. He finished with 15 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->