Indians claim district crown, Science Hill subdues Wolves

MORRISTOWN — For a span of a few seconds during Tuesday's District 1-4A boys' championship game, Dobyns-Bennett's T.J. Maxwell was a one-man scoring run. Maxwell's quick six-point spurt pushed a five-point lead to an 11-point advantage and gave the Indians some crucial breathing room en route to a 68-58 victory. With the win, D-B secured a district title and a top seed in this week's Region 1-4A tournament. The runner-up Trojans earned the district's second seed, and both teams will host a regional tournament game on Saturday night. Maxwell's heroics started with a one-handed tip-in with 5:46 remaining in the game. He grabbed a steal on West's ensuing possession and converted it into a fast-break layup before stealing the inbound pass and adding another layup to turn a 50-45 lead into a 56-45 advantage with 5:14 remaining in the game. The Indians sprinted out to a 14-4 lead and eventually pushed their advantage to 21-4 before West's Jamere Williams tipped in a putback with 1:29 remaining in the first quarter. Maxwell and Elijah Thomas each knocked down a pair of 3-pointers that fueled the Tribe's run. Defensively, D-B forced nine first-quarter turnovers and led 24-8 at the end of the period. West was able to right the ship in the second quarter. Julian Sexton hit a couple 3-pointers early in the quarter, the second coming with 4:12 remaining before halftime to pull the Trojans within 13 points. Once a rash of fouls put West in the bonus, they were able to use a blend of foul shots and fast-break points to reel off a 10-0 run that pulled them within 35-30 wins 28.1 seconds left in the half. D-B's Tyree Thomas knocked down a couple free throws with 10.4 seconds left to snap the run and send the Tribe to the locker room with a 37-30 lead. All told, West scored seven points from the foul line after getting into the bonus with 3:15 left in the second period. D-B led 48-43 at the end of the third quarter and closed out the game thanks in large part to Maxwell's six straight points. Maxwell led the Tribe with 20 points while Carter Atwood scored 12 and Elijah Thomas added 12. Science Hill 56, West Ridge 22 The third-seeded Hilltoppers used a smothering half-court defensive effort to win the District 1-4A consolation game, holding the Wolves to 16 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers. Both teams will open the Region 1-4A tournament on the road Saturday night with Science Hill representing the district as the third seed and West Ridge the fourth seed. The Hilltoppers started the game on a 19-4 run that culminated with a layup by Brody McGuire with 5:17 remaining in the second quarter, prompting a timeout by West Ridge. During that stretch, Science Hill forced nine turnovers and held West Ridge to 2-for-13 shooting. The Wolves were able to gain some traction offensively but still trailed 27-12 at halftime despite holding Science Hill to 27 percent shooting in the first half. The Hilltoppers picked up right where they left off after halftime, embarking on a 16-4 run that put them up 43-16. They held West Ridge without a field goal in the third quarter until Jackson Light knocked down a 3-pointer with 47 seconds left in the period. McGuire led the way with 10 points for Science Hill, which ed by as many as 35 points in the fourth quarter. Stephen Hensley added nine points while Jabriel Fain and Jamin Robbins chipped in with seven points each. Grant Thompson and Ronnie Smith scored six points apiece to lead West Ridge.