Young helps Vine overcome slow start, topple Warriors 66-42
By Ken Lay
When Julius Young hit a three-point basket as the final buzzer sounded in a Knox County Middle School Basketball game at Whittle Springs Thursday night, he put the finishing touch on a dominant performance for Vine Middle School’s boys basketball team.
“When he gets going and he turns it on, he’s hard to stop,” Vine coach Jadarius Suber said of Young after the Golden Bears notched a 66-42 victory over the host Warriors. “When he finally got in there and got it turned on, he couldn’t be stopped.”
The long-range jumper at the end of the contest accounted for three of Young’s game-high 20 points.
Young, who had 13 points in the first half, had a quiet first few minutes at Whittles, scored six points late in the opening frame, as he was fouled after making lay-ups and being fouled in the act of shooting. He then converted the subsequent free throws.
He was also a defensive force for the Golden Bears as he blocked multiple shots and forced the Warriors to alter several of their other field goal attempts.
Things, however, didn’t start well for Vine in this showdown between the top two teams in the Class AA classification of the Knox County Middle School Basketball Conference.
The Warriors started fast, opening a 10-6 lead after Vine was called for a technical foul. But after a spirited talk from their coach, the Golden Bears awoke with a vengeance and closed the first quarter with a 15-4 run. The surge netted Vine a 21-15 lead.
“We got off to a slow start but what we need to do is ignore and stay away from the outside distractions,” Suber said.
The coach saw his team settle in and take control of the game. After the opening six minutes, the Golden Bears never trailed again. Their advantage swelled to 40-26 by halftime and ballooned to 53-31 by the end of the third quarter.
Young shouldered the bulk of the offensive load but he also received some help from his supporting cast as the Golden Bears boasted a balanced scoring attack. Young was one of four Vine players to post double figures in the scoring column.
Jamir Kimbrough scored 13 points. Keivon Stinson added 11 and William Dixson finished with 10.
DeAndre Brinson led the Warriors with 14 points and Jett Bryge added 12.
