No disappointing loss this time around for the UHA Blazers in the opening round of the Boys All A Classic state tournament, although it got a little uncomfortable in the final minutes of the game. Paced by a blistering first quarter from KyKy Tandy, UHA moved on to the quarterfinal round by getting past Bishop Brossart 61-53 late Thursday night at McBrayer Arena.
Unlike last year’s opening game, in which the Blazers got off to a brutal start against Lexington Catholic, UHA opened fast and on fire, especially behind the three point line. The Blazers hit 7 of 8 three point shots in the first eight minutes, six of those made by Tandy, as they bolted out to a 23-10 lead after one. The pace of the game was frenetic during the opening minutes.
Things slowed down a bit in the second quarter, as both teams lost their shooting eye. UHA shot only 2 of 7 in the second quarter, including only 1 of 6 behind the arc. Bishop Brossart was even colder, colder than the temps outside McBrayer Arena. The Mustangs hit only 2 of 12 from the field in the second quarter, for just 16.7-percent. Brossart did manage to trim one point off the lead as the teams went to th break with UHA up 30-18.
Behind KyKy Tandy, Drew McGowan, and Taquan Hollowell, the Blazers opened the second half on a 10-2 run to blow the lead out to 20 points at 40-20. As the UHA fans roared their approval, it seemed as if the Blazers were on the verge of blowing things open
Not so fast, said the Mustangs, who then began to shoot their way back into the ballgame. Bishop Brossart finished the quarter on a 12-4 run, all on 3-point plays. Three shots from behind the arc, and an old fashioned 3-point play, and suddenly the momentum shifted hard in the other direction, as the Mustangas cut the lead to 44-32 entering the final quarter.
The run continued into the beginning of the 4th quarter. The Mustangs sprinted out to a 14-7 run in the opening minutes of the final quarter to get within 5 points at 51-46, and set the Brossart fans into a wild frenzy as they sensed a possible epic comeback.
But five was as close as the Mustangs would get. With the lead still at five at 53-48, DJ Quarles knocked down a huge jumper to extend the lead to seven. Drew McGowan then went 4-4 at the line and nailed another jumper as the Blazers pushed the final margin back out to eight points.
KyKy Tandy led the way for UHA with 28 points, including seven 3-pointers. Drew McGowan added 16 points and had 9 big rebounds. Taquan Hollowell scored 9 points and had 6 rebounds.
Bishop Brossart was led by JD Schumacher with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Although, Schumacher was only 9 of 23 from the field.
The Blazers improve to 18-3 on the season and will take on Newport in the quarterfinal round Friday night at 9:30pm ET. The two teams met back in December in the championship game of the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic. The Blazers came away with the win and the title by a score of 85-59.
