JHX Hoops and Purple Reign will clash in TBT on Monday night
JHX Hoops and Purple Reign will clash in the second round of TBT inside Municipal Auditorium at 8:00 PM on Monday night.
Late on Saturday afternoon, JHX Hoops advanced to the second round by defeating OffDaHook, 91-78.
In the win, JHX Hoops was led by Billy Preston (19 and 6), Cliff Alexander (17 and 11), Marcus Bell (15 and 6), and Zeke Mayo (13 and 5).
In defeating OffDaHook, 91-78, JHX dominated the glass, 44-24.
Minutes after advancing to the second round to face Purple Reign, Sherron Collins talked about the win over OffDaHook.
While Collins was pleased with the win, he wasn’t happy with how his team tried to win the game from behind the arc.
Instead of looking to score on back-to-back possessions, JHX Hoops tried to close out the game from behind the arc, which allowed OffDaHook to gain some momentum.
However, Cliff Alexander ended the game by bullying his way to the basket and scoring through contact.
“Yes, I had to tell them to stop shooting threes,” said Sherron Collins after the game. “I was going to call a timeout and tell them, but I just yelled and told them to stop shooting. I was going to use a word that I don’t like to use, but they started listening.”
While there were a number of impressive performances for JHX Hoops, it was Billy Preston who stood above the rest.
In leading the way with 19 points, Preston hit 7-of-11 field goals, 1-of-2 shots from behind the arc, and was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Preston is the type of player who has the ability to put a team on his back and make a deep run in a tournament like TBT.
Collins, after the game, talked about the performance of his big man.
“I’m going to keep saying that (Billy Preston is a pro),” said Collins after the game. “The dude is a pro and he’s a matchup problem.
“He brings so much to us,” he added. “He’s just a big problem.
Game against Purple Reign means something
For JHX Hoops, the next step in the process of making a deep run in TBT.
That process will officially take place against Purple Reign on Monday night.
Last Thursday night, JHX Hoops defeated Purple Reign, 78-72, in an exhibition contest at UMKC.
Zeke Mayo won the game for JHX Hoops when he stepped to the free-throw line and converted the winning free-throw.
In that exhibition contest, JHX Hoops was led by Billy Preston (16), Zeke Mayo (13), Nick Timberlake (12), and LaGerald Vick.
Early on Saturday evening, Collins was asked about facing Purple Reign.
“The guys that played here, they actually understand it,” said Collins. “Jamari Traylor and a few others will tell the guys what it means. For us, every chance we get to play them, we want to beat them.”
