Greer goes 13/14 from the free throw line as La Marque’s pressing defense wears down the Yellow Jackets
Austin – After last season’s disappointing lost to Yates in the Region III Finals, the Cougars got another opportunity to make a statement.
The La Marque Cougars stepped on the floor of the University of Texas with the same intensity that got them pass Galveston Ball in the Region III Finals last week. In their first appearance at the big dance, the Cougars wore down a stout Forth Worth Arlington Heights team 72-61 in the Class 4A Semifinals Thursday night at the Frank Erwin Center. The win moves the Cougars into the Finals where they will face Dallas Kimble, a return team from 2009 who defeated Cedar Park in the night cap.
The ninth ranked Cougars played as if they’d been down this road before.
A quick start watched La Marque (33-4) take a 4-0 lead on Quevin Cams layup to go along with a steal and layup by Greer. As a result of their pressure defense, the Cougars went on an 11-0 run after a beautiful dunk by Yellow Jackets Dadrian Gray who took a great feed from point guard Jordan Price through the lane with 4:16 to go in the first quarter.
At times the Cougars offense sputtered when they rushed shots. It wasn’t long before Arlington Heights took advantage of the Cougars cold shooting (4-for-15) to close out the first quarter down, 18-16.
“That’s been our bread and butter all year long (defense),” said La Marque’s Coach Cedrick Mason. We kind of got off to a good start in the first quarter then I think we kind of got tired and were able to go in at halftime and get some rest. We came back out and it seemed like we were able to play in another gear. When these guys move at game speed our pressure is hard to match up with.”
The Yellow Jackets Forward Marquis Jackson helped his team get back in the game as he led them with 22 points. Jackson’s layup coupled with Jordan Price’s steal tied the game at 20 with 6:48 to go in the second quarter.
Arlington Heights (32-4) got their first lead of the game with 2:01 left in the second quarter when Jackson scored from close range as he was fouled, he converted the bonus and Cedrick Bowman connected on one of two free throws to lead 25-24.
Moments later La Marque led by two and had a chance to take the lead going into the break, but senior forward Quevin Cams missed two free throws with 3.8 seconds to go.
“I knew when we started taking it to the rack we’d be hard to beat,” said DeQuentin Greer.
Larry Clark opened the third quarter with back to back baskets to put the Yellow Jackets up 31-27 but after that it was all Cougars. La Marque responded with a 6-0 run that watched them take a commanding 33-31 lead and never looked back.
“It’s great, it’s something that I told my guys you work hard in the summer time to get to this point and it’s hard for a teenager to understand that it was hours that you put in,” said Gary Collier Arlington Heights Coach. In the summer time it’s going to pay off to get you down here. Fortunately I feel, the harder you work the luckier you get and the guys worked hard all year, they really did. It’s been a historical year one that I will never forget. We lost to a really good team, we have nothing to hold our heads down about.
Three Cougars finishing in double figures, Julien Lewis led the way with 21 points; DeQuwntin Greer who was 13/14 from the free throw line added 20 and Quevin Cams chipped in 17.
Larry Clark finished with 13 points for the Yellow Jackets.
