Protect This House!
Talk about a packed rowdy gym. This was the best basketball atmosphere that I’ve been in this season. Episcopal High School took on St. John’s School and it was LIVE. Pre-game antics by both student sections were huge. The playlist was hitting and had us all bobbing our heads and rapping along to the songs. St. John’s came out the gate with a three-pointer that had the place rocking. The Mavericks would get a quick 5-0 lead at the start, but the Knights weren’t rattled as they would go on to get a bucket to settle things down. Both teams would go on to trade buckets. St. John’s would end the quarter with a 6-point lead. They would continue to exchange blows throughout the second quarter of the game. Episcopal was able to cut the lead down to a 1-point game heading into the half. St. John’s would start the third on a 6-0 run before the Knights finally responded by getting a bucket. The Mavericks would go on to end the third with a 4-point lead. Episcopal opens up the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run which gave them a 3-point lead in the game. Just as thighs were looking up for the Knights the Mavericks would respond with two big three-pointers that would go on to swing the momentum back over in their favor. The Mavericks would go on to hold the lead and would walk away as the victors in the ball game.
Jake Hunt 6’2” | St. John’s | 2026. He made two big shots for the Mavericks. The three-pointer that he hit in the fourth quarter when the game was tied 50-50 was huge in the momentum swing to get the win. He shot 2/6 from behind the arch and finished with 10 points.
Sam Humphries 5’11” | St. John’s | 2024. He is a very scrappy player. He started the game off with a trey ball that got the student section hyped. He also looked to make the extra pass. He scored 12 points and shot 3/5 from three-point land.
Malachi Booker 6’6” | St. John’s | 2027. This freshman continues to have big game after big game. Very active on the floor throughout the game. He can score inside and out. He plays well on the defensive side of the ball. He recorded another double-double as he finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Sebastian Williams-Adams 6’8” | St. John’s | 2025. The number one player in Houston in his class showed us why as he dominated the game on the interior and ran the show as the play initiator for the Mavericks. He was a terror on the interior on both sides of the ball. He finished the game with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Justin Begg 5’10” | Episcopal | 2024. The George Mason University signee played well for the Knights. He had a slow start to the game but finished strong. His opponent could contain him as he displayed his ability to beat his opponent on the first step every time. He finished the game with 17 points.
Jakeel Registe 6’5” | Episcopal | 2024. This unsigned senior was big on the glass for the Knights. He also was a put-back machine on the offensive end of the floor. He finished the game with 12 points and brought down 9 rebounds.
Alim Olajuwon 6’3” | Episcopal | 2027. Here is another freshman who is having a big season. He was big-time in the second half of the game, as he was a factor in their comeback efforts. He was draining trey balls to keep his team in the fight. He finished the game with 13 points.
I look forward to potentially seeing this rematch at the SPC Championships in the coming weeks. In the meantime be sure to watch the Full Game Recap Highlight.
Article by: Geoffrey Day
[Ball So Hard, Owner/National Scout]
January 22, 2024
