Start and Bowsher will meet for the City League boys basketball championship Friday after winning semifinal games Tuesday at Waite.
The top-seeded, defending-champion Spartans (18-3) got there with ease, taking advantage of an ice-cold Scott Bulldogs team for a 53-29 victory in the first semifinal.
The Rebels (11-10), the No. 2 seed, had to hold on for dear life in the closing seconds of the second semifinal to emerge with a 50-47 win against Rogers.
The final is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday here.
Bowsher, up 46-39 with 1:50 left after a clutch 3-pointer from Sherod Brooks, saw Rogers (10-11) get within 48-47 on Nate Houston’s driving bank shot with 22 seconds remaining.
The Rebels’ Shawn Hoskins missed the front end of a bonus chance at the free-throw line, but a Bowsher steal led to a transition layup from Markus Ray with 5.1 seconds to play for the final margin.
Rogers’ Ketaan Wyatt missed on a desperation 3-point try at the buzzer.
Bowsher's Damion Washington blocks the shot of Rogers' Ketaan Wyatt. (THE BLADE/LORI KING)
“We had a lot of mistakes, but we hung in there,” Bowsher coach Joe Guerrero said. “That’s a game we could’ve easily let slip away. The beginning of the season, we started out 1-5 and it seemed like we lost games like this.
“The second half of the season, we’ve been able to find a way to win, and we found one tonight. Neither one of us shot too well, and they hung in there. We had a lead, they caught up, and we were able to hold on there at the end.”
Terrance Williams led Bowsher with nine points, Hoskins had eight points and 13 rebounds, and Ray added eight points for the Rebels, who had split their two earlier league games with Rogers.
The Rams were paced by Curtis Jackson with 16 points, Da’Sean Nelson had 13 points and six rebounds, and Wyatt added 12 points.
“I thought out defense was very good,” Guerrero said. “We did a great job of getting to our spots. We’ve worked on that a lot, and I thought that was the key for us tonight.”
Bowsher was 21-of-53 (40 percent) from the field, including 5-of-14 on 3s, and was 3-of-7 at the foul line. The Rebels outrebounded the Rams 37-25.
VIDEO: Bowsher 50, Rogers 47
Rogers, which was 16-of-39 (41 percent) from the field, including 3-of-11 on 3s, doomed itself at the foul line, hitting just 12 of its 27 attempts.
In the first game, Scott had one of the worst starts possible, almost being shut out for an entire half that began sluggishly for both teams.
Start scored the game’s first points with 3:31 left in the first quarter, when Adrian Michael converted a transition layup off a steal.
It was one of 11 first-half turnovers by the Bulldogs, who managed only 11 field-goal attempts in the first two quarters. Scott’s Brandon Hendricks drove to convert a scoop shot with 38 seconds left in the first quarter to tie the game at 2.
Those would be the Bulldogs’ only points in a disastrous first half.
Scott's Kevin Woodard is tripped up by Start defenders during Wednesday's City League semifinal at Waite. (THE BLADE/LORI KING)
The Spartans, who opened the game 1-for-10 from the field, including eight misses from beyond the arc, eventually found some rhythm while Scott could not.
“We shot the ball bad,” Start coach Matt Wortham said of his team’s start. “We missed our first eight 3s, and we just kept firing them up. I told the kids after a timeout, ‘Just look to get the ball to the basket and make a few layups. Then the 3s will open up.’
“But our main focus was to make sure the leading scorer in the City [Scott’s Genesis Warith] didn’t get off on us. I know he hit a couple late, but we did a good job on him defensively in the first half.”
Start closed the first with a 3 from Alex Perry and a layup from Dashad Floyd for a 7-2 lead.
The Spartans then outscored the Bulldogs 16-0 in the second to take a 23-2 lead at halftime. They led 41-16 after three.
VIDEO: Start 53, Scott 29
Start was led by nine points apiece from Devin Williams and Alex Perry, and Adrian Michael, Tavieon McDonald and Dashad Floyd added six points each.
Warith finished with game highs of 16 points and eight rebounds for Scott (8-12). Kevin Woodard added six for the Bulldogs.
“Midway through the second quarter, I think we found some rhythm,” Wortham said. “We finally knocked in a couple shots, started going to the basket, and we started actually running our offense instead of settling for the first shot available.
“It’s our second year going back [to CL final], and it’s going to be a tough game. We’re going to go back to the drawing board and hopefully come up with a good game plan for Friday.”
Start was 20-of-48 (42 percent) from the field, including 3-of-17 on 3s, and 10-of-13 at the foul line. The Spartans outrebounded Scott 29-21, and forced 21 turnovers while committing 13.
The Bulldogs were 10-of-31 (32 percent), including 5-of-13 on 3s, and was 4-of-4 at the line.
“Start is very good, and Matt’s done a great job with them,” Guerrero said of the finals matchup. “It’s going to be a tough game, but we’re looking forward to moving on.”
First Published February 20, 2019, 2:38 a.m.
