LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA -- It was one of the smallest players on the court that stopped the great magical ride by the Westchester Hawks tonight inside the Milk House on the grounds of Disney World.
Andre Young, 5-foot-9, simply shot the lights out at the Wide World of Sports complex. The offensively gifted guard from the Georgia Blazers scorched the Hawks' defense for 33 points, including five three-pointers. The result was a Georgia Blazer 88-77 victory over the Westchester Hawks in one semifinal game in the Super Showcase for 17 and under (Gold category).
"We just ran out of gas," said Westchester Hawks head coach Bob Rizzo. "The kids played as hard as they could."
Young helped the Hawks run out of gas too. He zipped and zagged around defenders all night long, ripping up Westchester for 16 first quarter points by himself as the Georgia Blazers held a 29-20 after the first eight minutes of play.
As the game entered the third quarter, the Blazers still had control at 43-34. The lead expanded to 69-51 heading into the fourth quarter for the Blazers.
Kevin Jones had another great game for Westchester. He was especially effective around the basket. He recorded 28 points for the Hawks. Mookie Jones had to endure some foul trouble in the second half, picking up his fourth foul with plenty of time remaining in the third quarter. Mookie finished the game with 20 points.
College coaches filled both ends of the stands behind each basket again to watch Mookie and Kevin Jones play.
Though tonight was a disappointment for the Westchester Hawks AAU program, the team, its coach and program director Tom Jennings, can hold their heads high about their performance at the Super Showcase.
Despite not having two key members in Tyshawn Taylor and Sean Kilpatrick, the Hawks managed to land a bunch of victories and landed a spot in the semifinals.
"We had a great tournament," Rizzo admitted. "The kids played well."
They did. They just ran into a great player tonight in the little guard Andre Young. It happens. The next challenge for the Westchester Hawks is the 17 and under nationals which start tomorrow.