By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Watson Chapel’s Jaymes Farrell did his best to put a damper on the Archie Goodwin show when he entered the game to start the second quarter against Sylvan Hills on Tues-day.
But despite Farrell’s 10 points that sparked a Wildcats’ comeback, the Bears prevailed 64-47 at Sylvan Hills.
Sylvan Hills (14-3, 5-0 5A-Southeast) shot 7 for 9 from behind the three-point line in the first quarter on the way to a 29-2 lead at the end of the period before Watson Chapel (9-6, 3-2) pulled to within 36-26 at halftime.
The Wildcats closed to within six points early in the fourth quarter before the Bears dialed up the defensive pressure and ate up the clock in the frontcourt with a methodical, 11-0 run down the stretch.
The victory keeps the first-place Bears a game ahead of North Pulaski in the 5A-Southeast.
The energetic, capacity crowd had plenty to be excited about with Kentucky coach John Calipari and Missouri coach Mike Anderson in the stands to watch Goodwin, and the junior five-star prospect delivered in a 33-point performance.
Goodwin lit it up immediately with 13 points in the first quarter before sitting out most of the second. In that time, Farrell rallied the Wildcats, who outscored the Bears 24-7 to help them recover from the shaky start and end the half in better shape.
“It’s hard to script one better than what we did at the beginning,” Sylvan Hills coach Kevin Davis said. “Everything that you run in your break is working– everything. We had to make adjustments, because 33 was doing really well.”
The Bears answered Farrell with defensive pressure from quick-handed Anthony Featherston, who limited the Watson Chapel standout to eight points in the second half.
“I don’t believe that if 33 would have been in the ballgame in the first quarter, the difference would have been that much,” Watson Chapel coach Danny Myatt said of Farrell, who sat out the opening period as punishment for a minor disciplinary infraction.
“We may have scored a little bit. Taking nothing away from Sylvan Hills, but they won’t shoot that ball that well in the first quarter the rest of the year.”
Trey Smith got things going with a three-point basket on the Bears’ opening possession. Larry Ziegler then scored on an ally-oop lay-in assisted by point guard Dion Patton, followed by Goodwin’s first points of the night on a three pointer from the right side.
Smith made it 11-0 with another three-pointer before pressuring Jovione Bailey into a traveling call near midcourt.
Patton got in on the scoring when he made a three pointer with 4:58 left in the first quarter to give the Bears a 14-0 lead, and Goodwin followed with two free throws. Smith completed his first-quarter hat trick with another three-pointer that gave Sylvan Hills a commanding 19-0 lead with 3:20 left in the first period.
Bailey finally got the Wildcats on the scoreboard with an inside jumper.
Goodwin ended the first quarter with a long three-point shot at the buzzer. Pressure from Bailey caused Goodwin to fall down as he launched the ball, but it swished through the net to the delight of the Bears fans.
“They couldn’t have shot the ball any better,” Myatt said of Sylvan Hills. “We missed some layups that could have helped us a little; it just kind of snowballed on us.”
Farrell quickly helped the Wildcats make up ground in the second quarter.
Darrell Russell hit two three-pointers early in the period to close the gap to 31-10 and Farrell led a 10-2 charge by Watson Chapel that cut it to 33-22 with 1:03 left in the half.
Devin Pearson scored in the lane and was sent to the line for a successful free throw for the Bears, but Farrell closed out the half with a dunk and a pair of free throws.
“They fought – they challenged back,” Myatt said.
“We could’ve gotten over the hump a little more, and that may have helped. Trailing 29-2 at the end of the first quarter, and getting it back to a five-, six-point ballgame, they deserve a lot of credit for coming out there.”
Goodwin showed out at the end of the game with the Bears leading 58-47 and needing to kill the final five minutes.
He stood above the top of the key and invited challenges from Watson Chapel defenders. Russell, Antonio Jenkins and Bailey took a few shots at stealing the ball, but Goodwin prevailed each time, scoring twice and assisting Featherston on the game’s final points.
“He took over there a little bit,” Davis said of Goodwin. “It gave him some lanes to drive the basketball, and he’s able to get all the way to the rim. Those were huge, and then at the end, we’re trying to run out clock; we’ve got the lead that we want.
“Archie is who he is, he can handle the ball with both hands. He’s a tough guy.”
Goodwin added a game-high eight rebounds to go with his 33 points. Smith added nine points, all on three-pointers, in the first quarter and Pearson scored seven.
Patton scored six points and Ziegler had five, eight rebounds and three steals.
Farrell led Watson Chapel with 18 points and seven rebounds and Bailey scored 11 points.
