Westover, Deerfield, Monroe highlight MLK games

The nation will pause to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, but in Albany, there will be no pause in high school basketball. Two basketball events at ASU will allow local fans the opportunity to see all of the high school basketball they want. The schedule is focused on local teams such as Deerfield-Windsor, Westover, Monroe, Lee County, Worth County, and the Dougherty girls.

While the focus is on the local talent, two games, in particular, might stir interest in high school basketball enthusiasts. The main event at ASU East will be a battle between Westover and defending state AA Champion Thomasville. Over at ASU West, the night will end with a battle between the Monroe Golden Tornadoes — currently ranked No. 8 in Class AA against Americus-Sumter ranked No. 4 in Class AAAA.

Westover comes into Monday afternoon’s contest with a 9-8 record but has won nine of its last 11 games. The Patriots beat Hardaway 80-72 Friday night behind 32 points by Antonio Jackson, who recently returned to the team and also beat Northside 69-47 Saturday night in another region battle.

The Patriots are a senior-laden team led by guards Jordan Brown, Michael Isler, and Michael Cooper. The Patriots will have their hands full with Thomasville. The Bulldogs are 17-3 on the season and also have experienced seniors, plus a lot of depth.

Thomasville lost last year’s playmaker Reggie Perry who now plays at Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs have lots of firepower both inside the paint and outside.

Vonterius Woolbright is the senior point guard who runs the offense and has a knack for beating opponents to the basket regularly. Quindarius Thomas is the shooting point guard that drills 3-pointers from anywhere on the court, and 6-foot-9 center Titus Wright frequently dominates the boards.

Luke Wallace and Taylor House are two other experienced seniors who round out the starting five for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs beat arch-rival Thomas Central Saturday night 62-40.

The Monroe-Americus Sumter game will be a gem also. After a scare at Worth County on Friday night, the Tornadoes are now 14-5 and have won seven straight. Ranked No. 8 in Class AAA, the Tornadoes will face Americus-Sumter as the final game in the ASU High School Classic at ASU West. The Panthers ranked No. 4 in Class AAAA, lost to Carver in overtime Saturday night after beating Shaw on Friday night.

The Deerfield-Windsor Knights (9-6) will open the MLK Classic at ASU East against St. Anne-Pacelli (6-11) and will begin at noon. A pair of sophomores leads the Vikings of Pacelli (6-11) into the game against the Knights. 6-foot-5 center Ian Mathews is averaging 20 points per game and 6-foot-3 forward Travis Harper is bringing 14 points per game. The Knights bring sophomore point guard Shamir Wingfield and junior Nick Dixon to lead the Knight (9-6). Wingfield runs the offense and is averaging 15 points per game while Dixon averages just over 10 points per game.