Beach Ball Classic roundup: Lone Peak (Utah) too much for Myrtle Beach

Lone Peak (Utah) put on a three-man, 3-point show in Wednesday night’s Beach Ball Classic nightcap that concluded the opening round. The Knights defeated Myrtle Beach 86-48, yet only three players scored more than two points and combined to connect on 14 3-pointers.

Junior Nick Emery scored a game-high 37 points, sophomore T.J. Haws scored 23 and junior Conner Toolson chipped in with 15. Emery hit 13 of 23 shots from the field and 6 of 12 3-pointers to tie for 24th all-time for points in a single game in Beach Ball history, and Haws was an efficient 7 of 9 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

But Toolson may have had the most impressive night. He was perfect from the field, hitting all five of his shots, including four treys. Lone Peak’s points came both in half-court offensive sets and in transition.

“We’re kind of a shorter team so we like to get out and run and make guys tired,” Emery said. “It’s easier to breathe here than it is in Utah because of the elevation.”

Both Emery and Haws have committed to Brigham Young, and they combined to score Lone Peak’s first 25 points to give the Knights a 13-point lead before Toolson hit a 3-pointer more than nine minutes into the game.

“That’s just how it worked out,” Emery said. “That doesn’t happen every game. We just have fun with each other, and got the win, which is all that matters.”

Lone Peak (6-1) is without a third BYU commitment this year in 6-8 junior forward Eric Mica, who has to sit out a year after transferring from a private school.

Myrtle Beach (6-4) was led by Emaray Johnson, who tallied 11 points, and T.J. Jones, who scored nine. E.J. Goings had eight points and a team-high six rebounds. There weren’t many rebounds to be had, as Lone Peak shot 59.6 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from 3-point range and 72.7 percent from the free throw line.

•  LONE PEAK (86) – Nick Emery 37, T.J. Haws 23, Brody Berry 2, Talon Shumway 2, Conner Toolson 15, Zach Frampton 1, Mason Squires 2, Josh Buck 2, Spencer Curtis 2

•  MYRTLE BEACH (48) – E.J. Goings 8, Emaray Johnson 11, Nolin Butler 5, Tramond Wilson 1, T.J. Jones 9, Mason Lewis 2, Solomon Cooper 5, Daquarius Wilson 3, Brenden Wynn 4

• 3-point goals: Lone Peak 14 (Emery 6, Haws 4, Toolson 4), Myrtle Beach 2 (Johnson 1, Cooper 1). Team fouls: Lone Peak 15, Myrtle Beach 16. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.

• Records: Lone Peak 6-1, Myrtle Beach 6-4

•  Whitney Young (Ill.) 78, Lexington 62 | Whitney Young (Ill.) sophomore Jahlil Okafor showed why he is considered the top high school power forward/center in the United States in the Class of 2014, quietly cruising to a game-high 36 points and 14 rebounds as the Dolphins (5-2) controlled Lexington.

“I know that the best thing for the team is for me to stay in the paint, to get the ball up there, and that worked for us tonight,” Okafor said.

A 6-11 sophomore, Okafor was dominant inside, shooting 14-for-16 from the floor, with eight of those made shots coming from inside the paint. His 14 rebounds were just one fewer than Lexington had as a team and he was 8-for-11 at the foul line.

“He is a typical throwback post player,” Whitney Young coach Tyrone Slaughter said. “Get in that paint and stay there. That’s where he’s been. He does have the ability to step out and make those mid-range shots, and when we play against bigger guys he’s more willing to do that.”

Okafor will get his chance to meet another talented big man today in 6-9 Kansas-bound senior Zach Peters of Prestonwood (Tex.) Christian.

“[Okafor] will be a better player tomorrow than he was today,” Slaughter said.

Paul White added 14 points and Nate Brooks had 10 on a 4-of-4 shooting effort for the Dolphins.

The undersized Wildcats never led in the game, but kept the margin respectable behind 21 points from Nygel Gates and 18 from Joby Glymph.

•  WHITNEY YOUNG (78) – Miles Reynolds 7, Nate brooks 10, Jahlil Okafor 36, Paul White 14, Scott Kingsley 3, Jordan Smith 8

•  LEXINGTON (62) – Shaq Roland 12, Sam McDermott 3, Joby Glymph 18, Nygel Gates 21, Jalen Cook 2, Taquan West 6

• 3-point goals: Whitney Young 2 (Reynolds, Kingsley), Lexington 4 (Roland 2, McDermott 1, Glymph 1). Team fouls: Whitney Youn 15, Lexington 13. Fouled out: Smith (Whitney Young), Gates (Lexington). Technical fouls: None.

• Records: Whitney Young 5-2, Lexington 8-3

•  St. Augustine (La.) 52, St. Edward (Ohio) 46 | There is a saying about payback, and St. Edward (Ohio) guard Myles Hamilton experienced it first-hand in his team’s 52-46 loss to St. Augustine (La.) in a game that lacked style but made up for it with a spirited finish.

The Eagles (3-2) trailed by as many as 13 midway through the second half, but cut the gap to 2 with just over a minute to play on a pair of foul shots by Hamilton.

St. Augustine stretched the lead to 6 on layups from Sydie London and Roland Daniels, and threatened to widen the gap further before Hamilton blocked a shot by the Purple Knights’ Blake Jones with 14 seconds to remaining to keep it a two-possession game.

Seconds later, Hamilton lined up a 3-pointer that could have cut the margin in half, but a trailing Jones swatted away the attempt from behind, all but sealing to the win for the Knights (17-1).

“Someone got it and pushed it up the court, so I was just running down the court to see what we could get,” Hamilton said. “I was wide open on transition, but I guess there was someone behind me that got the block.”

Did he realize it was Jones?

“I kinda figured after I looked at him, I thought ‘that’s the same guy I just [blocked],’ ” Hamilton said.

Hamilton led all scorers with 16 points in the loss, while London paced the Knights with 14. Roland Daniels added 12 points and 10 rebounds for St. Augustine, which won despite getting just 3 points from Texas-bound guard Javan Felix.

The teams combined for 33 turnovers, and the Eagles hit just 15 of 51 field goal attempts, including a 2-of-12 effort from beyond the arc.

The Knights shot better from the field, going 17-of-41, but went 1-for-8 beyond the arc.

•  ST. EDWARD (46) – Myles Hamilton 16, Miek Newton 2, Michael Mason 3, Marsalis Hamilton 9, Mark Murray 9, James Crawford 5, Tim Stainbrook 2

•  ST. AUGUSTINE (52) – Kris Raphael 8, Craig Victor 3, Deion Taylor 10, Javan Felix 3, Roland Daniels 12, Sydie London 14, Blake Jones 2

• 3-point goals: St. Edward 2 (Murray 1, Crawford 1), St. Augustine 1 (Felix). Team fouls: St. Edward 15, St. Augustine 16. Fouled out: Victor (St. Augustine). Technical fouls: None.

• Records: St. Edward 3-2, St. Augustine 17-1

Loser’s bracket

•  Miami Senior (Fla.) 61, Gaffney 51 | Jeffery Thomas led four players in double figures with 13 points as the Stingarees pulled away in the second half to beat the Indians.

Adriel Jimenez (12), Allen Baez (11) and Willie Walker (11) also scored in double figures for Miami Senior.

Gaffney’s L.J. Peak – who scored 40 points in the Indians’ opening loss Tuesday – had just 13 Wednesday. Kerry Williams led Gaffney with 19.

•  MIAMI SENIOR (61) – Adriel Jimienez 12, Jeffrey Thomas 13, Jorge Milo 4, Allen Baez 11, Wadley Mompremier 2, Kimbrel Dervil 1, Rashad Thompkins 4, Willie Walker 11, Yorday Villalon 3

•  GAFFNEY (51) – L.J. Peak 13, Cobby McDowell 5, Tee Hardy 2, Michael Wright 8, Ron Best 4, Kerry Williams 19

• 3-point goals: Miami Senior 4 (Jimenez 2, Walker 1, Villalon 1); Gaffney 3 (Peak 1, McDowell 1, Wright 1). Team fouls: Miami Senior 19, Gaffney 20. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.

• Records: Miami Senior 11-2, Gaffney 6-4