Fields, Hurston help Sharks take bite out of Wilson

Following a home loss to North Myrtle Beach earlier this month, St. James boys basketball coach Monty Carr emphasized to his team the importance of holding serve at “The Shark Tank” – particularly during Region VII-AAA play.

If Tuesday night’s performance was an indicator, it is obvious his squad was listening.

The Sharks knocked down six 3-pointers – three of them courtesy of Jordan Fields – allowing them to cruise to a 58-47 victory over Wilson.

“We didn’t play very well against Lake City (Friday),” Carr said. “They came in Saturday and got a lot of good work in. I could tell (players) wanted this win, I could tell by their focus and determination and their play … they were willing to sacrifice whatever they could to get this win.”

Such hard work and determination were particularly evident toward the end of the second and third quarters, going on scoring runs that allowed St. James to dictate the pace of play thereafter.

Fields and fellow senior Jackson Hurston put their stamp on the second quarter, the pair playing a big role in a 9-2 spurt that allowed the Sharks to head into the locker room at halftime with a 28-21 lead.

After Wilson cut the St. James lead to five, the two upperclassmen offered a repeat performance to close out the third, doing their part in a 7-2 run and give their squad a 44-34 advantage.

“How our seniors go, is how we go,” Carr said. “We got very fortunate tonight that our seniors had a solid offensive game, along with playing well on the defensive end.”

The Tigers would pull to within four points in the fourth, but would not draw any closer as St. James knocked down 14 of 17 free throws in the final period.

“Possessions were very key,” Carr said. “The first-half performance helped, particularly the way we took care of the basketball. It really benefited us late, as we didn’t want to get ourselves in trouble by giving up too many points to them.”

Fields led all scorers with 20 points, with Hurston added 16 in a winning effort. Wilson was led by Blake Walker with 12, while Jamal Byrant had 11 points in a losing effort.

Along with holding serve at home, St. James was able to move within a game of Wilson, which leads Region VII-AAA. Still, Carr understands there remains much work to be done.

“It’s a momentum builder,” he said. “To get these home region wins is key. We gave up one against North Myrtle Beach, so we need to go to their gym and sneak away with win. But whenever you can get a region win it really helps in the region race.”

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 12:26 AM with the headline "Fields, Hurston help Sharks take bite out of Wilson."