A number of the best high school basketball players once again took the JQH Arena court Thursday night for the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.
One game featured Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) star Darius Garland, a preseason ALL-USA selection, facing off against No. 14 Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah).
Wasatch threatened to make it a game as they closed the gap to two when the Eagles from Tennessee controlled most of the first three quarters.
But they weren’t going to spoil the Garland homecoming.
Brentwood senior Darius Garland, the No. 11 senior in the country according to ESPN.com and son of Missouri State legend Winston Garland, scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to advance the Eagles to the semifinals.
The senior guard, committed to Vanderbilt, scored the game’s last 11 points on Brentwood’s way to a 57-46 win.
The crowd also cheered a little louder when they heard his name called after each bucket.
“It was crazy,” Garland said. “My dad, I guess he’s a legend here. It’s really cool just being here and playing in front of the crowd.”
Garland ended the game with a game-high 29 points on 10-for-22 shooting. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
Wasatch was led by California commit Matt Bradley’s 20 points. He was held to two points in the fourth quarter.
For more, visit the Springfield (Mo.) News Leader