Lorenzo survives ferocious Nazareth comeback attempt to advance to 1A regional finals
LEVELLAND — No disrespect to the rest of the Lorenzo basketball team, but the question had to be asked of Jakari Davis-Mitchell after Friday’s game.
Did he need a chiropractor? The way he put the team on his back, it was fair to wonder. Davis-Mitchell, to his credit, didn't even crack a smile at the question. He answered immediately.
"Nah," he said. "We pulled through and grinded together. It's always a family thing."
A mature response, but his head coach didn't hesitate to rain praise on Davis-Mitchell after he scored a game-best 27 points and led Lorenzo to a 43-37 win over Nazareth in a Region I-1A semifinal inside the Texan Dome.
"Oh my gosh," Lorenzo coach Stacy Godfrey said. "I told Jakari that he was going to be the focal point of our team. How he played and his energy, our guys were going to follow him. That's exactly what happened. He played his role tonight."
Played his role to the tune of 20-plus points in addition to turning in the biggest plays late in the game.
Lorenzo looked set to cruise in this one after holding Nazareth to just 2-of-15 shooting in the first half. Though it was a slow start for the Hornets (they led just 6-3 after one quarter), the shots began to fall in the second as they took a 21-8 lead into the locker room at the midway point.
Though Nazareth (24-9) began to show signs of life on offense in the third, Lorenzo (26-9) steadily made shots of its own en rout to a 27-13 edge entering the fourth.
That's when things got interesting.
The Swifts were blistering in the fourth quarter, starting on a 6-2 run and battling back all the way to within one point, 38-37, following a skyhook by Kayle Rogers with just 45 seconds to play. Davis-Mitchell went to the line right after and made both of his free throws to make it a 40-37.
But Nazareth got possession with an opportunity to knot the contest up.
That's when Davis-Mitchell put his Superman cape on, stole the ball away, drew a foul, and made both of his free throws to put the game out of reach with just 12 seconds left.
The Swifts fought in the fourth quarter, but were simply unable to overcome a slow start. Rogers led the way with 10 points.
Lorenzo will play Jayton for a chance to go to state at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Texan Dome.
"That's what we've been about is battling and playing for each other and competing every time," Swifts head Taylor Schulte said. "It was a 14-point lead by (Lorenzo) late in the third ... But we battled and came after it. We were 2-of-15 at halftime and couldn't get a shot to fall. That's what it came down to."
REGION I-IA SEMIFINAL
Lorenzo 43, Nazareth 37
Lorenzo 6 15 6 16 — 43
Nazareth 3 5 8 21 — 37
Nazareth (24-9): Reid Backus 2, Carson Heiman 5, Tanner Birkenfeld 7, Luke Schulte 9, Brett Heitschmidt 3, Kayle Rogers 10
Lorenzo (26-9): Kian Mitchell 8, Chris Quintana 6, Jakari Davis-Mitchell 27, Malachi Vilegas 2
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Jakari Davis-Mitchell helps Lorenzo survive ferocious Nazareth rally, advance to title game
