Greensboro Day claims HAECO title No. 18
GREENSBORO — Winning the HAECO Invitational is nothing new for the Greensboro Day boys basketball team. The Bengals have won the title 17 times after Saturday night’s 62-57 victory over Smith at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.
But this is still all new for the player who led Greensboro Day to its eighth title in nine years, junior guard Brock Williams.
Williams, a transfer from Burlington Christian, scored a game-high 27 points to win the Most Valuable Player award and help the Bengals (17-2) secure the championship.
“I didn’t think this tournament was this huge,” Williams said, “but it seems like everyone in Greensboro takes this tournament pretty seriously.”
Greensboro Day’s opponent certainly took the championship game seriously. Smith, seeking its first title since 2003, trailed by as many as 10 points before taking its first lead at 43-42 with 7:02 to play.
Senior wing Silas Mason was almost as good as Williams, finishing with 26 points and going 16-for-16 on free throws. The Golden Eagles (10-2) were 21-of-22 from the line.
“That’s what we’ve been practicing — getting in the paint,” said Smith coach Derrick Partee. “We shoot a lot of free throws in practice, and if you don’t make 80 percent you’ve got push-ups.”
But when Partee’s team battled back and things turned chaotic in the fourth quarter, Greensboro Day’s Williams was at his best. The state’s No. 2 scorer last season (34.8 ppg) took care of the basketball, played solid defense and scored nine of the Bengals’ final 15 points.
Williams’ ability to get into the lane and hit floaters or layups against the Golden Eagles made him almost unstoppable, yet he never forced shots or passes. On a team with N.C. State signee Cam Hayes, junior forward Bryce Harris and Virginia signee Carson McCorkle (out with a foot injury), among other talented players, Williams has changed his offensive game to fit into the Greensboro Day program.
“I’m just buying in to the culture and just letting the game come to me and playing freely,” the 6-foot-1 guard said after going 11-for-15.
Partee was impressed.
“The difference at the end was Brock Williams made some good plays,” Smith’s coach said. “Sometimes you just have to give credit where credit’s due.”
Greensboro Day coach Freddy Johnson, who has more than 1,000 wins and was on the Bengals’ bench for all of their HAECO titles, knows what he has in Williams.
“He is truly unbelievable getting to the basket,” Johnson said. “I’ve never had a player like that who can get to the basket and hang like he can hang. But defense is actually his strength.”
With Williams growing into his role and freshman Jaydon Young also emerging in the backcourt, Greensboro Day has another deep, talented team that will contend for the NCISAA Class 4-A championship. The Bengals already have another HAECO title.
GREENSBORO — Winning the HAECO Invitational is nothing new for the Greensboro Day boys basketball team. The Bengals have won the title 17 times after Saturday night’s 62-57 victory over Smith at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.
But this is still all new for the player who led Greensboro Day to its eighth title in nine years, junior guard Brock Williams.
Williams, a transfer from Burlington Christian, scored a game-high 27 points to win the Most Valuable Player award and help the Bengals (17-2) secure the championship.
“I didn’t think this tournament was this huge,” Williams said, “but it seems like everyone in Greensboro takes this tournament pretty seriously.”
Greensboro Day’s opponent certainly took the championship game seriously. Smith, seeking its first title since 2003, trailed by as many as 10 points before taking its first lead at 43-42 with 7:02 to play.
Senior wing Silas Mason was almost as good as Williams, finishing with 26 points and going 16-for-16 on free throws. The Golden Eagles (10-2) were 21-of-22 from the line.
“That’s what we’ve been practicing — getting in the paint,” said Smith coach Derrick Partee. “We shoot a lot of free throws in practice, and if you don’t make 80 percent you’ve got push-ups.”
But when Partee’s team battled back and things turned chaotic in the fourth quarter, Greensboro Day’s Williams was at his best. The state’s No. 2 scorer last season (34.8 ppg) took care of the basketball, played solid defense and scored nine of the Bengals’ final 15 points.
Williams’ ability to get into the lane and hit floaters or layups against the Golden Eagles made him almost unstoppable, yet he never forced shots or passes. On a team with N.C. State signee Cam Hayes, junior forward Bryce Harris and Virginia signee Carson McCorkle (out with a foot injury), among other talented players, Williams has changed his offensive game to fit into the Greensboro Day program.
“I’m just buying in to the culture and just letting the game come to me and playing freely,” the 6-foot-1 guard said after going 11-for-15.
Partee was impressed.
“The difference at the end was Brock Williams made some good plays,” Smith’s coach said. “Sometimes you just have to give credit where credit’s due.”
Greensboro Day coach Freddy Johnson, who has more than 1,000 wins and was on the Bengals’ bench for all of their HAECO titles, knows what he has in Williams.
“He is truly unbelievable getting to the basket,” Johnson said. “I’ve never had a player like that who can get to the basket and hang like he can hang. But defense is actually his strength.”
With Williams growing into his role and freshman Jaydon Young also emerging in the backcourt, Greensboro Day has another deep, talented team that will contend for the NCISAA Class 4-A championship. The Bengals already have another HAECO title.
