Oak Hill hits its FTs, edges Miller Grove
Most of the time, after all the thunderous dunks, aerial wizardry and deep 3-pointers, basketball games come down to one boring, rudimentary element: free throws.
Such was the case Thursday night as national power Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson, Va., knocked off Miller Grove 82-78 at Morehouse College’s Forbes Arena. The teams were ranked in the top five nationally by ESPN, which televised the game: Miller Grove at No. 2, Oak Hill No. 3.
The Wolverines (6-1) went blow for blow with Oak Hill (17-0) for the entire game. Wolverine senior forward Tony Parker was dominant inside, leading all scorers with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Justin Colvin added 17 points and nine assists, while Brandon Morris contributed 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The game attracted the likes of Oak Hill alum and Hawks forward Josh Smith, along with recruiters from Georgia Tech and Kansas.
The outcome essentially was decided at the free-throw line, where the Warriors made 22 of 20 foul shots, including a 12-for-12 effort by senior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who has committed to Georgetown. Meanwhile the Wolverines converted just 18 of 30, which included three of eight in the fourth quarter when the outcome was still very much in doubt.
Oak Hill led most of the game and held a 75-67 lead with just two minutes remaining. But Miller Grove went on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer by Colvin off a steal by Christian Houston, and the Wolverines trailed by just one with 40 seconds left.
But Oak Hill senior Tyler Lewis (committed to North Carolina State) knocked down two free throws to boost the lead to 77-74. Miller Grove answered when Morris, a Georgia commit, drove the length of the floor and was fouled. He made one of two free throws, but snatched his miss out of the air and was fouled again with 34 seconds left.
But Morris missed both resulting free throws and Oak Hill made five of its next six foul shots in the final seconds, including four straight by Smith-Rivera, to put the game away.
Oak Hill was led by Smith-Rivera’s 20-point effort. Atlantan Jordan Adams had 13 points, and Lewis, who thwarted many Miller Grove runs with his penetration and heady passing, added 18 points and six assists.
