Berry boys defeat Ardrey Kell

The Ardrey Kell Knights boys basketball team got off to a terrible start Tuesday in their So. Meck 8 conference game Tuesday at Berry. The Cardinals were only too happy to take advantage.

Berry jumped out to a 12-1 advantage in the game’s first four minutes and led wire-to-wire in a 60-50 victory over Ardrey Kell.

The Cardinals put four players in double figures, led by senior forward Tevin Heath who scored a game-high 18 points. Jamarius Burton had 12 while Will Miller and Chandler Murray had 11 and 10 respectively. Wes Morgan led Ardrey Kell with ten points, the only Knights’ player to score in double figures.

Four Berry steals and a full-court press in the early going transitioned into easy buckets and forced the Knights into comeback mode. Still, Ardrey Kell scrapped, fought, and trailed by only five points at the break before finally succumbing by ten.

“They came out and sort of knocked us on our heels and we weren’t ready for that,” said Knights coach Michael Craft. “We have to do a better job coming out of the gates.”

Berry coach Maurice Jones said his team had also been struggling in the first part of recent games. That was rectified Tuesday night.

“We talked about getting off to a fast start," said Jones. “We tried to get in our pressing defense and get them into situations where they have to think a little bit. That kind of played in our favor.”

In the girls game Ardrey Kell’s Chase (14) and Journey Mohammad (20) combined for 34 points in the Knights’ 62-50 victory over the Cardinals. The Knights stayed unbeaten in the So. Meck 8 at 5-0 while Berry dropped to 3-2 in the conference.

“Coming to a hostile environment on the road in a conference game and competing from the start,” said Ardrey Kell girls’ coach Jeff Buseick when asked what he liked most about his team’s victory over the Cardinals.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Tevin Heath – Berry boys forward who led all scorers with 18 points including 11 in the second half.

Jamarius Burton – Berry boys guard who had eight, fourth-quarter points, which including 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

Journey Mohammed – Ardrey Kell girl’s sophomore guard led all scorers with 20 points.

THEY SAID IT

“I wanted them to regroup a little bit, let some other people play a little bit, and figure out if they were going to play the rest of the game or not.” Coach Craft after pulling his entire starting five after trailing 12-1 after the game’s first four minutes.

RECORDS

Ardrey Kell boys (7-8, 3-2), Berry Boys (10-4, 3-2)

Ardrey Kell girls (11-4, 5-0), Berry girls (9-3, 3-2)

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 11:18 PM with the headline "Berry boys defeat Ardrey Kell."