Eric the Red Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Big 3rd quarter powers Moon Valley Richard Obert The Arizona Republic Jan. 6, 2007 12:00 AM Jaivorio Burkes and Prince Amukamara will be future Nebraska football teammates, but Friday night they were basketball opponents. Burkes won the battle with 30 points and 23 rebounds in Phoenix Moon Valley's 64-61 victory over two-time defending Class 4A Division I champion and host Glendale Apollo. Reserve guards Jerrell Elliott and Joey Pierce made layups in the final three minutes to help Moon Valley win. But it was Burkes, an All-Arizona lineman at 6 feet 6, 320 pounds, who dominated a big third-quarter turnaround that turned a seven-point deficit into a 43-39 lead. He used his bulk and soft touch to help ignite a 20-9 third-quarter run, scoring 11 points and not giving Apollo a second shot on offense each time down. "We knew we had advantage inside," Burkes said. Amukamara, the Big School Player of the Year who ran for more than 2,100 yards during the football season, helped top-ranked Apollo (12-5, 1-1 Wells Fargo Region) to a 24-10 lead early in the second quarter with his penetration and distribution. His feed to Brad Wespieser for a three-pointer gave Apollo a 14-point lead. But Moon Valley (11-8, 1-1) got back into by forcing turnovers, finding Burkes in low and hitting outside shots. Guard Joey Smith hit two three-pointers during Moon Valley's big third quarter. "We ran them in the third quarter and that was the key," Moon Valley coach John Boie said. This was more like the Moon Valley team that started the season 5-0 before hitting a skid during a seven-game, five-day period when it lost to national power Moeller from Cincinnati and a tough Las Vegas team. "If we fell to 0-2, we'd probably be out of the region race," Boie said. "I'm sure everybody else in the region was probably happy that we won." Quote Link to comment
BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Burkes: Second coming of the Round Mound of Rebound!! Quote Link to comment
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