U. City Shakes Off Rust, Picks Up First Boys Hoops Win Of New Calendar Year

BALLWIN – boys basketball coach David Gammon admits he was a bit concerned about how his team would fare on Wednesday night, in its first actual game since competing in the Meramec Holiday Basketball Festival nearly two weeks ago.

Gammon made sure to put the Lions through a number of tough practices during the layoff.

But there’s nothing like actual game action, and the U. City coach was hopeful that his squad wouldn’t be so rusty that it cost them a win.

“They have been practicing so hard,” Gammon said. “I’ve never had to tell a team in 13 years to back off al little bit. But that’s how hard they’ve been practicing. But even as hard as they’ve been practicing, sometimes it’s hard to come out and do it in a game when it matters.”

And that’s exactly what happened in the first half Wednesday night, as U. City looked a step slow and a bit out of rhythm, in falling behind 2-8 Suburban South Conference rival Parkway West.  

But the Lions were able to regroup, behind a strong second half by scoring star Travon Williams, to come back on the Longhorns and pull out a hard-fought 60-52 victory.

“I think it was mostly due to the long layoff,” Gammon said. “But I did tell the guys that they better not take this Parkway West team too lightly. I really think they’re better than their record.”

And West certainly looked better than a two-win club in the first half, when it took advantage of several U. City turnovers and misplays to grab a 24-22 lead heading into halftime.

U. City’s only saving grace in the first half was senior point guard Alex Henry, who scored 11 of his 18 points in the first two quarters, while most of his teammates took turns looking like players that had too many days off.

“Alex has really made the transformation,” Gammon said, of Henry’s efforts to show he could be a star on the basketball court, as well as the football field, where he led the Suburban South in receptions (57) and yards (1,231) last year.

“He’s really grown from football mode to basketball mode, and it really showed tonight. And he brings a lot to the team as far as leadership too. He’s turned into my floor general, and that’s something that I really needed somebody to step up and do.”

U. City scoring machine Travon Williams had just four points in the first half, but broke out in a big way in the second, with 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to lead the Lions to the win.

“I’m always so unaware of knowing how many points ‘Tra’s’ had in a game,” Gammon said. “I don’t care how many points he scores. And he doesn’t care how many points he scores. He’s just looking for a win. But I could tell at halftime that he was ready to step it up.”   

And boy did he ever.

Williams, who again had recruiters from several schools, including new suitors North Florida and Arkansas State, in the house to watch him play, simply took over the game in the third and fourth quarters.

First, it was his three-point play layup and free throw that pulled U. City to within a point, after Parkway West scored the first bucket of the second half.

Then after teammate Demonte Smith’s brilliant steal and layup gave U. City the lead for good at 27-26, Williams led a defensive charge that helped the Lions hold the Longhorns to just six points over the final six minutes of the third quarter.

“I warned them that this is conference play,” Gammon said. “And even though we started a little slow, they did come through when they had to. It was a very good second half.”

Williams threw down a breakaway dunk on the first play of the fourth quarter, and had another one during the late stages of the game, as U. City built its lead to as many as 11 points, before finally winning by eight.

After all that time off, U. City will get no rest before its next game, as the Lions will travel down to Fenton, to take on Seckman High in another important Suburban South league game.

Like Parkway West, Seckman has a deceptively bad record this year (2-10), but is another conference club capable of pulling out a big win on its home floor.

U. CITY RECRUITING NOTES:

Big men Avion Ashford, a 6-foot-6 senior, and Darnell Tillman, a 6-foot-7 junior, have begun to draw interest from some college recruiters.

A coach from Webster University was on hand Wednesday night to scout Ashford, who had three points and three rebounds, but played terrific defense, despite playing with foul trouble throughout the game.

And the same recruiters from Arkansas State that inquired about Travon Williams, have also asked about Tillman, a new talent to organized basketball, who some believe could develop into a fantastic college big man.

Alex Henry, U. City’s football star from last season, said he is no closer to deciding which college he might attend next year.

Signing Day is Feb. 1, and it could be a very big day for a bunch a very talented U. City student-athletes.