LITTLE ELM - In a pair of battles featuring matchups of Top 10 teams in the area, Denton Braswell was able to hold court and sweep both visiting The Colony teams Friday night.
GIRLS RECAP
#1 Denton Braswell 58, #9 The Colony 43: Despite giving up 26 points to senior Jewel Spear, the 4-star Wake Forest commit, Braswell was able to shut down the rest of The Colony's lineup.
Braswell started the game well in the first quarter, building a 14-5 lead after one. But Braswell began to hit a lull offensively with missed shots and turnovers to allow The Colony to start chipping away at the lead.
Something that head coach Lisa Williams relied on her seniors to help pull them out of and regain control of the game.
"I rely on [those seniors] a lot, because they have the most experience," Williams said. "They have to step up and carry us through those moments, and they did that tonight."
Four of the six seniors on the team scored for Braswell, including 17 from Tiarah Sparks and 12 from Aminah Hall.
Braswell moves to 21-4 and 6-0 in 8-5A and will host Little Elm on Friday, January 24. The Colony falls 14-9 and 4-2 in district and play at Little Elm on Tuesday, January 21.
BOYS RECAP
Denton Braswell 50, #9 The Colony 43: Much like the preceding game, the boys tilt featured Braswell jumping on The Colony early only to suffer a similar lull offensively and surrender the lead going into halftime.
However, it was an unlikely hero for Braswell with huge shots that either tied or gave Braswell the lead in a couple instances in the second half thanks to Bradley Russell's five 3-pointers and a 17-point effort.
It was uplifting for the entire team, said head coach Nick Sekeres, to have a player who hadn't played in every game this year and to come in and hit almost all of his shots.
"The beauty of it, is it wasn't a surprise," Sekeres said. "[Russell's] been such a team guy for us, and it was such a tremendous moment for him."
The Colony closed the first half on a five-point run, ignited by a putback dunk by Myles Price. The Colony used that momentum to build an early lead in the third quarter, but that is where Braswell turned to Russell.
Sekeres said as he was hitting those shots, it was big for the rest of the team, "as if 10 guys hit each one." Russell's three-point stroke proved invaluable in a tight contest.
Keith Miller led The Colony with 13.
Braswell moves to 18-9 and 4-1 in 8-5A and will take on Little Elm at home on Friday, January 24. The Colony drops to 17-7 and 1-3 in district and will play at Little Elm on Tuesday, January 21.
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