Germantown (Gluckstadt, Miss.) junior Mason Williams made sure his brother didn’t get all the glory Saturday afternoon by nailing a buzzer-beating game winner at the King Cotton Holiday Classic.
Williams’ mid-range jumper gave the Mavericks a 65-63 win against Springdale Har-Ber in the Creed Showcase division at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. Williams said he knew he had to make the shot after asking for the ball.
“My brother (Mike Williams) was like, ‘I want this shot,'” Williams said. “I was like, ‘Nah, you just got the last one.’ He was like, ‘Alright, you gotta make it.’ So, I made it.”
Mike Williams had every right to ask for the ball. He led Germantown with 24 points after battling Har-Ber’s Courtland Muldrew for the scoring lead throughout the fourth quarter.
Instead, Mason got the ball, took it the distance and won the game from the left side of the rim as his teammates sprinted across the floor to celebrate with him. He finished with 12 points.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Germantown Coach Chris Love said he felt comfortable with either brother taking the final shot.
“I had told the official I was going to get a timeout at half-court,” Love said. “I saw Mason with it, and I saw he had his defender back, and I told the official, ‘That’s OK.’ So, he made the shot.”
The game featured six lead changes, with five of them coming in the second half after the game was tied at 32 at halftime.
Muldrew tied the game at 63 late in the game. Har-Ber got a defensive stop, and the Wildcats had a chance to win it with about a 3-second difference between the game clock and shot clock. Har-Ber failed to score, and Germantown took advantage.
Muldrew finished with a game-high 27 points with Mar Lee adding 12 for Har-Ber.
Germantown, which will not play Monday, finished its trip to King Cotton 2-0 after beating Little Rock Hall on Friday.
Westminster 68, Benton 59
A quick turnaround didn’t slow down Westminster Academy on Saturday.
The Lions from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., defeated Benton 68-59 in the first game of the day at the King Cotton Holiday Classic after falling in the final game the night before.
Benton scored the first 4 points, but Westminster responded with a 10-2 run to take the lead. The Panthers tied the game at 13, only for the Lions took an 18-13 lead into the second quarter.
From there, Benton on several occasions cut the lead to one possession but never tied it. The closest the Panthers got in the fourth quarter was 51-49 after a 3-pointer by University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff signee Harrison Pickett. The Lions pulled away from there.
University of Florida commit Alex Lloyd threw down a one-handed slam in transition, and teammate Dwight Gaines followed it with 3-pointer. A 3-point play by Alex Constanza put the game away for the Lions.
Benton struggled from the free throw line for a second consecutive game, shooting 7 of 15.
Constanza scored a game-high 24 for Westminster, followed by 17 from Lloyd. Pickett led Benton with 20 points, while Caleb Knight scored 17.
Xavier 74, LR Hall 49
Xavier Academy of Houston bounced back from its Friday loss by cruising past Little Rock Hall 74-49 on Saturday in the Creed Showcase.
The first quarter featured four lead changes and two ties, but Xavier led 18-13 entering the second and led the rest of the game. The Falcons led 38-24 at halftime and pulled away in the second half.
Xavier senior Montana Wheeler scored a game-high 21 points, with senior Jackson Seastrunk adding 15. Macadou Diouf scored 11 points with 15 rebounds.
Hall junior Landen Hill led the Warriors with 16 points, followed by Dalton Palmer with 12.
Hall finished the weekend 0-2, while Xavier (1-1) will play Springdale Har-Ber on Monday.
Holy Innocents’ 79, Hot Springs 53
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School of Atlanta started and finished strong to cruise past Hot Springs 79-53 in the Creed Showcase.
The Golden Bears led 17-7 after the first quarter, but the Trojans kept pace afterwards. Both teams scored 21 points in the second quarter, and Holy Innocents’ edged Hot Springs 16-15 in the third.
The fourth quarter was all Holy Innocents’. The Golden Bears dominated the final frame 25-10 with both teams pulling their starters for the final 3 minutes.
Holy Innocents senior Caleb Wilson, named a five-star recruit by 247 Sports, led the Golden Bears with 18 points and 20 rebounds. He also had 7 assists and 6 blocks. Devin Hutcherson followed with 16 points, while Kingston Whitty had 14.
Hot Springs senior Anthony Lambert led the Trojans with 18 points, while Jaeir Hardwell scored 15.
Holy Innocents finished King Cotton 2-0, while Hot Springs went 1-1.
FRIDAY: Springdale 69, Westminster 58
Last year’s King Cotton runners-up won’t have a chance at redemption after falling in the first round late Friday.
Springdale knocked off Westminster Academy 69-58 in the final game of the opening day.
The Bulldogs led 12-10 after a first quarter which featured three lead changes and five ties. Springdale then pulled away by outscoring the Lions 20-8 in the second quarter. Westminster got the deficit down to 63-56 with 2:11 to play, but the Bulldogs answered with a 6-0 run to put the Lions away.
University of Arkansas signee Isaiah Sealy led Springdale with 24 points. Cy Bates scored 16 points, while Maliq Sosa finished with 14.
Westminster junior Constanza scored a game-high 25 points, while Lloyd scored 22.
Springdale faced Bellaire, Texas, in the semifinals late Saturday.
Alex Lloyd of Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), who signed with the University of Florida, skies high for a dunk against Anthony Spratt of Benton in the fourth quarter of a King Cotton Holiday Classic game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Courtland Muldrew (3) of Springdale Har-Ber splits the defense of Mike Williams (1) and Devin Moore (10) of Germantown (Gluckstadt, Miss.) in the fourth quarter Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Caleb Wilson of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (Atlanta) rejects a shot from LaBraun Christon of Hot Springs in the second half Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Landen Hill of Little Rock Hall spins between the double team of Montana Wheeler (11) and Macodou Diouf of Xavier Academy (Houston) in the second half Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)