Javolick Garrett’s Fourth Quarter Propels No. 3 Tatum to 62-51 Regional Quarterfinal Win Over Crockett

LUFKIN -- Javolick Garrett is making this a habit.

Tatum's senior guard scored 13 fourth-quarter points to lead the No. 3 Eagles to a 62-51 victory against Crockett in a Class 2A Region III basketball quartefinal at Angelina College. The win came four nights after Garrett's 24-point, 14-rebound double-double led Tatum to a 60-49 second-round upset of top-ranked Kountze.

Tatum (30-9) plays No. 14 Jarrell, a 67-63 winner against Franklin on Tuesday, in a 4 p.m. Region III semifinal Friday at William R. Johnson Coliseum at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.

Garrett finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, six steals, and two assists. He scored 19 second-half points after Crockett (21-11) held him to four in the first two quarters and trailed by only two points, 30-28, at intermission. Leading 48-42 with six minutes left, Tatum got 11 of its final 14 points from Garrett.

"It was a survival game so we just said we're gonna spread the floor (because) we don't think any of them can guard him," said Tatum coach Brett Car. "You've gotta put the game in the hands of the guy who's been the guy, and he's been it."

Tatum junior guard Robbie Rockwell hit four three-pointers, none bigger than his buzzer-beating, left-corner triple at the end of the third quarter that stopped a 5-0 Crockett run and gave the Eagles a 46-40 lead heading to the fourth. Crockett got no closer than five points the rest of the game, the second time coming on senior forward Xavier Berry's bucket that cut Tatum's lead to 56-51 with 1:27 remaining.

Garrett scored the game's next five points, including a steal-turned-layup with 1:09 left for an insurmountable 59-51 lead. Tatum forced 22 turnovers, including 15 in the first half. The Eagles took care of the ball when they had it, committing only eight turnovers.

But Crockett, which got a team-high 16 points and five rebounds from junior guard Colby Berry, owned the first-half glass with a 21-12 advantage. That edge helped the Bulldogs stay within two points by halftime despite a 15-6 first-half turnover disadvantage.

Carr said rebounding was addressed at halftime, which led to Tatum claiming a 12-11 second-half edge.

"That was a little halftime entertainment, about rebounding," Carr said with a smile. "At this point in the year, if you don't rebound, you're not gonna win, and that's why we were in a bind in the first half."

Junior forward Cole Hughes spearheaded Tatum's second-half rebounding improvement and finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Senior forward Jahee Johnson had nine points and five boards. Crockett's Xavier Berry had 14 points and four rebounds, while senior guard Michael McKnight added seven points, three rebounds, and three assists.

Tatum started quick with a couple of three-pointers and built a 19-10 first-quarter lead. Crockett then staged a 10-1 run to tie the game 20-20 a minute and a half into the second quarter. Tatum answered with the next five points and Crockett, despite being in the game for the duration, never pulled even again.

The Bulldogs scored the final two first-half buckets to cut Tatum's lead to 30-28 and pulled within a possession three times in the third quarter. Just as Tatum appeared ready to blow the game open with a 43-35 lead, a missed three-pointer turned into a three-point play on the other end for a six-point swing. Then Colby Berry spun in the lane for two to trim the lead to 43-40, but Rockwell answered with the huge third quarter-ending trifecta.

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Class 2A Region III
Basketball Quarterfinal

No. 3 Tatum 62, Crockett 51

Shands Gymnasium, Angelina College

Crockett -- 14 14 12 11 -- 51
Tatum -- 19 11 13 19 -- 62

Crockett (21-11) -- Colby Berry 16, Xavier Berry 14, Michael McKnight 7, Matthew Schaeffer 6, Tony Robinson 4, Tevin Collins 2, Carlton Shirley 2.
Tatum (30-9) -- Javolick Garrett 23, Robbie Rockwell 12, Cole Hughes 9, Jahee Johnson 9, Shaq Johnson 3, Devonte Alexander 2, Casey Carr 2, Klifton Willis 2.