Spencer Shaw’s Hot Shooting Night Carries Whitehouse Past Houston Redemption Christian + Into Wagstaff Gold Bracket Title Game
TYLER -- The Whitehouse Wildcats weathered a third-quarter storm by finishing strong in a 63-59 victory over Houston Redemption Christian on Friday in a Gold Bracket semifinal at the Wagstaff Holiday Classic.
Whitehouse (13-3) will face Athens at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the Gold Bracket championship game from Tyler Junior College's Wagstaff Gym.
The Wildcats relied on the hot shooting of Spencer Shaw, who poured in a season-high 30 points, which included five 3-pointers. Shaw picked up the slack for Whitehouse's leading scorer Patrick Mahomes, who has missed the last several games with an ankle injury but is expected back soon.
Whitehouse built a 31-26 halftime lead, but Redemption Christian (14-9) began the second half on fire, going on a 15-2 run for a 41-33 lead midway through the third quarter.
Shaw drained a pair of 3-pointers after that to help Whitehouse tie the game at 45-45 entering the fourth, which was back-and-fourth down the stretch. Jacob Lundmark's runner gave Whitehouse a 58-54 lead with 2:04 remaining, but after a Juston Smith-Wells layup, Bijon Johnson connected on a 3-point shot that gave Redemption Christian a 59-58 lead with 1:17 remaining.
Lundmark found Shaw underneath the basket on Whitehouse's next possession, giving the Wildcats a 60-59 advantage with 54 seconds to go. A Bryce Hand free throw stretched the lead to two points with 20 seconds remaining, but Johnson missed the potential game-tying jumper with six seconds on the clock. Hand pulled down the rebound and passed to Jake Parker, who sank both free throws to seal the win.
Parker finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Brady Hill added 10 points and four boards and Lundmark chipped in with five points, four assists and two steals for Whitehouse.
Smith-Wells led Redemption Christian with 19 points, three rebounds and three steals. Khadeem Lattin, a 6-10 post who has committed to Oklahoma, had 14 points, nine boards, three blocks and two assists, but fouled out with 2:28 to play. Johnson finished with 11 points in the losing effort.
Whitehouse 63, Houston Redemption Christian 59
Wagstaff Holiday Classic
Gold Bracket Semifinal
At Tyler Junior College's Wagstaff Gym
Whitehouse 14 17 14 18 -- 63
Redemption Christian 10 16 19 14 -- 59
WHITEHOUSE (13-3) -- Spencer Shaw, 30; Jake Parker, 11; Brady Hill, 10; Jacob Lundmark, 5; Jaylon Dews, 4; Bryce Hand, 3.
REDEMPTION CHRISTIAN (14-9) -- Juston Smith-Wells, 19; Khadeem Lattin, 14; Bijan Johnson, 11; Patrick Hawkins, 9; Troy James, 4; Malik Goode, 2.
THREE-POINT GOALS -- Whitehouse: Shaw (5), Lundmark. Redemption Christian: Hawkins, Johnson.