Third-seeded Thomas Jefferson caught fire from the perimeter early and went on to knock down 12 field goals from 3-point range on the way to a 60-44 win over second-seeded Lockwood in the Class 1 District 5 semifinals on Friday at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School.
“It’s huge when you are shooting the ball that hot, but we shot the ball that hot because we were executing our offense,” TJ coach Chris Myers said. “If you look back at every one of those 3s, they came from a post kick. We established that post game … and got really high-percentage looks for our kids.”
The host Cavaliers (20-6) move on to the district championship round. Thomas Jefferson takes on top-seeded Golden City (18-8) with a 7:30 p.m. matchup on Saturday.
GAME ACTION
Thomas Jefferson used a barrage of 3-pointers to build an 18-8 lead over Lockwood by the end of the first period. The Cavaliers knocked down four shots from the perimeter in the first eight minutes, with Drew Goodhope, who finished with 14 first-quarter points, splashing down all four of the 3-pointers.
“Tonight is not out of the norm for him,” Coach Myers said. “He is a 48 percent career 3-point shooter. He can shoot the basketball. Whenever he gets those shots with his feet set in the flow of our offense, he’s deadly.
“There were a couple of things that really set the tone in that first quarter and I think the first one was our defense. We held them to eight points. … Our defense really set the tone and our boys’ offensive execution allowed them to shoot the ball extremely well and build that lead.”
The hot shooting from beyond the arc didn’t stop after the first period, as the Cavs buried five more 3-balls in the second period to hold a 37-23 lead by the intermission. Goodhope added two more perimeter makes, with Caden Myers knocking down a pair of 3-pointers and Jake Jarrett also converting from 3-point range.
Thomas Jefferson pushed the lead to 19 points, 47-28, with 4:45 on the clock after Goodhope capped a 10-2 run with a 3-pointer from the corner. The Cavaliers ultimately took a 50-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
Thomas Jefferson maintained its double-digit lead down the stretch thanks in large part to the success at the free-throw line. The Cavs were 8-of-10 from the stripe in the fourth quarter.
“We were having a little trouble taking care of the ball there down the stretch, but we talked about it in a (late) timeout,” Coach Myers said. “We (just needed) to take care of the ball and they were going to have to foul us eventually. Knock ’em down and the free-throw line and get out of here with a W.”
SCORING LEADERS
Goodhope led Thomas Jefferson in scoring with a career-high 28 points. Jarrett and Tyler Brouhard each finished with eight points, while Caden Myers finished with seven.
Lockwood was led in scoring by Kane Cooper’s 18 points. Connor Lewandowski finished with nine.
