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Two of the state's most talented junior backcourts went head-to-head Thursday at Pontiac High School. When the smoke cleared, Southfield, with Carlton Brundidge and Desmond Barnes, had eeked out a one-point win from the home team with Juwan Moody and Anthony Adams, 72-71. Brundidge, the 6-1 power guard headed to Michigan, and Barnes, the 6-0 transfer from Detroit Consortium, scored 22 apiece. Moody, 5-11, scored 27, while little Ant Adams finished with 16 points. The fortunes of Southfield, now 7-1, improved when Moody fouled out with 1:05 left in the game. Moody hadn't missed a shot in the second half to help the Phoenix hold a 70-68 lead. It was Brundidge who got that fifth foul on him, then CB put the Jays up for good on his free throws with 20 seconds to go. To see Brundidge on the stripe is no surprise, he is to high school basketball what Kevin Grady was to high school football -- put your head down, bull straight ahead, and watch the numbers pile up. So even while he shot 0-for-6 from three-point range, Brundidge was 8-of-13 at the stripe. There was one three-point play where you could hear the slap in the stands, but his shooting arm didn't seem to move a centimeter as he finished the layup. He also had four offensive rebounds, enabling another of his main scoring weapons.
With Carlton starting the game on Southfield's bench and Barnes missing his first seven field goal attempts, Pontiac jumped out early and led 28-23 at the half. Then Moody and Adams took over, with Adams unguardable with his mid-range pull-up game and Moody dropping bombs from as far out as 28 feet, to lead 54-42 going into the fourth quarter. But Southfield's defensive pressure was surprisingly effective, and Pontiac wilted down the stretch. Subtract Moody at the end, and the outcome was no surprise. Barnes is as streaky and fearless as they come. He made just 2-of-8 three-pointers, but they were big back-to-back ones in the second half. His touch was evident at the stripe, going 6-for-7. He's a similar prospect to Schoolcraft's Kody Chandler, perhaps getting the nod because of his speed with the ball. Like Moody, Barnes had one flashy fast-break assist, but overall they could both pass the ball better (and more often). Between the four junior guards, they totaled three assists. 6-6 junior Patrick Owenu showed glimpses for Southfield off the bench. He can really jump, but his offensive footwork is still in progress. 6-5 junior Jalon Floyd had a couple strong and versatile defensive series, and made 1-of-2 left-handed three-pointers. |
