The UConn Huskies will be making their third trip to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in four years, and St. Louisan Tarris Reed Jr. is one of the major reasons why it’s happening.
The former Chaminade College Prep standout was a dominant force in the Huskies’ 73-72 victory over the Duke Blue Devils in the East Regional finals last Sunday in Washington, D.C. The No. 2 seed Huskies rallied from a 19-point deficit to stun the No. 1 Blue Devils.
A dramatic 35-foot 3-pointer by freshman Braylon Mullins with 0.4 seconds left gave UConn the victory, but it was the play of the 6-foot-11 Reed that carried the day. Reed finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three assists. He got the Huskies off to a fast start by scoring eight of his team’s first 10 points. While the Huskies were struggling from 3-point range throughout the game, Reed was a force in the paint with consistent scoring.
Reed was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional after averaging 21.7 points and 13.5 rebounds during the Huskies’ tournament run. It was one of the most impressive runs in recent memory.
Reed had 31 points and 27 rebounds in the first round against Furman. He followed with 10 points and 13 rebounds against UCLA in the second round and 20 points and five rebounds against Michigan State in the regional semifinals.
UConn will face Illinois Fighting Illini in the first national semifinal game Saturday evening in Indianapolis. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:09 p.m. Central time. The second semifinal game will be Arizona vs. Michigan. The winners will play Monday, April 6, for the national championship.
Alex Johnson commits to Maryville
Standout guard Alex Johnson of East St. Louis has committed to Maryville University and new head coach Kramer Soderberg.
The 6-foot-3 Johnson was a key player in the Flyers’ run to the Illinois Class 3A state championship. As a senior, Johnson averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals while helping lead the Flyers to a 33-4 record.
In the state semifinals against Chicago Leo, he had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Flyers’ 59-40 victory.
Another new Maryville commit is 6-foot-2 guard Ben Karsten from Vianney. Karsten was one of the area’s top 3-point shooters this past season. He made 89 3-pointers and averaged 16.5 points per game while leading the Golden Griffins to a 24-6 record and a district championship.
St. Louisans Martin and Fletcher shine in NCAA Tournament
One of the big stories of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament was High Point. The Panthers pulled off a stunner in the first round with an 83-82 victory over Big Ten power Wisconsin.
In the second round, High Point pushed Southeastern Conference Tournament champion Arkansas to the limit before losing 94-88.
Former St. Louis-area prep standouts Rob Martin and Cam’ron Fletcher were central figures in the Panthers’ late-season run, which also included 31 victories and the Big South Conference championship.
Martin, a former CBC standout, delivered in both games. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the upset of Wisconsin, then followed with 30 points against Arkansas, going head-to-head with All-American point guard Darius Acuff Jr.
Fletcher, a former Vashon High standout, had 14 points and 11 rebounds against Wisconsin, then added 25 points and eight rebounds against Arkansas.
Tony Irons leads Mineral Area to Region 16 championship
Coach Tony Irons of Mineral Area College led the Cardinals to the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 16 championship and a berth in the national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Irons is in his second year at Mineral Area after a standout career at Vashon, where he guided the Wolverines to seven state championships.
Mineral Area finished the season with a 21-12 record.
Three key players on the Cardinals also played for Irons at Vashon on state championship teams: 6-foot-6 guard Terron Garrett, 6-foot-4 forward Nassir Binion and 6-foot-5 forward Jordyn Richard.