Windsor boys keep rolling

Windsor was clearly the better team in Wednesday night’s first-round GISA Class 2A playoff matchup with Georgia Christian as the Knights won easily 78-46 on their home court.

The Knights (26-1) dominated in the first half. Even when Windsor took its foot of the gas in the third quarter, Georgia Christian (2-20) couldn’t take advantage.

Windsor senior shooting guard Jai’Kez Mann set the tone by scoring the first two baskets in a 12-0 run to start the game.

Three who mattered

Mann: The senior guard lead the Knights with 18 points. The Generals had no answer for him, and he set the tone for each quarter by scoring the first basket except the fourth.

Marquise Jackson: The junior guard/forward scored 13 points. He was also a handful for the Generals. Following the first two scores of the first quarter by Mann, Jackson scored with a layup, which caused Georgia Christian to call a timeout early in the game. Jackson got a score in the first three quarters, including a thunderous dunk with 2:09 left in the third quarter.

Trejo: The Georgia Christian senior forward led the Generals with 12 points.

Observations

Second-quarter 3-point barrage: Georgia Christian guard Christian Copeland scored the lone 3-pointer between the two teams in the first quarter. But in the second quarter, Windsor let its 3-point presence be known by making five in the second quarter: one from Jackson, one from Kyle Whiting and three from Jason Bradberry.

Restablishing a sense of urgency: In the first half, Windsor was unstoppable. But when the third quarter started, the lack of sense of urgency and ball movement showed. The Knights were up 50-28 at the half and by the 4:14 mark of the third quarter, they only scored two points, which forced Windsor head coach Michael Johnson to call a timeout. Windsor scored two minutes later after a dunk by Jackson.

They said it

Johnson on the win: “We played an extremely great first half. Just didn’t show up in the second half as much. I think they were just kind of excited and ready to get this one under the belt.”

Mann on how the team is taking in the win: “They’re excited. It’s a lot of guys first time in the playoffs, so everybody’s excited, and we’re in the second round.”

What’s next?

Windsor plays Flint River at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

This story was originally published February 22, 2017 at 11:21 PM with the headline "Windsor boys keep rolling."