Pair of dynamic guards look to lead deep playoff runs for Central, Westside

When two future Division-I players are running the show, it can be hard to leave your mark. But when they depart, the keys to the program are open for the taking.

Enter Desmond Foston. Last season, the Westside Seminoles graduated four-star Khavon Moore and Greg Holloway. Moore now plays at Texas Tech while Holloway plays for Mississippi Valley State.

As second fiddle to those two last year, Foston averaged 6.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

“He was more: Play good defense, run the offense,” Westside head coach Josh Grube said.

With the keys to the program this season, he’s averaging 16.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists.

“He’s relied more on to score, he’s relied more on to rebound and he’s relied more on to share the basketball,” Grube said. “We knew he could score. He just didn’t have to do that last year when we had Khavon [Moore] and Greg [Holloway] on the team.”

Antonio Card also wasn’t asked to do too much last year. As a sophomore on Central’s team, Card used a year to gain some needed experience. It prepared him to take on a leadership role as a junior this season.

“(Last year) helped him this year to be able to come in and lead and have that experience that some of the younger guys who were just coming up from the JV team (didn’t have),” said Central head coach Andre Taylor.

That experience has panned out: Card nailed a game-sealing 3-pointer in Central’s 84-79 win over Westside in the GHSA Region 4-AAA championship. He scored 32 points.

Before the game, Card was averaging 14.1 points, 7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals.

“I changed my mindset over the summer — what I had to do in order to get this and that done for my team,” Card said. “I just want to make sure we take advantage of the stuff the (opposing) team is giving us … Find that open spot just to get that bucket.”

Foston got plenty of buckets himself in the championship game. He scored a game-high 34 points.

“He’s great,” Taylor said. “He showed the other night that he can get to the basket at will. He finishes when he gets to the basket … He’s just an all-around good guard.”

And the stats back it up. Foston stands at 6-foot-1 but grabs more than nine rebounds a game. Grube said his team usually plays with four guards on the court, so he relies on his point guard to help rebound.

“He’s one of those kids who has a knack for the ball,” Grube said. “A lot of rebounding is a want to. You have to want to go rebound. He’s a guy that wants to rebound.”

Card said he and Foston work out together, so he sees Foston’s athleticism first-hand off the court.

“It’s very hard to box out people who can jump like that,” Card said. “I just try to find him and box him out.”

Card is no slouch himself. He grabs eight rebounds a game despite playing with Region Player of the Year, Marquavious Primas, who snatched 25 rebounds in the championship game. Card and Primas’s performances led Central to a win and first-round matchup against Franklin County Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

The game will be played at Central. Westside will play Cook County Saturday at 1 p.m. in Adel.

Foston said this year he had to step up as a leader to get the team back to the final four.

“People keep doubting us, so we just have to prove them wrong,” Foston said.