Khavon Moore, Westside pull away from Butler
Khavon Moore admitted he started to get a little nervous when the Westside Seminoles lost the lead in the third quarter Wednesday.
But the sophomore had an answer to the Butler challenge as he scored 14 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter to lead Westside to a 79-67 win in the first round of the GHSA Class AAA Tournament
Westside led 39-34 at the half, thanks to making 10-of-14 free throws compared to Butler's 5-of-14. The Seminoles pushed their lead to eight early in the third quarter on two free throws by Moore, but Butler answered with a 10-0 run and took the lead at 50-48 with 2:44 in the third quarter. But Moore took over, scoring 16 of the final 27 Seminoles points to key the win.
Moore ended with 27 points, 16 rebounds, eight blocks and four assists, while Samone Reed added 11 points. Davian Brown led Butler with 17 points.
THREE WHO MATTERED
Moore: Butler ran a variety of defenses trying to keep the ball out of Moore's hands, and he had 13 points through three quarters. But with the season on the line, Moore got it going in the final quarter. He had a three-point play to give Westside a 61-56 lead early in the quarter and added another three-point play to push the lead to 68-61. Moore also connected on 11-of-12 free throws.
Omar Jones: He scored 10 points to go with six rebounds, including four quick points to give Westside a 48-40 lead early in the third quarter.
Reed: The Westside guard scored seven points in the second half, including five in the fourth quarter, and handled the pressure of Butler extremely well late in the game.
TURNING POINT
Westside headed into the fourth quarter with a one-point lead but outscored the Bulldogs 11-5 in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Moore had eight of those points.
OBSERVATION
Key from the line: Free-throw shooting was crucial for Westside. The Seminoles hit 22-of-28 while Butler managed only 14-of-27 from the line.
THEY SAID IT
Westside head coach Josh Grube on the effort of his team: "Sometimes we look so sloppy on the court, but that's because we are trying to play so fast. I know that my kids give an extreme amount of effort on the court, and that's really all I can ask for."
Grube on Moore's 14 fourth-quarter points: "That's what we need from him. He is averaging right around 20 a game, and we know we need him to score more in the playoffs. I thought he really took over when he had to."
Grube on advancing in the playoffs: "We lost in the first round last year, so it is good to move on, but we had goals at the beginning of the season, and one of those was to make it to the final four and play in Macon (in the finals). That is what we are all working for."
Moore on his feelings during the game: "Butler had a very good basketball team, and they stayed with is for a long time. I knew I had to pick it up in the last quarter, and I just wanted to do whatever I had to do for us to get the win."
WHAT'S NEXT?
Westside travels to Calhoun, a 68-39 winner over West Hall, on Saturday.
This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Khavon Moore, Westside pull away from Butler ."