Westside- The Joseph Stilwell boys basketball team have been virtual unknowns all year in the 2018-2019 Duval County Middle School Basketball season. Yet they waited for the big stage to show what they could do in the playoffs, defeating Landmark 46-36 to advance to the big dance Wednesday to play for the Duval County Middle School Championship.
Stilwell jumped out to a 22-14 halftime lead thanks to their aggressive defense. The Patriots harassed the Seahawks by deflecting passes and pressuring the smaller guards of Landmark. The strategy worked as players like #22 Keyshawn Thomas and #0 Tyreeck Hall stole passes and drove coast to coast for scores.
Landmark would not give up as #22 Ja’Karee Eley would use his length to intercept passes from Stilwell and score points. He also set up his teammates to score as Landmark cut the lead to as low as 6 points in the second half.
However in the end, Stilwell would be too much for the scrappy Landmark team. They were able to trap the Seahwaks guards in a full court press, forcing them to turn the ball over. This resulted in easy layups by Stilwell as they close out the game with the victory.
Stilwell improves to 8-1 on the season and will advance to the Duval County Championship to face Kirby Smith for the title.
For Coach Anderson, he and his Patriots make their first trip to the championship. They hope not only to bring a championship to the school, but the first to the Western division since the championship series inception.
