King/Drew sits atop Coliseum League after win over Washington Prep: 3 observations
LOS ANGELES -- King/Drew knocked off Washington Prep in Coliseum League action 55-50 Wednesday night. Golden Eagles senior Biko Johnson scored 23 points to lead King/Drew to the win. Below are three observations.
JOHNSON AND OKEREKE GET IT DONE FOR KING/DREW
With 1:10 to play, Johnson drilled a three to put King/Drew up four and then on the Golden Eagles' next possession senior Fidelis Okereke slammed home a two-handed dunk to extend the lead to six. Those two buckets clinched the win for King/Drew.
Johnson's scoring and Okereke's defense were the two main reasons why King Drew won on Wednesday.
With the absence of sophomore guard Kalib Lacount who was sick, the Golden Eagles needed someone to step up offensively and Johnson did just that. King/Drew head coach Lloyd Webster loved what he saw from his senior guard.
"This kid is a phenomenal athlete and a competitor," Webster said.
Okereke is a legitimate rim protector. He defended Washington Prep big man DeShawn Johnson very well all night and made it tough for the Generals to score inside. In addition to his strong defensive performance, Okereke added 13 points.
CITY SECTION WIDE OPEN
This was a statement win from King/Drew tonight, but the result shows just how tight Open Division teams in the City Section are this year. Taft beat Washington Prep by two earlier in the year. King/Drew beat Washington Prep by five tonight. Fairfax beat King/Drew by one in December. It's looking like those will be the top four seeds in the Open Division come playoff time. Any of these teams are capable of winning...
REMATCH IN TWO WEEKS
"This is a rivalry game now," Webster said postgame.
There was a great atmosphere at Washington Prep on Wednesday and the game lived up to the hype with big dunks and clutch back and forth buckets. These two meet again on Friday, January 31 and it will have Coliseum League title implications.
"We expect it to be a dog fight over at our place as well," Webster said.
See you there...
