Miami Norland rolls past Archbishop McCarthy, again

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – The Miami Norland Vikings used a dominant 25-10 third quarter to defeat the Archbishop McCarthy Mavericks, 90-57, in the Class 5A state quarterfinals, Thursday.

Junior shooting guard Isaiah St. Preux led six Vikings in double-figures with 15 points and three 3-pointers. Senior point guard Carl Parrish added 14 points on multiple acrobatic drives at the rim.

This was the second time the Vikings and Mavericks have played in less than a week. Miami Norland (20-7) defeated Archbishop McCarthy (18-11), 67-63, in the 5A-District 15 playoffs. This time around, the Vikings took no prisoners early and often. Miami Norland’s balanced offensive effort coincided with a vacuuming of the defensive glass. The Vikings had five players with five or more rebounds.

“It was a little preparation and we kept them off the glass,” said Miami Norland head coach Lawton Williams. “We didn’t turn the ball over in the fourth quarter. They got a lot of turnovers in the fourth quarter (last game). We didn’t do a lot differently other than rebound defensively. We just have to guard (moving forward) and limit them to one possession and finish. It’s nothing new. Just basic basketball.”

Of Miami Norland’s six 3-pointers, two came from junior Caleb Clarke. The 6-foot-5 forward finished with 12 points and five rebounds. The Vikings also received key contributions from junior wing Triston Wilson (11 points) and junior guard Jamal Ware (10 points). Junior 6-foot-5 forward Karon Hill also provided an inside presence with 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

After going up 40-29 into halftime, Miami Norland would start the second half on a 7-0 run before forcing an Archbishop McCarthy timeout. The Mavericks would fail to get on the scoreboard in the third quarter until a bucket by junior Enrique Duboy with 3:56 remaining. Duboy finished with eight of his 13 points in the second half on two 3-pointers. Junior combo guard Andre Guerrier led Archbishop McCarthy with 14 of his 20 points in the first half. Junior shooting guard Guy Twitty also chipped in with 10 points.

Amidst strong defense and athleticism, Parrish showed why he’s heading to Division 1 Presbyterian College after his scholastic career is over. The 6-foot-3 recruit played with incredible finesse and touch on drives off the dribble. Parrish’s quickness of the bounce also created separation for short jumpers off the drive. As Miami Norland’s only senior, his play and leadership will be key if the Vikings hope to win a state championship.

“Today we came out with a mindset of trying to win,” said Parrish. We were worried about the next day because we aren’t trying to get eliminated. We were worried about practice the next day. The last game we won by four but we weren’t going to let that happen today. We just came out and boxed out. We played good defense, finished, and executed the game. I’m just trying to survive right now and get me a ring. And also get my coach seven rings. I’m just trying to put myself on the wall and finish my legacy at Norland.”