Berkmar beats Norcross for region championship despite playing without star Malique Ewin
Story and photo by David Friedlander
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Knowing it would be playing without its proverbial big gun in the Region 7-Class 7A championship game against Norcross, Berkmar knew it would need someone else to step in and fill a very large void.
As it turned out, no Malique Ewin, no problem — at least, not as big a problem as one might've figured without the four-star, 6-foot-10, 240-pound senior post.
Several players answered the call to help the No. 3-ranked Patriots build a lead and then hold off a late rally attempt by the No. 8 Blue Devils to claim their third consecutive region title with a 45-39 victory Wednesday night at Discovery High School.
“Yeah, we had to work it up a little bit,” Berkmar coach Greg Phillips said. “These guys did a good job despite missing Malique. We've got other guys. We really do. You know (Ewin) is the focal point, but we've got a good team. We're not a one-man show.”
The Patriots were hardly a one-man team Wednesday in compensating for the Ole Miss-bound Ewin, who will also sit out the team's first-round game in next week's Class 7A state tournament after picking up two technical fouls in Monday's semifinal win over Meadowcreek.
To make up for missing its star big man, Berkmar got a solid game from Brycen Blaine, who scored a game-high 18 points, as well as three-star senior guard Jermahri Hill, who added 11.
But it was on the defensive end that the Patriots got the biggest contribution from a source they haven't been accustomed to.
Antoine “Bo” Hurns has had a few impressive games after transferring in from Central Christian Academy in Indianapolis over the summer, particularly during holiday tournaments.
But the 6-foot-7 senior had perhaps his most important game of the 2021-22 campaign on Wednesday by pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds and blocking a game-high five shots. He also scored six points.
He was paramount in helping Berkmar execute its strategy of forcing Norcross' three-star prospect Jerry Deng away from his comfort zone, which worked well in holding the 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward to just one field goal and three points.
“We did a good job understanding personnel and guarding (Norcross' personnel) the right way,” Phillips said. “(Deng) is a great player and a great shooter, and we said, 'If he's going to beat us, he's going to beat us down low.'”
Deng was a factor on the defensive end, with 11 rebounds and four blocks, while fellow senior Hezekiah Flagg chipped in 11 rebounds and four steals to help Norcross hang around even after Berkmar built a 29-17 lead by halftime.
When four-star junior guard London Johnson, who scored all 14 of his points in the second half, capped an 8-0 run with a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:44 left, the Blue Devils had scratched their way back to a 39-37 deficit.
But Berkmar's seasoned veterans took control in the final minute.
Hill came up with a free throw, steal and an offensive rebound off a missed free throw, while three-star senior guard Jameel Rideout pulled down an offensive rebound of a missed front end of a 1-and-1. He hit two free throws with 22.2 seconds left to help seal the game.
The Patriots now await the loser of the Region 5-7A consolation game, either Etowah or Cherokee, in a first-round game next week. Norcross, which also got 10 points from Samarion Bond, will play the winner of that game in the state tournament opener.
