Fresh off their Chick-Fil-A Classic Bracket Championship during the Christmas Holiday, the John Marshall Justices returned to the Commonwealth as the nation's #1 ranked Boys High School Basketball team (according to MaxPreps). Any thoughts of a letdown were quickly squashed as John Marshall jumped out to a big lead then coasted to an easy 83-47 win over L.C Bird.
North Carolina State signee Dennis Parker overwhelmed the Skyhawks defense from the opening bell by draining five 3-pointers on his way to a 19-point first quarter. He finished with a game-high 30 points, despite not scoring in the 4th period.
The Justices led 33-5 after the first quarter and extended the lead to 47-12 at halftime. Senior Jason Rivera-Torres seemed to be involved on every play from scoring to passing the basketball, to blocking shots and starting the fast-break.
Parker added seven rebounds and three steals while Rivera-Torres stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, five blocks, six assists and seven rebounds. Freshman Latrell Allmond posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and five blocks. Junior Dominique Bailey did not record a field goal, but we charted him for nine assists.
Skyhawks senior Yuri Manns scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the 3rd quarter when L.C. Bird played on even terms and they won the 4th quarter after both teams emptied their benches. Senior Brendon Wade added 15 points for the Skyhawks.