Spartans fall two points short of classic championship
Perez scores 35 in defeat
By Jeremy Shapiro
Sunday, January 22, 2012
CHANUTE — Jackson Perez was a scoring machine in the Ralph Miller Classic championship game Saturday in Chanute, but Emporia High could not get its inside game on track.
Perez scored 35 points and had a chance to win the game with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. The shot, which was launched with two Andover Central defenders draped over him, hit the rim but was too far to the right.
The Jaguars celebrated a 65-63 win to stay undefeated at 12-0. It was Andover Central’s first Ralph Miller Classic title. EHS dropped to 9-3.
While pleased with Perez’s offensive performance, EHS coach Beau Welch prefers a more even distribution of offense, such as the case in the two tournament games the Spartans won to reach Saturday’s finals. Emporia’s second leading score in the title game was Jerel Morrow with eight points.
“Jackson had a great game, but we are not going to be as good as we can be if Jackson scores 35 and no one else wants to attack,” Welch said. “We’ll be as good as we can be when we have balance and Jackson is scoring and distributing and other guys are attacking and getting the ball inside.”
The matchup of the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the state lived up to its billing and captivated a contingent of fans from both schools. Aside from an early seven point lead by the Jaguars, it was close throughout and not decided until the final horn.
For the complete story, pick up the Monday Emporia Gazette.