Arlington - Junior guard Zion Rodgers scored eight of his 11 points in the final 5:20 of the game to send Arlington Martin (17-7, 9-1) on an 18-3 run to finish off opponent Arlington High School (12-10, 5-5). The Martin Warriors won the District 4-6A match up, 54-40.
With 6:10 in the fourth, Arlington’s sophomore Michael Strickland stroked a three-pointer in front of his Colt’s bench to put them up one and gave them their first lead at 37-36. But that lead was short lived as Zion Rodgers hit the three to take the lead once again, and the Warriors never allowed the Colts back into the game.
“I knew I had to step up and I felt good,” said Rodgers. “I didn’t think I was shooting the ball well so I knew it was about time my shot started falling.”
“We kept Zion (Rodgers) in there because we knew he could hit one for us and he was huge in the fourth quarter,” said Martin Head Coach John Osborn. “He has been shooting close to 40% during district from threes so it was just a matter of time for him to get one.”
The Warriors held the Colts to one field goal in the last five minutes, and Osborn was complimentary of his team’s willingness to defend down the stretch and how hard they played on both ends of the court.
“After [Arlington] hit that three, I told our team to bear down and dig in a little harder,” said Osborn. “In the last four minutes of the game, I felt that we executed well and that led us to the win. We worked the ball around and created opportunities to score. We got to the basket and we started hitting some big free-throws.
“Defensively we contested everything and they missed some free-throws which helped. I give my guys credit for playing hard and getting the job done.”
Keep an eye on…
Trey Glenn, a junior guard, was good slashing to the basket and hitting open threes. The Arlington Martin product played within the game and didn’t force passes or shots. He has a good basketball body and feel for the game. He led the team in scoring with 16 points.
New Kid on the Block…
Arlington High School has a forward how will start turning heads. Jaedaun Slack is a 6-foot-5 forward who is skilled and showed that he is a bull from the wing as he pounds the ball and fights through defenders. Slack led all scorers with 19 points and hit two three-pointers.
Thoughts on Montreal Pena…
Montreal Pena’s length, rebounding and shot-blocking ability makes him a must-see for high Division I programs. Now, add his developing perimeter shooting and soft touch around the rim, and Pena is moving to be among the best in the state. Pena already holds offers from Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU, UTA, UTEP, and Wake Forest, with interest from Oregon State, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech. More will certainly follow as the 6-foot-9 Pena continues to work on his inside game. He is a trim built rim runner with a raw inside game.