Throughout much of the season, the point production of Riverside standout Justice Feggans has taken a bit of a back seat to that of teammate Lamont Little. That changed in a big way Wednesday night as Riverside paid a visit to Hutch-Tech with second place in the Yale Cup large division on the line.
Feggans found the twine early and often as he exploded for a season-high 32 points, including a pair of first quarter three pointers that helped spark a 19-6 opening stanza in favor of the Frontiers en route to a 68-58 victory. The junior has clearly been a focal point for opposing defenses this season, but instead of forcing jumper after jumper, it was a defense first mentality that fueled his break out performance.
Riverside, led by Feggans’ ferocious ball-hawking play on the perimeter, forced numerous first half turnovers from the Engineers, leading to a multitude of fast break opportunities, many both started and finished by Feggans.
Sharp shooter Little was held to just one three-pointer on the night but was active on the defensive end, playing a part in causing a number of Tech turnovers and low-percentage shots.
Mike Leonard(seven points) and Walter Pryor(six points), were instrumental patrolling the glass while also blocking numerous shots. Newcomer Willie Smith and Shawn Johnson(eigth points off the bench) also contributed to what was a thorough defensive effort from the Frontiers.
After a hectic first quarter, Tech was able to get themselves into the contest by taking better care of the ball and, in turn forcing Riverside into more half-court sets. The 3-2/2-3 zone scheme employed by the Engineers did well at times to force poor shots from their opponents, but the turnovers would again become a major issue early in the second half. Tech was able close the margin to single digits at half time and looked as though they were gaining in confidence, but three quick baskets by Riverside to open the third, all on the break, once again put the game out of reach.
The home side was able to trim the lead to as few as six in the waning minutes, in large part due to sloppy play from Riverside coinciding with three second half treys from Tech’s Andrew Strug(13 points) and more composed finishing from Denzel Washington(11 points). However, the early hole dug by the Engineers proved too deep to climb out of, as Feggans went a perfect 10-10 from the stripe in the fourth quarter to close out the game.
With the win, Riverside all but assures themselves second place in the division, in addition to cementing a top three seed in the A-2 bracket. Tech falls into a tie for third in the division with East High, but remain favorites to grab the fourth seed in the A-1 bracket, with three favorable games still to play in the league schedule.
In Yale Cup small school play, OTC/MEC wrapped up their division title, but it was not easy. After dispatching second-place City Honors on Monday night in blowout fashion, the Kats would lead the upset-minded Emerson Eagles by seven at half, but found themselves trailing by one in the final frame. OTC used a late run to close out the stubborn visitors, while locking up the top seed in the C-1 bracket in the process. Emerson, although sporting just a 5-6 league record, have been involved in many close games throughout the league season and should prove to be a tough out for a top team in the B-2 bracket.
