Boys playoffs: No. 1 Columbia too much for West Hall

DECATUR -- West Hall boys basketball coach Warren Sellers knew his Spartans would need a near-perfect effort Tuesday night to pull off the upset of defending Class AAA state champion and No. 1-ranked Columbia on the road.

Sellers got just what he wanted for most of the first half. But Columbia showed off its own perfection in the third quarter using a 20-8 run to blow open a close game en route to a 68-52 win in the second round of the Class AAA state playoffs.

Sellers said the game plan was simple: play the game in eight-minute increments and hang around with a chance to win at the end. He also said they knew the Eagles would make a run. Surviving them is the problem.

"We came here with the intent of playing an eight-minute game," he said. "We wanted to play the first eight minutes, take a water break, and then play the next eight minutes. We did a good job of that in the first half."

West Hall came out firing in the first quarter behind Shunquez Stephens, who had eight points and five rebounds in the period. The Spartans trailed 6-2 but used a 9-2 run of their own to grab an 11-8 lead. They would eventually take a 15-10 lead in the second quarter.

After the water break, the Eagles then turned up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, blocking four West Hall shots and holding the Spartans to just seven points. Algie Key had a big quarter for Columbia with seven points and two blocks as the Eagles took a 26-22 lead into halftime. The taller Eagles held William Stroup to no points and the quick guards held Dre Pou to just one field goal in the first half. And, they endured a five-minute scoring drought.

But the eight-minute game plan fell apart in the third quarter. After a Shunquez Stephens free throw to open the second half, Columbia went on a 14-2 run to grab control of the game. The Eagles forced three consecutive turnovers at one stretch and hit five consecutive field goals to push their lead to as many as 18 points late in the third quarter.

"They're good at throwing the knockout punch and they did that in the third quarter," Sellers said. "We battled hard. But they forced us into some bad decisions and they took advantage of every mistake. You can see why the road to the title goes through Columbia."

The Spartans mounted one last comeback in the fourth quarter using a 13-5 run, capped by a basket from Stroup, to cut the lead to 55-45 with 2:48 left. But four quick points by Columbia in a 30 second span forced West Hall to try and foul to get back in the game.

"We tried to lengthen the game but championship teams find a way to win and that's what Columbia did. We couldn't find a weakness at the end," Sellers said.

The Eagles (27-3) hit 11-of-14 free throws in the final two minutes and 17-of-21 free throws in the fourth quarter to preserve the lead.

West Hall finished its best season in school history at 24-6. The six West Hall seniors -- paced by Shunquez Stephens, Jarquise Young, Pou, and Stroup -- also set the mark for most wins by a class in school history.

Young would finish with 15 points to lead West Hall, but was harassed the entire game and had just one assist. Jamaad Stephens had 12 points and five rebounds, Shunquez Stephens finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, and Pou had eight points for the Spartans.

Sophomore Tahj Shamsid-Deem had 24 points to lead the Eagles. Key finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, three steals, and three assists for Columbia.