by Bill Turner
Make no mistake about it- Patrick Henry basketball is the real deal. PH broke away from a 7-7 tie after one quarter with a 27-point second quarter barrage as the Patriots cruised to the 69-36 win over William Fleming last Friday night on the Woody Deans Court at PH.
Patrick Henry, led by B.J. Hamlett’s 22 points, was clicking on all cylinders in front of a standing-room-only crowd that forced officials to suspend ticket sales 30 minutes prior to tipoff. And, Hamlett had a strong supporting cast that kept any form of Colonel comeback from materializing.
Kerris Errs poured in 13 points, Cam Jones added 12 and sophomore Marcus Banks chipped in 10 for the Patriots.
Included in those totals were eight 3-pointers from Hamlett, Jones and Banks, six coming from Hamlett alone. PH was perfect at the line, going 7-for-7. William Fleming was led by Raheem Caldwell’s 10 points; senior Kris Whitfield was held to 8 as Patrick Henry continually employed double-teams to slow down the Colonel standout.
Fleming led early in the second quarter 12-9 before the Patriots blew it open. By the end of the third quarter PH was up 52-25, and the reserves for both teams closed out the final frame. Patrick Henry improved to 11-2; 3-0 Western Valley. Fleming fell to 2-10; 0-3)
