TUCKER, GA – We spent the day at the Chick-Fil-A Invitational Holiday Classic on Thursday and saw a lot of basketball on the first day of action after Christmas. Here’s a quick snapshot of the action in Dekalb County.

COOKIN’ WITH COLEMAN

Butler High School was hoping to hit the reset button this season at the CFA Invitational. The Augusta team was on a five-game losing skid coming into the tournament and was hoping to start a new streak, you know the kind that sits on the winning side.

The Bulldogs didn’t have to wait very long to turn the tables. Junior guard Don Coleman answered the call, dropping a day-high 31 points to help Butler claim the 67-63 win against Atlanta Mays.

Coleman was great in the second half, scoring 20 of his 31 points in the second half. He drilled three straight three-pointers to help spark Butler to the victory. Down by 14 at the half, Butler went to work in the second half and picked better shots to calm the team down and get back into a controlled pace.

Coleman led the charge and was the game’s MVP in the victory. Mays was paced by guards Lundy Luqman’s 17 points and Ayinde Russell’s 14 points.

HOST TEAM HUSTLE

A number of Tucker’s players were in the gym all day on Thursday, taking in the action on their home floor. Watching hoops for an extended period of time must have brought a little extra motivation for the team as the Tigers cruised in the second half of the night cap to put away a good Gainesville (Fla.) team 76-51.

Paced by the three-headed monster of senior Jon Dunmeyer, senior T.J. Thomas and junior Shembari Phillips, the Tigers played very well in the final 16 minutes of the contest. The trio combined for 46 points in the victory.

Dunmeyer and Thomas, both unsigned seniors, were two of the very best seniors on the day. Dunmeyer, a 6-foot point guard, showed off his game management skills in this one while Thomas, a 6-foot-8 post, was great around the cup. Phillips, a 6-foot-5 junior, scored on the wing, at the rim and in transition.

#BESEEN PLAYERS OF THE DAY

M.L. King’s Miles Perdue, a long and lanky 6-foot-6 senior, was terrific in Lions win over Stone Mountain. He scored all over the floor. He finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in the victory. According to ML King coaches, Perdue has come on strong over the last four games and producing at a high clip.

Jenkins junior Malik Benlevi scored 19 points in his team’s win over Cedar Grove and the 6-foot-5 combo forward showed flashes of why he could be in store for a stepping stone 2014 year. He’s long for the wing and said he’s working on improving his perimeter skills. Benlevi said his recruitment is quiet and there hasn’t been a single coach in to see him. He’s a bubble top 30 player in Georgia’s 2015 class and a guy certainly worth putting some eyeballs on this high school season.

Butler has been chasing win number two for the last five games and thanks to the play of Coleman (see above) and Ricqual Smoot, the Augusta kids got one. Smoot, a big 6-foot-7 center, came up huge in the second half. He scored nine of 10 points and grabbed seven of his nine rebounds in the last 16 minutes of the game. “That was his best game of the year,” Coleman said of his fellow junior.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

Southwest Dekalb sophomore Keith Gilmore drilled a three-pointer with 2.6 seconds left to play to tie the game at 55-55 against Sandy Creek. The game went to overtime after his big three. Sandy Creek, however, made some key plays in the extra quarter and claimed the victory. Gilmore, who shined at The Preview in June, was great in the loss. He scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds.  

Greenforest Christian guard John Ogwuche was good in his team’s 50-39 win over Glenn Hills. The 6-foot-3 guard scored 23 points and ripped down eight rebounds. Ogwuche set the tone early on the defensive end to help the Class A powerhouse claim an important in-state win.

Cedar Grove has a host of young players that had good moments in a 70-59 loss to Jenkins. Sophomore guard Makale Carter played well in the second half, collecting buckets at the rim and making plays defensively. Big man Jacara Cross, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, protected the rim, rebounded and ran the floor.

NOTES FROM THE NOTEPAD

Columbia’s Bryce Brown opened his team’s game up against Brainard (Tenn.) with a bang. He scored 14 points in the first eight minutes of the contest. Columbia cruised to the victory. Rice bound senior Maurice Rivers added 14 in the win.

Sandy Creek started the day with a win in the 10 a.m. game. Junior Jamal Lain was big in the second half as the Patriots won in overtime against Southwest Dekalb.

The Mays backcourt of junior Ayinde Russell and senior Luqman Lundy is one of the best in the city of Atlanta. Good balance between these two.

Seven-foot freshman Ikey Obiagu came off the Greenforest bench and showed his shot-blocking value, sending one shot into the stands and holding his ground two other times around the rim. How many teams in the South can bring a seven-footer off the bench?

TOP FIVE PERFORMERS OF THE DAY

1.       Don Coleman, Butler, Jr.

2.       John Ogwuche, Greenforest Christian, Soph.

3.       Miles Perdue, M.L. King, Sr.

4.       Keith Gilmore, Southwest Dekalb, Soph.

5.       Jon Dunmeyer, Tucker, Sr.