Cleveland forward Judah Sault was dominant from start to finish, helping lead his team to a convincing 58-41 District 5-4A home win over Howard Tuesday night.
“When I get the ball Coach Reg (Reggie Tucker) wants me to go up and score with it,” said Sault, who finished with a game-high 17 points and seven rebounds while drawing two offensive fouls. “Last year sometimes I was hesitant to shoot, so this season I have been focusing on being more aggressive and getting my points up.”
Howard hung tough on the road and led 28-25 at halftime after My’Quise Thomas connected on a 3-pointer from the left corner. Jadon Jenkins had seven first half points, but the Hustlin’ Tigers (12-5, 5-3) were shut down the rest of the way.
Senior Tate O’Bryan sparked Cleveland (8-12, 4-3) on both ends of the court in the third quarter as he fought for offensive rebounds, stole two passes and scored seven of his 12 points in the period. The two-sport standout hit the first two shots out of halftime with his second 3-pointer followed by a strong drive to the basket.
The Blue Raiders’ lone senior hyped up his teammates and fans inside Raider Arena while Jasen Brooks blocked three shots in the second half.