Spartans, Watford dominate Madison Academy

Mountain Brook got out to a big lead and never let up, defeating Madison Academy 98-66 in the Steel City Invitational on Monday inside the Pete Hana Center.

The Spartans (10-2) blazed to a 25-15 lead after a quarter, and added 26 more points in the second quarter. Trendon Watford and Drew Smith led the way in the first half with 17 points and 15 points, respectively, as the Spartans opened up a 51-29 lead.

Watford, just a freshman, racked up his second double-double in as many games in the tournament, finishing with 33 points and 12 rebounds. He put up those numbers in economic fashion, shooting 68% (13-of-19) from the field, and had an emphatic block in the second quarter.

Mountain Brook plays over ten players consistently, and substitutes frequently to allow players to play hard without conserving energy. That relentless intensity was too much for Madison Academy to handle.

Michigan State signee Josh Langford struggled against the constant pressure in the first half. He did manage a strong second half, and finished the game with a double-double of his own, with 23 points and ten boards in the game.

"With a player like him, you can't stop him with one guy. You can't stop him if you double team him. So our goal was stop him with 16 guys," Spartan coach Bucky McMillan said. "Our goal was to put different guys on him."

Jack Kline racked up ten points and seven rebounds in the game, as the big man helped his team outscore the Mustangs 44-28 in the paint and win the rebounding edge, 46-30. Ben McCool and Alex Washington added eight points.

Despite leading by over 20 the entire second half, Mountain Brook never relaxed, playing the same, fast-paced brand of basketball until the final horn.

"With the way we play, everybody has got to contribute," McMillan said. "Our team has to be in attack mode from the second they step between the lines."

McMillan thought his team lost its competitive edge in Saturday's loss to Sacred Heart. The Spartans came out pregame and attempted to regain that in warmups, with some players donning orange jerseys to compete for rebounds against teammates.

The Spartans will play their final game in the tournament, hosted at Samford University, at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday against Woodlawn and UAB signee Javien Williams.