Buffalos with a Big Win

Reviews with Rob | Milby vs Sharpstown

The Milby Buffaloes, 15-12 (8-6 in district), came into this game against the Sharpstown Apollos, who was 13-11 (9-4 in district), looking to lock down a playoff spot. You could see the fight between the young Buffaloes from the beginning. They came out full of energy and were flying around on offense and defense. ℅ 2025 G Darius Owens really opened my eyes. His speed and burst to get away from his defender opened up multiple lanes for teammates to eat. One of those teammates who benefited from this was ℅ 2025 W Malachi Johnson. The young man played an exceptional game, scoring 9 points and gathering 9 rebounds in the first half. Coach Garrett for Sharpstown then inserted 6’9” unsigned senior P Miles Williams into the game. Even though his size says he should play with his back to the basket, he came in and knocked down 2 threes and multiple other perimeter jumpers. Unsigned senior W Everett Guillory also contributed big for the Apollos in the first half, scoring 8 points, and giving them a slight 30-27 lead.

In the second half, Milby came out even more aggressive than they had been in the first opening minutes of the game. Even though he didn’t score much, ℅ 2024 W Malik Johnson rebounded the ball very well and also played a good brand of perimeter defense on multiple offensive players. Coach Iles was as energized and aggressive on the sidelines as his team was on the court. He had his young team looking like playoff contenders. Unsigned senior G Noel Duplechain must have felt this too because he started to turn it on offensively for Sharpstown. He scored on back-to-back drives through the lane and heading into the fourth it looked like it would be a close one. Malachi Johnson would make sure that this would not be possible. He showed his versatility as a player by getting a big-time dunk, then also coming back and hitting a long three-pointer. You can really tell that he has matured over his first varsity season in HISD. In the end, with Owens pushing the pace and not getting flustered, the Milby Buffaloes would pretty much clinch a playoff spot with a huge 58-46 victory over Sharpstown.

Milby was led by: Malachi Johnson with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks; Darius Owens with 13 points, 2 assists

Sharpstown was led by: Miles Williams with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal; Noel Duplechain with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals; Everett Guillory with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

Article Written by: Robert Carroll

[Ball So Hard, Lead Scout]

February 8th, 2023