Playing in front of fans from his home town of Dallas, Texas, senior guard Preston Branson poured in 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds as No. 8 Westmont Men’s Basketball (5-1) defeated Jarvis Christian (1-4) 83-65 on Friday night.
Branson, who also had four assists, was six of 14 from the floor including two of three from beyond the arc. He also made six of eight free throw attempts. Branson came to Westmont in the fall of 2009 from Trinity Christian Academy after leading the Trojans to a Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) State Championship and earning TAPPS MVP honors.
“It was fun to see Preston play at a high level in front of family and friends,” said Westmont head coach John Moore of his leading scorer. “We had quite a few guys play well. Cooper had 18 really important points and was 9 of 12 from the field. Any time you go against a team that is athletic like that, you have to be really cleaver. Cooper is very cleaver out there. Preston found him a few times, Niko (Brooks) (5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) found him at important points and Bredan Hill (3 points, 2 assists) had some neat assists to Cooper. Cooper made himself open by being aggressive to the basket.”
Junior guard C.J. Miller added 16 points and collected eight boards. Miller made six of nine from the floor. Senior guard Jordan Sachs added 10 points and four rebounds.
“C.J. played very well and Jordan had a nice game,” remarked Moore. “CJ was four for six from three point line and really comfortable. I thought Jordan was the steadiest player on the court. He was communicating well and was aggressive in all the right ways.”
“We doubled them up on the boards,” reported Moore. “We outrebounded them 43-21. When you outrebound a team to that degree it is an indicator of what the final score is going to be. We had 32 defensive rebounds. When you shoot 55 percent and have 11 offensive rebounds, you are giving yourself a chance for additional opportunities.”
Moore was also pleased with the way in which the Warriors handled Jarvis Christian’s athleticism and the Warriors defensive efforts.
“They pressed all game long, which is hard and wears you out,” described Moore. “They had a good combination of size and quickness.
“When you play a team that attacks the basketball like they do, taking six charges is a sign of defensive efficiency. It disrupts their momentum and the way they play the game. We held them to 34 percent from the field and 18 percent from the three-point line.”
The Warriors will continue their Texas road trip tomorrow night when they take on the Lions of Southwestern Assemblies of God University (4-0). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PST.
