UAB commit Lee leads Dallas County past Essex

For the second time in as many weeks, the John Essex boys’ basketball team fell prey to a much larger beast in that of a Class 4A Dallas County squad. Essex grinded out a very respectable performance as it held strong throughout a large portion of the contest before being outmanned on the way to a 76-42 loss Thursday.

“We’re not going to make any excuses,” coach Frazier Lewis emphatically stated following his team’s loss, “They might be in 4A and they might be great. But to say that’s why we lost would take away from the potential our boys have. We didn’t stick to the game plan, do the things we needed to do; we didn’t box out; we didn’t finish around the basket.”

Although Frazier’s statements might be true, the answer to why his Hornets were hesitant and spotty around the rim is very evident, and it comes in the form of a 6-8 forward whose wingspan and leaping capabilities would make anyone shy away from the paint.

Dallas County’s William Lee, who has a strong verbal commit to UAB, put on a clinic Thursday night, showing folks why he has been a highly touted recruit the past couple of years.

Lee’s 18 first half points consisted of several easy looks and five slams; add seven rebounds to that and you have a half-time score of John Essex, 23-William Lee, 18.

As for the actual game, Essex (0-3) did a quality job in keeping the rest of DCH’s shifty ballers at bay. They featured a 2-1-2 defensive set, with trapping capabilities in the corner. They contested every shot, stayed on the floor for loose balls and stayed positive throughout the contest.

So too did DCHS (3-0), however, as it allowed only 11 points in the first period and 13 in the second. Couple that with the fact that seven players scored five or more points before the break and you have a remedy for success more times than not.

Timothy Jones led the Essex offense from the get-go when he stole a pass in the very early stages of the contest, ran the court before pulling up to drill a 3-point bucket, giving JEHS its first basket of the night. Michael Moore showed his diversity as he threw in six points along with three steals and six rebounds.

Second half action saw more of the same. Essex fought grittily but every time it put together some kind of run, Dallas County would immediately answer back. This allowed DCHS to control the tempo, slow the ball down, and ultimately prevail comfortably.

Timothy Jones had a team high in points for Essex as he finished with 19.

Michael Moore Jr. ended his night scoring 10 points while snatching six boards.

After a very quiet first half, Josh Moore banged and bruised his way to a fine performance where he earned a double-double by way of 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Dallas County had three players in double figures as well. Jerrod Moozer and Kendell Motley brought up the back end with 12 and 10 respectively.

William Lee finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks, and slammed home a total of seven dunks all within a span of three periods of play. He decided to assume a different role in the final eight minutes of play when he ran the point position; quite effectively it might be noted.

John Essex resumes its journey of giants when it takes on Choctaw County Friday night in Butler.