Oliver McDowell’s 3-point spree ignites Gulfport in playoff opener
Oliver McDowell fired in seven 3-pointers and Keevon Oney added a double-double as Gulfport eliminated Terry 66-55 in the opening round of the Class 6A state basketball tournament Tuesday at Bert Jenkins Gymnasium.
Gulfport (19-11) advances to second-round action at Meridian on Saturday at 7 p.m.
McDowell, a junior guard, poured in seven of Gulfport’s 10 3-pointers in the first half to help stake the Admirals to a 37-27 halftime lead. Miles Daniels, who finished with 17 points, added three 3-pointers in a perimeter barrage that offset Terry’s height advantage.
“There have been a couple of games where I haven’t been myself,” McDowell said. “Tonight, I felt it. It just kept going in. I was feeling it. It was my night. I came out hot so I kept shooting.”
McDowell finished with a game-high 23 points. Daniels had 17, Chad Crenshaw 14 and Oney 10 points and 10 rebounds. It was the final home game for seniors Daniels and Oney.
“(McDowell) got going in the first half and we found him, too, that’s what I was proud of,” Gulfport coach Owen Miller said. “He made some big shots.
“Our biggest worry was rebounding. And we out-rebounded them nine and that was a big difference in the game. Derick Hall, our center, plays four minutes and has four fouls, and we still out-rebounded them. That shows our toughness and our resolve.
“Chad Crenshaw came in and played really good. He got us going and got people in the right spots. Miles Daniels was great again. He does so much for us and has had a great year.”
Jimmy Burse paced Terry (16-12) with 15 points and Doctavian Porter added 11.
With the game tied at 17 with 5:07 left in the second quarter, McDowell set the tone. He hit three straight 3-pointers that rocketed the lead to 26-17, and after that, Terry was playing uphill.
Gulfport led 51-38 after three quarters, and the Admirals maintained the lead by shooting free throws and rebounding. The Admirals hit 11 of 15 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter. After the 3-point barrage in the first half, Gulfport only hit one in the second half.
Daniels enjoyed his final game at “The Bert” and enjoyed getting some revenge over Terry, which eliminated Gulfport from the state tournament in 2016.
“Our coach went small the second half and it took effort to bang with those big guys,” Daniels said. “It made it a lot sweeter that they beat us last year and we got another chance and we beat them. Revenge is sweet.
And now the Admirals look for an upset at Meridian.
“Anything can happen, that is what our coach tells us,” Daniels said. “It just takes us believing we can beat Meridian.“
This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 9:26 PM with the headline "Oliver McDowell’s 3-point spree ignites Gulfport in playoff opener."